Olympic Day is a chance to celebrate everything Australians love about the Olympics – teamwork, sportsmanship and doing your very best both on and off the sporting field.

For 2020, Olympic Day has taken on a new significance given the global pandemic and isolation within the COVID-19 environment, but that doesn’t stop us from keeping active and reassessing our goals, just like athletes working towards Tokyo 2020 in 2021.

This year, the Australian Olympic Team encourages all Aussies to set a personal goal on 1 June 2020 that they hope to achieve by Olympic Day on 23 June, 2020. 

Your goal can be just for yourself, or you can challenge your teammates – it can be anything you’d like!

Get your thinking caps on and decide your Olympic Day Goal and pledge it on social media on June 1, using the #OlympicDayGoals pledge cards for Facebook / Twitter, Instagram or Instagram stories.

Encourage your mates to also accept the challenge by tagging them on social media, where you can support each other by sharing your weekly progress, tagging @AUSOlympicTeam and #OlympicDayGoals.

Schools and Teachers can also access an #OlympicDayGoals activity planner for the month of June and goal setting cards for the classrooms HERE.

Then, on 23 June – Olympic Day – everyone will come together across Australia to show how they’ve achieved their #OlympicDayGoals!

Gather your mates, get planning and set yourself a goal ready for June 1!

Indigenous Australian boxer Paul Fleming took up Aboriginal art a year and a half ago, after ‘not having an artistic bone in his body.’

Now, the Beijing 2008 Olympian has been commissioned by the AOC to put together two pieces of art for the Olympic Team and wants to use his newfound skills to encourage the next generation to stay close to their roots and be proud of who they are.

“With both designs I went with green and gold, because they’re the Australian colours,” Fleming stated of his AOC commissioned artworks.
 

 

 

 

 

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Just finished this small piece for the AOC (Australia Olympics Committee) to be used on towels for the 2020 Australian Olympic team. Happy with how it turned out. It was touch and go there for a bit but managed to pull it off hahaha #dotpainting #aboriginalart #indigenousart

A post shared by paulshowtimefleming (@paulshowtimefleming) on Mar 4, 2020 at 12:40am PST

“The first piece represents the journey and it’s one that also represented my own.

“The journey to making the Olympic Games was a long one with many bumps in the road. It’s never just given to you, everyone needs to go out there and work really hard to earn it,” he explained.

“I moved away from home when I was 16 and sacrificed a lot. The rest of my teenage years, into early adulthood were dedicated to making the Olympics and that’s time you can never get back.

“You need to have inner strength and willpower to push through all of the obstacles in reaching your goals and I still call on those lessons later in my life, just being proud of everything I had to overcome to get to the Olympics.

“In that artwork, the Olympic Rings are in the centre, but the story is more about everything that leads to you getting to those rings.”
 

 

 

 

 

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Sneek peak of a piece I'm working on amt #aboriginalart #indigenousart #dotpainting

A post shared by paulshowtimefleming (@paulshowtimefleming) on Feb 18, 2020 at 9:30pm PST

“The smaller piece had a similar theme, but it’s more focused on the centre piece which represents a meeting place because the Olympic brings together people of all colours, religions and backgrounds from all over the world who are all competing for the same goal,” Fleming said.

“Everyone essentially becomes ‘one’, we’re all athletes and it doesn’t matter where you come from.

“The people surrounding the meeting place represent the people in your life who have helped you get to where you are. Your family, friends and even competitors because if we don’t have competitors, we don’t have competitions.”

The themes Fleming portrays in his artworks go hand in hand with the 2020 theme of Reconciliation Week, ‘In This Together.’

“To me Reconciliation Week is about coming together, recognising the mistakes of the past and taking ownership.

“It’s about understanding that, yes, these things did happen and that’s why things are the way they are, but we need to move forward together – that’s the most important thing.
 

“I am very proud of being an Aboriginal person, but at the end of the day, I am a human, we are all humans part of the human race.”

Fleming says that although he’s had much interest in his artwork, he didn’t hone his creative side until recently.

“Initially, I didn’t have an artistic bone in my body,” he laughed.

“All throughout high school the only time I did art was when I absolutely had to and as soon as it wasn’t a required subject, I didn’t do it again.”

That was until a year and a half ago, when his role as an Aboriginal Education Officer at a Western Sydney school led to him discovering his creative side.

“My role involves spending time connecting with Indigenous kids, doing a bit of dancing and learning about Aboriginal culture,” he explained.

“But something I noticed was that a lot of the kids struggled with the confidence to dance or to speak in front of people, so I started trying to connect with them in a different way. 

“We’d sit down together, and the kids would say ‘draw me something'.
 

 

 

 

 

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End result of our leaf painting the other day 🔥👣🍂🌿

A post shared by paulshowtimefleming (@paulshowtimefleming) on Apr 10, 2020 at 5:38pm PDT

“I’d just muck around and do some sketches for the kids, but I eventually showed them to an artist friend of mine who has designed some of my boxing uniforms and he was really impressed.

“I started to really enjoy it and it’s become something that I now do with my own kids.”
Fleming says that sharing Aboriginal culture with younger generations is imperative to shaping their sense of self and identity.

“As a kid, I was never really exposed to Aboriginal art or culture but it’s an essential part of your identity and your story,” he explained.

“I’m glad that I get to share it with my kids who can now grow up with a sense of pride knowing exactly who they are and where they come from. I think that’s really important when it comes to building confidence.”

 

 

 

 

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Homies

A post shared by paulshowtimefleming (@paulshowtimefleming) on Mar 16, 2020 at 2:06am PDT

Liana Buratti

Sport Australia’s Return to Sport Toolkit, developed in partnership with Hockey Australia, comes with comprehensive checklists, adaptable COVID-19 safety plans and templates that can be used by sporting organisations at any level.

It is in step with the AIS Framework for Rebooting of Sport in a COVID-19 Environment and the Australian Government’s National principles for the resumption of sport and recreation activities. 

Sport Australia Acting CEO Rob Dalton said the Return to Sport Toolkit is primarily aimed at supporting the safe resumption of community sport, with many clubs and associations reliant on a dedicated workforce of volunteers. 

“The main thing I want to emphasise to all sport and participants is that public health is the most important consideration - advice from your Government health authorities is paramount. I urge all sporting participants not to jump the starting gun without first the consent of your relevant State and Territory Government health authorities,” Dalton said. 

 “Australia’s sporting community is desperately keen to get back in the game and resume playing the sports they love, but we need to ensure that is done in a safe, responsible and low risk manner so that we can keep moving forward towards the full resumption of sport. 

“Sport is extremely lucky to boast the largest volunteer base of any industry in Australia, and it’s fitting that we’re launching the Return to Sport Toolkit in National Volunteer Week. Sport Australia recognises that many of our sporting clubs and associations are led by these wonderful people who now face very complex decisions with limited resources to manage a safe return to sport. 

Minister for Youth and Sport Richard Colbeck said: “Sporting clubs and organisations across Australia will play an enormous part in getting the nation back on track as we recover from the impact of COVID-19. “The safe return of competition relies on a responsible rollout where everybody follows advice and takes precautions.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us – but together the National Principles, the AIS framework and Sport Australia’s toolkit offer tangible advice to ensure community sporting groups are prepared to control and deal with the virus in this new era.”

Sport Australia’s Return to Sport Toolkit guides clubs and associations at every level to document their own COVID-19 Safety Plan and appoint a COVID Safety Coordinator to implement and oversee it. As part of the Toolkit, a checklist works through practical and progressive steps such as: relevant approvals from your Government and National Sporting Organisation; facilities management; training behaviours; hygiene protocols; management of illness and; communicating these processes with members. 

“The Toolkit works through four stages of return to sport: Prevent, Prepare, Respond and Recover,” Dalton says. “In the Prevent stage, it concentrates on steps like getting your COVID-19 Safety Plan in place and communicating that with members. Practical steps in the Prepare stage are looking at safe facility practises, like hand-sanitisers, attendance registers at training and limiting shared equipment as much as possible. 

“Sports also need to be prepared for illness management, noting things can change quickly in your local area, which is covered by the Respond and Recover stages. 

“We thank the National Sporting Organisations for their input into this Toolkit, in particular Hockey Australia, and are confident sports will welcome it. But to help your sport return, Sport Australia also calls on everyone involved – participants, coaches, officials, administrators, volunteers, families and the broader community – to take individual responsibility and respect the health of all those around you.

“We know this is a tough time for sport and all Australians. But if we can each commit to getting through this challenging period together, we have every confidence sport will play a prominent role in lifting the nation’s energy and spirits again.”

The Return to Sport Toolkit can be downloaded HERE

Sport Australia

Olympians have swapped team kit for scrubs to work on the front line, Partners are providing tangible help to assist the Australian community and member sports are helping make sport accessible for people at home.

AOC CEO Matt Carroll said the AOC is proud of the work being done across Australia during the period of lockdown and ongoing into the initial stages of a return to sport.

“Olympic athletes, their sports and our Partners have shown great commitment and spirit to help lift the community during this time as the country stares down this crisis,” Mr Carroll said.

“Olympians like Rachael Lynch, Paul Adams and many others are on the front line as medical workers; our member sports are working with their athletes, staff and community to get through these uncertain times and keep sport accessible for the community; and the Australian Institute of Sport and state institutes have been providing vital advice and information to ensure athletes and sporting groups have stayed safe.

 

 

 

 

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As we celebrate the incredible work of nurses around the 🌏 on this #InternationalNursesDay 🏥, we say an extra special thank you 🙏 to 🇦🇺 Olympians & Olympic hopefuls who have put their #Tokyo2020 dreams on pause to put on their nursing scrubs during these tough #COVID19 times 💚💛

A post shared by Australian Olympic Team (@ausolympicteam) on May 12, 2020 at 12:16am PDT

“The AOC is fortunate to have Partners that support not only our Olympic athletes, but have devoted time, energy and practical assistance to the Australian community.”

“Toyota Australia have designed and produced faceshields and cooked and delivered meals for frontline healthcare workers, Woolworths have partnered with hunger relief organisations to help Australian’s in need and vulnerable, and were the first supermarket to introduce special shopping hours for the elderly and Healthcare and Emergency Service workers, and Cadbury has donated $100,000 to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal, over 1.6 million Easter eggs to hospitals, paramedics, aged care homes and those in quarantine across the country, as well as a range of food products to Foodbank and SecondBite.

To support our frontline medical staff tackling COVID-19, our Port Melbourne design and engineering team are developing face shields to help keep them safe at work.
Our thanks go out to our Aussie nurses and doctors and we’ll continue to support them in any way we can. pic.twitter.com/jF2pyfDN5r

— Toyota Australia (@Toyota_Aus) April 27, 2020

“Swisse has donated funds and products, Optus has increased capacity to keep Australia connected, Qantas is operating vital freight services and ASICS and Danone have introduced free online content series to keep Australians healthy and active. Airbnb’s Frontline Stays program offers places to stay for those fighting the spread of Covid-19. – these are just a snapshot of the tangible work being done across the Olympic Partner family.

“The AOC is grateful to work with Partners who have stepped up in the face of this crisis. Thank you for your support for not only Australian Olympians but the Australian community.” 

Mr Carroll says the AOC looks forward to the time Australians can get back into their sports and Olympic hopefuls can return to full training and competition, helping communities reconnect right across Australia.

“We also understand that we must stick at it when it comes to our social distancing protocols and the Return to Sport Framework the AIS has laid out.

“Australians have shown great patience and resolve, so now is not the time to rush. We need to keep sport and our community safe.” 

Dual Olympic medallist Jess Fox acknowledged the fantastic work being done in the community.

“There are so many athletes doing incredible work, like Jo Brigden-Jones, Georgie Rowe and so many others on the front line – it’s inspiring seeing them throw themselves into something so important,” Fox said.

“This is so much bigger than sport, and it’s inspiring to see the Olympic family contribute to the community, from Toyota making faceshields for frontline workers to trying to keep people engaged and healthy while being safe at home.”

25-year-old canoeist Fox was one of several Australian Olympians encouraging Australians to complete at home fitness challenges with the YoPro challenge.  

 

 

 

 

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The times are changing but it’s all about doing what you can with what you’ve got and finding joy. I’m so grateful for this moment I got to share with my grandma. Mamie came outside when she saw me working out and wanted to join my stretch. 84 years young ! She is the best 😂 we are going to make this a daily ritual! *her little clap at the end 😍😂 #stayinghome and staying safe. #teamYoPro #hometeam

A post shared by Jessica Fox (@jessfox94) on Mar 21, 2020 at 7:00pm PDT

“While we’re all adapting to our different routines, it was great to be part of a program to help people get active, make healthy choices and try to find mindfulness while staying at home.

“It’s been so positive seeing so many athletes and organisations jump in to help others however they can, and it makes me proud to be part of the Australian Olympic community.”

Further information on how Olympic Partners are supporting the community is available here. 

AOC President John Coates has confirmed that meetings of the Olympic Candidature Leadership Group (OCLG) scheduled earlier this year were deferred, allowing governments to focus on dealing with COVID-19.

Mr Coates said he’d proposed to OCLG members on March 31 that the meetings would not proceed while all three levels of governments dealt with the pandemic.

In his speech to the AOC Annual General Meeting on May 9, Mr Coates advised that discussions with the IOC on the candidature would resume when appropriate.

“We all understand there are pressing issues of public health and community wellbeing for governments to address. The candidature will have its role to play in terms of jobs and growth in the Queensland economy once we have seen our way through the current crisis,” Mr Coates concluded.

With almost 400 games for the Aussie Stingers to her name, it’s no surprise that Knox wants to leave a legacy in a sport she has dedicated two decades of her life to.

 

 

 

 

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🤽🏻‍♀️Excited, honoured and amazed that my next game representing my country as a member of the Aussie Stingers will mark my 350th international game. All the pain, hard work, early mornings, late nights are worth the friendships that are formed through fire and the privilege to represent Australia in a sport that I love. @waterpoloaus @wpqld #aussiestingers #waterpolo #sport @fina1908

A post shared by Bron Knox (@bronknox) on Jun 21, 2018 at 3:44pm PDT

Her interest in sport led her to study biomedical science on a scholarship in the US, before branching out into the public health sphere and finally, law.

“Initially I was very resistant to getting into law, my dad’s a lawyer and I thought to myself ‘I don’t just want to do what you do,’ but it really surprised me how vast the profession is,” the 34-year-old said.

“I realised it was an area where I can really make a difference and that’s why I love it.”

Due to COVID-19, Knox was unable to complete the practical component of her law degree in person, so instead she worked with the Australian Olympic Committee’s legal department for support to complete it online.

“I was completing my practical legal training course and within that there is a four-week placement subject,” she explained.

“I’d already done two weeks before the course was suspended due to COVID-19 so I was looking for a way to complete the rest.

“I spoke with the Olympian Services Manager, Daniel Kowalski and he put me in touch with Sarah Longes, the General Counsel and I spent the majority of my time working remotely with her and also Legal Counsel, Niroshika Weerasinghe to get my unit completed.”

Along with completing her law degree, Knox is also training towards a fourth Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, a feat not even she expected.

“I wasn’t even sure I was going to keep playing after London 2012, but then after Rio, I thought I was done,” the dual Olympic bronze medallist said.

 

 

 

 

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Opening ceremony was amazing!! Now let the GAMES BEGIN! #olympics #oneteam #waterpolo #rio #aussie @waterpoloaus @ausolympicteam @7olympics

A post shared by Bron Knox (@bronknox) on Aug 5, 2016 at 5:27pm PDT

She had captained the Stingers for three years, but Knox stepped away from the pool in 2016 to focus on her post-sporting career.

“[After Rio] I needed to get other areas of my life sorted and figure out what direction I wanted to head in, because I knew I couldn’t make a living playing my sport," Knox shared.

“I’d won European contracts in the past, but it’s not a profession and definitely not something you could look to retire on, so I spent a lot of that time trying a few different things, doing some self-discovery and networking.

Knox soon discovered she wasn’t ready to leave her Aussie Stingers family and she was back in peak condition to help the Team win bronze at the 2018 FINA World Cup.

 

 

 

 

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🥉 BRONZE 🥉 been a tough 2 weeks with every game coming down to the wire. Brilliant to come home with some bling!! #waterpolo #fina #sport @waterpoloaus @fina1908 @fina.gwangju2019 @qldacademysport @qldthunder @wpqld

A post shared by Bron Knox (@bronknox) on Jul 26, 2019 at 4:28am PDT

“I knew I wasn’t finished playing completely, I just didn’t know to what level I wanted to play at," she said.

“I think stepping away from the sport and not having that pressure of being one of the leaders of the team made me fall in love with the sport again and that's when I knew I wasn't done.

“Now I know I’ve got more left in me and I love being challenged and thinking on my feet. I think that’s the reason I keep coming back - because you never know what someone is going to throw at you and to rise to that challenge is somewhat addictive.”

If selected to her fourth Olympic Team next year, Knox said Tokyo would have a different meaning to her previous Games as she nears retirement.

“Any opportunity I get to play with my teammates and represent Australia, is amazing, but Tokyo will be a little bit different for me,” she explained.

“I'm trying to live in the moment and enjoy each time I get to step out and play as though it's going to be my last and that's the way I've approached these last few years because I know that I'm heading into retirement.

“Especially given COVID-19, because I initially didn’t know if Tokyo was going to go ahead and having that reality thrust upon me, I couldn’t believe how upset and emotional it made me, that I could have played my last game with my teammates and I didn’t even know,” she continued.

“So now, I’m just really trying to reinforce that living in the moment and playing every game as it comes and I think that also really releases you from that pressure as well as the fear of failure.”

One area Knox feels strongly about is gender equality in sport.

 

 

 

 

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🤽🏻‍♀️ Cramming 20 years of experiences into an hour and a half. The AHS girls getting in some training before the season starts back up. #waterpolo #waterpoloqld #qld #queensland #brisbane #sport @waterpoloaus @wpqld #oylmpics #medals

A post shared by Bron Knox (@bronknox) on Jan 15, 2017 at 9:44pm PST

She started playing water polo at 16 in a boys team because there were no girls teams at her school.

Now, she works with a Brisbane girls’ school to develop their junior water polo program and is an active member of the International Women’s Forum, a Women Athletes’ Business Network Mentoring program.

“Equality for women and girls not just in sport, but in general, is something I am really passionate about,” she said.

“You see women doing the same job and getting paid two-thirds of what a man is getting.

“It’s about breaking down those barriers and giving every opportunity you can to girls and let them know they are worthy.

“I don’t know whether it’s innate, genetic or something that’s taught where girls think they have to sit quietly in the background because when you’re a female who speaks up, you’re considered aggressive rather than assertive.

 

 

 

 

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Morning spent with @academy_waterpolo and the afternoon with St Rita's. With the school returning shortly young players and teams getting geared up for the return of the season #waterpolo @wpqld #academywaterpolo #olympics #sport #grassroots #fun #getinvolved #coaching #brisbane #queensland #australia

A post shared by Bron Knox (@bronknox) on Jan 17, 2017 at 8:26pm PST

“I think if we can develop those sorts of things into our grassroots programs we can create these female athletes and women in general who have much more confidence going into battle for what they want.”

Knox is also a presenter and educator for ASADA and says integrity within sport and athlete wellbeing are areas she wants to help improve.

“I’ve started doing a bit of casual work as an education presenter for ASADA and using the lessons I’ve learned and my experience as an athlete to teach athletes about their rights and responsibilities.

“I’ve seen teammates or other athletes retire and they’re a little bit lost because the structure of sport is gone, the support network tends to move on and you can be left floundering for a little bit which can be really damaging to people’s mental health,” Knox explained.

“Losing that pathway, drive and goal at the end can be really hard but it’s a moving space and we’ve taken some great steps moving forward.

“The Sports Commission are doing some great things with their mental health referral network and their wellbeing managers who have stepped in.

"A new body, Sports Integrity Australia, is looking to come into power in the middle of this year, so seeing how that is going to impact the sporting world is exciting.

“I just hope to make an impact within the sporting industry and make it better at fostering athletes who are great competitors but also well-rounded individuals.

“When you see these amazing athletes moving away from sport and thriving and building communities into better spaces, it's going to keep building that brand for that sport for years to come. 

“Historically sport has been more about wanting to be the world's best and that's great in the short term, but building these legacies are going to have a longer-lasting impact.”

Liana Buratti

The initiative invites indoor rowers worldwide to log their training metres on a bespoke online platform with the shared goal of accumulating, as one singular community, 384.4 million metres - the distance from Earth to the Moon. 

The motivation behind this challenge comes from the phenomenal uptake of the One Minute Challenge, which ran from 8 to 11 May and was organised in partnership between the four national rowing federations.

The extremely popular joint initiative challenged anyone with a rowing machine at home to see how far they could row in one minute, and saw over 2,300 rowers participate across the four nations, with over 600 participants from Australia.

 

 

 

 

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🔔 BREAKING NEWS 🔔 IT’S OFFICIAL! Ratified by @concept2inc @georgierowe92 has set a new WORLD RECORD on the indoor rowing machine for a half marathon for women aged 19-29! Breaking a record set by American Esther Lofgren in 2015! • #indoorinterstate #recordbreaker #extraordinaryaustralians

A post shared by Rowing Australia (@rowingaustralia) on Apr 10, 2020 at 9:20pm PDT

Alongside the excellent participation, the One Minute Challenge also saw 19 Concept2 World Records and multiple national records unofficially broken, all of which are currently being verified by Concept2, including that of two-time Paralympic silver medallist, Erik Horrie, who broke his own One Minute World Record during the One Minute Challenge. 

The Row to the Moon challenge will run for ten days, starting at 13:00 AWST/15:00 AEST on 21 May and finishing on 31 May, and will give members of the public the opportunity to participate alongside rowers from each nation’s Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.

Throughout the duration of the global challenge, participants will be asked to upload all of the distance they cover on the rowing machine on a live, real-time web platform, adding sessions as regularly as they like and nominating friends on social media to join them in the challenge.

The web platform is open for pre-registration now, and participants will then be able to begin logging their training metres from 13:00 AWST/15:00 AEST on 21 May.

Building on the momentum of the One Minute Challenge, the four nations are opening the Row to the Moon challenge up to participants globally, with each rower able to log their metres to their specific nation whilst contributing to the global tally.

The Row to the Moon challenge also builds on the inclusive nature of the One Minute Challenge, offering 17 para-rowing categories to which users can upload their progress and contribute towards the combined total.

Speaking ahead of the Row to the Moon challenge, Olympia Aldersey, 2019 World Champion in the Australian Women’s Four said, “It’s awesome that the four nations are combining again for a challenge and this one really is taking it to the next level.

"Australians are proud to have played their part in broadcasting the first pictures of Neil Armstrong, and the crew of Apollo 11, as they walked on the moon back in 1969, so I know we’ll all come together on this challenge to send an erg into space!

"Indoor Rowing really is for everyone, not just elite athletes, so I encourage everyone to take part, no contribution is too little when we’ve 384.4 million metres to complete to get us there!”

Also looking forward to the Row to the Moon challenge is Lauren Rowles MBE, current Paralympic and World Champion in the British PR2 Mixed Double Sculls, said:

“It was awesome to see so many people at home getting involved in the One Minute Challenge.

"There's been a real community spirit through the rowing world during lockdown and it's been great to see us all come together and take on these challenges from our homes. This new challenge gives us another exciting target to work towards as a team and keeps that competitive spirit alive.”

The sentiment was echoed by Canada’s Andrew Todd, two-time PR3 Men’s Pair World Champion (2018 & 2019), who said,

"It's great to see a sense of teamwork and connection amongst various rowing nations to work together towards a common goal during this time of physical and social distancing due to COVID-19.  

"It can be very lonely and difficult for people right now with so much uncertainty and it is really cool to see Canada join forces coast to coast and with other countries around the world to collectively Row to the Moon.

"Indoor rowing is a staple to my training in isolation right now as it seems to be for so many other rowers around the world so it is really special to try and add some special purpose and togetherness to our training."

2019 World Champion in the New Zealand Women’s Eight, Lucy Spoors is back training on the water but excited for the indoor event’s launch,

“The New Zealand women’s sweep squad are relieved to be back training alongside each other at Lake Karapiro, but we have all enjoyed the camaraderie that arose across our sport internationally throughout our respective lockdowns.

"We’re excited to once again take part in an event alongside not only our domestic rowing community, but also our competitors and the international rowing community.’’

Click to register HERE

Rowing Australia

Athletes are using their experience in overcoming these challenges to help inspire students with Olympics Unleashed, presented by Optus.

Olympics Unleashed, which has seen athletes share their experience face-to-face with more than 120 000 students in over 800 schools since launching in 2018, is now connecting elite athletes with students in the digital classroom – and Olympians’ message of resilience, teamwork and perseverance is more important than ever.

Rio Olympian judokas and brothers Nathan and Josh Katz delivered the first two Olympics Unleashed online sessions in May, with New South Wales’ White Bridge and Blakehurst High Schools.

“It’s rewarding to be able to share with students that even though things have changed, it doesn’t cancel out all of their goals or what they are working towards,” Josh said. 

“While they might have to shift their focus for now, if they keep that dedication and passion towards what they want to achieve, then they can still reach their goals.

“Even though you can have such a clear goal, which for the both of us was the Olympic Games this year, that can change very quickly and you need to be adaptable to the circumstances that come your way,” Nathan added.

With Nathan and Josh completing more than a dozen in-person visits with Unleashed throughout 2019, they have witnessed the changes in students’ approach and focus.

“Students were really interested in understanding how to stay motivated during COVID-19. They wanted to know how to keep engaged when your goalposts have changed or your goals are delayed, which was different to the questions we have received in the past around being motivated to get up so early or train so hard” Josh said.

Nathan felt it was more important than ever to be able to connect with young Australians and share the benefits of an Olympic journey built on overcoming challenges and adapting to changing circumstances.

“Our core messages of overcoming adversity, goal setting and harnessing motivation remain the same, but it has a clearer focus now,” he said. “I think the Olympics Unleashed program is really important at this time because, sometimes all you need is a little bit of motivation. 

“It’s about understanding that while their lives are different, there are ways to adapt, it’s just about figuring out a way to do that and that’s something Olympians can do through Olympics Unleashed that can really help.”

Olympics Unleashed is available in NSW, Queensland, ACT and South Australia. The program is free for schools thanks to support from presenting partner Optus, state governments and the AOC. 

Schools can find out more and register for online visits now at www.olympicsunleashed.com.au. Online visits have commenced in NSW, with Queensland, ACT and South Australia expected to commence in the coming weeks.
 

The duo burst onto the scene in 1950 and won an incredible 12 Australian National titles during their partnership and in 1952, became the first Australian pairs team to compete at a World Championships.

Dividing their training time between Australia and Great Britain, the pair also became the first Australian team to earn the National Skating Association’s gold medal in pairs skating.

In 1956, Kendall-Baker and Bower set sail from Australia to Italy, to make their Olympic debut in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, but their Olympic dreams were shattered within minutes.

In less than five minutes of being on the ice, Bower, who passed away in 2013, crashed into the wooden rim of the ice rink during a back glide and fractured his ankle, forcing the team to withdraw.

Four years of preparation came to a devastating end, but the pair didn’t lose hope and set their sights on the next Olympic Games, Squaw Valley 1960.

They made a triumphant return and earned their rightful place in Olympic history by becoming the first Australian pairs skaters to compete at the Games, where they finished 12th, right behind future two-time Olympic gold medalists Ludmila and Oleg Protopopov.

While competing, Kendall-Baker was also training as a judge whose international judging career went on to include the Lake Placid 1980 Olympic Games along with the 1979 World Figure Skating Championships in Vienna.

Jackie was honoured as an ISU Hall of Fame inaugural inductee and a life member of the NSW Skating Association.

She often spoke of the unique challenges of being an Australian skater competing internationally in the fifties and sixties and lamented that the long sea voyages from Australia to Europe were the greatest setbacks, owing to lost training time.

The journey would take weeks by train and sea, with Jackie commenting, “you can’t skate on a ship.”
Chairman of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, Geoffrey Henke AO said Jackie Kendall-Baker was an Australian pioneer for winter sport and would leave a lasting legacy. 

“Jackie was one of the pioneers of Australian figure skating alongside her pairs partner, Mervyn Bower who were Australia’s first pairs skaters at an Olympic Games.

“She made history as a competitor and continued making a great contribution to winter sport as an international judge, leaving a lasting legacy.”

She was happily married for many years to husband John and is survived by two of her three children and nine grandchildren. 

At the time of her passing, Jackie Kendall-Baker was 84 years of age.