With Brisbane 2032 drawing closer, the countdown to one of the biggest sporting events Australia has ever hosted is accelerating.
For today’s students, the Games present a particularly exciting opportunity. A generation of young Queenslanders is growing up knowing that the world’s greatest sporting event is coming to their backyard.
For school sporting communities like TAS, that raises an important question: How do we utilise the excitement of Brisbane 2032 into a sporting legacy that lasts well beyond the Games?
Across TAS schools, students already have opportunities to participate in a diverse range of sports, experience high quality interschool competition and explore pathways beyond the school environment. As we approach the games, there’s a distinct opportunity to build on this foundation and truly inspire a generation of young sportspeople. It’s not simply about finding our next Olympic athletes, but fostering a love of sport and all the experiences that come with it.
The Pathway Starts at School
Behind every elite athlete are years of smaller moments – the first time they tried a sport, the coach who encouraged them, the competition that challenged them and the teammates who helped them improve.
For many young people, school sport provides some of these formative experiences. It gives students the opportunity to try different sports, develop their skills and experience regular competition in a supportive environment. Some may progress into club, representative and elite pathways, while for others, school sport may simply be where they discover an activity they love.
All these pathways can be significant in the development of young people.
Inspiration Beyond the Podium
Major sporting events have a unique ability to capture attention and introduce young people to sports and athletes they may never have encountered before.
Brisbane 2032 could inspire a student to try a new sport, encourage another to keep playing, or introduce someone to a future as a coach, official or volunteer.
If we measure the legacy of Brisbane 2032 only by the athletes it produces, we risk overlooking a much bigger opportunity.
A successful legacy should also be reflected in participation, connection and a generation of young people who see sport as something they can be part of.
Building a Sporting Culture
Inspiration is only valuable if young people have somewhere to take it.
Schools and sporting associations play an important role in providing accessible opportunities to participate, supportive environments to develop and high-quality competitions where students can challenge themselves and strive for sporting excellence.
Across TAS, this means creating opportunities at different levels. The Junior TAS program introduces younger students to interschool sport and helps build skills, confidence and a love of competition from an early age. The TAS Shield competition provides another avenue for participation when places in the mainstream TAS competition are filled, helping ensure more students have the opportunity to represent their school and stay involved in sport.
A strong sporting culture also extends beyond the athletes themselves. School sport introduces students to the wider community that makes competition possible – from coaches and officials to volunteers and supporters – creating opportunities to stay connected to sport in many different ways.
Some students aspire to representative honours. Some want to improve. Others simply enjoy competing alongside their friends. Providing meaningful opportunities for all of them – from participation through to performance – is an important part of building a strong sporting culture as we approach 2032.
A Legacy Already in Motion
The Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship are already reflected in what school sport aims to foster: striving to improve, respecting teammates and opponents, and building connections through shared experiences. These are values TAS seeks to strengthen through every competition, whether a student is competing for the first time or pursuing higher representative honours.
By 2032, today’s TAS students will be six years older. Some may be competing at an elite level, while others may be coaching, officiating, volunteering, supporting or simply continuing to play a sport they love. TAS has an important opportunity over the coming years to help build that legacy by continuing to provide quality competition, meaningful pathways and opportunities for students to participate and grow through sport.
Brisbane 2032 may inspire the next generation of Olympians, but its impact can extend much further. For TAS, the opportunity is to help inspire the next generation of sportspeople and sports lovers, creating a connection to sport that can last well beyond the Games.