The South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) is holding its Talent Search program in the October school holidays, to identify young people with the potential to represent Australia at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.

All South Australian students in years 7 to 10 are invited to test their sport abilities at the sessions, which will be held at SASI’s Kidman Park headquarters, the Lights Community and Sports Centre, and Sacred Heart College.

A testing session specific to Paralympic athletes will also be held during the October school holidays.

Athletes’ physical, anthropometrical (measurements and proportions) and physiological characteristics will be tested to identify whether they have the capacity to succeed at the national and international level.

Generic fitness and sport-specific tests will be conducted, with the testing technique used by SASI often identifying athletes with the ability to excel in a sport that they have never tried before.

SASI Sports and Programs Manager Simon Cain said the testing protocols used were identified by SASI's Performance Support team.

“There's a close correlation from the results from generic testing in assisting our coaches to identify athletes for Olympic sports,” Mr Cain said.

SASI is looking to discover more talent than ever before, with target sports like archery and target rifle included in the upcoming sessions.

The Talent Search program has a rich history of unearthing elite athletes who have gone on to compete at the highest levels, including Maeve Plouffe (cycling), Annette Edmondson (cycling), Catherine McArthur (canoeing), Rohan Dennis (cycling), Olympia Aldersey (rowing) and Becchara Palmer (beach volleyball).

“We've had a lot of athletes go on to represent Australia at the Olympics who have been identified through SASI Talent Search,” Mr Cain said.

“An example of that would be the current Australian women's pursuit team in cycling. Three of those four girls are from SASI and were identified through the Talent Search.”

Athletes of all confidence and skill levels are encouraged to put their talents on display, including athletes who are apprehensive about participating in multiple sports.

“It's just worth having a try to see if you are suited to an Olympic or Paralympic sport,” Mr Cain said.

“Going to the Games is a special thing and we've got Brisbane 2032 in under 10 years, so the timing is just right."

Details for the Talent Search sessions are:

• Wednesday 4 October at 10am - South Australian Sports Institute, Kidman Park
• Monday 9 October at 10am - The Lights Community and Sports Centre, Lightsview
• Wednesday 11 October at 1pm - South Australian Sports Institute, Kidman Park
• Friday 13 October at 10am - Sacred Heart College, Somerton Park
• Para-athlete session: Sunday 15  October at 10am - SASI Canoe/Kayak Unit, West Lakes

Register for the October SASI Talent Search testing sessions through Eventbrite.