Searching for our next sporting legends

11 April 2024

From diving to beach volleyball, the hunt is on for South Australia's 2032 Olympic champions.

Georgia Baker, Sophie Edwards, Chloe Moran and Maeve Plouffe celebrate with their gold medal in the Women's 4000m Team Pursuit Final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Attention young athletes! The South Australian Sports Institute is aiming to discover potential world-class competitors for the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games through its 2032 Talent Search program.

Through this initiative, athletes’ physical, anthropometrical (body shape) and physiological characteristics are assessed in order to identify whether they have the potential to become Australia’s next sporting champion.

The tests conducted range from generic fitness testing to discipline-specific tests across sports that SASI works with. Athletes could discover that they excel in a sport they have never tried before.

All results are reviewed by the SASI coaches and those with outstanding results will be invited to take the next step in a high-performance development pathway.

This year testing has been expanded and for the first time will include the potential to be identified for diving.

Tests will take place for the following ages and sports:

ages 8-12 for diving
ages 13-17 for cycling, rowing, kayaking, beach volleyball, shooting and archery
ages 18-19 for rowing.

SASI Talent Search sessions will be held during the upcoming school holidays on Monday 15 April and Monday 22 April at the Netball SA Stadium at Mile End.

Speaking about what it takes to make an Olympic/Paralympic champion, SASI Manager for Sports and Programs Simon Cain explained that preparations were already well underway for the upcoming Games on Australian soil.

“Athletes who represent Australia at an Olympic/Paralympic level have typically spent between 7-10 years in a sport development pathway before emerging as a senior international athlete,” Cain said.

“Given the Brisbane 2032 Olympics/Paralympics are less than 10 years away, we are currently in the process of identifying and developing talented athletes to ensure that South Australia is able to produce medal-winning athletes at these events.”

Previous Olympic athletes discovered through SASI Talent Search include cyclists Maeve Plouffe, Annette Edmondson and Alex Porter, rower Olympia Aldersey and beach volleyballer Becchara Palmer.

To register and for more information, visit SASI Talent Search.