Thousands of primary students across the country are about to participate in exclusive online conversations with members of the Australian Olympic Team at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. 

Sixty lucky primary schools have signed up to participate in Chat to a Champ, an Australian Olympic Education program linking Olympians with primary students using web video conferencing technology. 

Each week day over the next fortnight from inside the Olympic Village, Team members will share with students a rare insight into their Olympic Games experience. 

The Olympians will respond to a variety of questions ranging from competition to accommodation to the Opening Ceremony. 

At times the questions can be curlier than those asked of any journalist. 

“The children are getting very excited,” St Bernadette’s primary teacher Karen Orsini said.

Participating schools have received a box of green and gold decorations for their classroom and are busy blowing balloons and creating banners. 

“Our school is very excited to be chatting with Katya in Sochi next Wednesday,” Middle Park Primary teacher Lizzie Anderson said. 

“We received the package of Olympic ‘goodies’ yesterday and are looking forward to decorating our classrooms in green and gold- thank you very much.” 

The Chat to a Champ program starts today featuring Olympian aerial skier Dave Morris. The Chat has been arranged in association with Education Queensland. 

This session will be followed by Chats with Freestyle Skiers Scott Kneller, Katya Crema and Anna Segal using Google Hangouts on Air technology. 

In the second week of the Games, Lucy Chaffer (Skeleton), Greta Small (Alpine), Bobsleigh duo Astrid Radjenovic and Jana Pittman will participate. 

Four-time Olympian Lydia Lassila will also share her Games time experience with students not only from Australia but all over the world, in a global initiative arranged by the AOC through Google’s Connected Classrooms. 

The Chats are broadcast live and exclusive on Australian Olympic Education website at 2pm AEDT daily – www.education.olympics.com.au  and available to view at a later date on the AOC’s YouTube channel. 

Chat to a Champ is just one element of the AOC’s education program that teaches life values and life skills through the Olympic sport traditions and values. 

It was established for the 2008 Olympic Games and in an Olympic first connected athletes with school students live from the Olympic Village in Beijing. More than 3,000 students have participated in the program since then, with many more watching online. 

SCHEDULE – 2pm AEDT week days

Chats take place at 7am Sochi = 2pm NSW = 1pm QLD = 12:30pm NT = 11am WA (same day)

 

Date	Olympian	Schools
Monday 10 Feb	Dave Morris	Longreach State School, QLD Maryvale State School, QLD
Tuesday 11 Feb	Scott Kneller	Horsham West and Haven Primary School, VIC Jindabyne Central School, NSW St Dominic’s Primary School, VIC
Wednesday 12 Feb	Katya Crema	Acacia Hill School, NT (Special School) Newhaven Primary School, VIC Middle Park Primary School, VIC Leibler Yavneh College, VIC
Thursday 13 Feb	Brit Cox - TBC	Evatt Primary School, ACT
Friday 14 Feb	Anna Segal	St Paul's Catholic Primary, NT Dartmoor Primary School, VIC St Catherine’s School, VIC St Augustine's Primary School, VIC
Monday 17 Feb	Lucy Chaffer	St Matthew’s Primary School, ACT Kismet Park Primary School, VIC Samson Primary School, WA
Tuesday 18 Feb	Lydia Lassila	Blackburn Lake Primary School, VIC Holy Name Primary, VIC Edgeworth Primary, NSW
Wednesday 19 Feb	Greta Small	Nichols Point Primary School, VIC Esperance Primary School, WA Fahan School, TAS
Thursday 20 Feb	Jana Pittman	Rockhampton Girls Grammar, QLD California Gully Primary School, VIC Welshpool and District Public School, VIC Coen - Cape  York Aboriginal Australian Academy, QLD
Friday 21 Feb	Astrid Radjenovic	Newington Public School, NSW Gulgong Public School, NSW Bellbird Public School, NSW