Kookaburra Jake Whetton will beam into Comet State School to talk to the 20-strong student cohort and answer their questions about his Olympic journey, goal-setting and resilience.  

Since launching in Queensland in 2018, the free program has expanded to New South Wales, ACT and South Australia, reaching more than 140 000 students from metro areas to as far away as Torres Strait, Kowanyama, Broken Hill and Eyre Peninsula.

Transitioning to online delivery during the pandemic, Olympics Unleashed has continued to connect athletes with school communities, with their messages about overcoming challenges never more relevant than during this COVID period.

A Queenslander and Rio Olympian, Jake Whetton has represented Australia 203 times, providing a fitting choice to mark the milestone in his home state. 

AOC CEO Matt Carroll welcomed the 1000 visit, thanking Optus for its support in ensuring regional towns such as Comet get the benefits of Olympics Unleashed. . 

“Reaching 1000 Olympics Unleashed visits today shows the great enthusiasm from schools for their students to learn first-hand from Olympians,” Mr Carroll said.

“More than 140 000 students across the country have heard directly from athletes on their Olympic journey lessons that will help them find their passion and how to go about achieving them.

“An Olympic journey is more than the 60 minutes on a hockey pitch or the two minutes sprinting on the kayak course. It’s years of hard work individually and with a team, learning how to overcome obstacles and bounce back from disappointments to achieve something truly special.

“Particularly now as athletes are facing the challenges of delays to their Tokyo Olympic dreams and disruption to their sporting careers, they can share how they are adapting and resetting to help students in their own daily lives.

“Thank you to our presenting partner Optus and the Queensland, New South Wales, South Australian and ACT governments for your support to help use the Olympic spirit to inspire young Australians. We look forward to expanding the program even further in the near future.”

29-year-old Whetton, who spent some of his early years in Rockhampton 200km east of Comet, will beam in from Perth where the Kookaburras high-performance team is based.

“I’m so lucky to be able to connect with the kids at Comet, to put a smile on their faces and inspire them to know they can achieve some incredible things,” Whetton said.

“Particularly right now when young people are facing so much uncertainty about what the future may hold, it’s so valuable to be able to share some things I’ve learned that can help them to follow and achieve things whether it’s in sport, science, maths or any other passion they have.  

“I’m still chasing my Tokyo Olympic dreams and doing everything I can to be the best player I can be when we get there. I want the kids at Comet to keep striving towards their dreams no matter what challenges they might come across.”

From tiny Comet to capital cities, Olympians are connecting with students around the country every day with Unleashed – just today sprint canoeist Bernadette Wallace, Hockeyroo gold medallist Katrina Powell and sprint kayaker Jaime Roberts will also share their experiences with students in Adelaide, Wollongong and Port Macquarie respectively.

The program is free for schools and aimed at years 4-6 in Queensland and South Australia, year 9 in New South Wales and both years 4-6 and year 9 in ACT. Schools can find out more and register for the program now at www.olympicsunleashed.com.au

Optus Managing Director Marketing and Revenue Matt Williams said transitioning to online visits allowed the Olympics Unleashed messages to continue to inspire students at an important time.

“We are delighted to see Olympics Unleashed reach its 1000th visit, as it is imperative these types of role models are visible to Australian school kids,” Mr Williams said.

“There is no doubt we are looking forward to seeing our Australian athletes compete on the world stage at the Tokyo Olympics, but we’re equally excited to see the Olympics Unleashed inspire the next generation and change the future they see.”

Completed visits by state after today’s Comet visit:

Find out more at www.olympicsunleashed.com.au