Olympians and Tokyo Olympic hopefuls have launched into the new Olympic year on and off the field of play, helping inspire and help out Aussies across the country.
Olympics Unleashed back in new Olympic year!
Olympics Unleashed, presented by Optus, launched into the new Olympic year, with Olympians and Tokyo hopefuls sharing their Olympic journey with students across the country.
After transitioning to online delivery in 2020, students, athletes and teachers were all thrilled to be back to in-person visits.
How Olympics Unleashed Works
Four simple steps to follow, from registration to making the most of your Unleashed event to inspiring and motivating students to unleash their passion.
Nicola McDermott
High jumper Nicola McDermott shared her journey to Tokyo and lessons about overcoming challenges with students at Wyong High.
In Adelaide, swimmer Britt Elmslie spoke with more than 150 students at Salisbury North R-7, with her story of overcoming doubt to find success through self-belief inspiring the group.
In Newcastle, Winter Olympian Alex Almoukov had a special visit with students at the John Hunter Hospital school, helping brighten the students' day with Captain Starlight.
Tokyo-bound Canoeist Bernadette Wallace left a lasting impression with students at Mitcham Primary, with her journey from battling cancer to being selected for her Olympic debut motivating the students to chase their own goals.
Are you an educator? You can find fantastic Tokyo Olympic Educator resources HERE to harness the excitement of the Olympic Games in your classroom!
Australian Olympic Connect launches to connect Japanese and Australian students
The Australian Olympic Connect 2021 program which will bring together more than 12 000 Australian and Japanese students to share their culture, experiences and excitement for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
With a tagline of 'Tomodachi' meaning 'friendship', the program will connect 200 schools from across every Australian state and territory and 200 schools from across every Japanese prefecture.
The Australian Olympic Connect 2021 program is off and running!
— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) February 23, 2021
The program will see more than 12,000 Australian and Japanese students come together to share their culture, experiences and excitement for the #Tokyo2020 Olympic Games 👉👉 https://t.co/2e1KLt6qaO#TokyoTogether pic.twitter.com/2Vw3SIXlaK
After a successful pilot program with 40 schools in 2020, the full program rollout in 2021 will see shared video calls, class projects, Olympic themed challenges and ongoing bonds between students over the coming months showcasing the power of sport to bring people together.
Find out more HERE
Cleaning Up Australia
Aussie athletes were out in force putting the 'green' in 'green and gold', helping clean up their local communities as part of Clean Up Australia Day.
Breaking Records for Mental Health
Australia's middle distance runners took to the Box Hill track to break the Australian 1km record and raise funds for Lifeline.
In a phenomenal result on and off the track, more than $20 000 was raised to help fund Lifeline's 24-hour counselling services, while Olympian Linden Hall broke the Australian record running 2.35.90.
You can read more about why runner Catriona Bisset started the fundraising effort HERE
