Matilda and Rio Olympian Steph Catley will beam in from London to students in Sydney, while Winter Olympian Alex Almoukov will connect face to face with students in Walgett and Lightning Ridge in the state’s north west as Olympics Unleashed, presented by Optus, celebrates the 400th school visit across the state.
27-year-old Catley will connect with Westfield Sports High from her London base, where she is playing for Arsenal, sharing the importance of goal setting, resilience, and how she’s overcome challenges on her Olympic journey.
With today’s 400th school, Unleashed will have connected more than 45 000 students from Kingscliff in the far north of the state to Broken Hill in the south west with Olympians and Tokyo hopefuls.
AOC CEO Matt Carroll praised the enthusiasm of athletes, students and teachers that have shared the Olympic spirit as part of Olympics Unleashed.
“Reaching the 400 milestone today is an incredible achievement, it shows the enthusiasm to learn unmediated from Olympians. Helping to bring inspiration to schools that work so hard to encourage students everyday is an honour and a rewarding experience for our athletes.”
“Almost 45,000 students in NSW have now experienced the program and heard first-hand from Olympians how to set goals, create incremental progress and turn a long-term dream into a personal reality. Today’s visits, with summer and winter Olympians, from London to Walgett and Sydney, highlight the range and reach of Unleashed.
“Over the past year, athletes have faced some monumental challenges. Sharing this experience with students helps them to understand how to overcome their own obstacles and face-up to challenges presented in their everyday lives.”
“Thank you to our presenting partner Optus and the NSW Government for their ongoing commitment to the program and we look forward to continuing to connect with students and grow the program across the state.”
Steph Catley discussed what it has been like being part of Olympics Unleashed and her own personal experiences on the road to Tokyo.
“I’m thrilled to be able to share my Olympic journey with Australian students and help inspire them to unleash their own passion,” Catley said.
“I’m thankful that the AOC and Optus gives me and other Olympians the opportunity to pass on what we’ve learned through our Olympic journey.
“These are things that are so valuable on and off the sporting field – how to overcome challenges, build resilience and set goals to achieve things you may never have thought possible – and I can’t wait to share my story with Westfield Sports High later today.”
Biathlete Alex Almoukov will connect with classrooms in Walgett Community College and Lightning Ridge Central School. Alex reflected on his experience with the Olympics Unleashed program and connecting with students across the state, “The feeling of changing just one student’s life is so rewarding. When I work with students, I know that if I can motivate just one student and help them on a path to achieving their aspirations my work has been worthwhile.”
He went on to talk about his own experiences, “When I talk to students, I often discuss how motivation does not always come from the positive aspects in life and that failure can be a strong motivator. When I was young there was one defined moment when realised I needed to change my attitude and prove people wrong about the direction I was heading, it was at this point I made the decision to started to train professionally.”
The program is free for schools and aimed at year 9 students in New South Wales. 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, “We are delighted to see Olympics Unleashed reach a significant milestone in its 400th visit, as it is imperative these types of role models, such as Optus Olympic ambassador Steph Catley, are available to share their journey with Australian school kids.”
“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 Olympics Unleashed presented by Optus inspire the next generation of sporting stars and change the future they see.”
Since launching in Queensland in 2018, Olympics Unleashed, presented by Optus, has connected more than 160 000 students from almost 1200 schools across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the ACT, with plans to extend across Australia in the near future.
