Olympic champion swimmer Mack Horton and 150 students from the bushfire-affected NSW south coast notched a special milestone, with Horton’s virtual visit surpassing 150 000 students who have connected with Olympians through Olympics Unleashed, presented by Optus.
Students from Sapphire Coast Anglican College and St Peters and Carroll Colleges in Broulee digitally connected with Melbourne-based Horton, to share their experiences and hear from Mack about his Olympic journey.
Since launching in 2018, Olympics Unleashed has seen students from 1096 schools across the country connect directly with Olympians and Tokyo 2020 hopefuls, using lessons from their Olympic story to help students overcome challenges and pursue their passion.
AOC CEO Matt Carroll was thrilled to see Olympics Unleashed reach today’s milestone.
“Reaching 150 000 Australian students is a great testament to the enthusiasm of schools across Australia to connect with Olympians and learn from their stories,” Mr Carroll said.
“That’s 150 000 students who have heard directly from Olympians how to set goals, bounce back from disappointments, build resilience and overcome challenges – lessons that will help them discover and go after their own passions.
“It’s fantastic that schools from bushfire affected parts of the NSW south coast are part of today’s milestone. The AOC is committed to making sure the Olympic movement helps in rebuilding community spirit throughout these areas.
“Thank you to our presenting partner Optus and the Queensland, New South Wales, South Australian and ACT governments for your support to help take this free program to students across the country and we look forward to expanding the program even further in the near future.
“Thank you as well to the athletes, teachers and schools for your enthusiasm in sharing the Olympic spirit and adapting to online delivery of the program to keep Olympics Unleashed inspiring young people throughout 2020.”
Rio 2016 400m freestyle gold medallist Horton looked forward to connecting with students across the NSW south coast.
“This year has been testing for everyone, everywhere and it's important we embrace how much it has taught us about coming together to overcome it all,” Horton said.
“I’m excited to have a moment with the students that focuses on positivity and camaraderie, to share my personal learnings and in turn, learn from their experiences with overcoming unimaginable adversity.
Horton shared his own personal journey, from a ten-year-old afraid of being underwater to an Olympic swimming champion, to inspire students to find and chase their passion.
“I want people to discover who they are as people and what they are capable of achieving so that they are able to fully give themselves to their dreams.”
The program is free for schools thanks to the support of presenting partner Optus and state governments.
“We are delighted to see that the Olympics Unleashed program presented by Optus has now reached over 150,000 students nationally,” Optus MD Marketing and Revenue Matt Williams said.
“There is no doubt we are looking forward to seeing our Australian athletes compete on the world stage next year at the Tokyo Games, but we’re equally as excited to see the Olympics Unleashed program inspire the next generation of Australia sporting stars.”
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.
