Unleash your potential
Sports talent search touches down in the NT. Aspiring athletes in the Northern Territory can put their sporting skills to the test.
Aspiring athletes in the Northern Territory can put their sporting skills to the test, as the Future Green and Gold campaign - Australia’s most comprehensive nationwide search for future Olympic talent - arrives in Darwin.
Kicking off on Monday 14 October, this is the first time the high-performance sports sector has come together to deliver a talent search with the aim of unearthing the next generation of sporting legends ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
The Northern Territory Sports Academy has partnered with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), Paralympics Australia to offer Territorians the opportunity to test their skills in over 30 major sports as part of the program, including swimming, athletics, cycling, rugby, and para basketball.
Matti Clements, Executive General Manager of AIS Performance, shared her excitement: “We have an ambitious goal to assemble the best Olympic and Paralympic team ever in Brisbane. To achieve this, we need to significantly boost our talent pool, especially our para-athletes. Now is the time to harness Australia’s passion and encourage eligible Australians to step forward!”
The talent search is open to Australians aged 13-23 for Olympic sports and 13+ for Paralympic sports: no prior experience is necessary. Current athletes seeking to transition to a new sporting challenge are also encouraged to apply.
The Darwin talent search will take place on Monday 14 and Friday 18 October at the Marrara Sporting Complex, while trials for Paralympic sports will be held on Saturday 26 October at the same location.
CEO for the Department of People, Sport and Culture, Samantha Livesley, said “this is an amazing opportunity for our athletes to follow in the footsteps of other local Paralympians such as Telaya Blacksmith and Darren Hicks and represent the Territory on the world stage.
“We have supported so many incredible athletes in the Northern Territory through past talent searches, including Olympic and Paralympic heroes.
“This round of talent searches we hope will unearth the next Patrick Johnson or Nova Peris, Darren Hicks or Alistair Donohoe, Jeremy Hayward or Brooke Peris, Tom O’Neill-Thorne or Yanick Blair or even 16-year-old Telaya Blacksmith.
“I would encourage everyone to get involved and give it your best shot”.
Those who demonstrate promise at the sessions will be invited to trials in a recommended sport and potentially land a spot in a Talent Development Program.
The Future Green and Gold campaign aligns perfectly with the Northern Territory Sports Academy ‘Futures’ Programs, which support Territory athletes with ambitious performance goals at pinnacle events like the Olympics.
Aspiring athletes can apply at Future Green and Gold | Australian Sports Commission (ausport.gov.au)
