Elite Scholarships put 10 more athletes on path to greatness

Following her debut for the Aussie Stingers earlier this year, Queenslander Tenealle Fasala has been named as one of 10 new recipients of a Tier 2 scholarship in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) Scholarship and Mentoring Program.

The 10 athletes, including Fasala, will each receive a grant of $5000 plus support from SAHOF and its esteemed member base of the next 15 months.

Water Polo Australia CEO Richard McInnes offered his congratulations to Fasala on her receipt.

"Water Polo Australia is extremely proud to have one of our athletes in Tenealle Fasala awarded a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship for 2023," McInnes said.

"Tenealle continues to excel in the sport of water polo, and the SAHOF Scholarship is a great recognition and reward for the dedication, commitment and hard work that she puts in to achieve her sporting goals.

"In the last 12 months, Tenealle has made waves in her water polo career - making her debut for the senior national team, the Aussie Stingers, winning the Australian Waterpolo League with the Queensland Thunder and selected as part of the 2022 FINA World Championships team that finished sixth in Budapest.

"Water Polo Australia are grateful to SAHOF for supporting Tenealle on our sporting journey," he said.

Fasala said she was honoured to have received a SAHOF Scholarship, and thankful for the support.

"It is an honour to be one of the few applicants to be chosen as a Tier 2 SAHOF Scholarship holder," Fasala said.

"This Scholarship is a great responsibility, and I believe it stretches beyond myself and into the broader Water Polo community.

"Through this acknowledgement, I believe it will shine the light on Water Polo and create greater support and acknowledgment for all Water Polo athletes," she said.

Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program Chair Sue Stanley OAM said, "Each year I am amazed by the calibre of applicants for the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring Program.  It has been an exciting journey to see past and current scholarship holders compete especially with the success of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games and most recently the Commonwealth Games. It is a privilege to play a small part in assisting elite young Australian athletes by, motivating and inspiring them to achieve their goals."