WATER POLO AUSTRALIA PART OF UNITED COMMITMENT: ‘WE WIN WELL TO INSPIRE AUSTRALIANS’

In a major milestone for Australian sport, Water Polo Australia is proud to have joined forces with the country’s peak Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sporting organisations to launch a national strategy aimed at building success towards Brisbane 2032 and beyond.  

Bringing our collective vision of success immediately to life, Water Polo Australia joined sporting leaders in Sydney today and took a pledge to ‘Win Well’ – a foundation of the strategy and a new national commitment to balancing ambitious sporting goals with cultures that are safe, fair and supportive.  

Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy represents the first time all peak bodies from across Australia’s Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports have united for a national high performance sport strategy. It includes Federal, State and Territory Institutes and Academies of Sport, peak Games bodies the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia and Commonwealth Games and National Sporting Organisations.  

Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins said it was a historic and significant step for Australian sport.  

“This is one of the greatest periods of opportunity in Australian sporting history and teamwork can be our competitive advantage as we aim for 2032 and beyond,” Perkins said. “We all have unique roles to play, but we will all benefit by harnessing our collective strengths, talent and resources so we can deliver the best outcomes for our athletes, sports and for all of Australia.  

“No sporting team can unite and inspire us like our Aussie athletes. We have a Green and Gold Runway of major sporting events over the next decade to 2032 that gives our athletes and sports the ultimate platform to perform and connect all Australians with sport like never before.  

“This strategy is the collective roadmap to guide our success. It prioritises how we will tackle areas including world-leading coaching and practices, athlete development pathways, performance environments, an outstanding workforce driven by clear values and cultures. 

“Our time starts now to build an inclusive and sustainable sporting system that is performance-driven, athlete-focused, exceptionally led and purposefully collaborative.” 

Water Polo Australia CEO Richard McInnes said: "The High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy is a key early building block to ensure the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a catalyst to drive meaningful and sustainable growth in the health of the Australian sporting sector.”

“Water Polo Australia are proud to have been able to contribute to the development of this plan and look forward to supporting our Aussie Sharks and Stingers to win well,” he said.

A key measure of success outlined within Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy is to position Australia for its best ever Olympic and Paralympic performances at the Brisbane 2032 Games. But the strategy ultimately sets out to build ongoing, sustainable success for Australian high performance sport, before and after Brisbane 2032.  

That ambition is captured by the strategy’s vision: ‘We win well to inspire Australians’.  

As part of the strategy, sporting organisations signed up to a Win Well pledge and outlined their united commitment in a joint letter.  

“Success in Australian sport will be to Win Well,” the joint letter states.  

“This is a balanced, holistic approach, supporting our athletes and people to win in all areas of life. It is about celebrating the humanity of Australian sport, valuing physical, mental, emotional and cultural wellbeing. It is maintaining the ambition for success, but always marked with humility, integrity, fair play and Aussie grit.  

“To Win Well will be a key to sustainable success, unlocking the full potential in our people and our sporting system.” 

Three-time Olympian Rowie Webster welcomed the united approach to the Strategy and Win Well.

“The biggest change we can make is to listen, to learn from the past and not necessarily throw everything out because there’s a lot in Australian sport that has worked. It’s about recognising and harnessing that … if we get it right it will be phenomenal,” Webster said.

“Seeing everyone that’s collaborated and agreeing, saying this is the way forward and this is what we’re confidently standing behind, that’s something that gives me a lot of hope for future athletes. 

“It’s challenging everyone’s thinking and I think that’s why this group is working so well because they’re committed to hearing different perspectives.”