YEAR in REVIEW JOHN BERTRAND AO President of Swimming Australia
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2017 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA YEAR IN REVIEW JOHN BERTRAND AO President of Swimming Australia Well, what another inspiring year in our sport! What Mrs Rinehart has done for our sport is incredible. She Schools and Clubs across the country are now delivering the has been a longstanding supporter of swimming and has been Optus Junior Dolphins program and encouraging young kids For us, this year is a transition year. We are searching for with us even when we were down. To have her poolside to have fun in the water. new and innovative ways of lifting our standards in everything during some of the most pivotal moments in our sporting we do. history is fantastic. And that’s what it’s all about, fun! If you love something I strongly believe that you will be good at it. After experimenting with our European racing pre-World With over a third of the team on debut in Budapest, I am Championships format, our Dolphins went into Budapest confident the future of swimming is in good hands. Looking ahead next year we want to encourage all Australians race-ready and they needed to be. to reinvigorate their love for the water. We will have a nine-day Keep your eyes on names like Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee celebration in January 2018, Australia Swims, that will The times were fast and the rest of the world had raised the McKeown, Jack Cartwright and Clyde Lewis – these young celebrate what swimming and the water means to Australians, bar. We sent a young, hungry and competitive team and I was athletes have what it takes to be successful. after all, it’s in our DNA. delighted with the way our Dolphins took on the world. Just months ago, our Para team, had their journey disrupted But more on that next year. What impressed me most was our progression in terms of but impressed none the less. conversion rates; that is, those swimmers who achieved faster I want to take this time to recognise the team behind the team. times than at the selection trials. It has increased dramatically The intended destination for the 2017 Para World Swimming The Dolphins could not do what they do without the support of compared to the Rio Olympics. This is something our team Championships, Mexico City, was hit by a devastating a large group of people. has been working on, improvement when it really counts, earthquake. under pressure at the major international events. To the coaches, the staff and the thousands of volunteers and As an organisation we made the decision to send the team to officials around the country…thank you for your dedication Some of my highlights? Canada to race while they were in peak condition. and work. You are a critical part of our team. Seeing Emily Seebohm comeback from a year of illness and Rowan Crothers, Lakeisha Patterson and the youngest As one of America’s greatest athletes, Michael Phelps said, disappointment and return to the top of her game. member of the team Jasmine Greenwood were my standouts “Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream the farther from the meet, each of these swimmers performed as though you get.” Watching Emily as she stormed home to beat Hungary’s it was the World Championship event and led by example. Katinka Hosszu in the women’s 200m backstroke was gutsy As an organisation our dreams are big and our desires to and inspirational. At the participation level, the sport is in great shape. We improve are strong. celebrated the first full year of Optus Junior Dolphins and are We were lucky to also have our Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart so grateful for the support of Optus at all levels of our sport. Go Australia! come all the way to Budapest to cheer on the Dolphins. MARK ANDERSON Swimming Australia CEO The first year of a new Olympic and Paralympic cycle is a time Our Para Dolphin team, who were set to travel to Mexico for In 2017 we welcomed new sponsors in arena and lululemon of renewal both in and out of the pool. the World Para Swimming Championships, had to change and I look forward to watching these partnerships grow as We have embraced innovation, with changes to our their plans in the 11th hour due to the devastating earthquake they join our other valued partners; Bio Island, COON Cheese competition pathways and moving our selection events to five that hit the city – with our hearts going out to the people of and Sperry. weeks prior to the international meets, just two of the changes Mexico impacted by the tragedy. that we have introduced over the year. A big thank you must go to our high performance partners, the The team instead took part in the Canadian Open where they Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Institute of Away from the pool we have investigated and begun to apply demonstrated resilience and maturity to adapt to this Sport who have not only funded our sport, but have been very the very best of digital communication following our visit with unexpected circumstance. They performed very well, leaving genuine partners in our journey. We share aspirations and partner Optus to the Silicon Valley. The approach being to the meet with 16 wins, 10 second placings and 11 thirds. expectations and together we will deliver. engage and build relationships with our vast swimming audience around Australia to further grow our sport. At the very important participation level of our sport, we have Similarly, to our State Institutes and Academies, the Australian just recorded an eight year high for membership. What a Olympic Committee and the Australian Paralympic Committee For many, 2017 was the beginning of their swimming journey; tremendous effort by all involved in our sport and particularly and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association we whether that be at the grass roots level in our maiden year of our valued State Partners, whose efforts delivered this great thank you for your great support across our high performance Optus Junior Dolphins, or all the way up to the elite level outcome in partnership with our Participation and Sport programs. where 12 rookies made their debut on the world stage in Development team. Budapest and Toronto. It was the beginning of new goals and Finally, to our staff and Board, coaches, athletes, officials and new partnerships and it was the first steps on our journey Our sponsors and partners underpin every element of our volunteers, thank you for your hard work and dedication. None towards Tokyo 2020. organisation and afford us the ability to invest at all levels of of this would be possible without your passion and our sport. commitment and I appreciate all of your valued contributions. In July our Dolphins travelled to Budapest for the 2017 FINA World Championships. This meet was fast, we saw an Swimming Australia Patron Mrs Gina Rinehart, through As we look ahead to next year, we have another very big and incredible 11 World Records and 21 Championship Records Hancock Prospecting as Principal Partner and the Georgina exciting year. We’ll kick it off with our Australia Swims broken. Hope Foundation providing support to our swimmers, has campaign, encouraging all Australians to participate in remained a major supporter of swimming. swimming during a 9-day celebration. Then in February, the Our Australian team was an intentionally young team, with 11 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming Trials will be run debutants selected. Our team finished with ten medals in total Our Principal Partner Optus, with a fantastic leadership team, and just 5 weeks later a home Commonwealth Games. Later with one Gold, five Silver and four Bronze, our young team who are passionate and active about growing the participation in the year we will select and then compete at the Pan Pacific has laid a solid foundation for the journey ahead. in swimming across Australia and promoting innovation at the Championships and Para Pan Pacific Championships. All elite level to increase performance. opportunities for our swimmers to strive and thrive to It was tremendous to have Mrs Rinehart and her guests with showcase the very best of themselves and our sport. us poolside at the Championships cheering on our team. As We are also fortunate to have Network Seven as our Patron, Mrs Rinehart remains a pivotal and active supporter broadcast partner, who like us, are passionate about What a year awaits! and we’re delighted to have her part of our journey to Tokyo swimming, and passionate about ensuring that Australians and beyond. can watch the sport live on their television or mobile device. In only its second year Optus Junior Dolphins has become a key part of the swimming pathway with 15,841 children involved in the program across the country! The program aims to encourage more children to keep swimming with the in pool activities focused around fun. SAY HELLO In 2017 one of our Optus Junior Dolphins participants won the opportunity to name our Optus Junior Dolphins mascot. Ayanna, TO YAMPU! from Adelaide, named our Dolphin Yampu. Which is the Kaurna Peoples, the traditional owners of Adelaide, word for Dolphin. As part of our National Event calendar, Optus Junior Dolphins participants have had the opportunity As part of the federal government’s to have a once in a lifetime Sporting Schools program, over experience meeting their swimming 37,000 Primary School students heroes on pool deck as they play were also involved in Optus Junior important roles as medal presenters Dolphins activities as part of their and basket handlers.