Zali Steggall MP hosted an event to bring together 27 young athletes from Warringah who were recipients of the Local Sporting Champions Grant. The event featured special guests, three Paris Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Warringah: Sienna Hearn (Water Polo), Rowena Meredith (Rowing), and Mali Lovell (Paralympic Athletics), who were there to congratulate the recipients and share their elite sporting experiences.
Ms Steggall MP said: “Congratulations to these young Warringah Sporting Champions who have shown dedication and hard work in their chosen sports. I also wanted to extend a special thank you to the parents and caregivers who support them so much behind the scenes.”
“As a sportsperson myself I know the huge amount of time, effort and expense involved in travelling to competitions so it is great that these grants can help contribute to some of that.”
Zali, Sienna, Rowena and Mali spoke to the group about their journeys in choosing sport as a career, the highlights they’ve experienced and of the importance of developing good time management skills. They also emphasised the need to build resilience to stay motivated when facing inevitable competitive or training setbacks.
The Local Sporting Champions and Local Para Champions programs, funded by the Australian Sports Commission, provide financial assistance ($500-750) for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 (12-24 for Para Champs) participating in state, national or international championships.
Over the last 12 months there have been 170 Sporting Champions in Warringah, including 2 Para Champions, have received grants, representing a total of 27 sports. In total $113,150 has been distributed to help cover travel costs to national and international events.
In this round 27 Sporting Champions were awarded, representing 13 sports.
The event was hosted at Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.
For more information about the grants visit: https://www.sportaus.gov.au/grants_and_funding