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Olympic connection and amplifying the impact on Participation

Published Tue 10 Aug 2021

With the Tokyo Olympic curtain drawn and the Paralympics starting soon, it is an ideal time to consider the role participation programs at grassroots levels play in getting athletes, coaches and officials to the pinnacle.

According to Sport Australia AusPlay data:

  • Hockey is the
    • 4th most commonly played Olympic team sport for 15+ year old’s
    • 3rd most commonly played Olympic team sport for 0-14 year old’s
  • Even though hockey overall is the 16th most commonly played Olympic sport, it has the 5th highest number (66,000) of volunteers. This commitment from volunteers rests within clubs, associations and other bodies that cater for 95% of participation numbers in hockey.
  • 37% of volunteers also play hockey (the highest of any Olympic sport).

The National Participation and Engagement Plan was released in January this year. It is a two-year plan introducing Sport Australia’s Nine Participation Drivers. Following are links to the Drivers Working Documents and descriptors:

These Drivers will form the basis of subsequent plans leading up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

Grassroot communities are working within many of these Drivers and the Working Document helps members capture the great work being done and starts the discussion and planning in areas they want to focus on.

One of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) missions is ‘Sport for All’ and advancement of sport in society.

The Olympic Games by definition, among other things, are supposed to boost mass sports participation. This is one of the positive Olympic ‘legacies’.

A study by the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology noted it is doubtful whether the Olympics could be the main driver and sole contributor to an increase in participation levels.

It is a much more complex process affected by many external factors. The increased investment that historically flows into high performance sport in the lead-in to a home Olympics flows down to grassroots participation in the form of:

  • accessible equipment and infrastructure
  • educated coaches
  • a wellfunctioning structure of local sports clubs
  • special initiatives and incentives undertaken by the government on a broader scale, to name a few.

Therefore, community sports cannot rely on the Olympics and Paralympic Games as the sole driver for an increase in participation numbers.

The Participation Drivers are encouraged to be engaged to amplify and increase participation pre- and post-the current and future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

For further information on participation strategies, contact your State or Territory body. They are all doing great work and are keen to hear from the community.

For broader discussions on participation and engagements, contact Blair Chalmers, Hockey Australia Senior Manager Participation and Engagement.

Gallery
National Participation and Engagement Plan Olympics Paralympics