ACT Academy of Sport


The ACT Academy of Sport was launched in 1989. It is an endorsed Australian Olympic Committee and Australian Paralympic Committee National Training Centre and a member of the National Institutes of Network.

History

The establishment of ACTAS as a pilot program was announced in the Australian Government's budget delivered in August 1988. ACTAS was allocated a budget of $100,000 as part the Community Development Fund. At the time of the announcement, the Australian Government was responsible for sport development in the Australian Capital Territory. The ACT Government took over responsibility after self government in 1989. ACTAS first Chairman was Dick Telford, head of Australian Institute of Sport Sports Science. ACTAS first executive officer was Jenny Roberts
and it was located at the Canberra College of Advanced Education's Centre of Sports Studies. In 1994, it became a partner of the Australian Sports Commission's Olympic Athlete Program, which provided $350,000 to employ eight full-time coaches. In January 1995, there were 11 full and part-time administrators and 10 full-time coaches and a budget of $1 million. In 1995 Ken Norris replaced Jenny Roberts as chief executive officer and ACTAS moved to Bruce Stadium. In 1999, ACTAS was recognized by the Australian Olympic Committee as an Olympic Training Centre. In 2015, ACTAS new training facility was opened as part of upgrade the National Hockey Centre.

The purpose

ACTAS aim is to assist Canberra's elite, and potentially elite athletes and teams improve their sporting performances. It provides a range of athlete performance services - coaching, training, sport science, athlete welfare and development and competition assistance.

Sports

In 2016, ACTAS offers has six sports scholarship propgrams: basketball, cycling, hockey, football, netball and rowing.
It also offers scholarships to individual athletes. In the past these scholarships have been offered to athletes in a range of sports including: athletics, triathlon, judo, boxing, wrestling, swimming, orienteering, squash, table tennis, power-lifting, equestrian and volleyball.

Notable athletes

Since its launch in 1989, ACTAS has developed numerous Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games representatives.

Athletics

Olympics: Susan Hobson, Matt Beckenham, Zoe Buckman, Lisa Corrigan, Stuart Rendell, Brendan Cole, Melissa Breen, Lauren Wells

Paralympics: Angie Ballard, Andrew Laggner, Lisa Llorens, Richard Nicholson, Sharon Rackham, Murray Goldfinch, Roy Daniell, Louise Ellery

Commonwealth Games: Susan Hobson, Matt Beckenham, Lisa Corrigan, Brendan Cole, Stuart Rendell, Melissa Breen, Lauren Wells

Baseball

Olympics: Jeff Williams

Basketball

Olympics: Patrick Mills

Paralympics: Tristan Knowles

Boxing

Olympics: Gerard O'Mahony

Commonwealth Games:Gerard O'Mahony, Steven Rudic

Cricket

Australian team: Michael Bevan

Cycling

Olympics: Michael Rogers Oenone Wood, Caroline Buchanan, Gracie Elvin, Michael Matthews, Tracey Gaudry, Mary Grigson, Chloe Hosking], Dan Ellis, Rebecca Henderson

Paralympics: Michael Milton, Jane Armstrong, Anthony Biddle, Kial Stewart, Sue Powell

Commonwealth Games: Michael Rogers, Margaret Hemsley, Mary Grigson, Alison Wright, Mathew Hayman, Oenone Wood, Dan Ellis, Chloe Hosking, Gracie Elvin, Nathan Haas, Vicki Whitelaw, Michael Matthews, Nathan Hart, Brandie O'Connor, Thomas Clarke, Paul Kennedy

Others: Peter Rogers, Deane Rogers, Rebecca Wiasak

Football

Olympics: Peita-Claire Hepperlin, Amy Wilson, Sacha Wainwright, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Lydia Williams

Other: Julie Murray, George Timotheou

Hockey

Olympics: Anna Flanagan, Glenn Turner, Nicole Arrold, Michael York, Lisa Carruthers, Katrina Powell, Andrew Charter

Commonwealth Games: Michael York, Lisa Carruthers, Katrina Powell, Ben Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Nicole Arrold, Glenn Turner, Anna Flanagan, Edwina Bone, Andrew Charter

Ice Skating

World Championships: Miriam Manzano

Judo

Olympics: Matt_D%27Aquino, Tom Hill

Lawn Bowls

Commonwealth Games: Adam Jeffrey

Rowing

Olympics: Sarah Cook, Sonia Mills, Kay Hick, Bruce Hick, Kerry Knowler, Jamie Fernandez, Nick Porzig, Brett Hayman, Craig Jones, Jane Robinson

Commonwealth Games: Kay Hick, Jamie Fernandez, Bruce Hick, Nick Portzig, Fleur Spriggs, Craig Jones, Mitchell Punch

Sailing

Olympics: Brendan Todd

Paralympics: Peter Thompson

Skiing

Olympics: Laura Peel

Paralympics: Michael Milton

Shooting

Olympics: Matthew Inabinet

Softball

Olympics: Joanne Brown, Sally McCreedy

Squash

Commonwealth Games: Stuart Boswell

Swimming

Olympics: Angela Kennedy

Paralympics: Siobhan Paton, Katrina Lewis, Joshua Alford

Table tennis

Olympics: Jeff Plumb, Alison Shanley

Triathlon

Olympics: Simon Thompson

Paralympics: Katie Kelly, Nic Beveridge

Volleyball

Olympics: Ben Hardy

Wheelchair Rugby

Paralympics: Garry Croker