More than 1,500 family members and supporters of Australia’s Commonwealth Games athletes have registered to join a new support network developed jointly by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Commonwealth Games Australia.
The network, Sideline Champions, has been providing support and advice for families and the loved ones of competing athletes in the build-up to the Games and is hosting a private lounge at the event to enable them to take a break from the intensity of competition.
Minister for Sport, Senator Bridget McKenzie said Sideline Champions was an important initiative because for every athlete who represented Australia at an event such as the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, there were many people behind the scenes who had shared and contributed to their sporting journeys.
“It’s fantastic to see more than 1,500 people have registered for Sideline Champions,” Senator McKenzie said.
She said that represented three loved ones for every athlete on the Australian Commonwealth Games team.
“It shows how big the support networks behind every athlete really are when you consider the families and communities they come from,” Senator McKenzie said.
She said athletes nominated their own Sideline Champions, which was the first program of its kind for Australia at a major competition.
“Another valuable element of the program is that it allows different families from a breadth of sports to mix and share the unique Games experience together,” she said.
“It helps build a stronger and broader sporting community.”
