Fox Island: Penrith facility to honour Olympic legends, Jess and Noemie

An island in Penrith will be renamed to honour Jess and Noemie Fox’s family, after their gold medal performances at the Paris Olympics.

An island at the stadium where Olympic champion Jess Fox was inspired to start her canoeing career will be renamed in honour of the entire Fox family, in recognition of their extraordinary contribution to Australian paddling.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that the island at the centre of Penrith Whitewater Stadium will be known as “Fox Island,” celebrating a family of four canoe slalom Olympians including super sisters Jess and Noemie, who brought home three gold medals from the Paris games.

It comes as the NSW and federal governments announced that Paddle Australia will get $3.2 million to host the International Canoe Slalom World Championships next year.

The funding will go towards the organisation, staging, marketing and programming of the event.

The event will be held at Penrith Whitewater Stadium, where Jess Fox was inspired to take up canoeing during the 2000 Olympics.

Olympic gold medallist sisters Noemie (2nd from left) and Jessica Fox on Sydney Harbour with Premier Chris Minns (left) and Sports Minister Steve Kamper. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Jess and Noemie Fox are both scheduled to compete, alongside about 300 competitors from 50 nations

The championships are set to be a boon for Penrith and Western Sydney, with an estimated 20,000 spectators expected to attend in 2025.

Premier Chris Minns said NSW “couldn’t be more excited to help host” next year’s world championships.

Olympic gold medallist sisters Noemie (right) and Jessica Fox hope to compete in next year’s Canoe Slalom World Championships. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“A large part of Australia’s most successful Olympics performance in history came down to two girls from Penrith, Jess and Noemie Fox who honed their skills through countless hours on the rapids here at Penrith Whitewater Stadium,” he said.

He said NSW was proud to rename the island at the stadium, “to recognise the significant contribution of the Fox family to Australian sport – from Jess and Noemie to their parents Richard and Myriam”.

The Fox sisters said it was “very special” to have the island renamed in their families honour.

Jess Fox said it was a “lovely gesture”.

The Fox sisters learned an island at Penrith Whitewater Stadium would be named after their famous family on Wednesday. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The island in the middle of the Penrith White Water Stadium is being renamed "Fox Island" in honour of the Olympic gold medal winning Fox Sisters. Picture: Supplied.

“It’s something that we see every day and that has been a huge part of our lives,” she said.

Government funding has also gone into upgrading facilities at Penrith Whitewater Stadium in the lead up to the world championships.

Federal Sports Minister Annika Wells said the championships “will help inspire our next generation of canoe and kayak stars” in the lead up to Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics.

“The Fox family are incredible ambassadors not just for their sport but for sport full stop and

we look forward to watching them take on the best the world has to offer but this time, it’s in

their backyard,” she said.

Paddle Australia CEO Phil Jones thanked the NSW and federal governments for providing millions in funding to help host the 2025 world championships.