Qld Academy of Sport independence backed by heavyweights

A powerful group of sports administrators and former Olympians have backed independence for the Queensland Academy of Sport.

Former Olympic swimmer Tracy Stockwell

• Editor’s view: Changes are vital

Talented athletes have been lost to slow and cumbersome processes and a culture of uninspiring leadership is rife within Queensland Academy of Sport, a powerful group of sports administrators and former Olympians says.

A parliamentary committee is considering the government’s plan – driven by The Courier-Mail – to remove the Queensland Academy of Sport from the Department of Sport and establish it as a stand-alone agency.

A powerful submission co-signed by academy founding director Wilma Shakespear, former Australian Institute of Sport CEO Peter Conde, Australian Olympic Committee head of performance Alex Baumann, Brisbane 2032 board member Tracy Stockwell and former Olympians and sports administrators labels the move a watershed moment for Queensland sport.

The group noted while Queensland athletes traditionally outperformed those of other states and territories on the world stage, government bureaucracy had hindered the academy.

“These historical outcomes are the result of significant investment, talent and tenacity,” it said.

“However we are also acutely aware that there has been significant waste of talent and

tenacity that has resulted from the QAS structure not being fit for purpose.

“What holds back the search for excellence are slow and cumbersome processes which deter

talent and high performance in its purest form and lack of inspirational high performance

leadership that can only be attracted and retained with appropriate governance arrangements.”

Queensland Academy of Sport is headquartered at QSAC.

Gold Coast Academy of Sport chair David Eckersley said numerous attempts to partner with the academy to develop athletes had fallen on deaf ears until Brisbane won the Olympics in 2021.

“QAS reached out to GCAS immediately and began high-level discussions as to how both organisations can work together,” he said.

“These seemed to be very promising discussions and finally a commonsense approach to producing Queensland talent.

“As soon as the discussions started, they then stopped with no explanation from QAS.

“We can only put this cessation of communication down to the structure of QAS and

their inability to alter its then charter of operations.”

Outgoing Australian Olympic Committee CEO Matt Carroll said the change would ensure the academy could function with the agility and responsiveness required to help Queensland athletes aspiring to the Australian team for LA28 and Brisbane 2032.

Isolated Children's’ Parents Association – which for 50 years has advocated for sport and education opportunities in remote areas – called for the academy’s hunt for aspiring athletes to explicitly include rural Queensland kids.

“This could be achieved through targeted regional talent identification programs and dedicated outreach initiatives,” president Wendy Henning said.

Originally published as Qld Academy of Sport independence backed by heavyweights