OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. J.S. Lee:

That this council congratulates all the South Australia athletes for their selection to the Australian team for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

(Continued from 30 May 2012.)

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (21:17): It is my great pleasure to speak today in support of the Hon. Jing Lee's motion, congratulating all our athletes on their selection to the Australian team for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. While the Australian Olympic Committee has announced its full team, we are aware that the final selection for London for the Australian Paralympic Committee is yet to occur.

A total of 38 South Australians have been selected to represent Australia at the 2012 London Olympic Games, in 16 sports. They are:

Jessica Trengove, Henry Frayne and Claire Tallent—athletics;

Johan Linde—boxing;

Hannah Davis—canoe sprint;

Anna Meares, Matthew Glaetzer, Glenn O'Shea, Alex Edmondson, Annette Edmondson, Jack Bobridge and Rohan Dennis—track cycling;

Sam Willoughby and Brian Kirkham—BMX cycling;

Hayden Stoekel—swimming;

William Henzell—table tennis;

James McRae, Chris Morgan, Bryn Coudraye, Renee Chatterton and Sally Kehoe—rowing;

Rachel Bugg—diving;

William Godward and David and Hayley Chapman—shooting;

Blake Gaudry—trampoline;

Leanne Choo—badminton (I gather she is a good friend of the Hon. Jing Lee);

Becchara Palmer—beach volleyball;

Aden Tutton, Nathan Roberts, Harrison Peacock and Grigory Sukochev—volleyball;

Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, Abby Bishop and Laura Hodges—basketball; and,

Lleyton Hewitt—tennis.

These selections reflect the strong international performances by South Australians during the 2011-12 year, with 11 South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) athletes winning a total of 10 gold medals at senior world championships.

Some of the most recent titles were determined at the Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne in April. At the event, 44 per cent of the senior Australian national team was comprised of SASI scholarship holders, winning a total of four gold, seven silver and one bronze. The undisputed star of the championships was Anna Meares, who broke the world record on her way to winning two golds, one silver and a bronze.

Glen O'Shea also gave notice to international rivals in the lead up to the Olympics by taking out the gold in the men's omnium. World championships debutant, Annette Edmondson, confirmed her status as a rising star in world cycling by finishing with a silver in both the women's omnium and the team pursuit event. Jack Bobridge won two silver medals in the men's team pursuit and individual pursuit elements.

It is therefore no surprise, after such performances at the Track Cycling World Championships, that half of the Australian track cycling team for the 2012 Olympic Games are SASI scholarship holders. Other SASI world champions confirmed for the 2012 London Olympic Games are James McRae and Chris Morgan in rowing and Sam Willoughby in BMX cycling.

Included in the selections are a number of unique combinations, including the first brother and sister to represent Australia in track cycling at the same Olympics, Alex and Annette Edmondson from Stirling. Also unique is the first ever father and daughter combination to represent Australia at the same Olympics, David and Hayley Chapman, in the pistol shooting disciplines.

For the 2012 London Paralympic Games, 13 South Australians have been selected for the Australian team. They are: Libby Kosmala, shooting—Libby is my mother's neighbour, she is a great ambassador for those with a disability and a great ambassador for South Australia—Rachel Henderson, goalball; Gabriel Cole, Katy Parrish and Michael Roeger, athletics; Felicity Johnson, Stephanie Morton (pilot), Kieran Modra and Scott McPhee (pilot), cycling; Grace Bowman, equestrian; and Matthew Cowdrey, Jay Dohnt and Esther Overton, swimming.

In preparing for her 11^th Paralympic Games, Libby Kosmala has been virtually synonymous with the Paralympics throughout its history in South Australia. I for one, would like to congratulate her for her feats. As I said earlier, she is a great individual. In comparison, Rachel Henderson will be a Paralympic debutant, having only started competing in goalball two years ago. Current South Australian para track cycling world champions, Felicity Johnson and her pilot Stephanie Morton, along with 2011 para track cycling world champions, Kieran Modra and pilot Scott McPhee, are expected to do well at the Paralympics.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games could also see Matt Cowdrey become Australia's most successful Paralympian. Currently boasting eight gold medals, five silver and two bronze to his name from two games, he needs to win three more gold medals to achieve that feat. On current projections, a total of 14 South Australian SASI athletes are likely to be selected on the 2012 Australian Paralympic team.

Whether a debutant or multigame veteran, this is an exciting time for our athletes and a just reward for their absolute talent as well as their perseverance and hard work over the years. The South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) has played a critical role in the identification, development and support of these athletes in their Olympic and Paralympic quests and journeys.

SASI partners with national and state sporting organisations to conduct intensive coaching and support programs. The institute also partners with the Australian Institute of Sport and national sporting organisations to play a pivotal role in hosting a number of key national programs here in Adelaide. These include the world powerhouse, Cycling Australia, and the AIS track cycling, as well as the AIS beach volleyball and the national trampoline program.

Australia's high performance is increasingly complex and comprehensive, with athletes now more than ever moving around the country to ensure they have access to the best programs and training environments for their needs. In the lead-up to events like the London Olympics and Paralympics, the requirements for international competition and training are increasingly vigorous, and the intense work and training of the athletes are guided by the critical stewardship of coaches and supported by technical and scientific edges that are able to be provided through the likes of SASI and the AIS.

Stable and supportive home environments are a hallmark of many champions and elite athletes. It is at moments like this that we should all recognise and thank the parents and partners who provide support to our sporting champions. Their support and sacrifice are a critical factor in enabling many of these athletes named today to have a chance to experience Olympic and Paralympic competition. Therefore, it is without hesitation that I support this motion and congratulate all South Australian athletes chosen to represent Australia in the forthcoming 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (21:26): I thank the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars for his very wonderful contribution to this motion. It is very gracious of him as well to suggest that tonight we should encourage this motion to move through the house as a way of congratulating all South Australian athletes before the Olympics begin.

I would like to make some concluding remarks, if I may. Australia is a country that epitomises a sporting nation. As a big country with a relatively small population, our athletes perform and compete extremely well and produce some of the most amazing sporting achievements on the world stage. The Hon. Gerry Kandelaars has mentioned that we are sending 38 athletes as part of the Australian contingent of more than 400 athletes representing Australia at the Olympic Games.

I understand that the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars has already mentioned some of the names, but I also would like to read them into Hansard because I think it is so important that when athletes work so hard to achieve this particular milestone in their athletic careers they should be placed on the record.

I congratulate, acknowledge and pay tribute to, in the athletics area, Jessica Trengove, Henry Frayne and Claire Tallent. In badminton, my favourite girl, Leanne Choo, will be representing in the women's doubles. In basketball, we have Abby Bishop, Joe Ingles, Laura Hodges, Jenni Screen and Brad Newley; in beach volleyball, Becchara Palmer and Louise Bawden; in boxing, Johan Linde; in canoe/kayak, Hannah Davis; and, in BMX, Brian Kirkham and Sam Willoughby.

In cycling, of course, we have a large contingent: Stuart O'Grady, who will be wearing the Australian colours for the sixth time at an Olympics, Jack Bobridge, Rohan Dennis, Alex Edmondson, Matt Glaetzer, Annette Edmondson, Anna Meares, Shane Perkins, Kaarle McCulloch and Glen O'Shea. Annette and Alex will be the first brother and sister team to represent Australia at the same Olympics.

In diving, we have Rachel Bugg; in gymnastics, Blake Gaudry; and, in rowing, Renee Chatterton, Bryn Coudraye, James McRae and Chris Morgan. In shooting, we have David Chapman and Hayley Chapman, the father and daughter team, and Will Godward. In swimming, we have Hayden Stoeckel, who is a 27 year old from the Riverland, one of the top swimmers. He won silver in the medley relay and bronze in the 100 metres backstroke in Beijing, so let us look out for our Riverland chap, Hayden.

In table tennis, we have William Henzell, and in tennis we have Lleyton Hewitt, of course. In volleyball, we have Harrison Peacock, Nathan Roberts, Greg Sukochev, and Aden Tutton.

As many of you know, the Olympic symbol consists of five interlocked rings. The symbol represents a union of the five original major continents—Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Europe—and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world at the Olympic Games. More than 10,000 athletes in the world will be competing in the London Olympics this year. How exciting is that?

Australia is a highly competitive country when it comes to sport. Australia has finished in the top 10 countries since 1992 and, in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Australia finished sixth. Let us make sure that we finish better than sixth. The Olympic Games provide Australia with the opportunity to compete against the world's best in a competition that promotes the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. I would like to place on the record my congratulations, and I wish all the Australian athletes the very best in their endeavours. They are living their dream and they are making us proud. I wholeheartedly ask all honourable members in this chamber to support this motion.

Motion carried.