South Australian Sports Institute

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Will the minister inform the council about the recent official opening of the South Australian Sports Institute?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Autism, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:31): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in the brand new SA Sports Institute, or SASI as most of us would know it best. Sunday was the official community open day for SASI, and members of the community were invited to come along themselves, with their families, or with team mates or friends, not only to see but to engage and participate in activities at the SASI building and be inspired by what is possible.

The community open day highlighted that it is a partnership in sport, that this is what makes sport elite, not only from a grassroots level but right through to being able to become an elite athlete. If you ask any elite athlete about their journey they will talk about their partnerships and about how they started with their first club, their first coach—and, of course, their biggest supporters, their parents.

Elite athletes like Rebecca Thomas, a country kid from Loxton, started out doing cartwheels in the living room and, thanks to the belief of her parents and the support of the local gymnastics club, she found her way to becoming a high-performance trampolinist. Fast-forward to today and Rebecca has won countless national titles, claimed gold and silver medals on the world stage and now has her sights set on gold at the Olympics.

Rebecca's journey from grassroots athletics to world champion embodies what SASI is all about. It's a place where talent meets opportunity, where beliefs are turned into achievements, and where our future sporting greats train alongside today's champions. She walks through the doors that Olympians walk through, that Thunderbirds walk through, and that 36ers walk through, athletes at the top of their game—as she is.

This institute creates an environment where success breeds success. While grassroots clubs provide the foundations, SASI makes the dream possible and, as a government, we are investing in this lifelong sporting partnership. From sports vouchers to infrastructure investments, from the new netball hub to be built just across the road from SASI to the largest investments in girls' and women's sport, our commitment to sport is unwavering

At SASI that inspiration is turned into excellence through a new partnership with Adelaide University. It is where sports meets science, where athletes gain the confidence, support and the cutting edge knowledge to take their sport to the highest level and represent not only our state but our country. I can't wait to see the incredible athletes who emerge from this wonderful new facility.