Kieran Perkins and Susie O’Neill will be among the Sport Australia Hall of Fame athletes to provide mentoring for five of the country’s brightest young stars.
In 2006 the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring program was created not only to assist athletes with the necessary funds for their training, but to excite the next generation of Australians to achieve their potential both in sport and life.
The scholarships will be presented at the The Sport Australia Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala Dinner in October.
“The Scholarship and Mentoring Program is a unique program that excites recipients by offering them unrivalled access to Members of The Sport Australia Hall of Fame,” said John Bertrand AM, Chairman of The Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
“It is one of the most sought after scholarships for aspiring athletes in Australia and we are proud of the success of the program in its first seven years, with 17 past scholarship recipients representing Australia at the most recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.”
Since the program began 42 athletes have received scholarships with 17 of them going on to represent Australia at either the Olympics or Paralympic Games.
Along with the mentoring the athletes will receive $5000 sporting expenses grant, one return flight within Etihad Airways network, on-stage presentation at The Sport Australia Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala Dinner.
Maddison Elliot, who represented Australia at the 2012 Paralympic Games joins Jessicah Schipper (2006) and Meagan Nay (2008) as the only swimmers to receive the scholarship. Even though Perkins and O’Neill are two of the available mentors Elliot has been paired with surfer Layne Beachley.