The State Government will deliver significant additional support for South Australian athletes to achieve Olympic and Paralympic success, helping to provide a pathway to the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
South Australia will contribute $1 million over four years to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Team Appeal, as part of a 2025-26 State Budget measure – providing support to local athletes across the four-year cycle leading into the Games.
South Australia leads the nation as the first state or territory to directly contribute to the Los Angeles 2028 Team Appeal, on a 50:50 basis between Olympic and Paralympic campaigns.
The Team Appeal – a partnership between the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia – will help our elite athletes travel to Los Angeles, along with the provisioning of medical, nutrition and sport science services once they arrive.
The funding reinforces the Government’s commitment to advancing opportunities for people with a disability participating in sport and pursuing their Paralympic dreams.
The State Government provides $5.1 million each year through the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) to support South Australia’s elite athletes, many of whom participate on the world stage.
Olympic and Paralympic officials have recognised the new SASI as world-class, delivering training and programs to give SA athletes a competitive edge.
The new SASI forms one of the country’s best high-performance sports precincts and is co-located with the Australian Centre for Sports Aerodynamics, Beach Volleyball National Training Centre, SA Athletics Stadium and SA Netball Centre.
More than 60 athletes who came through a South Australian pathway secured a place on the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the Paris 2024 Games.
To support athletes beyond the 2028 Games, the Government will establish a 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Committee – a cross-government group designed to help position SA as an international hub for pre-Games training and build on the state’s sporting legacy.
Quotes attributable to South Australian Paralympic cyclist Darren Hicks
This funding will be a great boost for South Australian athletes as we set our sights on Los Angeles 2028.
These high-performance services will ensure athletes have the capacity to train, recover, and perform at our best, not only in 2028, but also in the coming years as we work towards qualification.
It's an investment not just in the potential for medals, but also in the future of Australian sport.
