Building Team Behind Our Olympic Champions

There's nothing quite like watching elite athletes compete during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

When we, as viewers, switch on the TV or pack into a stadium, we are seeing only a fleeting moment of their journey - a performance shaped by years of training, sacrifice and perseverance.

We're also seeing just one person, or one team, under the brightest of lights, carrying the weight of expectation. But elite sport is never a one-person effort.

The lightning-fast form of Lachlan Kennedy and Gout Gout that we saw at the Australian Athletics Championships was the result of extraordinary talent, years of preparation and plenty of expert support.

Behind every athlete performing at the highest level is a small team. Four, five or even ten people who have worked just as hard alongside them. There's a physiotherapist managing injuries and recovery, a strength and conditioning coach building resilience, a sport scientist analysing performance, a psychologist supporting focus and confidence, and a nutritionist ensuring athletes are properly fuelled.

And at the top end of sport, these people aren't optional extras. They are essential. In many cases, they are the reason an athlete makes it to the start line at all.

As Brisbane prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032, it's worth widening the conversation. Success on home soil won't depend only on talented athletes or worldclass venues. It will also depend on having enough highly skilled professionals behind the scenes to help athletes manage pressure, stay healthy and perform consistently at their best.

Support in sport goes far beyond physical training. Athletes contend with injury, extended recovery periods and the emotional strain of elite competition. Many move away from home, and sometimes across the country, to take up sporting careers. In those moments, support might look like a trainer guiding someone through a difficult rehabilitation, or a senior teammate making sure a newcomer feels supported. Performance is built as much on trust and care as it is on conditioning programs and data.

This is where education, especially the tertiary sector, plays a quiet but critical role.

Universities such as The University of Queensland help train the professionals who support athletes at every level, from community to elite competition in both able-bodied and disability sport.

UQ's sport related disciplines have been ranked number one in Australia and second in the world in the independent QS world university subject area rankings for 2026. This is an exceptional recognition, is a ranking not surpassed by any Australian university in any field of study and reflects objective assessment of academic and employer reputation as well as research excellence.

The best academics attract the best students, and together they create an environment where world-class practice and cutting-edge research becomes the norm.

Importantly, the skills developed through sport education don't stay confined to stadiums or training facilities. Knowledge gained in injury prevention, rehabilitation, mental health and human performance flows directly into hospitals, clinics, schools and community organisations, improving health and wellbeing well beyond elite sport.

Over the next six years, UQ will deliver more than 84,000 graduates across disciplines including health, education, construction, tourism and hospitality. Some will work directly in sport and human performance, while many others will apply those same skills in roles that strengthen Queensland's workforce and support healthier communities across Australia.

Partnerships also matter. By working closely with organisations such as the Paralympics Australia and the Queensland Academy of Sport, students gain hands-on experience in high-performance environments. That exposure builds confidence and capability, preparing graduates to step into demanding careers as coaches, sport scientists, strength and conditioning professionals, dietitians and sport and exercise medicine physicians.

Global recognition matters too. It sends a clear message that worldclass opportunities in sport and performance exist right here. Talented students don't need to leave Australia to work at the cutting edge of their fields. Talent is drawn to rather than way from Queensland and helps stimulate the state's burgeoning sports related industries, especially those in sports technology.

When Brisbane steps onto the world stage in 2032, the most enduring legacy won't be measured only in medals. It will be built by the people behind the scenes who are supporting athletes, strengthening our sport, health and education systems and delivering benefits that last long after the final podium celebration.