A nationwide talent search to discover Australia's next generation of Olympic and Paralympic athletes returns in 2026 with registrations opening today for the Future Green and Gold campaign.
Delivered by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in partnership with state institutes, Paralympics Australia and more than 30 national sporting organisations, the initiative identifies athletes with untapped potential and accelerates their progression into high performance pathways through structured testing, sport matching and targeted development.
The campaign is being backed by some of the biggest names in Australian sport, with tennis superstar Alex de Minaur, Olympic kayak cross gold medallist Noemie Fox, two-time Paralympic champion wheelchair racer Madison de Rosario and wheelchair rugby icon Chris Bond confirmed as ambassadors.
Minister for Sport the Hon Anika Wells said the initiative would help inspire the next generation of Australian athletes.
"Sport has a unique ability to inspire Australians and bring communities together - and the Future Green and Gold campaign is about giving more young people the chance to discover what they're capable of," Minister Wells said.
"As we build towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, initiatives like this help ensure talented Australians - wherever they live and whatever their background - have the opportunity to pursue their sporting dreams."
AIS Director Matti Clements explained that the search was critical to building Australia's strongest ever home Games team.
"Brisbane 2032 presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Australian sport," Clements said.
"To perform at our best on home soil, we must look beyond traditional pathways and ensure we're identifying talent in every community across the country - particularly in Paralympic sport.
"The Future Green and Gold program is about casting the net wider, finding future champions earlier and giving them the support they need to thrive."
346 Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls were identified in the inaugural 2024 campaign with several already competing on the world stage including former AFLW player Amelie Prosser Shaw who represented Australia in Flag Football at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles.
NSW teenager Harvey Plummer was already excelling at basketball and Australian rules when the talent search revealed his unique potential for boxing. Now the 14-year-old is in Boxing Australia's athlete pathway program.
Future Green and Gold rapidly changed the life of South Australian Kirsty Maiden, who finished 4th in K1 200m and 500m at the national titles, barely two months after being identified as a para-canoeist at a talent search event.
And just a year after losing his left foot in an accident, Perth teenager Griffin Angelatos claimed gold in the Para K1 500m event at the National Sprint Canoe/Kayak Championship, while Tasmania's Shannon Winchester represented Australia in the World Para Athletics Championships last September.
More than 800 people are already on the waitlist for the 2026 edition, highlighting the depth of untapped sporting talent across Australia.
Whilst Fox is now a household name for her efforts at the 2024 Olympics, she acknowledges playing multiple sports in her childhood helped her to become a world class canoeist - and is why young athletes should embrace this chance to shine.
"For parents or caregivers, the Future Green and Gold talent search exists as an opportunity to expose people to possibilities they might never have considered or otherwise had access to trying," Fox said.
"And for any person, this day exists to help you see something within you that you might not yet see and to create a space to help you grow into your potential. So go for it and dare to try!"
Future Green and Gold is open to Australians aged 13-23 for Olympic sports and 13+ for Paralympic sports. No prior elite sporting experience is required.
Participants can register to attend local talent search events where speed, strength, power and endurance are assessed by high performance experts. Those who demonstrate strong potential are matched with a recommended sport and invited to undertake a supervised trial, with the opportunity to progress into a Talent Development Program.
Bond, a two-time Paralympic gold medallist, said the sessions might open the minds of potential athletes to sports they might have never considered.
"I was good at a lot of different sports, but I just hadn't found the sport that I really excelled in," he said.
"Now I look back and can see attributes from every sport I played being useful in wheelchair rugby - which itself is a mashup of ice hockey, basketball and American football."
"I had a distinct advantage when I came through my performance pathway - reading the game, predicting where the ball would be, vision and reflexes, passing and catching and base fitness - which fast tracked my development to make the national team in under 12 months from starting."
The 2026 search will weave through multiple capital cities, with Tasmania the first state on the list. Eligible Australians with Olympic or Paralympic aspirations are encouraged to register their interest via the AIS website and take the first step towards Brisbane 2032.
Future Green and Gold Testing Schedule 2026: Tuesday April 21 - Tasmania (Olympic and Paralympic) Saturday June 13 - ACT (Paralympic) Saturday June 20 - ACT (Olympic) Saturday June 27 - Western Australia (Paralympic) Saturday July 11 - Victoria (Olympic and Paralympic) Saturday July 18 - New South Wales (Paralympic) Saturday July 25 - New South Wales (Olympic) Rolling intake throughout 2026 - QLD, NT and SA TBC - WA (Olympic)
