Illawarra Sports High School unveiled as official Australian Olympic Pathway School

The Australian Olympic Committee on Thursday unveiled Berkeley's Illawarra Sports High School as an official Australian Olympic Pathway School.

The program aims at boosting opportunities for talented athletes to progress their sporting and academic careers, with a focus on helping to create the next generation of Australian Olympians.

One athlete who knows what it takes to make their Olympic dream become a reality is Wollongong hurdler Sarah Carli, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Games.

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Carli was a special guest at Thursday's announcement at Illawarra Sports High.

The 28-year-old told the Mercury that the program was great news for Illawarra-based athletes.

"I think it's going to be a great opportunity for kids to start at the grassroots level and know what it takes to be an elite athlete, and then have the ability to progress to that elite level of sports. It's exciting to have it here in the Illawarra," Carli said.

"As an athlete, you have to make a lot of sacrifices, but there's also a lot of sacrifices made by the people around you.

''You can't make it without your coaches, your training partners and your family. It can be really hard when you don't have that support network, so seeing kids have that in place - at school - is going to be a game-changer.

"It would have been great to have this pathway when I was at school, but I was really lucky that I had a great school that did support me on my way through. But I had to look at things externally and rely on other facilities outside of school. It's going to be a massive difference having that inside school."

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Illawarra High Sports High School boasts a crop of alumni who have represented Australia in their chosen disciplines, including two Olympians - footballer Caitlin Foord and middle-distance runner Ryan Gregson.

School principal Kerrie Powell said they planned to add to that list in coming years.

"It's a really good breeding ground for athletes, so we hope to nurture that and help them flourish into the future," Powell said.

"We are about developing individual athletes. It's a development program, so it's about bringing them in and helping them with their academics and sporting [goals]. And we're in the process of building a learning centre as well, so we can help with tutoring and ensure students aren't missing out on schoolwork.

''And there's pathways programs for them to complete their HSC, so they're getting that all-round assistance to help them not only with their sport, but their academics and beyond. Today's announcement is very exciting. Since becoming a sports high school, we've contributed to the community, and I think this will be the extra push that we need.

''We're building relationships with the Olympics (committee) and with Sydney FC, and there's lots of things happening, which is very exciting for the students and our community."

Berkeley was one of seven sports high schools from across the state to receive recognition from the Australian Olympic Committee on Thursday. The other successful schools were Endeavour, The Hills, Hunter Sports, Matraville, Narabeen and Westfields Sports High.

"This is the first program of its kind in the state and the country, and we believe the world too," AOC chief of community engagement James Edwards said.

"The (Berkeley) high school has been doing the hard yards for many years, producing student athletes. And you can see on the walls of the gym how many Australian represents there have been. So we're here today to recognise that fact and we're hoping to have an Olympic presence in the Illawarra Sports High School, and we have a number of programs and Olympians who we plan to be coming through the school.

"The pathway recognition comes with a lot. We have a pathway that goes from the school, and it involves the NSW Office of Sport for the very broad group of students that they represent. And then it steps up with the Australian Institute of Sport, and that's where the heavy lifting is done with all of the pathways in place and access to professionals. And what the Olympic committee then does is endorse the whole thing, which helps to instill values in the students.

"Those values are universal and worldwide, and they're around excellence, friendship and respect. And the school has that in spades already."

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