In a groundbreaking initiative, the AusTriathlon TeamAUS Camp marked a the coming together of Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic programs, as the two joined forces for a week of collaborative team building and rigorous training at the Australian Institute of Sport
The camp was made possible through the visionary support of Commonwealth Games Australia, as part of the Green2Gold2Great funding allocation.
In line with the overarching mission to bolster member sports and pave the way for athlete success at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Games Australia demonstrated its commitment by injecting a substantial investment of $4.8 million into tailor-made sporting projects.
The camp marked the first instance of these two programs uniting, setting the stage for a pivotal moment in Australian triathlon history.
The aim was to establish a more cohesive and interconnected cohort, laying the foundation for a collaborative and inclusive approach to triathlon in Australia.
Para triathlete Anu Francis shared her thoughts on the historic gathering of the Olympic and Paralympic programs at the TeamAUS Camp.
“It’s been incredible having the Olympic and Paralympic teams together on camp this week. It’s an opportunity that we’re quite lucky to have in a lot of our international races.” Francis said.
“Now I think we’re going to bond so much better at races because we know each other outside of that context.
“To have para athletes alongside the able-body athletes and to actually really include us makes it mutually beneficial for everyone and will make us stronger as a team.”
Francis spilled the tea, literally and figuratively, on her new connections with a pair of Paralympians.
“The most impactful part of camp for me has honestly just been getting to spend time with everyone,” she said.
“I was in an apartment with Lauren (Parker) and Nick (Beveridge). It was just incredible getting to know two athletes who I haven’t really been able to spend much time with before.
“Having that really relaxed environment of in the evening, been able to sit down with a cup of tea and just chatting, that’s honestly just made me feel so much more part of the team.
“Now I’ve got really good mates that I get to catch up with when we’re at camps and races in the future.”
