Griffith University has announced a new partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to further support Australia’s high performance athletes pursue their academic and sporting goals simultaneously.
The AIS-Griffith University Sport Scholarship will provide targeted funding over three years to help athletes win well in sport and in life while undertaking their degree programs.
Griffith University, through the Griffith Sports College, has long been dedicated to fostering an environment where sport and education coexist in harmony. The Griffith Sports College boasts a well-established track record of supporting elite athletes by offering scholarship opportunities, flexible study options, and personalised academic and athletic support. This new scholarship category, designed for Australia’s high performance athletes, will further solidify Griffith’s role in supporting Australian sport.
At the recent Paris 2024 Olympics, there were 38 Griffith athletes competing, with 20 current-students, 15 Alumni and 3 Griffith Swim Club members particpating at the Games. Griffith University athletes excelled at the Games collecting 10 Gold medals, 8 Silver and 6 Bronze medals, second only worldwide to US titan Stanford University in terms of performance.
Bachelor of Business student Jackson Collins who won silver in the K-4 Kayak event in Paris, knows how crucial it is to balance study and sport at the elite level.
“It’s important to create career pathways for yourself while you’re training and while you’re doing your sport and to have Griffith helping facilitate a life after your sport has been enormous. They help you organise exams and moving timetable deadlines so you can solely focus on preparing for competition.
“There’ve been multiple times I’ve had to lean on that, and without it, I would have failed the subject and had to redo it, so having the support of Griffith is super helpful for me, because I’d have to wait until I finished my sporting career to then start and then you’ve got four years until you can even begin to begin a career outside of sport.”
Grififth University’s Professor Bronwyn Harch, Vice President (Industry and External Engagement) said the MOU strengthens the University’s reputation as a leading elite athlete friendly institution committed to offering flexible education solutions that meet the unique needs of high-performance athletes.
“This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting Australia’s elite athletes with the scholarships helping athletes pursue excellence across all aspects of their lives, and we are honored to be a part of their journey,” Professor Harch said.
Matti Clements, Australian Sports Commission Executive General Manager of AIS Performance, said “We know that the combination of sport and study is a winning mix.
“The AIS is committed to supporting athletes achieve their goals in sport and in life which is critical to the win well ethos at the heart of Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy.”
The AIS-Griffith University Sport Scholarship will be available to athletes who are nationally recognised by the National Athlete Categorisation Framework and competing in AIS funded high performance sports programs.
