Palaszczuk Government gives Rio athletes a boost

Treasurer and Minister for Sport Curtis Pitt today presented eligible athletes with a $2,700 bonus grant to help in their final preparations for the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“I’m thrilled to be providing more than $350,000 to help our Queensland athletes compete for gold in Rio,” Mr Pitt said.

“As a government, we are proud to stand behind our sporting elite and wish them great success as they strive to do their best on the world stage.

“These grants will assist our athletes by helping to fund the costs associated with training and competing internationally.

“We anticipate the Australian Olympic team will have a distinct Queensland flavour, with a significant number of the state’s elite athletes already named to compete against the world following the Opening Ceremony on Friday 5 August 2016.

“I have no doubt their success will inspire a whole new generation of budding athletes and help the Palaszczuk Government deliver on our goal to get more Queenslanders involved in sport.”

Athletes from Queensland will represent Australia in a range of Olympic sports, with swimming, athletics, hockey, sailing, canoeing, diving, shooting, water polo, archery and rowing

Mr Pitt said given the level of talent in Queensland, it’s likely our state will see Queensland medal wins across many events.

“While the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams are yet to be finalised, I am very confident that we’ll see a strong proportion of Queensland representation in both teams,” Mr Pitt said.

“The Queensland Academy of Sport will administer the Bonus Grants to all Queensland athletes who satisfy the fund’s eligibility criteria and are endorsed by their state sporting organisation.

“Our athletes are very fortunate to have access to the incredible level of support and specialist expertise provided by the Queensland Academy of Sport.

A final announcement of the Australian Olympic Team is expected in the next week or two, with the Paralympic team likely to be announced in mid-August 2016. 

Athletes in attendance today:

Jessica Ashwood - Swimming

Carlee Beattie - Athletics

Kyle Bridgwood - Para-Cycling

Matthew Denney - Athletics 

Cedric Dubler - Decathlon

David Edwards - Para-Cycling

Brittany Elmslie - Swimming

Madeline Groves - Swimming

Alex Hartmann - Athletics

Torita Isaac - Athletics

Chelsea Jaensch - Athletics

Mitchell Larkin - Swimming

Jack McLoughlin - Swimming

Chloe Rayner - Judo

Emily Seebohm - Swimming

Madison Wilson - Swimming 

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