The athletes attending the Oceania Camp.  Photo supplied by Denise Gaston (WSAS)

FIVE athletes selected from the Western Sydney Academy of Sport’s Indigenous Future Stars Program, supported by the Insurance Underwriters Association Australia, demonstrated their skills at the 2024 Oceania Youth Athlete Development Camp and Beach Sprints Competition held between 28 September – 6 October 2024.

Lilly Hoskins (Penrith), Leigha Taylor (Penrith), Tye Atkinson (Penrith), Sofia Camilleri (Blue Mountains) and Jordan Toogood (Hills District), along with athletes and coaches from the WSAS Rowing Squad, took part in the week-long camp at the Sydney Academy of Sport, Narrabeen.

Athletes trained intensively alongside participants from across the Oceania region, including Vanuatu, Fiji, and French Polynesia.

The camp, in partnership with Rowing NSW, culminated with the staging of the Oceania Youth Beach Sprints and NSW All Schools Beach Sprint Championships, offering a platform for these young athletes to demonstrate their growth and compete at an international level.