The inaugural Athlete and Coaches Forum was held in November 2015. The AIS Centre for Performance Coaching and Leadership designed the forum specifically for Australia’s podium and podium-potential athletes and coaches to share their experiences and expand their leadership capability.

Among the more than 100 attendees were some of Australia’s greatest sporting assets, such as Anna Meares, Matthew Mitcham and Ric Charlesworth. They joined fellow athletes and coaches from a diverse range of sports including athletics, swimming, netball, surfing, AFL and NRL. The forum is a key strategy of Australia’s Winning Edge and highlights the AIS’ focus on developing coaches and leaders.

The Now | Best | Next Summit – The Pursuit of Personal Excellence featured 23 world-class speakers and provided the opportunity for athlete wellbeing professionals to delve into what is happening ‘now’ in athlete wellbeing, explore ‘best’ practice, and uncover emergent thinking around what is ‘next’ in this field. Holly Ransom, CEO of Emergent Solutions, facilitated the summit of 150 delegates representing 20 sports and 70 associations, clubs and institutes. Now | Best | Next signifies Australian sport’s willingness to take a systemic and united approach to athlete wellbeing.

The AIS and the Australian Medical Association (AMA) collaborated to address growing health concerns about sport-related concussion through a joint position statement on Concussion in Sport. Research shows there has been a significant rise in the number of people admitted to hospital for sport-related concussion over the past decade and children are particularly vulnerable. The AIS and AMA reached a joint recommendation that children avoid full-contact training or sporting activity until at least 14 days after all symptoms of concussion have cleared. An Australian Government funded website, www.concussioninsport.gov.au, provides simple but specific tools and videos for athletes, parents, teachers, coaches and medical practitioners. The website provides clear and contemporary information to support and protect Australia’s sporting participants.