AIS Rewind - Celebrating key moments and athletes to come out of the AIS
As we kick off a new year in sport, we can’t help but look back and celebrate some key moments and athletes that have shaped Australia’s sporting history with a series called AIS Rewind.
16 January 2024
As we kick off a new year in sport, we can’t help but look back and celebrate some key moments and athletes that have shaped Australia’s sporting history with a series called AIS Rewind.
Simon Youl and Maree Booth training outdoors in 1982.
The first of our AIS rewind series celebrates the achievements of Aussie cricket star David Warner who recently announced his retirement from Test and One Day International cricket.
Before becoming one of Australia’s most recognised cricketers, Warner began his career as the Australian Institute of Sport Cricket Scholarship holder in 2007/8.
In this throwback photo, you can spot the fresh-faced Warner in the front row of the 2008 AIS Cricket Team photo, positioned in the centre beside team members Usman Khawaja and Matthew Wade.
2008 AIS Cricket Team. Back row: Michael Hill, Moises Henriques, Jon Holland, Grant Sullivan, Ben Cutting, Theo Doropoulos Front Row: Liam Davis, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Matthew Wade, Stephen O’Keefe
Cricket began as a full-time AIS sport in 1986 in Adelaide, with former Australian player Jack Potter appointed as head coach of the sixteen-athlete inaugural class.
Before cricket hit the scene, there were just eight founding sports within the Australian Institute of Sport when it officially opened in 1981. These included tennis, basketball, gymnastics, netball, swimming, track and field, football, and weightlifting.
In another AIS throwback this image captures what the tennis courts first looked like when they were constructed in 1983.
The AIS outdoor tennis courts when they were constructed in 1983.
Since then, the AIS has seen some of the greatest names in Australian tennis don the famed AIS logo and tracksuits over the years including the likes of Lleyton Hewitt and Ash Barty, as well as Pat Cash, Wally Masur, Rennae Stubbs, Casey Dellacqua, Todd Woodbridge, Mark Philippoussis and more.
Team photo of the 1984 AIS Tennis Squad
Stay tuned for more #AISRewind moments via the @theais_ Instagram. or find out more about the history of the Australian Institute of Sport here.
