AIS Thrive with Pride ambassador wins LGBTQ+ Role Model of the Year

24 April 2024

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has congratulated Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Thrive with Pride Ambassador Greta Hayes, after the Hockeyroo was crowned the LGBTQ+ Role Model of the Year at the 2024 Australian Pride in Sport Awards.

Hockeyroo Greta Hayes has won the LGBTQ+ Role Model of the Year at the 2024 Australian Pride in Sport Awards, recognising her work as an AIS Thrive with Pride ambassador. Image Supplied.

The colourful awards ceremony took place in Melbourne on Tuesday night, celebrating the efforts of athletes, clubs, coaches and organisations in making sport more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people.

While Hayes was unable to attend due to the Perth International Festival of Hockey, she was still celebrated in the room for her achievements as a Pride Ambassador in 2023.

During her time as an AIS TwP Ambassador, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist was instrumental in organising Pride events for Hockey WA and Hockey NSW during Pride Month and raising awareness within the Australian hockey community.

“It’s pretty crazy, I wasn’t expecting to win!” Hayes said.

“I don’t do Pride initiatives for individual reasons, but it’s still pretty nice to be recognised.

“With the inclusive space, especially Pride in Sport, you never get it 100 per cent right. It’s all about learning and that’s what the AIS TwP program was for me. It connected me to a lot of other athletes but also opened my eyes.

“It’s encouraging to see what has been done but there is a long way to go - not just within sports but within society as a whole - to make sure we’re inclusive, accepting, and as loving as possible.”

Greta Hayes at Hockey WA Pride Round, an initiative she helped organise as a Pride Ambassador in 2023. Image Supplied.

This is the third time an AIS TwP alumni ambassador has been recognised at the Pride in Sport Awards, with gymnast Dominic Clarke and Rugby 7s’ Sharni Williams winning LGBTQ+ Role Model of the Year in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The ASC is a founding partner of Pride in Sport, which is a national not-for-profit sporting inclusion program designed to assist organisations with the inclusion of employees, athletes, volunteers and spectators with diverse genders and sexualities.

Now in its seventh year, the annual awards recognise the continuous efforts towards inclusive sporting environments and showcase the results of the Pride in Sport Index (PSI) used to assess LGBTQ+ inclusion nationally.

The full list of winners can be found on the Pride in Sport website, opens in a new tab. Meanwhile, learn more about AIS Thrive with Pride program here, ahead of the May announcement of the 2024 Athlete Ambassadors.