Paris 2024 athletes turn coach through AIS program

17 December 2024

Retiring Paris 2024 stars Eddie Ockenden, Melissa Tapper and Jed Altschwager will guide the next generation of Olympians, Paralympians and Commonwealth Games athletes after being named in the second Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Gen32 Coach Program.

Five-time Olympic hockey player Eddie Ockenden is among a list of Paris 2024 athletes switching to coaching.

AIS Gen32 was created in 2022 to enhance the depth and diversity within Australia’s high performance coaching ranks ahead of the home Games in Brisbane and provides emerging or early-career coaches with a two-year paid internship in the nation’s top sporting programs.

Ockenden – a five-time Olympic hockey player; Tapper – who competed in table tennis at this year’s Olympics and Paralympic Games; and Paris 2024 gold medal winning Para-rower Altschwager are part of a 30-strong group of up-and-coming coaches that will work across 23 sports.

Altschwager recently started as Para-sport transition coach at the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI), a role which forms part of the $54.9 million dollar AIS Para Uplift project.

“Coaching is a key focus in the remaining eight years to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games because you can’t have world-class athletes without world-class coaches,” Executive General Manager of AIS Performance Matti Clements said.

“The AIS Gen32 Coach Program is a partnership with our national sporting organisations and National Institute Network, with 29 coaches having a career-changing experience over the first two years of the program.

“It’s pleasing to see more than half of the upcoming group are women, with the AIS committed to working with sport to address the gender imbalance in high performance coaching roles by Brisbane 2032.”

The women cohort includes Young Matildas Assistant Coach Helen Winterburn and swimming coach Kate Sparkes, who coached Chelsea Gubecka at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and Rowan Crothers, Katja Dedekind, and Poppy Wilson at the Paralympic Games.

Sparkes, who will be joining the SASI swim program said: “I’m so excited to join the program. I think this is a really good opportunity to expand my knowledge, brainstorm with other coaches, and get more education about the high performance side of things.”

The 2025-26 AIS Gen32 Coach Program will run from January 2025 to December 2026. For more information visit www.ais.gov.au/people-development/national-generation-2032-coach-program

AIS Gen32 2025-26 Coaches:

• Bruna Accurso, Boccia Australia*
• Jed Altschwager, South Australian Sports Institute and Paralympics Australia
• Renae Birgan, Shooting Australia and Victorian Institute of Sport
• Ryan Carneli, CombatAUS and Australian Taekwondo*
• Amelia Catt, Australian Sailing*
• Ryan Cuskelly, Squash Australia*
• Samantha De Riter, AusCycling and Victorian Institute of Sport*
• Amee Donohoe, Surfing Australia and New South Wales Institute of Sport*
• David Fraumano, Rowing Australia*
• Tom Gatti, Rowing Australia and Western Australian Institute of Sport
• Tim Geers, Hockey Australia and Western Australian Institute of Sport*
• Cameron Gledhill, Swimming Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport
• Nathan Hedge, Surfing Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport*
• Lauren Hyde-Cooling, Athletics Australia and Western Australian Institute of Sport*
• Andrew Kyle, Australian Baseball Federation*
• Karen Murphy AM, Bowls Australia
• Eddie Ockenden, Hockey Australia and Tasmanian Institute of Sport
• Deborah Schulstad, Athletics Australia and New South Wales Institute of Sport*
• Brendan Sexton, AusTriathlon*
• Jemma Smith, Paddle Australia and New South Wales Institute of Sport*
• Kate Sparkes, Swimming Australia and South Australian Sports Institute*
• Paris Speirs, Snow Australia*
• Melissa Tapper, Table Tennis Australia*
• Irene Torrealba Merida, Sport Climbing Australia*
• Hannah Trethewy, Cricket Australia
• Richard Voris, Wheelchair Rugby Australia and Paralympics Australia*
• Neridah Wearne, Softball Australia*
• Rohan Wight, AusCycling and South Australian Sports Institute*
• Helen Winterburn, Football Australia*
• Shanon Zunker, Volleyball Australia and Queensland Academy of Sport*

*AIS salary supported roles