Universities unite across QLD to elevate Pacific sport with Brisbane 2032
CQUniversity is proud to be a founding member of a new university alliance, launched by the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC).
The initiative is part of the ONOC’s Home Games Advantage program, promoting Olympic and Paralympic sports in partnership with the Oceania Paralympic Committee and sport stakeholders across the Oceania region.
ONOC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with nine Queensland universities, to strengthen high performance and sustainable development for Pacific Island nations in and through sport, as direct interventions and legacies of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The ONOC University Alliance is intended to bolster technical capabilities in key areas to further stimulate and strengthen the sport sector in the Pacific and to optimise the performances of Pacific athletes across Olympic and Paralympic sports at Brisbane 2032.
CQUniversity Director of Sport Strategy Professor Fabio Serpiello said the University Alliance was an exciting collaboration.
“The eight-year runway to Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics is a crucial window for capitalising on interest in sports, exercise and physical activity, and empowering athletes and fans to maximise their performance and wider benefits," Prof Serpiello said.
“CQUniversity is excited to be part of ONOC’s new University Alliance to ensure that progress and preparation in the Pacific region is innovative, evidence-based, collaborative and sustainable.”
ONOC President Dr Robin Mitchell said the new alliance would change the game for the sport sector in the Pacific by addressing critical gaps in workforce development, research and innovation, learning and teaching - and build the evidence base specific to the Pacific to underpin sport and sport science.
“This is a new partnership mechanism for ONOC; connecting with universities, beginning with Queensland but extending across the Pacific Islands and to New Zealand.
“This partnership will leverage the latest thinking and innovations designed with, and for our region; creating lasting legacies for Pacific Islanders that will endure well beyond the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Dr Mitchell said.
ONOC Home Games Advantage program lead Atma Maharaj said that the partnership was a monumental step for ONOC, working with university partners in Oceania like never before.
“It paves the way for enhanced sporting exchanges between Queensland and the Pacific Islands, advancing high performance for Brisbane 2032. It will build capacity across the sports sector, bringing lasting benefits to Pacific Islanders,” Mr Maharaj added.
Queensland is the first ONOC University Alliance cohort that includes:
- CQUniversity
- Australian Catholic University
- Bond University
- Griffith University
- James Cook University
- Queensland University of Technology
- The University of Queensland
- University of Southern Queensland
- University of the Sunshine Coast.
The areas of collaboration captured under the MoU include:
- Scholarships for Pacific athletes, entourage and sport sector workforce
- Knowledge sharing, capacity building, program design and technical assistance towards agreed strategic actions
- Access to, and where possible, in-kind use of facilities, high performance centres, coaches, sport science services and accommodation
- Academic exchanges and work placements for staff, students, athletes and entourage
- Learning and teaching to strengthen the Pacific Sport Workforce
- Foster opportunities for collaborative sport-related research and co-authored publications
- Joint advocacy with ONOC towards Home Games Advantage strategic actions
- Innovation and North-South collaborations towards Brisbane 2032 legacies
So far, three meetings have been held in Brisbane. In March 2024, they expanded their collaboration by joining the Pacific Islands cohort with, which included representatives from Fiji National University, National University of Samoa, Solomon Islands National University, National University of Vanuatu, Tonga National University, and The University of the South Pacific.
With less than eight years remaining until the Opening Ceremony, the ONOC University Alliance paves the way for a set of strategic, evidence-informed actions designed to enhance the performances of Pacific athletes at the 2032 Games and transform the sport sector in the Pacific well beyond 2032.
