LAUNCH OF SPORTS DIPLOMACY 2030

Today the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, and the Minister for Sport, Bridget McKenzie, launched Australia’s new Sports Diplomacy 2030 strategy.

 

Australia is recognised all around the world as a high performing and passionate sporting nation.  This Strategy provides a clear plan on how we can capitalise on our sporting excellence on and off the field, for the benefit of our local athletes, sports codes, and regional partners.

 

Sport is one of Australia’s great strengths and an important diplomatic asset. It provides a platform for projecting our values, building people-to-people connections and strengthening communities.

 

The Strategy prioritises four main objectives: empowering Australian athletes and sports codes to represent us globally, including Asia and the Indo-Pacific; encouraging Australian sports codes to build links with our neighbours in the region; maximising the tourism and investment opportunities from sport; and using sport to strengthen communities in the Indo-Pacific.

 

The Government is already demonstrating its commitment to building our sports links with the Pacific through the recently announced Australian-Pacific Sports Linkages Programand revitalised Australian Sports Partnerships Program, two of the Strategy’s flagship programs.

 

Sports Diplomacy 2030 was informed by national consultations with representatives from all the major Australian sports codes and other key sports stakeholders.

 

A copy of the strategy is available here: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/Sports-Home