Victoria’s Kat Smith was among the graduates celebrated by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) as part of the first cohort of the National Gen32 Program—– an initiative aimed at providing a pathway to the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games coaching ranks.
Kat joined coaches from 20 different sports at the AIS in Canberra on Monday for the official graduation ceremony.
Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins OAM emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating that Australian sport will be stronger thanks to the experience of these graduates.
Although officially graduating, Kat Smith and all female coaches will continue with a third year in the program, supported by a $3.9 million funding boost from the Australian Government aimed at increasing female representation in high-performance coaching roles.
This funding aligns with the AIS Women in High Performance Sport Action Plan, which aims to pave the way for more women like Kat to excel at the highest levels of Australian sport.