IN the quiet grind of early- morning training sessions across Brisbane’s Bayside and eastern suburbs, a group of emerging athletes is beginning to feel something new – backing.
As part of a push towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Schrinner Council has partnered with the Aussie Athlete Fund to launch the Team Brisbane AAF Athlete Scholarship Program, selecting 12 local athletes for its inaugural intake.
Backed by a $100,000 Brisbane City Council grant, the program will provide up to $10,000 per athlete to help cover the rising costs of elite competition – travel, coaching, recovery, and equipment among them.
For Bayside-connected athletes like water polo player Tenealle Fasala of Carina Heights and European handball athlete Finlayson Gillespie of Cannon Hill, the support arrives at a critical time in careers built far from guaranteed funding or financial security.
Council has framed the initiative as part of a long-term Brisbane 2032 legacy strategy – one designed not just to produce Olympians, but to keep talented athletes in sport long enough to reach their peak.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the program was about investing early and locally.
“Team Brisbane is about backing local talent on the road to the Brisbane 2032 Games,” Mayor Schrinner said.
“Brisbane is home to an incredible pipeline of sporting talent, and we want young athletes to know their city is behind them every step of the way.
Aussie Athlete Fund founder and five-time Olympian Natalie Cook said Brisbane 2032 was more than a Games – it was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a sporting economy that lifts everyone.”
“When we invest in athletes like these 12 incredible Brisbanites, we invest in the future of Australian sport and the communities they represent.”
