Young aspiring athletes are invited to discover their potential at the University of the Sunshine Coast, as Queensland looks ahead to hosting the 2032 Olympic Games.

UniSC High Performance Sport will hold the 2032 Talent Search from 24 October to 3 November, with students in Year 10 to 12 able to register through their schools.

UniSC High Performance Sport Acting Director, Associate Professor Mark Sayers said the program could be an important steppingstone to an athletic career.

“This program has been created to give students in Year 10 to 12 an understanding of how their physical attributes predispose them to success in certain sports. Opportunities such as this programme enable an athlete’s sporting skills to be benchmarked and can help guide an athlete in deciding on which pathway to follow in pursuit of their sporting dreams,” Dr Sayers said.

"The latter is particularly important as South East Queensland looks forward to hosting the Olympic Games in 2032.”

The full-day program offers a sport and education workshop, tour of the facilities at UniSC plus field and court testing for upper and lower body strength and power.

Each athlete will receive an individualised report and will learn how they can balance both a sporting career alongside their education with the UniSC High Performance Program.

The program supports athletes to achieve in study, research, training and competition with purpose-built facilities and support from world-leading coaches, performance development specialists and sport and exercise scientists.

UniSC High Performance Athlete and surfer Sophie McCulloch encouraged athletes to register via their school.

“This program is a great way for aspiring young athletes to discover their potential and embark on a journey where the athletic and educational pathways will complement each other,” she said.

“I am incredibly grateful to the UniSC High Performance Athlete program for allowing me to explore my interests in Marketing and Biomedical Science while, at the same time, training and competing to achieve my athletic goals.

“This program provided me the opportunity to really enjoy my time as a university student without adding any unnecessary stress to my training regime. I was able to connect with likeminded student athletes and adapt my timetable for the benefit of both my study and sporting commitments.”

Sunshine Coast Council Economy Portfolio Councillor Jason O’Pray said Sunshine Coast Council was committed to providing great opportunities for young athletes to compete and develop their skills in a safe, welcoming environment.

“Our region has plenty of past and present athletes who’ve competed nationally and globally across multiple disciplines, and we need to keep them coming.”

Hosted by UniSC, the 2032 Talent Search is a UniSC High Performance Sport initiative is supported by Study Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Council and jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

The 2032 Talent Search is supported by Sunshine Coast Council, Study Sunshine Coast and UniSC.