Ben, Peter and Kate Win ASPAs

NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Ben Tudhope (snowboarding) and staff Peter McNiel and Kate Blamey have capped off outstanding 2022 campaigns by taking home major individual accolades at the AIS Sport Performance Awards (ASPAs).

More than 350 guests attended the black-tie gala event to celebrate the incredible achievements of Australian athletes, coaches, leaders and volunteers over the past 12 months across Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Snowboard trailblazer and NSWIS scholarship holder Ben Tudhope was named male para athlete of the year following a stellar season on the slopes which included claiming a fourth-straight world cup gold medal and crystal globe in Canada. Ben was the only Australian to medal at the Beijing Paralympics, snaring bronze.

In another win for winter sports, the coach of the year award was shared between moguls mentors and NSWIS experts Kate Blamey and Peter McNiel. The pair have taken a long list of Winter Olympians to the top of the ranks including Britt Cox, Cooper Wood and Jakara Anthony, who won Australia’s first Winter Olympic gold medal in 12 years at this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics.

It was a fitting way to celebrate a milestone day for Australian high performance sport, with the launch earlier this morning of Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy and the Win Well initiative.

Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins OAM said all of this year’s ASPAs awards carried the Win Well influence, with nominees judged on more than sporting performance alone.

“Our judges also considered behaviours of sportsmanship, fair play, respect and integrity, broader contributions such as role modelling and leadership, and achievements beyond the sporting arena, like community involvement, academic and vocational achievements. It’s important to recognise and reward these qualities in our successful athletes,” Kieran said.

Article courtesy of AIS