Andrew Pattison

Olympic Winter Institute of Australia

The aims of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia continue to be: - To develop and prepare elite Australian athletes for their participation in Olympic Winter Games, World Championships and World Cup events in Olympic Winter Program and World Championship sports. - To assist with the development and funding of high performance coaches with expertise in the Olympic winter sports programs. - To assist the AOC in the attainment of its objectives through encouragement of elite performance by Australian athletes in winter sports. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) formed the Australian Institute of Winter Sports (AIWS) after the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, to enable the development of elite performances in winter sports by Australian athletes, through the provision of adequate funding, world-class sports programming and technical coaching. On July 1st 2001, the organisation was renamed to become the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA). The OWIA identity represents a strong tie to the Olympic family in Australia. The Australian Olympic Committee provides funding for the operation of the OWIA in partnership with the federal government. The OWIA is a supported program of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and receives considerable funding from the Australian Sports Commission and benefits from the many experts based at the AIS in Canberra. The OWIA also works closely with the individual sport National Federations and State Institutes of Sport, to supply an overall National technical direction for the individual sport throughout the athlete pathway in Australia. The clear objective of the OWIA is focusing resources on the areas where the best results and medals can be achieved at the Olympic Winter Games in 2018. Also important is the provision of experiences and fundamentals during the OWG quadrennial period, which may increase the possible medal tally at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.