AIS Education Scholarship recipients include Paris bound Olympians and Paralympians

AIS Athlete Education Scholarships have been awarded to 47 Australian athletes in the latest round, including nine athletes who will be taking part in the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.

The AIS Athlete Education Scholarships is now in its fourth year in partnership with the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation.

The nine athletes and scholarship holders participating in the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, include:

• Putu Anastasia Kusmawan – Artistic Swimming / University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Science 

• Emily Whitehead – Gymnastics / Deakin University, Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science

• Benjamin Canham – Rowing / RMIT University, Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours)

• Caitlin Cronin – Rowing / University of New South Wales, Masters of Public Health

• Jean Mitchell – Rowing / Deakin University, Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)

• Tobiah Goffsassen – Para rowing / University of Queensland, Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Sciences (Honours)

• Ella Ramsay – Swimming / Central Queensland University, Bachelor of Psychological Science

• Alex Saffy – Para Swimming / University of Canberra, Bachelor of Commerce (Finance and Banking)

• Matthew Byrnes – Water Polo / University of New South Wales, Bachelor of Commerce

The 2024 cohort are attached to 22 universities and TAFES and represent 19 different national sporting organisations.

Having spent much of her formative years in Indonesia, 19-year-old Kusmawan hopes to embark on a career in dentistry and share her skills and oral health knowledge around the world.

Rower Tobiah Goffsassen will make his Paralympics debut in Paris and will use the funding to support his goal of becoming a physiotherapist as a way to stay engaged with sport following his time as an athlete.

The AES program is delivered in partnership with the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation and the Australian Sports Foundation and supports high performance athletes by providing financial support towards their higher education.

Since launching in 2020, more than 165 athletes have benefited from the program and shared in over $488,000 going towards their education.

Australian Sports Commission Executive General Manager of AIS Performance Matti Clements said the AES is a unique way to support athletes and notes “we know that sport and study is a winning mix, and the Athlete Education Scholarship wants to make this as easy as possible.

“At the AIS, we are supporting athletes to win not just on the field of play but also away from the sporting environment which is critical to the win well ethos as part Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy.

“I’d like to thank the John and Myriam Wylie Foundation for their support and encourage everyone to consider how they can support our athletes to win well in all aspects of life.”  

Image. Ella Ramsay – Swimming / Central Queensland University, Bachelor of Psychological Science. Credit: Australian Olympic Committee