Ashley named to compete at Olympic festival | Taranaki Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Taranaki

Four young athletes from around the Taranaki region were selected by the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) as members of the 177-strong team to represent New Zealand at the fourth Australian Youth Olympic Festival.

Team members from the Taranaki region are: Daniel Brooks (athletics), Tom Ingram (athletics), Ashley Rupapera (swimming) and Dylan Dunlop-Barrett (swimming). The biennial Australian Youth Olympic Festival will be held in Sydney from January 17-21, 2007 and there will be more than 1500 athletes from 20 nations competing in 16 Olympic sports.

The festival is regarded as a critical step for young sports stars on the path to the Olympic Games.

The New Zealand team is sponsored by Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC).

New Zealand's aspiring Olympians, who range in age from 12 to 19 and who come from all around New Zealand, will compete in 14 of the 16 summer and winter sports across five days.

The Chef de Mission is Nigel Avery, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist in Manchester in 2002 for weightlifting. Nigel is currently the General Manager of Sport at the Millennium Institute of Sport and Health. As Chef de Mission, Mr Avery will lead the 248-strong team, which is made up of 177 athletes, as well as coaches, team managers and support staff.

Mr Avery said he was very proud to be part of the New Zealand team and excited about the prospects in Sydney next year.

"The festival provides some of New Zealand's most talented sporting youth and is an amazing stepping stone to compete against world class opposition in our own back yard. Our goal is to create a positive, safe and inspirational environment where every athlete can maximise their potential on the day," said Mr Avery.

"In sending a team to compete at the fourth international Australian Youth Olympic Festival, the New Zealand Olympic Committee continues its commitment to providing inspirational experiences for our emerging sports stars," said Barry Maister, Secretary General of the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

"In particular, the New Zealand Olympic Committee is supporting these future Olympians by providing unique opportunities for young people to excel through sport and gain the experiences they need to excel in future Commonwealth and Olympic Games."

At the five-day competition, 190 events will take place in the Sydney 2000 Olympic venues and aims to emulate an Olympic Games experience. The aspiring Olympians will experience: life in the Olympic Village; drug education; the opening ceremony and its protocols, including experiencing lighting the Olympic Flame, flying the Olympic Flag, the Parade of Nations and the Olympic Oath; and the excitement and emotion of medal ceremonies.

SPARC Chief Executive Nick Hill, said New Zealand athletes have very few opportunities to experience multisport games before they attend their first Commonwealth or Olympic Games.

"The Australian Youth Olympic Festival is a step on the pathway to competing at the elite level of world sport. SPARC invests in the New Zealand team to allow athletes, coaches, management and support staff to pit themselves against some of the world's best emerging talent in a multisport games environment," said Mr Hill.