Two of biggest events on the school sport calendar get underway from Monday 7 April when the NSW high schools and primary schools swimming and diving championships start at Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Some of the nation’s best young swimmers will hit the pool in the NSW Combined High Schools Sports Association (NSWCHSSA) event from April 7-9, followed by the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association (NSWPSSA) championship from April 10-11.
More than 3300 students will compete across 225 able-bodied and multiclass events, assisted by 165 staff and cheered on by an expected 8000 spectators across each day of the championships.
A host of future stars have made their mark at the championships in years gone by, and with the 2032 Brisbane Games on the horizon, there’s every chance future Olympians will be poolside this week.
These are the first major events of 2025 for the NSWCHSSA and NSWPSSA. The primary championships include competitors from the Government, Catholic and Independent educational sectors.
Participating students have progressed from local, district and regional carnivals through to the state event.
Peter Banks, Leader, School Sport Unit, said the championships would be live-streamed and are expected to attract a national and international audience. The 2024 championships attracted in excess of 33,000 views.
“These two events are the culmination of one of numerous high potential and gifted programs run by local school sport associations throughout the year,” Mr Banks said.
The department’s partnership with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) will also be on show again in 2025.
Through the AOC’s Olympics Unleashed program, Paris Games gold medallist Olivia Wunsch (4x100m freestyle relay) will attend the meet on Tuesday and Thursday, while five-time Olympic diver and two-time Games medallist Melissa Wu will attend Wednesday and Thursday.
Teams selected from the championships will represent NSW at the School Sport Australia Championship later this year in Brisbane and Ballarat.
The department’s School Sport Unit has an ongoing commitment to both competitive swimming and learn to swim programs.
The School Swimming and Water Safety Program started with a small number of students in 1954 and has grown to become an essential part of the curriculum for more than 142,000 students annually.
It continues to adapt to meet the needs of today’s diverse student body, including provision of water safety education for students with disability and those new to Australia.
For further information or if you wish to attend either event, please contact Glenn Cullen from the NSW Department of Education Media Unit: E: glenn.cullen3@det.nsw.edu.au M: 0460 005 755.