Health & Sport News 

Australian Olympic

Change-Maker Award

In term 3, students from Years 10, 11 and 12 were invited to apply to be Nossal’s nominations for the Australian Olympic Change-Makeraward, formally known as the Pierre de Coubertin award. This program, facilitated by the Australian Olympic Committee, recognises and rewards students who are demonstrating the Olympic spirit through leadership and driving positive change in their communities. 

Amongst many outstanding applications, Lily Vo and Thyda Rim were selected as Nossal's nominations for 2020. As such, they were invited to attend a Summit (held virtually this year) where Olympians and other members of the Olympic movement discuss leadership, being a positive force and overcoming challenging in creating change. The Summit was held on 17 September, and this is what our wonderful delegates had to say:  

Lily: “Although virtual, the OCM was still an amazing experience where we got the privilege to chat and ask questions with some of Australia's most well-known Olympians. Their stories and journey in becoming athletes were incredibly heart-warming and inspiring to say the least. I definitely look forward to applying the advice they gave us to further utilize sport as a positive change for Nossal and the future beyond Year 12.” 

Thyda: “The virtual event by OCM was an extremely inspiring and memorable experience. The event was super interactive and engaging as the OCM encouraged us to to post pictures of the summit and ask any questions we had for the Australian Olympic team. It seemed like an hour for the virtual event was not enough as the stories shared and advice given, further fuelled our passion to influence change in the Nossal community and our broader communities, through sport. I highly encourage any students next year to apply for this truly insightful program.” 

Additionally, all attendees of the state Summit were invited to apply for the National Summit, for which only twenty young Australians are selected. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Lily Vo has been selected to attend a National Summit with Olympians, the Australian and International Olympic committees to shape the future of the Olympic movement in Australia. 

Lily was selected by a panel of Olympians from her video submission for showing her efforts in driving positive change within her community. This is an outstanding achievement, and she is the first in Nossal's history to reach this level of this award. 

Congratulations to Thyda and Lily for your participation in the Victorian conference, and we look forward to hearing about Lily's experiences on the national stage soon. 

Anita Coffa and Scott Harnath 

Sports Coordinators