'Utopia' or Not? An Inside Look at the AIS Documentary Set to Spark Debate
The Australian Institute of Sport has long been described as a "utopia for great athletes" by netball legend Liz Ellis, with cricket star Michael Clarke adding it "was always something you wanted to be a part of". Paralympian Dylan Alcott calls it "second to none for Paralympic athletes", while former sprinter Patrick Johnson credits the AIS for making him "the fastest man in the world" and Shane Watson says it's where "champions were built".
Bogut's Blunt Assessment
However, it's former NBA champion Andrew Bogut who delivers the most striking assessment in the opening seconds of Forging Champions, the documentary tracking 40 years of the AIS set to air on Channel Nine. "It's harder than the pros," Bogut states, capturing the relentless pursuit of sporting excellence that has defined the institution.
This documentary features interviews with some of Australia's most celebrated athletes, including Rob de Castella, Patrick Johnson, Andrew Bogut, and Lauren Jackson. Yet behind the celebration of sporting achievement, a significant controversy is brewing that threatens to overshadow the program's release.
Controversy Behind Closed Doors
The documentary has divided former AIS athletes amid concerns that the content could trigger those who were "treated inappropriately" during their time on campus. Former AIS gymnast Jenny Richardson has written to Australian Sports Commission chief Kieren Perkins, calling for the documentary to be taken off the air entirely.
This comes after athletes who held scholarships between 1981 and 2013 were encouraged to report abuse or harm suffered during their AIS tenure as part of the Australian Sports Commission Restorative Program. Perkins has personally contacted former athletes involved in the restorative program to alert them about the documentary's impending broadcast.
Tracing Four Decades of Sporting History
The documentary traces the AIS from its foundations, born out of what marathon great Rob de Castella describes as the "disaster" of Australia's performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. It follows the institution's emergence as a gold medal factory and looks ahead to the looming $250 million revamp set to rejuvenate the Canberra precinct.
One of the AIS's crowning moments came during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where Australia's 4x100m freestyle relay team created an enduring image by playing air guitars after stunning the United States to win gold. Swimmer Michael Klim reflects on this iconic moment while emphasizing the deeper significance of the 4x200m freestyle relay victory.
"Myself, Todd Pearson and Bill Kirby were from the Institute of Sport," Klim explains. "We were here for many years in the lead-up to Sydney. The pride we used to have, being the AIS swimming team, that definitely carried over to the Australian swim team. That 4x200m is very much an Institute gold medal."
Creating Household Names
The AIS helped transform Australian athletes into household names. De Castella appeared on cereal boxes, while rowing's Oarsome Foursome convinced shoppers to buy fruit salad in advertisements. This represented a significant shift from the early mornings rower James Tomkins spent "chipping ice off the side of the boat" on cold Canberra mornings on Lake Burley Griffin.
For sprinter Patrick Johnson, sporting success was the trade-off for long nights spent watching American sprinter Carl Lewis on cassette tapes. "Coming into the Australian Institute of Sport with no understanding of high performance, it was a bit of a culture shock," Johnson recalls of earning a scholarship after just one 100m race.
Johnson, who grew up on his father's mackerel trawler, achieved a time of 9.93 seconds in 2003 - the fastest recorded in the world that year. He credits the AIS for this success, stating: "If you didn't have the Australian Institute of Sport, we wouldn't have had the success we had. As a high performance centre, it is the place for everyone."
Beyond Canberra: A National Network
The documentary reveals that the AIS wasn't confined to one location. It explores a Winter Olympics base in Brisbane and tracks the crossover between cycling and cricket programs in Adelaide. The cricket program produced a conveyor belt of international stars while providing eye-opening insights into techniques players had never encountered before.
Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke recalls watching cyclists in action with admiration. "I think you could see there was a big gap between how professional they were, and where we were," Clarke grins. "I think they would have thought: 'You know what? That sport would have been a lot easier than cycling.'"
Cycling champion Cadel Evans summarizes the cycling program's philosophy simply: "to be a professional bike rider, you had to learn to suffer." This was certainly true for Anna Meares on her way to a world-record setting, gold medal-winning performance in Athens. "By the time we got to the dinner hall, the cricketers ate all the food," Meares laughs about the competitive environment.
Basketball Breeding Ground
The basketball program proved particularly successful. Andrew Bogut arrived with blonde tips and a rat's tail, while Lauren Jackson used to walk into an Albury stadium as a child, see a photo of the AIS women's team, and tell herself: "That's where I'm going to be." She went on to become a five-time Olympian who would win seven WNBL titles and three WNBA most valuable player awards. That same Albury stadium is now named after her.
Jackson's WNBL career started as a teenager playing for the AIS, when expectations were low for a group of teenagers. "All of a sudden, you've got this crop of kids that come through that go on to do some pretty remarkable things," Jackson reflects. "I don't think anyone ever anticipated an AIS team would do that. It was a prime breeding ground for something like that to happen."
Enduring Legacy Amid Controversy
Despite the institution's shortcomings and the current controversy surrounding the documentary, Andrew Bogut maintains: "There's no better environment in Australia for producing professional athletes." The documentary presents both the celebrated achievements and the complex legacy of an institution that has shaped Australian sport for four decades, ensuring the debate about its true nature - utopia or something more complicated - will continue long after the credits roll.
