Open letter to the Australian Athletics Team at Oregon 22

Dear athletes and coaches,
 
On the eve of the World Athletics Championships, I’m writing to you to wish you all the very best for the next 10 days.
 
The World Athletics Championships represents the pinnacle of achievement for track and field athletes this year. In between the medals won, records will be broken and new champions will be crowned at what is undoubtedly the most anticipated global athletics event of the year.
 
One billion people around the world will tune in to these World Championships to witness each of you performing at your peak, and that’s an exciting opportunity, and one that should be relished.  
 
What lies ahead of this exceptional team is the hard-won honour of representing our nation. It’s a chance to show what you’ve been training for and it's also a chance to do your absolute best. 
 
Regardless of your journey to get to this point, we know it’s taken hard work, sacrifice and commitment. Each of you would have taken different turns on your road to get to Oregon, but being on this team should be a source of enormous pride, as it is for everyone back at home. There is so much respect for each of you in how you have conducted yourselves to find yourself on this team and you can step onto Hayward Field knowing that you’ll do so with your country right behind you. 
 
While athletes receive much of the recognition, it’s just as important that we recognise our coaches, who have paved the way for our athletes to get to this level. I’d like to thank you for the role you have played on each athlete’s journey thus far, and wish you all the very best as you enjoy the fruits of your labour over the following days.  
 
Athletes, the stage is now yours.  Best of luck to all of you, and I sincerely hope that you achieve everything you have been striving for.
 
Regards,
Jan Swinhoe
Athletics Australia President