It’s not every day an Olympic superfish swims upstream to Shepparton, but when it does, it is worth taking note of what it has got to say, especially when it includes a message for local sports organisations.
Sport Australia Hall of Famer Kieren Perkins broke 11 world records and 40 Australian records during his swimming career from 1989 to 2000 and was the first person in history to hold the 1500m Olympic, world, Commonwealth and Pan Pacific titles simultaneously.
A three-time Olympian, Perkins is one of Australia’s greatest distance swimmers, who won eight gold medals across Olympic, world championship and Commonwealth Games events.
His 1500m gold medal win swimming from lane eight at the 1996 Atlanta Games is described as one of Australia’s greatest sporting performances of all time.
Perkins was in Shepparton on August 26 for the Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch, encouraging men to get health check-ups, having lost his own dad to bowel cancer 17 and a half years ago.
Speaking in his new role as chief executive of the Australian Sports Commission, which oversees Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport, Perkins said Australia’s lust for success at the elite level came at a cost at local levels, describing it as one of Australian sport’s “biggest challenges”.
“There's too much focus on trying to find the next Olympic champion and not enough focus on what we are here for,” he said.
“Why do we actually exist? I'd like to think grassroots sport exists to give kids an opportunity to build a lifelong love of sport, to have a fantastic time.
“At age 12, about 70 per cent of kids are physically active. In the next seven years. We lose most of them and it's not because of hormones and screens and all these other things that people want to blame.
“It's because we're not giving kids an experience that keeps them engaged and wanting to be a part of it, and wanting to be involved in local communities — and communities like the Goulburn Valley do much, much better than most because it is about the community.”
Perkins also believes there is a place for regional areas such as Shepparton to host major sporting events.
The concept of a regionally-based Commonwealth Games, which has been embraced by the Victorian Government, was initiated in Shepparton, but the city was snubbed by the government when it named the four regional hubs.
Perkins said major sporting events could be held in regional areas.
“When you talk about a Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games, there's a good opportunity to bring in temporary facilities and allow the sports to occur in the regions without necessarily having to spend $5 million a year for the next 50 years trying to keep the thing up and running,” he said.
“But that doesn't solve the next layer problem that causes, which is you still need facilities that the locals can utilise and take advantage of.”