Sporting greats share fears for Australia s Olympic standing as Australian Institute of Sport marks 40 years
SunSunday 24
updated
SunSunday 24
JanJanuary 2021 at 9:31pm
Former athletes Robert de Castella and Nova Peris are concerned over the future of the AIS and Australian sport.
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When the 180 Australian athletes returned home from competing at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, the sporting-mad nation could not believe they had not brought a single gold medal home with them.
Despite competing in 20 sports, the team brought home just one silver and four bronze medals.
It was in the face of the subsequent public backlash that the government of the day set up the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in a bid to elevate the nation as a leader in sport.