In Australia kids are encouraged to participate in sports from primary school all the way through to university. In fact, most schools have sport as a compulsory activity. Youngsters can compete in a wide range of physical activity at the level they are comfortable with.
Sport is a social activity that can be a major part of their community support structure. Not only is it fun, it is a way kids can expel the excess energy that may otherwise be used in a non-constructive manner. For children with genuine sporting flair there are programs designed to nurture talent right to the top.
As a nation, Australians love to celebrate the sporting achievements of their peers. Whether it is the local weekly netball game or an Olympic or Commonwealth Games meet, we get behind our athletes 100%.
For those young Aussies with a gift for sports, there is a wide range of support available to ensure talent is developed properly. The Australian Institute of Sport exhausts a great deal of both energy and money finding and nurturing genuine talent so that the very best young athletes are given opportunities to train at the highest level. And the goods news is, behind the scenes a plethora of care strategies are being offered to talented kids, including Christian pastoral ministry.
Way back in 1982 Baptist minister, Mark Tronson pioneered the Sports and Leisure Ministry in association with Heads of Churches. He achieved his vision; providing chaplains for Australian professional sporting organisations and appointing up to 150 ministers at top level, including the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
Mark was tireless in building good relationships with sporting coaches and administrators, particularly with the AIS who responded positively to his advances. In 1984, Tronson met with Kevan Gosper, the chairman of the Australian Sports Commission and Olympic Committees. Gosper arranged a chaplaincy role in Los Angeles Olympics for Mark who brought Christian support to numerous athletes.
"Upon my return I kicked off tentative discussions with Kevan Gosper about ways to initiate a chaplaincy at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra," said Tronson.
Assisted by Reverend F P McMaster, from ACT Heads of Churches, Mark was successful in his plight. After a couple of years of hard work, Reverend Ken Bond was the first chaplain appointed at the AIS, followed closely by the Reverend Peter Nelson who is now celebrating his 20th year at the institute.
"After the Atlanta Olympics, I spoke to Kevan Gosper regarding developing a 'protocol of ideas' for host city Olympic Villages Religious Services. Subsequently I was invited to the IOC in Lausanne Switzerland in February 2000 to assist IOC staff in this," said Tronson.
Since 2000, Mark has sent a 'Protocol of ideas' to every summer and winter Olympic host city to consider and in February this year, he and his wife met with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Committee 'Villages' to discuss 'Religious Services'.
"As Australian parents continue to celebrate sports from a football final to the school swimming carnival, they can be assured that if their children that make it to the top level, they will have at their fingertips a wide range of support including Christian pastoral care," M V Tronson noted.