Olympians Peter Bol, Casey Dellacqua and Hannah Davis, with Paralympian and Allianz ambassador Madison de Rozario, will discuss how sport has impacted their own wellbeing and sense of inclusion, under the theme of #TackleTogether.

After launching the campaign in September, this marks the second of four events in the series that aims to empower mental health conversations through athletes’ lived experiences.

Filmed and broadcast live tomorrow (Friday) at 1:00pm AEDT from Meta’s studio in Sydney, Olympic fans can tune in to hear direct from the panel on the Australian Olympic Team’s Facebook page.

AOC CEO Matt Carroll said this series highlights how sport can help the wellbeing of communities.

“Every day around the country, millions of Australians take part in Olympic sports, creating, building and sustaining communities built around grassroots activity,” Mr Carroll said.

“Sport has a proven capacity to provide benefits to people’s wellbeing, providing opportunities for people to feel they belong - in their team, their club and their sport.

“With 45 Olympic sports played in every part of the country, there is an Olympic sport for every Australian to feel part of.

“Thank you to Olympic Global Partner Allianz for your ongoing support of Australian athletes and your advocacy of improving Australian’s wellbeing through the power of Olympic sport.”

Dual Olympian Peter Bol came to Australia as an eight-year-old, after his family fled war in Sudan. Peter credits sport as a crucial element in creating a home in his adopted country of Australia.

“When I first came to Australia, sport helped me fit into the culture, to understand it a lot more,” Peter said. “I could express myself through sport, even when I couldn’t speak the language - sport was my universal language.

“I didn’t feel left out or different, as when you’re playing sport you’re all under the same rules, even while I was still learning English.

“Having that opportunity to participate in different sports, different cultures, with so many people, gives a sense of purpose and belonging – it can help you do special things. I had that early on through sport and it’s allowed me to achieve some special things.

Peter finished fourth in the men’s 800m at Tokyo 2020, Australia’s best result in that event since 1968, with his post race interviews inspiring Australians and sparking countless conversations about the power of sport.

“As an athlete we plan for performance, not impact. We measure performances by time, by results by medals, while it’s hard to measure impact. 

“But the reaction from Tokyo, I’m so lucky to be living in such a supportive country. So many communities I grew up in, and the whole Australian community supporting me. I’d check my socials and would have so many positive messages, people from all ages, backgrounds and races – it was so special and so powerful.

“Your mental wellbeing and performance are so connected - I’d rather my body be tired than my mind be tired during a race. The mind is such a powerful tool and your wellbeing is above everything else.”

Dual Olympian tennis player Casey Dellacqua said sport is a pathway for everyone.

“Sport is for all, I truly believe that, from grassroots to high performance,” Dellacqua said. “It creates a sense of community like nothing else. 

“From my local tennis club growing up all the way to the top, that sense of community for me always came through sport.

“It’s really crucial, no matter what stage of the sporting journey you’re at, to understand the importance of inclusion. To have role models who paved the way for other athletes to feel comfortable being their authentic selves in their sport is so important and Olympians have a big role to play in that.

“It’s so important to keep having conversations like this Wellbeing forum, across all sports, to spread the message that any person out there can walk into any sporting club and feel like they belong.”

Watch the Panel live at 1.00pm AEDT Friday 14 October here.