The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has appointed sports administrator, Fiona de Jong as lead of the European Training Centre (ETC).

De Jong has spent 12 years on the Australian Olympic Committee, as well as five on the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.

She has served on the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, while also being a board member of Surfing Australia and a member of the National Sports Tribunal.

The Italian-based ETC re-opened with a renovated facility in May, having been closed since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will be a key strategic center for Australian high-performance sport in coming years.

Commenting on the appointment, Australian Sports Commission CEO, Kieren Perkins OAM, said: “Fiona has extensive experience in Australian Sport, business and international relations, and so we’re excited about building on the opportunities for sports to engage with the ETC, our European home-away-from-home.”

The forced closure of the ETC due to COVIF has given us time to renovate the facility and make it a even more attractive base for Australian athletes and sports while they’re training and competing in Europe.

“Demand for the centre is growing and this is an exciting time for the ETC, especially as we approach the Paris 2024 and Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic games,” he said.

De Jong added: “The role of the ETC will be as critical as ever over the next four years as we support the preparations of Australian athletes for two consecutive European Summer and Winter Olympic Games.”

“In addition to providing Aussie athletes with the ultimate high-performance European home-away-from-home, I look forward to sharing a little of Australia with the world as we prepare to welcome the down under in Brisbane 2023,” she said.

De Jong will take the new position in November with Warwick Forbes retiring after four decades with the AIS and the Australian Sports Commission.

The appointment comes after the AIS received a $117 million grant in the 2022 federal budget to help fund community initiatives.