The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the Australian Sports Commission (ASC).

History

Two reports were the basis for developing the AIS: The Role, Scope and Development of Recreation in Australia (1973) by John Bloomfield and Report of the Australian Sports Institute Study Group (1975) (group chaired by Allan Coles). The need for the AIS was compounded in 1976 when the Australian Olympic team failed to win a gold medal at the Montreal Olympics, which was regarded as a national embarrassment for Australia. The institute's well-funded programs (and more generally the generous funding for elite sporting programs by Australian and State Governments) have been regarded as a major reason for Australia's recent success in international sporting competitions.

In 2011, Minister for Sport Mark Arbib announced the AIS would take responsibility for the strategic direction of high performance sport in Australia. In November 2012, the ASC released "Australia's Winning Edge 2012–2022", a high performance sport plan, which highlighted a new role for the AIS particularly in terms of developing coaches and talent identification but not directly managing national sports organisations elite athlete programs as it had done since 1981.

Timeline A brief overview of the history of the AIS follows.

Year Event 1980 Establishment of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) announced by Bob Ellicott, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment, on 25 January 1981 AIS officially opened by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser on 26 January Don Talbot appointed inaugural director of the AIS and Kevan Gosper Chairman of the AIS Board Eight founding sports were basketball, gymnastics, netball, swimming, tennis, track and field, soccer, and weightlifting1982 Commonwealth Games, Brisbane – 37 current and former AIS athletes competed three sports and won 12 gold, 12 silver and 7 bronze medals. Australia won 107 medals1983 Facility development – Gymnastics training hall, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, and swimming complex completed1984 Facility development – Frank Stewart Training Centre for netball, basketball and weightlifting completed Diving program in Brisbane and hockey program in Perth established John Cheffers appointed director of the AIS Olympic Games, Los Angeles, United States – 33 current and former competed in four sports and won 5 silver and 2 bronze medals. Australia won 24 medals. 1985 Squash program in Brisbane and men's water polo and rowing in Canberra established Facility development – Sports Science and Sports Medicine, Halls of Residence and administration buildings completed John Bloomfield replaces Kevan Gosper as AIS Chairman 1986 Men's cricket program in Adelaide established Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh, Scotland – 75 current and former AIS athletes competed in five sports and won 19 gold, 16 silver and 17 bronze medals, Australia won 121 medals 1987 Cycling program in Adelaide established Announcement of the merger of Australian Sports Commission and AIS Ronald Harvey appointed director of the AIS 1988 Rugby Union program in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra established Olympic Games, Seoul, South Korea – 118 current and former athletes competing in thirteen sports and won 1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze medals, Australia won 14 medalsParalympic Games, Seoul, South Korea – 1 current athlete and won 2 gold medals, Australia won 96 medals 1989 Facility development – AIS canoeing facility opened on the Gold Coast 1990 Men's volleyball program in Sydney established Robert de Castella appointed director of the AIS National Sport Information Centre launched Commonwealth Games, Auckland, New Zealand – 87 current and former AIS athletes competed in six sports and won 25 gold, 25 silver and 27 bronze medals, Australia won 162 medals 1991Oceania Olympic Training Centre established in CanberraMen's Road Cycling program established in CanberraLifeskills for Elite Athletes Program (LEAP) commenced 1992Olympic Games, Barcelona, Spain – 139 current and former athletes competed in thirteen sports and won 3 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals, Australia won 27 medalsGolf program in Melbourne program establishedParalympic Games, Barcelona, Spain – 12 current and former athletes competed in two sports and won 10 gold, 8 silver and 6 bronze medals, Australia won 76 medals 1993Women's Road Cycling in Canberra, Women's Softball in Brisbane and Women's volleyball in Perth programs established 1994Commonwealth Games, Victoria, Canada – 87 current and former AIS athletes competed in five sports and won 35 gold, 16 silver and 15 bronze medals, Australia won 184 medals 1995Mountain Biking program in Canberra established John Boultbee appointed as AIS director 1996Olympic Games, Atlanta, United States – 207 current and former AIS athletes competed in thirteen sports and won 4 gold, 7 silver and 17 bronze medals, Australia won 41 medalsParalympic Games, Atlanta, United States – 26 current and former AIS athletes competed in seven sports and won 22 gold, 22 silver and 5 bronze medals, Australia won 106 medals 1997Boxing, Wrestling, Archery, Shooting in Canberra and Australian Football in Melbourne programs established 1998Women's Football began as an Olympic Athlete Program (OAP) initiative July 1998. In May 2000, Women's Football was made a permanent programAustralian Institute of Winter Sports (AIWS) established by the Australian Olympic Committee and the AISCommonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – 138 current and former AIS athletes competed in twelve sports and won 34 gold, 29 silver and 21 bronze medals, Australia won 200 medalsWinter Olympic Games, Nagano – 8 athletes competed in three sports and won 1 bronze medal for Australia 2000Olympic Games, Sydney – 319 current and former athletes competed in nineteen sports and won 8 gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals, Australia won 58 medalsParalympic Games, Sydney – 54 current and former athletes won 29 gold, 17 silver and 15 bronze medals, Australia won 149 medalsSailing and Slalom Canoeing in Sydney, and camps based Women's Cricket and triathlon programs established 2001Michael Scott appointed director of the AISRugby league (decentralised) and Alpine Skiing for Athletes with Disabilities Programs established 2002Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, United States – 23 current and former athletes competed in five sports and won 2 gold medals, Australia won 2 medalsWinter Paralympics, Salt Lake City, United States – 6 current and former athletes competed in one sport and won 6 gold and 1 silver medal, Australia won 7 medalsCommonwealth Games, Manchester, England – 168 current and former athletes competed in fifteen sports and won 45 gold, 23 silver and 34 bronze medals, Australia won 207 medals 2003Facility development – Archery Centre and AIS Rowing Centre extension opened. AIS Golf facility located at Moonah Links, near Rye on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula opened 2004Olympic Games, Athens, Greece – 289 current and former athletes competed in 20 sports and won 10 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze medals, Australia won 49 medalsParalympic Games, Athens, Greece – 47 current and former athletes won 13 gold, 27 silver and 23 bronze medals, Australia won 100 medals Cricket Academy moves to Brisbane 2005Professor Peter Fricker appointed director of the AISFacility development – New extension to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Diving dry land training facility at the Sleeman Centre in Chandler, Queensland openedAIS/AVF Beach Volleyball National Centre of Excellence launched 2006Facility development – New $17 million Aquatics Training and Recovery Centre was constructed. The 50 metre training pool has a range of high-tech performance analysis devices and biomechanical systems including instrumented start blocks and turn walls, timing gates, strategically placed cameras, filming dolly and tracksWinter Olympics, Turin, Italy – 23 current and former athletes competed in six sports and won 1 gold and 1 bronze medal, Australia won 3 medalsWinter Paralympics, Turin, Italy – 9 current and former athletes competed in one sport and won 1 silver and 1 bronze medal, Australia won 2 medalsCommonwealth Games, Melbourne – 177 current and former athletes competed in 13 sports and won 42 gold, 34 silver and 34 bronze medals, Australia won 222 medals 2007Facility development – AIS Hub opened. The AIS hub features a 110-metre indoor running track (with jumping pit), new physiology laboratories and an enhanced strength and conditioning gymnasiumNew AIS Athlete Residences opened 2008Olympic Games, Beijing, China – 263 current and former AIS athletes won 7 gold, 9 silver and 7 bronze medals, Australia won 46 medalsParalympic Games Beijing – 47 current and former AIS athletes won 18 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronze medals, Australia won 79 medals 2010Olympic Winter Games, Vancouver, Canada – 22 current and former AIS athletes won 1 gold, and 1 silver medalParalympic Winter Games, Vancouver, Canada – 9 current AIS athletes won 1 silver and 3 bronze medals, Australia won a total of 4 medalsCommonwealth Games, New Delhi, India – 158 current and former (including Paralympic scholarship holders) competed in 12 sports and won 88 medals; 41 gold, 23 silver and 24 bronze, Australia won a total of 177 medals 2011European Training Centre opened in Gavirate, province of Varese, Italy2012Matt Favier commenced as director of the AIS in MarchAustralia's Winning Edge strategy provides a new leadership direction for the AIS, with national sports organisations taking full responsibility for AIS sports programs at the end of 20132013AIS Combat Centre established2014Australian Institute of Sport launched a new brand and logoAnnual awards renamed AIS Sport Performance Awards. The former archery centre converted to the Football Centre2017Matt Favier resigns as AIS director in JunePeter Conde appointed ninth AIS director in AugustThe NBA Academy opened at the AIS in Canberra, sharing facilities with Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence2018Australian Government launched the National Sport Plan, Sport 2030 2019The AIS, in partnership with Volleyball Australia launched the first Australian all-weather beach volleyball training facility on the AIS Canberra campus2020The AIS helped to deliver the $6.5m water jump in Brisbane for Australian aspiring Winter Athletes to train at home2022The AIS/ASC published the National Sport Research AgendaThe AIS became an active partner in one of 11 IOC Research Centres for 2023–2026, led by La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine 2023The AIS hosted the Quantum Meets Sport workshop with Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley, exploring quantum technologies for sport 2025AIS releases updated National Science and Research Priorities for High Performance Sport ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics

Institute The AIS employs a number of staff who primarily work in Sports Science and Sports Medicine, which includes disciplines such as sports nutrition, performance analysis, skill acquisition, physiology, recovery, biomechanics, athlete career education, strength and conditioning, psychology, physical therapies, talent identification, and applied performance research.

There are a number of sculptures located throughout the Bruce Campus, such as 'Acrobats', 'Gymnast', 'Pole Vaulter' and 'Soccer Players' by John Robinson and the 'Swimmer' by Guy Boyd. After the Sydney 2000 Olympics, two of the three sculptures - ' Gymnast' and 'Wheelchair Basketballer' - that were located on the Sydney Tower Eye prior to the Olympics were installed at the AIS.