QAS Summit Sparks Global Collaboration in High Performance Sport

The keynote session was led by Professor David Martin, Head of Research and Innovation at the QAS, and was designed to unite sports scientists, coaches, athletes, researchers, and global partners around one question: How can collaboration drive success?

The summit highlighted the powerful role of research in transforming athlete preparation and performance. Professor Martin referenced the work of QAS-supported researcher Marguerite King, whose study into shoulder injuries in water polo athletes is already changing how teams train and manage injury risk.

“Her research is going to fundamentally change training practice,” he noted. “That’s going to help the whole team work at a higher level as they go through their season.”

The international reach of Queensland’s sport science expertise was echoed by Finbarr Kirwan, Senior Vice President and Chief of Olympic Sport at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who praised the QAS and Australia’s global impact in sport.

“The QAS and Australia has a long, long history of being an incredible partner in sport, in research, in innovation, in facilities,” Kirwan said. “But I think most importantly is its reach and global impact across a range of sports, technologies, and innovation.”

Kirwan, who spoke at the summit, pointed to the upcoming Brisbane 2032 Games as a once in a generation opportunity not just for athletes, but for Queensland’s entire high performance system.

“We have a Games here in 2032, and that has to be an incredible inspiration for the QAS and an incredible inspiration for Queensland as a whole,” he said. “The quality of talent coming out of Australia and Queensland in particular is exceptional.”

In addition to keynote speakers and case studies, the summit created space for young researchers to engage with thought leaders from around the world, a point Kirwan saw as vital.

“What’s most exciting about today’s conference is there are so many young, intellectually curious people in the room who are excited about the future of sport.”

This was highlighted on the day by a rapid-fire PhD pitch session, where eight candidates presented their theses in a thrilling 3 minutes each. The panel of Judges ultimately awarded top honours to Boden Tighe from the Central Queensland University, whose research focuses on developing evidence-based guidelines to support the return of female athletes to elite sport postpartum.

Congratulations to Dr Nathan Delang of Griffith University, winner of the People’s Choice Award for his research on Creatine supplementation for the management of sports-related head impacts – generating evidence for a clinical trial.