Victorian athlete Liam Sweeney has been selected into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) final 16 of its 2022 Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Officially announced today, Sweeney, who has been selected into Tier 3 of the program for 2022, will receive a $2,500 sporting grant plus support and encouragement across the next 14 months from SAHOF and its esteemed Member base.
Sweeney is honoured at his selection and the additional support the SAHOF Scholarship and Mentoring Program will provide.
"It is an honour to have been selected as a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship recipient and to be recognised alongside some of Australia's most promising athletes," said Sweeney.
"The Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship will support my essential international travel to develop as an athlete, reach my potential and represent Australia at the highest level."
Sweeney is the first male Australian Taekwondo athlete to be selected to be a part of the SAHOF Program and the second representative after Reba Stewart, who was a Tier 2 Scholarship recipient in 2020.
Australian Taekwondo and the Combat Institute of Australia are equally thrilled at Sweeney's selection into the SAHOF's scholarship program and the opportunities it will provide.
"On behalf of Australian Taekwondo, I'd like to congratulate Liam on his selection into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame 2022 Scholarship and Mentoring Program. Initiatives like these play a significant role in supporting athlete development, and we are delighted to see Liam selected," said Heather Garriock, Chief Executive Officer at Australian Taekwondo.
"To be recognised with a Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship is a testament to Liam's dedication and commitment towards his Taekwondo endeavours. As one of Australian Taekwondo's brightest young talents, Liam has been a high achiever at Youth level, with gold medals at the Australia Open and WT Presidents Cup, and silver medals at the French and Dutch Open," said Alex Vallentine, Chief Executive Officer at the Combat Institute of Australia.
Born in Ireland, Liam relocated to Australia when he was eight and commenced training at One Taekwondo in Brisbane under Master Yong H Hur, before moving to Melbourne in 2020 to train and access the National Performance Centre.
The nation's leading sports scholarship program, which is supported by Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport, awards 32 scholarships in total each year and provides $150,000 in funding to future sporting stars to support them in their quest for excellence and success on the world stage.
