- Olympic Gold Medallist Cathy Freeman outlines her journey to aspiring athletes in next instalment of community-led projects by Bridgestone.
- Future stars encouraged to 'Chase Your Dream' in the lead up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and beyond.
- Bridgestone Athletics Centre provides ideal environment for talent development.
ADELAIDE, South Australia (24 May , 2021) — A group of rising athletics stars have had the rare chance to train under the guidance of an Australian Olympic legend at the recently opened Bridgestone Athletics Centre in Adelaide, as part of Bridgestone's community activations in the lead up to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Bridgestone, a Worldwide Olympic and Paralympic Partner, aims to encourage and inspire emerging athletes to 'Chase Your Dream', through its Team Bridgestone Australia ambassadors, including Olympic Gold Medallist Cathy Freeman, through a series of activations across Australia.
As the Australian Olympic Team prepares for the Olympic Games in Bridgestone Corporation's home city, Cathy Freeman spent the day at the brand new, state-of-the-art Bridgestone Athletics Centre with a group of 40 aspiring athletes ranging from six to 14 years old, outlining her journey to winning her Gold Medal at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000 and sharing advice for their own athletics ambitions.
The Team Bridgestone ambassador believes that facilities like the Bridgestone Athletics Centre will be integral in encouraging Australians to get involved, as well as fostering tomorrow's stars.
"It's exciting to come to a facility like the Bridgestone Athletics Centre and share experiences with the next generation of athletes, and provide them with opportunities to learn and grow and work towards their dreams," Cathy Freeman said.
"Bridgestone Athletics Centre will play a huge role in developing future athletes in the area, but being so accessible, will allow the entire community to benefit. It's inclusive and meaningful projects like this that make me proud to be a Team Bridgestone Australia athlete, and be able to play a role in inspiring these rising athletes to chase their dreams."
The Bridgestone Athletics Centre sits on the former site of Bridgestone Australia's manufacturing site, now called Bridgestone Reserve. The realisation of the Bridgestone Athletics Centre was brought to life by the perfect alignment of values between the City of Salisbury and Bridgestone, a global leader providing sustainable mobility and advanced solutions. The project is underpinned by the common goals of inspiring the next generation through providing access to facilities, built with sustainability as a priority.
Bridgestone Australia's Olympic-themed activity is underpinned by the company's global commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, known as 'Our Way to Serve'. Through the 'Our Way to Serve' initiative, Bridgestone aims to improve the way people move, live, work and play through its three priority areas: mobility, people and environment.
"Providing the community with access to inspirational Olympic icons like Cathy Freeman at state-of-the-art facilities such as the Bridgestone Athletics Centre is an incredible way to bring our Olympic and Paralympic partnership to life and make a meaningful contribution to society. We're incredibly proud to be able to provide such an opportunity to inspire the next generation to chase their dreams and highlight that Bridgestone is more than tyres through activity like this," said Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Stephen Roche.
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