News

A third Olympic Games are closer to a reality for reigning champion Steve Hooker after the 29-year-old WAIS scholarship holder sailed over 5.72m in Perth on Friday night to secure an Olympic A-qualifier.

The Kookaburras completed what coach Ric Charlesworth called their "refuelling stop" in Belgium overnight with a 5-1 victory over the host nation in the second of two test matches.

The four Australian boats that are yet to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games have departed Australia ahead of the Olympic Qualification Regatta in Switzerland from May 20-23.

WAIS javelin thrower Kim Mickle will make her first international appearance for 2012 on Friday night when she competes in Doha at the IAAF Diamond League meet.

The Kookaburras kick started the continental leg of their European tour with an 8-2 victory in the first of two test matches against Belgium overnight.

Despite a performance coach John Fox would prefer to forget the Aussie Sharks - Australia's men's water polo team - have dispatched host nation Japan 10-4 in their FINA World League Preliminary match in Chiba.

The Australian Stingers have marked themselves as genuine Olympic contenders after winning gold 6-5 over the USA in the final of the women's water polo Test Event in London.

Germany clipped the Kookaburras' wings for the second time in London overnight, winning 5-2 in the final of the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament.

Australian Para-Equestrian athlete Sharon Jarvis has withdrawn from the fourth and final Paralympic Games nomination event which will be held in Sydney from 13-15 May, because her horse, Applewood Odorado (Odie), is unable to make the trip from the duo's base in WA.

The road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and beyond looks a whole lot brighter for Western Australia's most talented athletes with the news today that the State Government has committed $33.7 million for the construction of the new Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) High Performance Service Centre.