Pathways to the podium, for all

Earlier this year, athletes and coaches from across the Pacific gathered in Vanuatu for a multi-day Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain (GAPS) training camp, designed to assist with preparations for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Guided by experts in exercise science, sport technology, nutrition, psychology, and sport management, able-bodied and para-athletes, and their coaches, took part in workshops aimed at increasing their strength and fitness, fine-tuning their skills, and building their confidence.

“By the look on the faces of the athletes and coaches, they are very happy,” said Timothy Pune, program manager, as the sessions unfolded. “Some of them have never come across this sort of training before. It’s a successful program so far.”

Delivered by Commonwealth Sport and Griffith University and supported by the Australian Government through the PacificAus Sports partnership with Commonwealth Games Australia, the Port Vila workshops are the latest instalment of GAPS camps. The camps are an inclusive, high-performance development program that is bridging the gap between talent and opportunity for athletes and coaches across the Pacific.

“We have a responsibility to even the playing field and that means … encouraging coaches, encouraging athletes to perform on the world stage and providing them with access to sport science and coaching,” says Associate Professor Clare Minahan from Griffith University’s  School of Health Sciences and Social Work.

Opening the door to sporting success

Established by Clare and her colleagues ahead of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, GAPS drew together the expertise and goodwill of athletes, coaches, administrators and para-athletes from a dozen Oceania Commonwealth Games Associations. Its early impact was clear, with both the Cook Islands and Vanuatu winning their first-ever Commonwealth Games medals – a bronze in the men's pairs lawn bowls for Taiki Paniani and Aidan Zittersteijn, and another in the women’s javelin throw (F46) for para-athlete Friana Kwevira.

One of the key figures behind Friana’s preparation was Chris Nunn, a former elite track and field athlete and long-time para-sport leader. He’s been central to GAPS ever since.

“We’re changing people's lives, we’re changing community perception and we’re changing acceptance of disability and I don’t know what can be more powerful than that,” he says. “Having athletes go back home – proud that they've been involved in the movement, proud that they've gone to a Paralympic Games, a Commonwealth Games, a national championship – it all adds up and makes a huge difference to the acceptance of people with a disability getting involved in sport. That's what we’re looking at – creating the opportunity for people to grow and develop through sport.”

Building a sustainable, global movement

Thanks to ongoing support from PacificAus Sports, Commonwealth Sport and UK Sport, GAPS has expanded well beyond the region, with GAPS camps held in the UK, Africa and the Caribbean, as well as the Pacific.

Since 2017, more than 600 athletes and coaches have participated in GAPS camps, with over 100 athletes going on to represent their countries in international competition. Behind the scenes, the impact on support staff, including coaches, has been just as crucial.

“The deeper concept of the GAPS camps goes way beyond medals,” explains Richard de Groen, Development Director at Commonwealth Sport. “We’re on a new journey of discovery and I think that has unleashed a new wave of coaches. Of course, the athletes are important but the coaches are the ones that create the wave of sustainability.”

Eyes on Glasgow – and Brisbane

The 59 athletes and coaches who gathered in Port Vila are part of a surge of Pacific talent preparing to represent their home nations – and the region – at Glasgow 2026, Los Angeles 2028, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Brisbane in 2032.

“The support of PacificAus Sports is critical to making our camps, workshops and other activities possible,” says Craig Phillips, CEO of Commonwealth Games Australia and Regional Vice-President (Oceania) for the Commonwealth Games Federation. “Together we are committed to delivering athletes to the start line at major championships from Glasgow 2026 through Brisbane 2032.”

Vanuatu para-athlete Ellie Enock, who competed in both Birmingham 2022 and Paris 2024, is an enthusiastic supporter of the GAPS program, and a champion for the limitless potential of para-athletes across the region.

“The GAPS training camp has moved many of the Pacific athletes. It really motivates them and helps them to come out of their comfort zone,” says Ellie. “No matter what your disability, look at your ability.”