The Australian Institute of Sport opened on 26 January, 1981. Prompted by Australia's poor performance at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, it was unashamedly designed to be a 'gold medal factory'. Has it succeeded?

Harry Gallagher: saved by swimming

Sporty is your guide to the powerful place of sport and fitness in Australia’s cultural life. Recognising it’s much more than a game, Sporty charts and analyses big-time spectator sports, celebrates the amateur athlete and encourages anyone struggling to get active. You don’t have to get sport, to get Sporty!