Adelaide University Sport & Fitness and the Australian Institute of Sport partner to provide golden opportunities
Published Tue 23 Jun 2026
Adelaide University Sport and Fitness (AUSF) and The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) have combined in more ways than one to further elite sport amongst Australia’s youth.
Both parties are thrilled to announce that AUSF is now part of the Elite Sport Education Network, achieving gold status in its inaugural year as part of the network.
The Elite Sport Education Network (ESEN) was launched last year to meet the current and future need to collaborate with the tertiary sector on a holistic support network for elite sportspeople engaging in study alongside high-performance sport.
Further facilitating golden opportunities for Australia’s young sporting stars, the AIS and AUSF are pleased to announce that the athlete who has been awarded the AIS and AUSF Sports Scholarship is South Australian runner Aidan Murphy. This scholarship offers a funding pool of $5,000 per year for up to three years, enabling Aidan to pursue his tertiary studies at Adelaide University while continuing to train and compete at the highest level.
Aidan is a current Economics student at Adelaide University and part of the Elite Sport program which provides personalised sporting, financial and academic support for elite and emerging athletes competing at the highest level.
One of only two Australians to have ever run under 20 seconds in the men’s 200m, Aidan was also part of the men’s 4 x 400m relay team who beat the Australian record at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Botswana last month.
His current form has also seen Aidan recently announced as part of the Commonwealth Games athletics squad heading to Glasgow in July.
When asked about what the scholarship meant to him, Aidan said “It is pretty unreal to be a scholarship recipient. I’m super grateful to Adelaide University Sport and Fitness for allowing me to have this scholarship. Not many people in the country get to have that support, so it’s an honour and I will wear it with pride.”
Aidan went on to say “I think recognition from the AIS through the scholarship is a really big deal. It’s hard to break out as an individual athlete in Australia, so when you have the university and the AIS backing you it means a lot.”
Congratulating Aidan on his scholarship, Michelle Wilson CEO of Adelaide University Sport and Fitness said “Aidan has represented Australia numerous times on the world stage and we are excited to see where the support of this scholarship, the AIS and our Elite Sport Program will take him.”
Adelaide University Sport and Fitness are also thrilled to announce that Isaiah Muller will receive $5000 now as part of the second year of this scholarship, as he continues his education with Adelaide University in 2026.
Isaiah is a national athlete competing in Goalball, a fast-paced team sport designed for visually impaired athletes. Isaiah was the inaugural recipient of the AIS and AUSF Sports Scholarship in 2025 and has just represented Australia at the World Championships held in China.
