Longreach turns green and gold for Paris 2024

In the heart of outback Queensland, with a population of just over 3,000 people, the town of Longreach is turning green and gold in support of Australia’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes competing at Paris 2024.

When crowds of locals recently came together at Edkins Park in the city centre, not only did they watch Australia’s Olympic athletes in action on a giant screen, but they also had the opportunity to meet four-time Olympic swimmer and triple Olympic gold medallist Emily Seebohm.

Longreach locals are built tough – braving and embracing the near-freezing temperatures in the early hours of Monday 29 July to cheer on the Aussie Women’s Football Team, the Matildas, in their thrilling 6-5 defeat over Zambia.

Alongside the Olympics LIVE watch parties, Emily hosted a swimming clinic on Sunday morning at the local pool, and presented to over 300 students at the Longreach School of Distance Education, Longreach State School and Our Lady's Catholic Primary School Longreach on Monday morning.

“It’s so important to inspire kids in rural communities and connect them to sport and the Olympic Spirit, with the Brisbane Games ahead there could be a young girl here in Longreach that could be a star Matilda in 2032,” Emily said in the early hours of Monday after the Matildas match.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been up at 3am to watch sport before but wow! What a start to a Monday morning in Longreach. It was a little bit chilly but it felt warm with the way that result went.

“I think that resilience is a big thing in sports, and something that kids need to learn at a young age. You might have one bad result or even two bad results, but you can always come back and get better and show that you have so much fight in you, and I think the Matildas really proved that this morning.”

Olympics and Paralympics LIVE is returning to Longreach on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 August in support of the Australian Paralympic Team in Paris. Head to Edkins Park to catch all the action.

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