Key Points
- Kyle Vander-Kuyp, a proud Worimi and Yuin man, represented Australia in the 110 metres hurdles at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
- Lydia Williams, a proud Noongar woman, represented Australia in the Australian women’s national soccer team the Matildas from 2005 to 2024.
- How do Indigenous athletes inspire future generations?
- What challenges have Indigenous sportspeople faced?
- How does sport connect culture and identity for Indigenous Australians?
- What legacy have Indigenous athletes left on Australian sport?
- Why is Indigenous sport important to Australia’s national identity?
Over the decades, many First Nations athletes have reached the pinnacle of professional sport. Figures like former Olympic hurdler Kyle Vander-Kuyp, professional soccer player Lydia Williams, and track legend Cathy Freeman have not only represented their country but also carried the pride of their cultures onto the world stage. Their journeys remind us that sport is both personal and collective — a platform for self-expression, identity, and connection.
How do Indigenous athletes inspire future generations?
For Australia’s Indigenous sportspeople like Lydia Williams and Kyle Vander-Kuyp, watching those who’ve come before helped fuel their drive to succeed in the competitive arena of international sport.
“I've always loved sport and always loved football and playing and representing my country. But it's also been really an awesome experience and a role model job to represent my culture and my people, and to kind of have a pathway that you can come from anywhere and make your dreams a reality,” Lydia Williams says, a Noongar woman born in the south-west region of Western Australia. As a goalkeeper, she was the longest serving player in Australia’s national women’s soccer team, the Matildas.
Lydia represented Australia in two Olympics, five World Cup events and six Asian Cup events and her sporting career has taken her all around the world.
“I think the team that I was put in with my teammates, everyone has a really diverse background but the one thing that we all agreed is that we wanted to leave the sport better than when we first arrived in it,” Lydia explains.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 03: Lydia Williams, goalkeeper of Australia is presented with a gift from Evonne Goolagong Cawley before the international friendly match between Australia Matildas and China PR at Accor Stadium on June 03, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) Credit: Matt King/Getty Images
What challenges have Indigenous sportspeople faced?
The path to elite sport hasn’t been without obstacles. Issues of identity, representation, and equality have shaped the experiences of Indigenous athletes. Lydia recalls the fight for equal pay and recognition in women’s football.
“Throughout my career, we've had strikes where we wanted equal pay to the men. We've been able to show the Aboriginal flag at an Olympics. So I think the team has really been a united group to break barriers and really allow people to stand up for things that they believe in.”
Kyle Vander-Kuyp represented Australia in hurdling events at two Olympics, several Commonwealth Games and in numerous world championship events.
Kyle Vander-Kuyp competing in the hurdles at the Sydney 2000 Olympics
His childhood introduction to sport offered Kyle a means of self-expression and a feeling of connection to a group.
“Being adopted at five weeks of age, one of my first challenges was trying to work out, Mum and Dad, why am I different to you? And how come I've got a different skin colour? That was probably my first challenge, being adopted and working out that identity,” Kyle explains.
As Kyle sought to better understand his own identity, boosted by encouragement from his parents and friends, it was his foray into Little Athletics—a program that introduces children to a variety of track and field events, that set him on a path that would later see him represent Australia.
Despite such challenges, both athletes — like many before them — transformed adversity into fuel for achievement, showing that sport can be a tool for empowerment.
Kyle Vander-Kuyp with his adoptive mother Patricia Vander-Kuyp and his birth mother Susan Dawson - Image supplied.jpg
How does sport connect culture and identity for Indigenous Australians?
For Indigenous athletes, sport is more than competition — it is cultural expression. Locker rooms that display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, and athletes who proudly showcase heritage on the field, show how sport fosters a sense of belonging.
Kyle recalls the words of AFL great Maurice Rioli: “I do remember clearly around the early primary school years just looking up to people like Lionel Rose, Evonne Goolagong, and I was lucky enough to have an Aboriginal footy player come to my school, Maurice Rioli, and he shared his story as a footy player, but also shared his Aboriginal heritage. And he pulled me aside in the staff room and said, you know, Kyle, it's not a disadvantage to be Aboriginal, it's an advantage and you know, you've got to use it.”
Such affirmations reveal how deeply sport intersects with cultural identity, offering both visibility and pride.
Kyle went on to represent Australia in the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand.
“I was lucky enough to be on that team with Cathy Freeman and we were both teenagers, so 16 year old Cathy and 18 year old Kyle, and I think that really was the first time you're aware of your identity and you're aware that I'm an Australian and I'm wearing green and gold, but geez I'm actually an Indigenous Australian as well, and you've got an opportunity to wear that green and gold and make history for yourself and your people.”
What legacy have Indigenous athletes left on Australian sport?
The legacy of Indigenous sportspeople is lasting and profound. They’ve inspired children in remote communities, fought for equality in pay and representation, and shown that identity and heritage can sit proudly alongside national colours.
Lydia Williams notes the importance of today’s young First Nations women seeing role models in football: “Now there are predominant First Nations women in football... kids can relate to them, that they’re their role models.”
For Kyle, moments of recognition from families and communities —hearing he had inspired others — reinforced sport’s transformative power.
“You come back to try and have a normal life without being an elite athlete every day, but going out to remote communities, and aunties, grandmas, elders and kids said hey, we’ve seen you on the TV and you inspired us. It’s this sort of a moment where you realise sport is a powerful thing.”
Why is Indigenous sport important to Australia’s national identity?
Indigenous Australian athletes represent more than personal success. They embody resilience, inclusion, and cultural pride. Their presence on world stages has left an indelible mark on how Australia views itself — as a nation strengthened by its First Nations peoples and their achievements.
From grassroots athletics to global competitions, Indigenous athletes continue to shape sporting culture, proving that sport remains one of the most powerful vehicles for unity, identity, and inspiration.
For Lydia Williams, her sporting journey representing her country and culture was buoyed by her teammates. They were supportive, curious about her life as a First Nations woman and focused on maintaining a harmonious group that embraces difference.
“For me, it's really important to represent my country along with my culture. When we wear the crest, it has the Australian flag and symbols on it, but more importantly, it's a team that's really rich in culture. In our change room, we have the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag. So it's a team that inspires a lot of inclusion and pride there. It's been really wonderful to represent both,” Lydia shares.
From international soccer star to change-maker, Lydia Williams aspires to continue learning, and to create change for the better.
“I think it's really exciting now that there are predominant First Nations women in football, that young kids can relate to and can find them, that they're their role models,” Lydia says.
Subscribe to or follow the Australia Explained podcast for more valuable information and tips about settling into your new life in Australia.
Do you have any questions or topic ideas? Send us an email to australiaexplained@sbs.com.au
