Endeavour Sports High School, The Hills Sports High School, Hunter Sports High School, Illawarra Sports High School, Matraville Sports High School, Narrabeen Sports High School and Westfields Sports High School have been named as an "Australian Olympic Pathway School".

AOC chief executive Matt Carroll joined NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell and Sports Minister Alister Henskens in announcing the partnership that aims to enhance opportunities for athletes in the state to progress their sporting and academic careers.

The NSW Government has also confirmed a AUD$1.5 million (£856,000/$1 million/€960,000) commitment to extend the "Olympics Unleashed" school programme in the hope of reaching 250,00 students over the next three years.

"Our seven sports high schools in NSW are the only secondary schools in Australia to have this prestigious recognition," said Mitchell.

"This reflects the great strength of our sports high school network, and their excellent track record in fostering both sporting high performance and academic achievement.

"I can’t wait to see the next generation of medal-winning athletes coming from our public schools as we look to Brisbane 2032.

"The award-winning Olympics Unleashed program, which teaches our students important life skills in decision making, goal setting and overcoming adversity, has reached more than 75,000 year nine students over the last three years.

"Continuing it for a further three years will mean thousands more young people, including primary school aged students for the first time, will benefit from the program delivered by Olympians and aspiring Olympians.

"Sporting heroes are made in our public schools and particularly our amazing sport high schools, so it is fitting and incredibly exciting to recognise their role in Australian sporting excellence by acknowledging them as 'Olympic Pathway Schools'."

Carroll said the Australian Olympic Pathway Schools designation was an important recognition of the value of the sports high schools network in NSW.

"The key to sporting excellence is to align participation, pathways and high performance into the virtuous circle," said Carroll.

"To have this alignment at high school level is powerful, particularly as we look to Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

"The Australian Olympic Pathway Schools designation provides an additional motivation and validates the specialisation being undertaken within each Sports High School.

"We have seen Olympic Training Centres recognised around Australia and overseas, but never at the school level in this country."

Two-time Olympian Kate Bates, a product of Westfield Sports High School, believes the new status will inspire a new generation to chase an Olympic dream.

"Coming through a sports high school programme allowed me to balance education and an elite sport pathway without having to compromise either," said the former cyclist, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manchester 2002 and who represented Australia at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

"It also meant I was amongst peers who, even though they were in different sports, understood the journey, and added an enormously beneficial layer of support.

"Having the Australian Olympic Pathway School designation offers even more inspiration for our future Olympians to strive for."