Sport is simple: run from a starting line, kick a ball, or jump over an obstacle. Yet, its impact can be profound, shaping lives, building communities, and driving social change. In 2024, the Pho3nix Foundation continued its mission to empower children through the transformative power of sport, touching lives across continents and creating new opportunities for growth and development.

Creating Pathways

The Pho3nix Foundation’s partnerships with Olympians Nicola Spirig, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, and Javier Gomez Noya have gone from strength to strength, bringing Pho3nix Kids Triathlons, workshops, and camps across Switzerland, Greece, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Partnering with schools, local and national sports organisations, and public initiatives has helped Pho3nix reach nearly 50,000 children here this year, sometimes as the only children-oriented sport experiences in certain regions.

In Poland where Pho3nix’s roots are, nearly 200,000 children participated in the Pho3nix Active Schools competition, and 21,000 kids enjoyed workshops designed to inspire a love for sport. It is one of the most widespread sport programs in the world and has only continued to expand its footprint. 

In Thailand, participation surged over 50%, supported by free meals and transport for children from underserved communities. Pho3nix Kids in the Philippines hosted its first open-water swim triathlon, while Pho3nix Kids Fun Runs in Ghana attracted over 1,000 participants and was celebrated by national broadcasters and the Ghana Olympic Committee.

The third season of Pho3nix Kids in Australia was our biggest one yet; the many thousands of participants included 16 emerging Indigenous kids ages 12-14 who travelled from outback areas of the Northern Territory to compete.

Pho3nix has also partnered with Australia’s national sports bodies to bring sport to even more children.

Pho3nix Fastest, held in collaboration with Athletics Australia, offered a unique platform for young speedsters to show off their talent in a prestigious setting, sprinting over the distance of 80 metres – the average length of courts, pitches, and fields of common sports played throughout the world.

The Pho3nix JX Program is the official junior program of Swimming Australia (SwimAus), with a key role in the development of Australian swimmers on the pathway toward the 2028 and 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This year, Pho3nix JX recognised over 14,000 swimmers, delivered clinics in every state and territory across Australia, and saw record-breaking sell-out times for the Olympic/Paralympic Trials Clinic, the Open Nationals Clinic and the Short Course Clinic.

In Austria, Pho3nix has partnered with professional ice hockey team Vienna Capitals to launch the Pho3nix Vienna Capitals Youth Foundation. The program provides youth players from seven partner clubs with essential equipment, dedicated ice time and a season-end tournament at the Vienna Capitals’ home arena, coaching development for current club coaches and former players, and inspiration and exposure to the players and coaches from the Vienna Capitals as part of a long-term plan to contribute to the development of ice hockey in eastern Austria.

The Tipo Boxing Academy powered by Pho3nix in Lagos, Nigeria secured its first gym, providing a safe haven where hundreds of at-risk youth learn discipline and purpose through boxing. Pho3nix has also rebranded the Tipo account on Instagram boasting over 650,000 followers, and launched Tipo Boxing powered by Pho3nix channel on Youtube with the aim of monetising to assist in supporting their programs.

Progressing Towards Athletic Dreams

The Pho3nix Athlete Program assists deserving but underfunded athletes in their pursuit of Olympic and Paralympic qualification. From the 11 athletes in the Paris 2024 intake, four qualified to compete in their Games debut and reaped a total of two gold medals, one silver medal, and two world records.

In its second year, the Pho3nix Junior Team welcomed back three athletes and signed six new members, expanding into sports like BMX, skateboarding, and athletics alongside surfing, triathlon, parkour, boxing, and tennis. All six new recruits advanced from other Pho3nix initiatives, reflecting the foundation’s commitment to fostering athletic development. Two of these athletes are on track to represent their nations at LA2028.

Pho3nix Future Camps in Australia, South Africa, and Thailand continued to provide life-changing development experiences for youth athletes. With world champions, Olympic medallists, and sports professionals as speakers and mentors, Pho3nix Future equips young athletes with essential skills, confidence, and resilience to pursue their dreams of leveling up to elite sport.

Professional Excellence and Legacy

The Pho3nix Team continued to lead from the front in 2024 both through inspiring performances and by assisting those at other points on the Pho3nix pathway.

Georgia Taylor-Brown and Kate Waugh represented Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Taylor-Brown adding another medal to her Olympic career. Vincent Luis is moving into racing longer distances exclusively, coming strong off the blocks to win his second Ironman 70.3 title.

Moving up from the Pho3nix Junior Team, Kobi Clements emerged as a promising junior surfer, while in cycling Freddy Ovett won the Zwift Games Climb Championship and competed at the UCI Gravel World Championships.

After a career spanning a quarter century, Javier Gomez Noya announced his retirement from professional sport. As a Pho3nix Kids ambassador, he will continue to represent the ideals of the Foundation in rising up to meet his challenges and inspiring the next generation to chase their dreams.

Alistair Brownlee has also announced his retirement from competing professionally, but will remain a significant presence in sport through his involvement in the IOC Athletes Commission, as well as with his brother Jonathan through their work in the United Kingdom with Pho3nix Kids by the Brownlee Foundation.

Meanwhile, the Pho3nix MTB Team continued dominating the Polish cycling scene, producing national and European championship contenders.

Purpose-Driven Community

Pho3nix Club gave endurance athletes the opportunity to support a worthy cause while achieving their personal sporting goals.

In 2024, Pho3nix Club focused on delivering high-end endurance experiences, rolling out the red carpet for our VIP guests to ensure they only need to think about performing at their best. The Migration Gravel Race, a four-day stage race in the wilds of the Maasai Mara during the annual wildebeest migration, would prove a true test of body and spirit. The Chicago Marathon was a different beast, challenging our members to perform their best on one of the fastest World Marathon Majors courses.

For the everyday athlete, we streamlined our Pho3nix Club offering to provide a bespoke training platform and library of plans and sessions from Pho3nix athletes, as well as access to a premium range of apparel priced to support the Pho3nix Foundation.

Proceeds from the Pho3nix Club went toward funding the valuable work done around the world by the Pho3nix Foundation.

Looking Ahead

The core tenets of Pho3nix remain the same: to inspire growth and learning in children through physical activity. From running festivals in Ghana and swimming clubs in Australia, to sports workshops in Poland and boxing clubs in Nigeria, it has been an incredibly fulfilling year as we push towards a million children becoming part of the Pho3nix movement. For us, these are more than just numbers: each one is a child reached and changed, perhaps for the day, but also perhaps for a lifetime.