Flagship Programs
Who We Are
Since 2005, Champions International has been providing young Australians with high performance training and elite competition opportunities in the United States, Canada, China, Indonesia, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan.
In Australia, we partner with organisations like Baseball Australia and Softball Australia, as well as their state bodies, to manage events and develop high performance programs. Also professional teams like the Melbourne Aces and Perth Heat in the Australian Baseball League.
Internationally, we partner to deliver high performance training for Australian athletes with entities like the Chicago Bulls/Sox Academy, the Ozzie Guillen Foundation, United States Australian Football League, the USA Olympic Training Center, San Jose State and Stanford University.
We have also worked with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, ESPN Wide World of Sports, the Hong Kong Baseball Association, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to explore and develop international events.
ROBERT NOVOTNY, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Robert Novotny managed all start-up operations for the Chicago White Sox Training Centers, growing them into the largest youth instructional outreach in the United States at the time. The program was later adopted by the Chicago Bulls.
In Melbourne for over fifteen years, Robert has held various roles in Australian sport and is proud to have helped lead the women's national baseball team to their only world title. He's also scouted Australia for MLB's Texas Rangers.
With Champions International, Novotny is committed to providing athletes and coaches with high performance training, events, and competitive experiences that enhance their personal growth and are transformative to their athletic careers. Of particular focus is empowering women through sport.
As Vice President of the American Women's Baseball Federation, Novotny created "24-Hours for Africa" women's baseball game. Boosted by a partnership with Apple Computers and coverage in The New York Times, proceeds helped send dozens of doctors to Ethiopia to help infected mothers give birth to their babies free of HIV/AIDS.
TANYA HARDING, HIGH PERFORMANCE ADVISOR
Tanya Harding is is a four-time Olympian. She won four medals, and was a leader in Australia's Olympic Softball movement. For well over a decade, Tanya was ranked as one of the top-five fastpitch softball pitchers in the world.
Harding is in the Hall of Fame for both Softball Australia and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Tanya also was named MVP at the NCAA Women's Softball World Series with UCLA, and for many years played pro softball in Japan.
Those feats only hint at her story. Every day on the field, Tanya actively chooses to be a difference-maker for her team. As a player, and now elite coach, her focus is on empowering those around her. Harding's approach is to see the possibility available in each moment, and frames challenges for what they are- an opportunity to find the best part of ourselves.
OMARA KHADDAJ, MARKETING CONSULTANT
Omara Khaddaj is not an elite athlete, though he certainly knows how to get a crowd of thousands onto its feet. An elite rock guitarist, for many years Omara headlined music festivals internationally and worked in television.
Khaddaj's mindset is what makes him a fit with Champions International. He understands what it takes to be great, and is also a believer and practitioner of meticulous process being the key to achieving winning results. Both conceptually and practically he offers a wealth of insight into broadening our organisation's ability to assist with marketing approach and outreach in sport.