Most sporting events hinge on wins and losses - but when a team of Indigenous university students from Canberra head to Melbourne this week, something far bigger is at stake.
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Athletes are using the looming Indigenous nationals - a tournament in which players compete across four different sports - as an opportunity to engage in a wider issue around 'The Voice' referendum.
A team of 15 Indigenous student athletes from the University of Canberra will compete at the Monash University in Melbourne this week.
But more pressing than wins is the chance for athletes to represent their mob and share their views on the growing discussion around 'The Voice'.
The annual games will host 33 universities and more than 500 Indigenous student participants from all over Australia, opening the door for conversations about societal issues.
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Most notably, athlete Alicia Mohamed-Engelhardt aims to use this event to spark conversations around the "misinformation" spreading about the looming referendum and get people to say "yes".
"I think it's always constantly on our minds as a mob, that's something that's really important for us whatever side you're on," Mohamed-Engelhardt said.
"It's important to talk and get rid of that misinformation that's out there about it and I think during the games hopefully that's something we can talk and connect about, and get more people saying yes than no."
The team will compete in volleyball, netball, basketball and touch football whilst connecting off the field at cultural and celebration nights.
The inaugural Indigenous intervarsity competition was held earlier this year at University of Canberra which gave the team an idea of what's to come.
It's important to talk and get rid of that misinformation that's out there.
- Indigenous University of Canberra student athlete Alicia Mohamed-Engelhardt
"I'm really excited for the opportunity to go. Everyone has worked really hard to get where we are and at the end of the day we are there to have fun," Mohamed-Engelhardt said.
University of Canberra's sporting director Carrie Graf is pleased to give students an opportunity to represent the university.
"To go and have fun and connect, that's one of the critical pieces is that connection," Graf said.
"We feel that this is an important part for our Indigenous student athletes that we provide opportunities for them to engage through sport with the university and representing their mob, themselves and their university."
The athletes are determined to set a standard and make the nationals a recurring event.
"It's really important to go to Indigenous Nationals because it gets mobs from the universities to be able to go and spend some time together and express our culture in ways we don't usually get to express," Mohamed-Engelhardt said.
"During this competition we are going to have fun and try our hardest, but at the end of the day it's about expressing our culture and doing what makes us proud and representing our university and the Ngunnawal centre."
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