Westfields Sports High School has received a rare honour by winning the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Youth trophy.

The Fairfield school was the only school in Oceania to receive the award, which is presented to organisations that promote and develop sporting and educational programs for young people linked to the Olympic ideals.

Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates announced the award at a press conference at Beijing during the Olympics.

“[Westfields Sports High School] has made a great contribution to Australian sport in a short time. There are 227 current or ex-students from [the school] who have gone on to represent Australia,” Mr Coates said.

School principal Roger Davis said the school community was unaware of how prestigious the award was until Mr Coates made contact with the school.

“He was able to explain how significant the trophy was in terms of how infrequently it is awarded,” Mr Davis said. “We are the only institution in Australia ever to receive the award.”

Mr Davis said the award recognised the school’s focus on ensuring talented sportspeople had access to quality education.

“It’s the partnership between youth, sport and education and at the school all three are intertwined and seen as being equally important,” he said.

“It also recognises the contribution we’ve made to sport, not just at the Australian level, but at the international level.”

Six ex-Westfields Sports High School students – Dani Samuels and Fabrice Lapierre (athletics), Mark Bridge, David Carney, and Trent McClenahan (football) and Kate Bates (cycling) – competed in Beijing as part of the Australian Olympic team. Other high-profile past students include Socceroos captain Harry Kewell and Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke.

Mr Coates said the school had been recognised in Europe and Asia “as a best-practice model” and classified by the Federal Government as a “project of national significance”.

John Hatzistergos, who was the acting education minister last term, said the award was a “tremendous honour” and recognised the efforts of “staff … [who] have contributed to its international reputation”.

David Power, manager of the department’s school sports unit, said the award was “duly deserved” and recognised the school’s representative sports programs.

“It also demonstrates the strength of NSW government schools and how they provide opportunities for teachers to be involved in coaching and managing sport which … provides hundreds and thousands of students with opportunities to participate in sports programs,” he said. “It’s unparalleled anywhere in Australia and the world.”