Otago athletes netted four medals at the Rio Paralympics and the academy can claim to have had a hand in all of them.
It also guided several up-and-comers to the Games.
Current member Anna Grimaldi won gold in the long jump, while former members Holly Robinson and Rory McSweeney won medals in their respective javelin events.
Jacob Phillips and Caitlin Dore, who both have an eye on the Tokyo Games in 2020, are in their third year of the Pathway to Podium programme.
Sixteen-year-old Wanaka swimmer Hamish McLean came through the academy, while shot put bronze medallist Jessica Hamill came through the Southland programme.
It is a boost for sport in the region and the success of its athletes could result in the academy acting as a lure to keep top performers in the South.
''The programme provides them [the athletes] with the knowledge and the resources of what it's like to be in high performance sport and prepares them to make that next step into the high performance world,'' Academy manager Michael Coutts said.
''So we give them the tools of how to work things like nutrition, sport psychology, athlete life and strength and conditioning.
''It's awesome to see all the hard work that's gone on behind the scenes the past four years and now the results are coming.
''I guess it shows that you can stay down in the region and still perform on the world stage.''
The academy runs two programmes, the regional Otago Academy and the nationally run Pathway to Podium. Both see high-level athletes attend the same classes and gain the same knowledge.
Coutts said the Otago Academy helped ''widen the net'' to capture promising athletes from sports which may not be targeted nationally.
Others to have come through the programme included rowers Zoe McBride and Ruby Tew, Black Sticks hockey player Kane Russell and skier Finn Bilous.
It was not just the athletes making their presence felt. Coutts said athletics coach Raylene Bates, who is on the board at the academy, had been key in creating a culture which bred success in the New Zealand Paralympic team.
That had enabled the athletes to focus during competition and relax away from the arena. Board member Helen Middlesworth had also been at the Games as the team physio.
For now, the academy's workshops were concluding for the year. The majority of the programme was held during winter to accommodate the snowsports athletes and university students.
However, Coutts said things would not be quiet for too long. The para-athletes were set to return and would turn their attention to next year's world championships in London.
-By Jeff Cheshire
