Australian NOC News

04 October 2024 - Find here the latest news from the National Olympic Committee: events, courses, general assemblies and elections, trophies and much more.

04 October 2024 - The AOC has held “welcome home” public celebrations for its Paris 2024 athletes in every Australian state and territory capital city over the past four weeks. Each celebration was hosted by the AOC, Paralympics Australia and the relevant state and territory governments. Large crowds turned out in each city to honour their local athletes and, in some cases, try out Olympic sports as part of the fun. AOC President Ian Chesterman attended a number of events, including in Brisbane – future host city of the Games in 2032. He also announced the appointment of Olympic aerials champion Alisa Camplin-Warner as the first female Chef de Mission of an Australian Olympic winter team for Milano Cortina 2026. Camplin-Warner was Australia’s first female Winter Games gold medallist (Salt Lake City 2002). Chesterman pointed to a generational change in the leadership of Australian Olympic teams with Camplin-Warner’s appointment, following the success of Olympic cycling champion Anna Meares, who led a record-breaking Australian team at Paris 2024. Info at www.olympics.com.au

05 July 2024 - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined AOC President Ian Chesterman and Olympians past and present at an Australian Olympic team fundraising dinner in Melbourne. The Prime Minister’s dinner, attended by 800 people from the business sector and the community, including the Chair of the AOC Athletes’ Commission, Cate Campbell, and the Chef de Mission for the Australian team Paris 2024, Anna Meares, raised valuable funds to send the Australian team to the Games. Chesterman thanked Prime Minister Albanese, who a day earlier had announced a significant funding boost for Australian Olympic and Paralympic sports for the next two years. The funds will go directly to athletes and to supporting Australia’s Olympic sports. The dinner also honoured the 25 flagbearers of Australian teams through the history of the Olympic Summer Games, with nine flagbearers, including basketball player Patrick Mills, present on the night. Chesterman also welcomed the announcement of the Australian Olympic team song, “Higher”, which was performed for the first time by award-winning Indigenous artist Jessica Mauboy. She will perform the song again at the Paris announcement of the two Australian flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony. Info at www.olympics.com.au.

13 May 2024 - At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held online on 4 May, AOC President Ian Chesterman AM announced three major initiatives with: a new athlete funding scheme in addition to the AOC's Medal Incentive Funding; an Indigenous Athlete Performance Grants programme; and a fund to support initiatives to grow the number of Olympic Indigenous athletes through to Brisbane 2032 and beyond. In his address, Chesterman also reflected on preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the opportunity for Australian sport through Brisbane 2032, the success of the AOC’s community programmes over the past 12 months, and the Committee’s sound financial position with a surplus of AUD 4m. The AGM also approved a constitutional change that furthers the AOC’s commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. The Constitution has now been strengthened to “recognise and value the heritage, culture and contribution of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australia and the Olympic Movement, and to promote and give practical support to the journey of reconciliation through sport.” More details here.

18 March 2019 -The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has expanded its community outreach programme, “Olympics Unleashed”, into schools across Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales. Already running in schools in Queensland in 2018, “Olympics Unleashed” takes Olympians and aspiring Olympians into schools to teach students important lessons in goal-setting, working hard, building resilience and overcoming setbacks. More than 100 Olympians will be trained by education and presentation experts in how to effectively tell their Olympic journey stories to teenage children in a classroom. Before the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the AOC hopes that more than 85,000 students will benefit from having an Olympian come to their school. In Queensland, after only a few months, 30,000 children have already had lessons and more than 80 athletes have been trained in delivering them. More info at www.olympics.com.au. In addition, the AOC awarded its highest honour, the Order of Merit, to outgoing Governor-General Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) at a ceremony in Sydney on 8 March. The function was organised by AOC President and IOC Member John Coates AC to thank Sir Peter for his service as Australia’s Governor General since 2014, and for the particular interest he has shown in the Olympic Movement. This was the first time the AOC has acknowledged a Governor-General in this way. More details here.

26 June 2018 - On 16 June, 10 Olympians joined more than 140 Indigenous runners from 20 communities around Australia for the “Deadly Fun Run” around the famous rock Uluru. The morning Run was organised by the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (IMF), which was founded by Robert de Castella, four-time Olympian and world marathon champion in 1983 in Helsinki. A relay race was also organised in the afternoon. The IMF is focused on encouraging running in Indigenous communities as a path to resilience, health and leadership. More details here on the Australian NOC website.