Neville Merwyn SAYERS

Specializing in the shooting event, Neville Sayers dedicated nearly his entire life to sport of modern pentathlon. He won his first Australian national championship in 1956, which qualified him to represent his country at that year’s Summer Olympics, where he was 19th individually and 8th in the team event, alongside Sven Coomer and George Nicoll. He made his international début in sport shooting at the 1958 World Championships, where he competed in pistol shooting. His next stop was the 1960 Rome Olympics, where he was 43rd in the rapid-fire pistol event, 31st individually in modern pentathlon, and 14th with the Australian team, alongside Bill Doherty and Peter Macken. His final major international competition as a competitor was the 1962 International Sport Shooting Federation (ISSF) World Championships, where he again competed in pistol shooting. Nationally, he was Australian champion in modern pentathlon four times (1956, 1957, 1960, and 1962) and in rapid-fire pistol shooting once (1958).

Sayers also made his international administrative début in 1962, as he was team manager for the Australians at the World Modern Pentathlon Championships. He would go on to repeat that role at the 1964 Tokyo and 1968 Mexico City Olympics, the 1965 World Modern Pentathlon Championships, and the 1966 ISSF Championships. He was then Chef de Mission for four editions of the World Modern Pentathlon Championships: 1974, 1975, 1977, and 1979. He also served on the Council of Administration of the International Modern Pentathlon & Biathlon Union from 1962 through 1984, including its technical committee from 1962 through 1968 and as its vice-president from 1980 through 1984. He served on the jury of appeal or as a judge at four editions of the Olympics (1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976) and World Modern Pentathlon Championships (1965, 1966, 1974, and 1976). By career he was a dairy farmer who served in numerous administrative positions within the industry and also had his hands in politics, gun dealing, and security.