What do sporting greats Dawn Fraser, Clint Robinson, Alyce Wood, and Benny Pike have in common?
They are all proud Olympians who call the Sunshine Coast their home and they are getting together with other past champions to welcome back from Paris our Coast Olympians and Paralympians on Monday afternoon, 16 September at Maroochydore Surf Club.
This is the 40th year of the ‘Welcome Home” event. It was first held here in 1984 and then followed shortly after by Brisbane.
After returning from the 1986 Los Angeles Games, five Sunshine Coast Olympians were also recognised for their achievements in kayaking, water polo, and boxing.
Chairman of the Sunshine Coast Region 2032 Sports Legacy Taskforce, Shane Truscott, said the Coast boasted a long and proud history of sporting excellence with almost 40 regional representatives competing at the 2024 Paris Games.
“This is the highest number of athletes representing our region to date. We expect to see this number double for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Reasons for this increase are our favourable climate, access to quality sporting facilities and elite coaches for training, and our expected large population surge. There is also the excitement of the 2032 Games being held in Brisbane. This is a significant motivator for our next generation of athletes.”
The Master of Ceremonies is sports broadcaster John McCoy, and among the guests are Sallyanne Atkinson, former Lord Mayor of Brisbane who led that city’s bid for the 1992 Olympic Games.
Although Brisbane came third to Barcelona and Paris, the bid was so good that it eventually led to Sydney’s successful bid for the 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Dawn Fraser will also be there. Australia’s champion freestyle swimmer and 8-time Olympic medallist, Dawn was named World Athlete of the Century at the World Sport Awards in Vienna in November 1999.
Dawn and Sallyanne will continue the tradition established 40 years ago of presenting personalised plaques to the Sunshine Coast athletes who competed in Paris.
Also among those present will be four of the original 1984 Sunshine Coast Olympians: Hayden Kenny, kayaker, Russell Sherwell and Julian Muspratt, water polo, and Rick Finch, boxing.
The perpetual trophies for the best Sunshine Coast Olympic and Paralympic performances at the Paris Games will be presented by gold medal Olympic kayaker Clint Robinson, and Sydney 2000 Olympic Flag-bearer and Paralympian multi-medal winning swimmer, Brendan Burkett.
“The Welcome Home event is an opportunity for our athletes and their families, friends, coaches, and other support staff to be acknowledged for their enormous contribution and dedication to their sport,” Mr Truscott said.
The ‘Welcome Home’ function is by invitation only.
[Dr Ian Jobling is Founding Director of the UQ Centre of Olympic Studies; he is now Honorary Patron of the Queensland Centre of Olympic and Paralympic Studies at the University of Queensland]
