An Olympian panel with schoolchildren at the Olympics Unleashed Roadshow in Brisbane [Photo: Australian Olympic Committee]
Australian Olympians Share Memories of Sydney
by Philip Barker
Gold medallists from the Sydney 2000 Olympics have been visiting schools to launch an Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) “Olympics Unleashed” Roadshow to mark the 25th anniversary of those Games.
It is the latest in a series of educational events aimed at primary school children “celebrating a momentous chapter in Australian sporting history while also looking ahead to Brisbane 2032.”
The Sydney Games opened on September 15, 2000 and were hailed by then International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch as “the best ever.”
Among the champions from those Games taking part in the scheme was Natalie Cook who won beach volleyball gold with Kerri Pottharst on a memorable day at Bondi Beach.
“25 years have passed but it feels like yesterday. If I close my eyes I can imagine myself there. It was a massive stadium on Bondi Beach with 10,000 screaming fans and it was incredible.”
Pupils at the Kelvin Grove State College in Brisbane were able to see Cook’s gold medal close up.
“You see the sparkle in the young kids today who may have a chance to represent Australia at a home Games. Brisbane 2032 will change their lives, it will be aspirational,” Cook added.
Swimmer Cate Campbell, who won Olympic 4x100m freestyle relay gold in London, Rio and Tokyo, told pupils how the Sydney Games had inspired her.
“Sydney was the first Games that I can remember. It was the seed of my Olympic story. I couldn’t have imagined then that it would lead to what it did but that’s the point of coming and telling the kids about it. It’s getting them excited, getting them engaged. Telling them that something big and incredible is waiting just around the corner for them because that’s what the Olympics does to people.”
Campbell watched the 2000 Games on television.
“Sydney and the Sydney Olympics put Australia on the world map … suddenly people saw the Sydney Olympic Games and thought, oh my goodness this is an incredible country. Most people know where Sydney is largely due to the fact they hosted the Games. Brisbane is going to have that opportunity in seven years’ time.”
The schoolchildren had the chance to hold the Sydney 2000 Torch and medals.
“It is really special to be here as an Olympian potentially inspiring another Olympian or someone to follow their dream into business or science or medicine or art or music or whatever it is that their passion is,” said double Olympic cycling gold medallist Anna Meares, now Chef de Mission of the Australian team.
“Often kids don’t get to see and touch Olympic medals or experience storytelling from an athlete’s point of view or have a spark planted or a fire lit somewhere where they ask the question – could I?”
The Roadshow will travel to Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Taree and Sydney and is scheduled to last a month.
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