Australian Olympic Committee
Encyclopedia
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) is the National Olympic Committee
in Australia
for the Olympic Games
movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee
(IOC).
for the Summer Olympic Games
and the Winter Olympic Games
. Each state and territory in Australia has a State Olympic Council to promote Olympic values and raise funds for the Australian Olympic teams.
The AOC President
in 2005 is John Coates
, with Patron in Chief being the Governor-General
of the Commonwealth of Australia, Quentin Bryce
AC, and Prime Minister of Australia
, Julia Gillard
, as Patron. Coates and AOC executive members Kevan Gosper
and Phil Coles
are also IOC members.
The AOC executive consists of John Coates (President), Ron G Harvey (Vice President), Peter Montgomery (Vice President), Craig Phillips (Secretary General), Lynne Beates, Helen M Brownlee, Ian Chesterman
(Chef de Mission, 2006 Winter Olympic Team), J Douglas Donaghue, Nicholas Green, Michael V Wenden, Russell Withers, Tom King (Chair, Athlete's Commission) and Jacqui Cooper
(Deputy Chair, Athlete's Commission).
An Athletes' Commission, made up of 8 elected summer Olympic athletes and 2 winter Olympic athletes, advises the AOC executive on all matters pertaining to the Olympic movement from a competitor's perspective.
In the period 2005-2008, the total AOC funding for Olympic programs was in excess of $42 million, or an average of $10.5 million per calendar year. As would be expected, the majority of the funds were expended in 2008 during the year of the Beijing Olympics.
In comparison, the governments of Australia
spent substantially more on funding sport and recreation in Australia. In the period 2000-01, total government funding for sport and recreation activities was $2.1 billion.
The Commonwealth Government, through the Australian Sports Commission
and the Australian Institute of Sport
, is the major funding source for elite sport in Australia. In the 2006-07 financial year, the Australian Sports Commission
spent $151 million to achieve excellence in high performance sport. This included $56 million funding for the Australian Institute of Sport
.
National Olympic Committee
National Olympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
movement. It is a non-profit organisation that selects teams, and raises funds to send Australian competitors to Olympic events organised by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC).
Background
The Australian Olympic Committee is composed of 40 member organisations consisting of national governing bodies of each sport included on the Olympic programOlympic sports
Olympic sports, as defined by the International Olympic Committee, are all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. The Summer Olympics, as of 2012, will include 26 sports, with two additionall sports due to be added in 2016...
for the Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
and the Winter Olympic Games
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...
. Each state and territory in Australia has a State Olympic Council to promote Olympic values and raise funds for the Australian Olympic teams.
The AOC President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
in 2005 is John Coates
John Dowling Coates
John Dowling Coates AC is an Australian lawyer, sports administrator and businessman.He is a member of the International Olympic Committee and is the current president of the Australian Olympic Committee and chairman of the Australian Olympic Foundation.- Personal :Born in Sydney, the son of a...
, with Patron in Chief being the Governor-General
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of the Commonwealth of Australia, Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
AC, and Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, Julia Gillard
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
, as Patron. Coates and AOC executive members Kevan Gosper
Kevan Gosper
Kevan Gosper is a former Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He was formerly a Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.-1956 Summer Olympics:...
and Phil Coles
Phil Coles
Phil Coles is an Australian sprint canoer who competed in the 1960s. Competing in three Summer Olympics, he earned his best finish of ninth in the K-4 1000 m event at Tokyo in 1964.-References:*...
are also IOC members.
The AOC executive consists of John Coates (President), Ron G Harvey (Vice President), Peter Montgomery (Vice President), Craig Phillips (Secretary General), Lynne Beates, Helen M Brownlee, Ian Chesterman
Ian Chesterman
Ian Chesterman is a member of the Australian Olympic Committee and an Australian Winter Olympic administrator.He has been the Chef de Mission at the 1998 Nagano, 2002 Salt Lake City and 2006 Torino Winter Olympics...
(Chef de Mission, 2006 Winter Olympic Team), J Douglas Donaghue, Nicholas Green, Michael V Wenden, Russell Withers, Tom King (Chair, Athlete's Commission) and Jacqui Cooper
Jacqui Cooper
Jacqui Cooper is an Australian freestyle skier and motivational speaker.Cooper has been participating in aerial skiing since she was 16, and has been in the Australian team for 13 years. She has had many injuries, including a shattered knee and a broken back.She competed at the 1994 Winter...
(Deputy Chair, Athlete's Commission).
An Athletes' Commission, made up of 8 elected summer Olympic athletes and 2 winter Olympic athletes, advises the AOC executive on all matters pertaining to the Olympic movement from a competitor's perspective.
Funding
The AOC raises the necessary funds for the preparation, participation and recognition of members of Australia's Olympic Teams through corporate sponsorship, licensing and traditional fundraising activities. Each State Olympic Council has the task of raising funds via traditional fundraising activities. The AOC also receives an annual distribution from the Australian Olympic Foundation.In the period 2005-2008, the total AOC funding for Olympic programs was in excess of $42 million, or an average of $10.5 million per calendar year. As would be expected, the majority of the funds were expended in 2008 during the year of the Beijing Olympics.
In comparison, the governments of Australia
Australian governments
Australia employs a federal system of government. The national government is the Australian federal government, headed by the Queen, who is represented in Australia by the Governor-General of Australia, though ordinarily actual political power is wielded by the Prime Minister of Australia under the...
spent substantially more on funding sport and recreation in Australia. In the period 2000-01, total government funding for sport and recreation activities was $2.1 billion.
The Commonwealth Government, through the Australian Sports Commission
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
and the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
, is the major funding source for elite sport in Australia. In the 2006-07 financial year, the Australian Sports Commission
Australian Sports Commission
The Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
spent $151 million to achieve excellence in high performance sport. This included $56 million funding for the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
.
See also
- Australian Olympic FoundationAustralian Olympic FoundationThe Australian Olympic Foundation is a foundation established to help future Australian athletes develop and compete at an Olympic level.In February 1996, the Foundation was constituted by Deed of Settlement between Julius L Patching as Settlor and the Australian Olympic Foundation Limited an...
- Australia at the Olympics
- Australian Youth Olympic FestivalAustralian Youth Olympic FestivalThe Australian Youth Olympics Festival is an international multi-sport event organised by the Australian Olympic Committee. It has been held biennially since its first successful event in 2001.-External links:*...
- Australian Sports CommissionAustralian Sports CommissionThe Australian Sports Commission is the governing body responsible for distributing funds and providing strategic guidance for sporting activity in Australia. It is an agency of the Government of Australia within the portfolio of Health and Ageing...
- Australian Institute of SportAustralian Institute of SportThe Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
- Sport in AustraliaSport in AustraliaAustralia has a long sporting history dating back to the mid 1800s. By the 1920s, a number of sports were being played by both men and women, including cricket, badminton, judo, swimming, tennis, netball, lacrosse, golf, hockey and various codes of football....
- Boxing KangarooBoxing KangarooThe boxing kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia, frequently seen in popular culture. The symbol is often displayed prominently by Australian spectators at sporting events, such as at cricket, tennis and football matches, and at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. The flag is also highly...