EMBARGO; 8: 40 pmn
ut CHEO AGAI-NST DELIVERY
PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA SUNDAY,_ 22_ NOVE" R 19 81
ANtXVFSARY DINNER Or' THE OPENUNG
OF THE MBLDO1JNF, OLYMPICS
*-Gold medalbiatz, Mr. Premier, Dame Pattie Menzies, Lady Kent-1
Riniste ra and-4' rli a~ ntary col3. leagues, la. tdies and gentlemen:
' K( evin Go. sper, thank you very much for that introduotion and f
what you have said about the value and the fuature of sport, ai
well as the increasing Government support for sport. Sport ik
somehin w eA2jbelie in. It offers som~ ethingl to everyone.
Atustralians together.
We are celebrating tonight one of the greatest events in
Aust-ralia's sporting history, anid we axe also paying tribute
some of the greatest sportsmen and spoxt-swomen in Austxralia's iughes, r
history. I . wish I could-pmy trib~ tite to every one of-their by--name, for
all their successes deserve citation. And while I don't have the
. time to do that, X do want to say how delighted we are that
Betty Cuthbert is here tonight. We are also delighted that
Dame Pattie Menzies and Lady Xent-liughes are here, and it is
worcth remembering t-hat it was Wilfred 1ent-Hughes, as Cbairman-cT
the Olymnpic Organizing Committee, who signed the invitatiors
which brought the three and a half thousand athletes from sixty
* s-even covxitriel to Melbourne twenty five years ago today.
My mind goes back to that moment when Ron Clark ran down the race
onto the carrying aloft the Olympic torch, because it wa3
a great momnt for everyone here -and it was a great moment for
Audst-ralia.
I know that while most of us could see rno fault in that torch
as it ciraedzed around the it was giving Ron's a= m some
nasty burns. No-doubt Ron cursed the design--o the~ torch, but
it was obvio~ us from the way he moved that the pain did nothing
to dim~ inish his pride In what he had been chosen to do.
At that moment, Ron symbol~ ised the pride which all. of us felt th~
~ ra ~ aity asthe fl-a he-ias
carrying syrabolized the high idealit o-f the DTyThp5 i reñ Q
C) I L-i
-2
The Melbourne Games meant a lot to Australia in te-rms of helping
us to become more outward looking as a nation, and in terms of
demonstrating to the world tevalue of the Australian way of
lif e.
M'elbourne has been Australia's front window to the world or)
many occasions, and the people of Melbourne never fail to discharge
their responsibility with the highest distinction.
The MloreOlympics were an overall triumph in terms of
sportsmanahip, and also in terms of the achievement of so many
people here tonight whose names were household words throughout
Australia * at that time, I am particularly pleased to be here
tonight not only because I was-an, rrIUt; r atthe Melbourne Gamesl-'
but also.-because.-I value-the K I of contact this* aes Possibe.
There are: obviously;. several1 reasons why_ Aurai plcs-c~ vaJtiu on.
.~ prsme and women and one of them comes out in a story abot
that Bob would have enjoyed the story because it illustrates the kind
of respect and deference that Prime Ministers can expect from
Sportsmen. As everyone here knw, obe. a-ratlover of sport,
and he went to the tennis one day with Norman Strange when
Lew Road was playing. After Lew's match was finished, and I do not
know whether fie won. or lost though being Lew. I suppose he won,
Normnan-Strange took Menzies down to the Oressing xoom to give Lew
a chance to meet him. Lew wa xtn ~ w rigto get a shoelace
undone, and Norman Strange said " Lew; I've brought the Prime Minister.
down here to introduce you to him". Road seemed not to have heard,
so Strange raised his voice a bit, and repeated his words " Lew,
the Prime Minister is here and I woxild to introdce you to him".
Still no response. Road just kept f idd ling with his shoelace, and
said nothing. Strange was starting to feel a bit awkward, but hie
raised his voice a bit more and had a third try " Lew, here i-s
the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr. Menzies, and I want to
4introduce you to him" V. Hoad ~~ 3nally lo9ecd-up 7-ooked.. at both of
emthf: lc, u4 4aid. Yes, kn~ ow.' I-loW many Of you Would h1ave yeainel I" ox; the
Sopportunity to say that to Pie last vear. Onre of the'r -test--things about
.'.. sportemen and woe sta hyare& achi~ evers. They get out
addothins, nd tey eep looking ahead.
Sport provider. a challenge to-ZhVe s7uc. Ucess andf eieeta
it is because'Australians have alwqays wanted to go out to meet that
kind of challenge whereve'r it arises, not just in sport but in
every field of achievement that Australia has made the sort of
it
Everyone here knows in one way or another how much better it is
to win than to lose, and in international sport in particular the
challenge to success becomes even more demanding with higher
standard8 being set all the ti--4f-t4----ig-n-r'ed andK
Thursdays after work was not enouagh in 1956, and everyone here
knows that it wasn't, it certainly is not enough in the 1980s.
: Et was parxtly in rrecoq1niti. on of thijs that the Australian Institute
of Sport was established in Canberra iat the start of this year.
The Institute is prxoviding wrdcs tain tclte and top
level specialist coaching, backed up by Sport5 science a. pot
medicine, to talented and promising young Astralian athletes.
~ sr 000---
The A. I. S. has been successfully launched in its initial year
using facilities at the Nationial Sports Centre in Canberra,
which comprises at the moment the National Athletic Stadium
which incorporates sports science laboratories, and the
National Indoor Sports Centre as well as5 tennis and netball oouxts.
A specialist gymnasium centre is due to be completed next March,
a throwing area foar ethblete is being developed, and the Government
has recently approved the construction of an indoor Swimming and.
tennis training centre on which work will begin shortly.
A major objective behind the Institute of Sport is to gjive
these young peopl tfopportunity-to puirsue their sport to
the highest level without interrupting their education or placing
their careers at risk.' Australia has needed this Institute, and.
its inception this year is timely. It should give a massive
boost in the years ahead to top-class competitive sport in
Australia and I am hopeful that : this concept will be taken up
around Australia.
The Government is keen to listen. to the many voices of sport in
Australia and is rospoP' 1inq v -th-& a-variety of important
initiatives to the changing requirements of sport. The Government
has wide-ranging programs which are aimed ' both at assisting those
sportsen and womnen who have the capacity to scale the heights
of -sporting achievement.
in financial terms, the total allocation for sport and recreation
in the 1981-82 Commonwealth Budget Jisaijnost $ 16 million
andt hIss more than double the 1980-BI epniue
We all have high hopes for the athletes of tomorrow, and we need
to be loolking ahead to the challenge of next year'rs Commonwealth
G'ames in Brisbane and to the 1984 Olympics. I want to say in
relation to-the 1984 Games thAt I b elieve the bonds between the
A. O. F. and the Commonwealth Government have never been stronger.
and the Government will be giving early consideration to a formal
request for assistance in Australia's preparations and participation
inl the 1984 Olympics. But we need to be looking even further
ahead than 1984. ' d dtcLe4okn to Australia's IDieentenary
in 1988 because right around Australia, in every sport, people
will be wanting special events to be at the centre in the
celebrations which will take place in that year. I am suire youi
will not mind me looking ahead l. ike this even' though we -are here
tonight to celebrate a grea-T-Ueent from the part.
' The memories of the Melbourne ' olympic8, which are Bo strong
in the minds of, everyone here topigch, fragetpge-a
great chapter I-in, Autraliall his3tory, and Australia salutes.
again those athletes and organisers who wrote the story in
that chapter. We also salute Ron Delaney, just as John Landy
Saluted him 25 years ago after Ron had won the 1500 metres.
There is just. orle more thing for-me to say. ThiP2 is; oD1Y the
Silver Jubilee? and in the propcr Olym~ pic tradition, w. e must
aspire to the gold, and I hope you will again invite me to
join you when that occasion comes; around.