-2020- CONTENTS 03. 12. Chair’s Message 2021 Scholarship & Mentoring Program | Tier 2 & Tier 3 04. 13. 2020 Inductees Vale 06. 14. 2020 Legend of Australian Sport Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legends 08. 15. The Don Award 2020 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Members 10. 16. 2021 Scholarship & Mentoring Program | Tier 1 Partner & Sponsors 04. 06. 08. 10. Picture credits: ASBK, Delly Carr/Swimming Australia, European Judo Union, FIBA, Getty Images, Golf Australia, Jon Hewson, Jordan Riddle Photography, Rugby Australia, OIS, OWIA Hocking, Rowing Australia, Sean Harlen, Sean McParland, SportsPics CHAIR’S MESSAGE 2020 has been a year like no other. of Australian Sport. Again, we pivoted and The bushfires and COVID-19 have been major delivered a virtual event. disrupters and I’m proud of the way our team has been able to adapt to new and challenging Our Scholarship & Mentoring Program has working conditions. expanded from five to 32 Scholarships. Six Tier 1 recipients have been aligned with a Most impressive was their ability to transition Member as their Mentor and I recognise these our Induction and Awards Program to prime inspirational partnerships. Ten Tier 2 recipients time, free-to-air television. The 2020 SAHOF and 16 Tier 3 recipients make this program one Program aired nationally on 7mate reaching of the finest in the land. over 136,000 viewers. Although we could not celebrate in person, the Seven Network The Melbourne Cricket Club is to be assembled a treasure trove of Australian congratulated on the award-winning Australian sporting greatness. Sports Museum. Our new SAHOF exhibition is outstanding and I encourage all Members and There is no greater roll call of Australian sport Australian sports fans to make sure they visit stars than the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. next time they are at the MCG in Melbourne. Our 2020 Inductees join Australia’s greatest sporting team and take our Membership to 578. SAHOF is proudly supported by Sport Australia and I thank outgoing Chair John Wylie AM for If you missed the program, I encourage you his outstanding support and welcome Acting to immerse yourself in their achievements by Sport Australia Chair Steve Moneghetti AM. I exploring our new website and re-watching on recognise and thank our Supporting Sponsors 7plus up until January 6, 2021. – Sportscover and Victoria University – who have worked with us to deliver real game Other 2020 highlights included the annual changers this year. National Sport Integrity Forum which was John Bertrand AO held via Zoom and streamed across multiple Chair, Sport Australia Hall of Fame We welcome newly appointed Independent platforms with outstanding success. Our Director Andrew Plympton AM. Dawn Fraser partnership with Victoria University (VU) AC MBE and Belinda Clark AO were re-elected ensured that we presented an array of sport for a further three years as Athlete Directors as leaders who spoke on the Return to Sport: Risk, was Geoff Henke AO, who was re-elected as a Rewards, Opportunities and Challenges. General Director. Another outstanding event was the Future I congratulate my fellow Members and thank of Sport forum which was hosted by VU in you for your ongoing impact in our community. partnership with Loughborough University. I was privileged to be on a panel with Lord I sincerely thank our Advisory Board, Directors, Sebastian Coe KBE to discuss the topic of Selection Committee Members, new CEO sport in a post-COVID world. Adrianne Sarkozy and her team. The Chairs’ Round Table for Sport was I wish you all a safe and happy festive season. produced in partnership with Sportscover, Go Australia! Sport Australia and the AIS for the C-Suite OUR HISTORY. OUR STORY CHAIR’S MESSAGE | 03 2020 INDUCTEES Membership of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame is limited exclusively to the top echelon of Australian athletes who have achieved excellence at the highest level of their sport, and to those who have shown outstanding achievements in roles supportive to sports participants; administration, coaching/training, sports media/history, sports science/technology, sports umpiring, refereeing and judging. 2020 saw seven new Members inducted and welcomed into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, bringing the total membership to 578. Click on images to read more. MICHELLE DEN DEKKER OAM Athlete Member – Netball Michelle den Dekker is one of Australian netball’s most successful captains. She is a two-time World Champion, having led her team to victory in 1991 and 1995. She also won gold at the Auckland 1990 Commonwealth Games. Den Dekker led a dominant Australian team to a remarkable 92 per cent win ratio in a record 71 matches as captain. Widely considered one of the best and cleanest defenders to ever play for the Australian team, Den Dekker also played for the Adelaide Ravens and was voted the greatest netball player to ever come out of South Australia. “It’s an absolute privilege to be a part of this, such illustrious group.” – Michelle den Dekker on being a SAHOF 2020 Inductee CADEL EVANS AM Athlete Member – Cycling Cadel Evans cemented his place as one of the all-time greats of Australian road cycling following his historic 2011 Tour de France win. In doing so, he became the first Australian to conquer one of the world’s biggest races after two previous second-place finishes, among his many appearances in the Tour. Evans’ success wasn’t limited to the Tour de France; across all three Grand Tours he won stages, wore the leader’s jersey and finished the tour on the podium. He became one of the few cyclists to finish on the podium at all three Grand Tours and to win a World Championship, winning the 2009 UCI Road World Championship. “I’ve always felt followed and supported by those at home… When people tell me where they were, who they were with, when they were watching the time trial… I was on the other side of the world, but I feel like I was nearly at home.” – Cadel Evans 04 | 2020 INDUCTEES DAVID FOSTER OAM Athlete Member – Woodchopping David Foster is widely regarded as the greatest axeman Australia has ever seen and, with a staggering 186 world titles over 21 years in woodchopping, probably the world’s best. Foster competed and won at every major event in Australia and New Zealand at least once in his career, including the Wimbledon of woodchopping, the Royal Sydney Show. Foster’s winning ways continued outside of Australia and New Zealand, competing in America where he broke three world records. Foster owns many world records, across multiple categories and wood types. “Unbelievable mate. What a great honour [not just] for me, but for my family and the sport of woodchopping. Almost taken 150 years to get somebody in and I’m so pleased it’s me.” – David Foster on being the first axeman inducted into SAHOF BRIDGETTE GUSTERSON OAM Athlete Member – Water Polo Bridgette Gusterson had an outstanding water polo career, which featured the undoubted highlight of captaining Australia to the first ever women’s water polo gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In a memorable moment for Gusterson, she scored the winning goal from a clever flick over the Russian goalkeeper’s shoulder to proceed to the gold-medal match. Gusterson debuted for Australia in 1992, subsequently amassing 212 international matches and scoring more than 400 goals. She played in four World Cups and two world championships campaigns before the Sydney Games. “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. It’s such a wonderful honour and I’ll cherish this forever.” - Bridgette Gusterson on being a SAHOF 2020 Inductee LAUREN JACKSON AO Athlete Member – Basketball Lauren Jackson is widely regarded as one of the all-time greatest females of Australian basketball. She is a four-time Olympian, having won three silver and one bronze medal. Her success also carried into World Championships where she led Australia to gold in 2006 after successive bronze medals in 2002 and 1998. In the USA, Jackson was a key figure in the WNBA where she played for Seattle, winning two championships and three MVPs and is a seven-time WNBA All Star. At home in the WNBL she is a five-time champion with the AIS and Canberra Capitals as well as a four-time MVP and Grand Final MVP winner and five-time WNBL All Star. “Thank you very much. It is an amazing honour and I feel very privileged.” - Lauren Jackson on being a SAHOF 2020 Inductee JILL MCINTOSH General Member – Coach, Netball After being a distinguished player, Jill McIntosh has been a hugely successful netball coach and educator, while also contributing substantially as an umpire. McIntosh’s biggest impact in netball has come from coaching, where she guided the Australian team in 88 matches between 1995 to 2003, losing only six – an impressive 94 per cent winning rate. In this time, McIntosh collected two Commonwealth Games gold medals and two world championships, all of which were unbeaten campaigns. McIntosh has continued to educate the netball fraternity, sitting on coaching committees and advisory panels to provide professional development for coaches around the world. “I feel very humbled to be part of this Hall of Fame with absolute legends in Australian sport ... Thank you very much.” – Jill McIntosh on being a SAHOF 2020 Inductee MATTHEW MITCHAM OAM Athlete Member – Diving Matthew Mitcham rewrote the history books at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games when, in an astonishing last-gasp performance under extreme pressure, he became the first Australian male diver in 84 years to win an Olympic gold medal, and just the second Australian to do so.