27/5/1950 –
Flyweight freestyle wrestler John Kinsela, from Sydney, was the first indigenous dual Olympian.
Between Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972, he served in the Australian Army in Vietnam.
In 1976 the Australian Wrestling Federation nominated John to attend Montreal 1976 but the pruning of the Olympic team resulted in his missing out on becoming a triple Olympian.
He is a member of the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame.
The Australian Olympic Committee acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we are located. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.
We celebrate and honour all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Olympians.
The Australian Olympic Committee is committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society and sport.