AOC President Ian Chesterman announced the decision at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting in Sydney this morning.

“The AOC is an organisation that believes reconciliation with our First Nations people must be achieved.

“We have committed ourselves to pursue reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through sport. That goal was embedded in our constitution back in 2015.

“Yesterday in the joint meeting of the AOC Executive and the AOC Athletes’ Commission, both the Executive and the Athletes’ Commission resolved to record our support for the YES campaign at the upcoming referendum.

“We did not take this decision lightly as we know there will be those within the Olympic movement who will vote NO and we respect their right to do so.

“The Australian Olympic Committee has its own voice – The AOC Indigenous Advisory Committee. We sought their advice as to what would be the appropriate response by us, and under the thoughtful leadership of their chair Patrick Johnson, the Committee took their responsibility to guide us with great seriousness.

“I am pleased to say that the AOC‘s decision to support constitutional recognition of our First Nations peoples and The Voice is the decision of the AOC Executive, and the AOC Athletes’ Commission, driven by the advice of our own Indigenous Advisory Committee.

“We believe that a YES vote continues this nation’s path down the vital road to reconciliation. That’s a road the AOC is very firmly committed to through its Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP).

“We are extremely proud of our 60 known Indigenous Olympians and would like to see many more, as we head towards Paris 2024. LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032. A record 16 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes competed in Tokyo 2020,” Mr Chesterman concluded.

AOC Athletes’ Commission Chair, Cate Campbell said members of the Commission were mindful of the diversity of opinions across the Australian community.

“We know sport can make a difference in people’s lives and collectively we felt we could make a difference by putting forward our view as the Athletes’ Commission. What was key to our consideration was that commitment to first acknowledging our First Nations’ people and second the desire for practical measures to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians by enshrining the Voice in the nation’s constitution. In supporting the YES case, we also acknowledge this is the view of the Commission and we respect the fact that there will be different views within the athlete community,” Ms Campbell said.

AOC IAC Chair Patrick Johnson said the Indigenous Advisory Committee has been considering the question over many months, keeping an open mind to all perspectives.

“Ultimately, after some thoughtful and honest debate among our members and that continues, support for the YES position was the overwhelming view and importantly, the group collectively was happy to proceed with the recommendation we have made to the AOC Executive and Athletes’ Commission.

“We actively engaged with advocates of both campaigns as part of our consideration. Respect for the opinions of others was very important to us. Most importantly we wanted to ensure there was a full appreciation and knowledge of the issues before we were in a position to offer our view to the Executive and the Athletes’ Commission,” Mr Johnson said.

AOC Reconciliation Timeline

• 2015 Change to AOC Constitution recognising the heritage, culture and history of Australia’s first peoples and to give practical support to Indigenous reconciliation through sport.

• 2019 Indigenous Advisory Committee established.

• 2021 AOC Constitution amended to provide enduring representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples on AOC Athlete’s Commission.

• 2021 AOC Reconciliation Action Plan “Reflect” undertaken.

• 2022 Work begins on AOC Reconciliation Action Plan “Innovate” – to be completed mid-2023.

• 2022 AOC completes pilot program to deliver coaching scholarships to Indigenous basketball coaches.

• 2023 AOC Executive Support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Appointment of Deputy Chefs for Paris 2024

Also at today’s AGM, Mr Chesterman announced the Deputy Chefs de Mission who will join Anna Meares in Paris to manage the Australian Olympic Team on the ground at the Games.

The four Deputies are:
•    Ken Wallace (Paddle Olympian)
•    Bron Knox (Water Polo Olympian)
•    Mark Knowles (Hockey Olympian)
•    Kyle Vander-Kuyp (Athletics Olympian)

“Ken Wallace, an Olympic champion and four-times Olympian was outstanding in this role at Tokyo 2020 and has been Chef de Mission for the Australian team at the Pacific Games in Samoa 2018 and will be again in the Solomon Islands later this year. Both Bronwyn Knox and Mark Knowles bring all the experience of four Olympic Games each in leadership roles with team sports. That is invaluable in the bigger picture of the Australian Olympic Team.

“Kyle Vander-Kuyp will act as the AOC’s Indigenous Liaison Officer – a role he performed outstandingly at Tokyo 2020. As well as offering support to our 16 First Nations athletes, he brought great meaning to all team members showcasing Australia’s great indigenous history we all can share.

“With our sports spread out across Paris, we have these experienced Olympians with great leadership qualities joining our Chef de Mission Anna Meares, a four time Olympian and Olympic champion. These are all people with a deep understanding of the needs of athletes – in either the team environment or individual sports. The Paris Games do provide a geographical challenge and our athletes can be assured that no matter where they are competing, they will have the resources they need and we can respond to issues as they arise,” Mr Chesterman said.

AOC Finances

Mr Chesterman noted that that the Australian Olympic Foundation (AOF), in a difficult year in global financial markets, outperformed many other funds across the 12 months to finish the year with Net Assets of $171.8m. The investment portfolio performance was down by 2.1 per cent, comparing favourably to the industry benchmark of 3.3 per cent down. He thanked the Foundation’s management and the AOF Investment Advisory Committee for their diligent work in achieving that result. 

AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll reported on the investment by AOC commercial partners of more than $15m in sponsorship during the financial year, on track to achieve the Paris Quad target of $70.9m in sponsorship and licensing. In combination with  the ongoing support of the Australian Olympic Foundation which provided $7.4 m in distributions despite highly volatile markets, the AOC achieved a surplus of $3 million in 2022.

“These funds and distributions are critical to support the Olympic Movement in Australia, from athletes, to member sports and the wider community. Our surplus was achieved through a strong commercial program, the performance of the AOF and cost management. Importantly, we have been able to deliver against our objectives off the back of this sound footing, investing over the Quad $35m in Teams and $18m in direct spend on athletes.

“In 2022, we conducted Australia’s most successful Winter Olympic Games campaign – with one gold, two silver and a bronze medal, just 5 months after Tokyo. Launched our first Climate Action Plan committing ourselves to net zero by 2040. Schools programs, Olympics Unleashed reached a milestone of engaging with 250,000 students across Australia while 1,000 young Australians participated in the Australian Olympic Change-Maker program last year. As noted, we have embarked on our second RAP - Innovate - as part of our commitment to Indigenous reconciliation. This includes practical initiatives like the delivery of the pilot Indigenous Coaching Scholarship program in basketball which will be repeated in other sports.

“The AOC will continue to advocate for investment by Government in our member sports so they can deliver a more active, healthier, and productive Australia through both high performance and participation. Inspiring performances on the world stage driving participation in diverse sports, a sport for everyone,” Mr Carroll concluded.

Orders of Merit

The AOC President Ian Chesterman also awarded the AOC’s highest honour, the Order of Merit, to three individuals. Three-time Olympian and Gold medallist and former Chair of the AOC Athletes’ Commission Steve Hooker OAM OLY and Channel Seven’s former Head of Olympics Andy Kay were present to receive their awards in person while Seven West Media Chair Kerry Stokes will receive his at a later date.

Ian Chesterman’s Address to the AGM can be found here.

The 2022 AOC Annual Report can be found here.