BOXING: Boxing Australia, with it’s proud history of indigenous Olympians, has welcomed the decision by the Australian Olympic Committee to recognise the nation’s first people in its Constitution.
No sport has had more indigenous Australian Olympians than boxing, with 19 athletes having proudly worn the green and gold – almost treble the next most represented sport, athletics, with seven.
'We are extremely proud of our indigenous heritage and the contribution our indigenous boxers have made to the Olympic movement,” Boxing Australia CEO, Kable Kelleway, said.
The first indigenous boxers to represent Australia at an Olympics were Adrian Blair and Francis Roberts, back in Tokyo in 1964.
These were also the first Olympics where Australia had indigenous athletes on its team, with basketballer Michael Ah Matt making up the trio.
Another two indigenous boxers, Robert Carney and Joseph Donovan, went to the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, while Norman Stevens was Australia’s sole indigenous athlete in any sport at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
There has been an indigenous boxer representing Australia at every Olympics since Seoul in 1988, right through to Cameron Hammond, Damien Hooper and Jesse Ross at the 2012 London Olympics.
Mr Kelleway said Government programs targeting indigenous athletes had helped Boxing Australia.
“We thank the previous governments through their support for initiatives such as the ASC NTID 'Lord of the Rings Program', Boxing Australia's 'Deadly Boxing' program and now our Development Program that has helped identify and develop indigenous boxers in recent times,” he said.
“We look forward to seeing more talented indigenous boxers come through our pathway and onto Olympic representation.”
The new passage in the AOC Constitution will read “To recognise the heritage, culture and contribution of our nation’s first people and to give practical support to indigenous reconciliation through sport”.
The full list of indigenous boxers to represent Australia at the Olympics is;
Adrian Blair – 1964 Tokyo
Francis Roberts – 1964 Tokyo
Robert Carney – 1968 Mexico City
Joseph Donovan – 1968 Mexico City
Norman Stevens – 1980 Moscow
Darrell Hiles – 1988 Seoul
Justann Crawford – 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta
Robert Peden – 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta
James Swan – 2000 Sydney
Henry Collins – 2000 Sydney
Daniel Geale – 2000 Sydney
Bradley Hore – 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens
Jamie Pittman – 2004 Athens
Anthony Little – 2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing
Luke Boyd – 2008 Beijing
Paul Fleming – 2008 Beijing
Cameron Hammond – 2012 London
Damien Hooper – 2012 London
Jesse Ross – 2012 London
BOXING AUSTRALIA
