Author: australiansportreflections
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Creating a New Horizon for Women in Coaching
By Lawrie Woodman “The number of women athletes at the Olympic Games is approaching 50 per cent. Over the last five Olympic Games (Summer and Winter) the number of female accredited coaches has hovered around 9-11%.” Summary There has been massive growth in girls’ and women’s participation in sport – this has not been matched…
australiansportreflections
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2022 Beijing Winter Olympics / Paralympics – sporting sanctions should not be used to protest against China’s human rights record
by Greg Blood The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China has been reported to call for China to be stripped of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics due to the country’s increasingly poor human rights record. This made me reflect on two instances of the Australian Government using sporting boycotts/sanctions – boycott of 1980 Moscow Olympics and banning…
australiansportreflections
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Contribution of Overseas Coaches to the AIS and Australian Sport
By Greg Blood The recent passing of former AIS Swimming Coach Gennadi Touretski made me reflect on the contribution of overseas coaches to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Australian high performance sport system since 1981. In 1981, inaugural AIS Head Coaches included four overseas highly credentialled coaches – Kelvin Giles (athletics from England),…
australiansportreflections
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Vale Peter Bowman – ‘Unsung’ Pioneer AIS Administrator
By Greg Blood With the recent death of Peter Bowman, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) lost one of its founding staff. I have great memories of Bowman’s 20 years at the AIS and this includes the first time I met him – my interview in early 1983 for the librarian position at the AIS…
australiansportreflections
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What is the future of ‘Sport 2030’ in the post COVID19 world?
By Greg Blood In May 2018, I published the article How long can the proposed National Sports Plan survive? It is worthwhile to revisit Sport 2030 , known as the National Sports Plan, due to changes in Australian sport leadership, undetermined Australian Government decisions and significant impact of COVID-19 on sport as well as other parts…
australiansportreflections
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The Winning Diet : Australian Institute of Sport’s Nutrition Dept. Contribution to Australian Sport
By Greg Blood. I have recently reflected on the fact that the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has had several long-term leaders that have made significant contributions to their professional discipline and to Australian sport. Professor Louise Burke is one of them. This article will outline from my perspective the reasons why AIS Nutrition lead…
australiansportreflections
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Leaders in Australian Sport 1980-2020
By Greg Blood Recently Ian Hanson, swimming journalist and historian, published an article on James Taylor CBE who in 1920 was the inaugural President of the Australian Olympic Council and held the position until his death in 1944. It reminded me that in early part of 20th century Australian sport there were many long term…
australiansportreflections
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Commemoration of Athletes and Racing Animals in Regional and Rural Australia
By Greg Blood. Orginally published in the Australian Society for Sports History Bulletin No. 71 , February 2020. Sport plays a significant role in rural and regional Australia. Cashman stated that ‘Bush sport, like city sport, is a way of emphasising community and locality but the former can also be a gesture of defiance against…
australiansportreflections
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The Relationship between the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Sports Commission
By Greg Blood. Orginally published in Sporting Traditions, V35 (1) May 2018 Since the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Australian Sports Commission (ASC) have had several very public disagreements regarding the funding and direction of high performance sport. In 1980, the Fraser Government requested the then Australian Olympic Federation to boycott…
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The Australian Institute of Sport Story 1981-2013
By Greg Blood. Originally published Clyde Street Blog, 15 May 2018. In December 2012, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), as we know it, changed when the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) under Chair John Wylie launched its Australia’s Winning Edge 2012-2022 strategy. A major plank of the strategy was for the AIS to no longer directly manage…
australiansportreflections