Category: Author – Greg Blood
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – Stanley Bruce
By Greg Blood STANLEY MELBOURNE BRUCE CH MC PC NATIONALIST PARTY & UNITED AUSTRALIA PARTY 8th Prime Minister – 1923-1929 Stanley Bruce is regarded as the first prime minister to actively engage in sport during his political career. He had a lifetime commitment to sport, particularly rowing and golf. As prime minster, he regarded regularly…
australiansportreflections
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Re-elected Albanese Government: Reflecting on Upcoming Sport Issues from a Historical Perspective
By Greg Blood The return of the Albanese government has led to the reappointment of Anika Wells as the Minister for Sport and new Minister for Communications and the move of sport functions to Dept. of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. This article reflects on these changes from an historical and…
australiansportreflections
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Stocktake of Australian sport CEO’s 2000-2026 – Updated 15 January 2026
By Greg Blood The departures of CEO’s in 2020 from significant Australian sports organisations – ASC, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, golf and equestrian – made me reflect in 2021 on the level of turnover and experience of CEO’s since 2000. The information listed was obtained from annual reports, websites, news releases and LinkedIn profiles.…
australiansportreflections
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Sport and the 2025 Australian Federal Election – Final
By Greg Blood This article follows 2019 and 2022 reviews on sport issues and commitments related to Australian federal elections. Previous Australian federal elections reviewed highlighted the significant number of sport facility commitments made by the ALP and Coalition. Many of these related to improving sports facilities for girls and women. Going into the 2025…
australiansportreflections
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Australian Prime Ministers and Sport Series – John Gorton
By Greg Blood SIR JOHN GREY GORTON GCMG AC CH LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA 19th Prime Minister: 1968-1971 John Grey Gorton became prime minister with the unexpected tragic death of Harold Holt. In his three years as prime minister, Gorton highlighted that community sport was important for health, social cohesion and assimilation. This view most…
australiansportreflections
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Notable Australian Sporting Deaths in 2024
By Greg Blood List of notable Australian sportspeople that died in 2024. These people have contributed significantly to their sport and Australian sport in playing, coaching, administration or media roles. Sport Australia Hall of Fame (SAHOF) lost four members – Kevan Gosper, Neale Fraser, Andrew Plympton and Sir Donald Trescowthick Administration Athletics Australian Football Boxing…
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Reflecting on David Crawford’s Contribution to the Australian Sport System
By Greg Blood The recent passing of David Crawford AO made me reflect on four sport reviews that he authored or chaired that have impacted on sport in Australia. For many of those that worked in sports administration from 1990 to 2011, the name David Crawford became synonymous with sport governance and the organisation of…
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Australian Sports Books & Films 2024
By Greg Blood List of books and films covering Australian sport in 2024 that tell the story of specific sports, athletes, teams, events and issues. This year’s list also includes films that are primarily documentaries. It includes links to the publisher and description of the book. There is an increasing number of children’s books written…
australiansportreflections
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Changes in Australian Sport Leadership Positions in 2024
By Greg Blood Since 2000, I have been tracking changes in CEO’s and Chairs/Presidents of major national Australian sports organisations. Listed are changes that have occurred in 2024, an Olympic/Paralympic Games year. List highlights the significant turnover of CEO’s as opposed to Presidents/Chairs. This could be partly due to the end of Olympic/Paralympic Games cycle.…
australiansportreflections
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Reflecting on Greg Hartung’s Induction into the Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame
By Greg Blood Hartung as Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) President led it from a small disability sports organisation with limited funding and resources to a well-resourced national sports organisation that is now an important part of Australian’s integrated high-performance sport system. In 2020, I was fortunate to gain great insights into Hartung’s significant sport administration…
australiansportreflections