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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-05-30 Daily Xml
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OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES

The Hon. J.S. LEE (16:37): I move:

That the council congratulates all the South Australian athletes for their selection to the Australian team for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As I move this motion, I acknowledge my colleague in the other place, the shadow minister for sport, recreation and racing, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, who is passionate about his portfolio, for initiating the same motion in the House of Assembly. We jointly congratulate South Australian athletes who have been successfully selected to embark on one of the most exciting and unforgettable experiences of their lives: to represent their country as a proud Australian and compete in the 2012 London and Paralympic Games.

Australia is the epitome of a sporting nation. As a big country with a relatively small population, our athletes perform and compete extremely well and produce some of the most amazing sporting achievements on the world stage. The opening ceremony of the London Olympics will happen on Friday 27 July 2012, and Australia is working hard to assemble our most talented teams for the 26 registered sports in the summer games.

It gives me great pleasure and honour to acknowledge and pay tribute to the 17 South Australian athletes who have qualified and been accepted into the Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams, and I am sure that when other sporting teams are finalised we will see more South Australians joining the elite athletes in London, and I encourage members to speak about the selection of these athletes in their electorates. Australians are considered a sports oriented people. We enjoy many outdoor activities, keeping fit and competing in team sports.

During winter we love to barrack for our favourite footy team on the weekend and throughout summer we follow the performances of cricket and tennis games. As the weather gets colder in South Australia during the winter months, we can be sure to warm ourselves by watching and cheering on Australians in the international sporting competition, the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in London.

As a sporting nation, Australia has sent athletes to almost all editions of the modern Olympic Games. We have competed in every summer Olympics since 1952. In 1895, Australia established the Australian Olympic Committee to ensure Australia received international recognition on a sporting level and to ensure funds and teams were selected leading up to the games. Our first national appearance was in 1896 when Edwin Flack won gold in both the 800 metres and the 1500 metres in the 1896 Olympic Games that were held in Greece.

Australia is a highly competitive country when it comes to sport. I think it is a reputation that we are pretty proud of. Since competing in the Olympics summer and winter games from 1896 to 2010, Australia has brought home 252 gold medals and since the 1992 Barcelona games Australia has finished in the top 10 countries. For instance, in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Australia finished 10th; in the 1996 Atlanta games, Australia finished 7th; in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Australia finished 4th; in the 2004 Athens Olympics we finished 4th; and in the 2008 Beijing Olympics we finished 6th.

The Olympic Games are regarded as the world's foremost sports competition with over 200 nations participating. It is definitely an exciting achievement to see Australia competing at such an elite international level. Swimming, for example, is Australia's most prolific Olympic sport, having been responsible for 58 of Australia's 143 Olympic gold medals. Names like Shane Gould, Ian Thorpe, Dawn Fraser, Murray Rose, Kieran Perkins, Susie O'Neill—just to name a few—are many outstanding Australian athletes that have now become international household names and have put Australia on the map.

While many of the outstanding athletes are well supported there are countless athletes across the country who have to work either full-time or part-time to keep their dreams alive. Many do not receive sponsorship and they have to pay from their own pockets to train for and play the sport that they love. These committed individuals deserve a special mention. I commend them on their perseverance, determination and ambition to be the best they can be and to represent Australia on the world stage. I encourage them to continue to seek support from the private and government sectors.

Athletes and their supporters deserve utmost respect because a mountain of work and perseverance behind the scenes leading up to the Olympic Games has to take place. Getting to the Olympic Games consumes years of sweat, pain and sometimes tears as athletes endure themselves in mental and physical preparation for that moment of glory, for that world record or for that opportunity to achieve PB—personal best—against the world's best. The achievement of Olympic athletes on the winning podium is not just a dream of individuals; it is the dream of a team—a team of people who believe in them and also believe in their ability to succeed.

We must acknowledge the hard work and supportive networks, including coaches, trainers, mentors, fund-raising committees, the respective sporting organisations, family and friends who have all worked hard to help the athletes achieve their goals. The teamwork and mechanics behind supporting athletes for the Olympic Games is phenomenal. The behind-the-scenes facilitators, volunteers and sporting organisations come together as one to work in a collaborative, committed and synchronised manner to maximise the full potential of that athlete to achieve a goal; a goal of representing their nation at the most leading international sports competition.

As the Australian Olympic Committee finalises the 2012 Olympic team it gives me great honour to pay tribute and recognise the 17 South Australians who will be representing their home country in London. We have athletes from various backgrounds with various talents. South Australian athletes will be participating in badminton, boxing and canoeing/kayaking—and I guess there is no surprise then when Adelaide is the host city for the Tour Down Under that we have 10 athletes competing in the cycling event. We will also be competing in the marathon, swimming and rowing, and have a Paralympic competitor in shooting.

Each athlete has their own challenging story of how they came about realising their dream of joining the Australian Olympic team. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight a number of South Australian athletes. I am proud to say that I am personally connected to one of them. It is a privilege to play a role in supporting Leanne Choo in her quest for her Olympic dream. With a world ranking of 30 in ladies doubles, South Australian Leanne Choo looks forward to representing Australia in the sport of badminton at her first Olympic Games in London.

Leanne will be turning 21 next week. This young achiever is an outstanding, hard working, ambitious lady, who has a fire in her belly to make her dreams come true. Last year, Leanne was a finalist in the sports award category of the South Australian Community Achievement Awards. Leanne is a role model for many young Asian migrants living in South Australia and has been very popular within the overseas university student circle as well.

Like many athletes, balancing studies or work with their sporting aspirations, Leanne is currently studying for an architecture degree at the University of Adelaide. She has represented Australia at various global competitions such as the World Badminton Juniors in 2006, 2007 and 2009 and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and now the Olympic Games.

Her selection to the Olympic team would not be a reality without Leanne's hard working and supportive network. In August 2011, the South Australian Chinese Weekly, which is a Chinese media company, together with her family, hosted a fundraising dinner, which was attended and sponsored by members of the Chinese community and business sector.

I had the pleasure of attending the fundraiser and sponsoring Leanne in her quest for the Olympic dream. One can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that she was selected for the Australian badminton team for the 2012 London Olympics. On Thursday 3 May 2012 at 11.34 pm exactly, I received this email from Leanne's parents, which I would like to read onto the Hansard:

Dear Jing,

In case you have not heard, the result has just been announced a few minutes ago and you are amongst the first to know this wonderful news about Leanne's qualification for the 2012 London Olympics!

All our hard work and dedication finally pay off!

On behalf of Leanne and my family thank you very much for your support to make this important milestone a reality and an experience to be cherished!

What a great South Australian success story which will set the foundation for the next generation to move up the ladder in SA! With the 'wisdom' of the elders, I am confident Leanne and her generation can set South Australia on a journey of transformation. It will be indeed another legacy for the South Australian community.

Let us work hard to use Leanne's success to inspire others not only to interact in badminton but to build goodwill and friendship!

Thank you for your on-going support to bring about a fantastic Chinese Community multi-cultural story!

Regards

Peng and Lina Choo

It is indeed a wonderful multicultural success story because Leanne's parents are migrants but she was born in Australia. Leanne is now representing Australia and will compete in the London Olympic Games. This showcases that Australian migrants have made a significant contribution to enrich our country.

The other remarkable athlete I would like to highlight today is Libby Kosmala. On 22 May 2012, the Australian Paralympic Committee was pleased to announce that Australia will take its strongest Paralympic shooting team to the 2012 London Paralympic Games, with six shooters heading to the games. One shooter, the incredible Libby Kosmala, who is 70 years old, is a very proud South Australian who is attending her 11th Paralympic Games. With over 30 years' experience in shooting, Libby could be described as a legend within her field of sport. She currently has nine gold medals to her name and is still posting impressive international results.

In 1984, Libby won four gold medals and broke four world records in air rifle shooting. As described by Libby, her most memorable moment was in 1988 when she and her husband both won gold medals. Her husband won gold in lawn bowls. Libby is definitely one of South Australia's and Australia's most accomplished athletes, and I am sure that South Australia will be barracking for her during the London Paralympic Games, which will take place between 29 August through to 9 September 2012.

Today we have learned about the many inspiring stories of participating athletes. I wholeheartedly ask all honourable members to support this motion. Let us all congratulate South Australian athletes for their successful selection to the Australian team for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. I wish all the athletes the very best in their endeavours. I cannot wait to watch the all-time great Australian team dominating the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Go Aussies! Bring back gold, silver and bronze—make us proud! I commend this motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. Carmel Zollo.

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