Athletics Australia – News – David Grace QC unanimously appointed as new Athletics Australia President and Chairman

The Athletics Australia Board of Directors has unanimously appointed renowned sports administrator and lawyer David Grace QC as its new President and Chairman.

Set to replace the outgoing Rob Fildes OAM, Grace’s appointment was confirmed at a Board Meeting this morning, which preceded Athletics Australia’s Annual General Meeting at Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne this afternoon.

Grace has been involved with the sport of track and field for nearly 50 years. A competitor in interclub, state and national competitions as a sprinter and jumper, he has also been involved in coaching and administration at the Ajax Maccabi Athletics Club in Melbourne. He is a life member of that club.

Grace joined the Athletics Australia Board of Directors in 2006, with his responsibilities regularly relying upon his extensive experience in judicial matters relating to sport and its governance. 

He has been the Vice President alongside Nick Moore since 2011, with his involvement in our national sporting organisation commencing after his appointment as the Chairperson of the Athletics Australia Tribunal (2001-2006).

The Principal of his own individual law practice that specialises in appellate advocacy, Grace has also worked collaboratively with a group of lawyers to establish a large criminal, administrative and sports law practice in Melbourne.

He was appointed as a Queen’s Counsel in Victoria in 1994 and in Western Australia in 1996 and has extensive experience with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (since 2000), with key involvement at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games he was the Australian Team Advocate.

He is the General Counsel for the West Coast Eagles Football Club, the co-chair of the National Criminal Law Committee of the Law Council of Australia and a Director of the Sentencing Advisory Council of Victoria.

“My appointment as the President of Athletics Australia is something that I am very excited about, and I look forward to tackling the many challenges we face as a sport alongside a very capable team of Directors,” Grace said.

“While the pursuit of a possible merge with Little Athletics Australia will remain a key priority, it is important that we as a sport continue to execute our strong plans in the areas of able-bodied and para-athletics high performance, coaching development, competition and participation. It is vital that we work hard to assist in the delivery of the Australian Institute of Sport’s Winning Edge program and extremely important that while we continue to operate independently as Athletics Australia we explore all avenues that could lead to improved commercial viability for the sport.

“Athletics is something that has been in my blood for half a century, and I will bring an extensive understanding of our sport’s landscape to the role. I am looking forward to working alongside my capable Board of Directors, and the track and field community as a whole, for the betterment of the sport long term.”

Grace also lauded the performance of Fildes as President of Athletics Australia, and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

“Rob has been a true servant of athletics in Australia and I congratulate him on a job well done. He has left the sport in a much stronger position than when he took the reigns in 2005, with healthy capital reserves and a strong relationship with our key partners including the Australian Sports Commission, the IAAF, the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Committees and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association,” Grace added.

“I have no doubt that Rob’s retirement from the Board of Directors does not mean a complete retirement from the sport and I look forward to sharing the journey to Glasgow 2014, Rio 2016 and beyond with him in whatever capacity he chooses to remain involved.”

Fildes retirement comes after a eight-year tenure as President of Athletics Australia.

A strong advocate for the merge discussions with Little Athletics Australia, Fildes has been extensively involved in the development of Athletics House at Lakeside Stadium, as well as the establishment of the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge as a fixture on the IAAF World Challenge series.

“It has been a very rewarding journey as the President of Athletics Australia and I thank my fellow Directors for allowing me to continue in the role for the period that I have,” Fildes said.

“I am proud of the position in which I will leave the sport for the next generation of leaders and I look forward to working alongside David and his team in a less formal capacity as we pursue the vital undertaking of working towards becoming one sport.

“Athletics Australia is a fantastic organisation to be involved with and I am confident that it will continue to develop and succeed in the years to come. It has embraced the Australian Institute of Sport’s Winning Edge program and continues to develop in the areas of coaching and participation. The sport is stronger now than it has been in many years and this is a humbling result given the extensive time that my fellow Directors and I contribute alongside the capable team of executive management and staff.”

Grace commences his role as President and Chairman of Athletics Australia today.

Matthew Mahon was also promoted and he will now take on the role of Vice President of Athletics Australia alongside the incumbent Moore. The Board of Directors also includes Anne Lord, Melissa Babbage, Peter Bromley and Nathan Deakes.
 
Mahon is the General Manager of Melbourne-based consulting firm Royce. Royce is a communications advisory that provides advice to a wide variety of clients, ranging from some of Australia's largest corporations, to government and not-for-profit organisations. He is also a member of the Old Xaverians Athletics Club.

Today’s Annual General Meeting of Athletics Australia also saw the confirmation and publication of the Athletics Australia Annual Report, which is now available for download.

 

Athletics Australia – News