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Athletics Australia - Glasgow honour for Mona (Steve Moneghetti!) ©Athletics Australia
Athletics Australia – Glasgow honour for Mona (Steve Moneghetti!)
The Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) announced today that marathon legend Steve Moneghetti has been appointed Chef de Mission for the Australian Team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Moneghetti was first given the role of leading the Australian Team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
For the 50-year-old from Ballarat, Glasgow 2014 will be a return to the country where he began his Commonwealth Games and his marathon-running career.
As a 23-year-old, Moneghetti was a late inclusion in the Australian Team for the 10,000m at the 1986 Games in Edinburgh, coming fifth. He then asked to compete in the marathon a few days later despite never having run that distance. In his marathon debut he won bronze.
In subsequent Commonwealth Games he steadily progressed up the podium steps with marathon silver in Auckland in 1990 and gold in Victoria, Canada in 1994. At his final Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, he reverted to his original distance adding bronze in the 10,000m to his collection.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games – being held from 23 July to 3 August – will be the largest sporting event ever staged in Scotland with around 6,500 athletes and team officials from 71 nations and territories competing in 18 sports.
Steve Moneghetti said he was honoured to be given the opportunity to lead the Australian Team in back-to-back Commonwealth Games, and at Glasgow 2014 in particular.
Moneghetti said, “I have a strong affection for the Commonwealth Games and for Scotland as the place where I began my marathon running career. That makes having this chance to lead the Australian Team at Glasgow 2014 even more special.
“I was the final person to be selected for the Australian Team when the Games were last held in Scotland and this time I’m the first,” he joked.
If Australia is to top the medal tally at Glasgow 2014, Moneghetti believes that every athlete will need to be at the top of their game.
“Winning medals is getting tougher as the standard of competition gets stronger,” said Moneghetti. “With the home nations coming off such a successful Olympics, and several other Commonwealth nations looking to chip away at Australia’s medal dominance, every medal will be a hard fought battle,” said Moneghetti.
ACGA Chief Executive Perry Crosswhite AM said it was an advantage for the athletes, and for Australia, to have someone of Moneghetti’s undoubted experience and leadership qualities in such a key role within the Team.
“Steve continues to be one of the most respected names in Australian sport and will be a great ambassador and spokesperson for the Team in the lead up to and during the Games,” said Crosswhite.
“As Chef de Mission at Delhi 2010, Steve demonstrated his leadership qualities and ability to motivate those around him by keeping the Team focused on performing in an undoubtedly challenging environment,” said Crosswhite.
“We are delighted that he was keen to take on the role again in 2014 where his experience in representing Australia as an athlete, a coach and most recently as Chef de Mission, gives him a unique understanding of what it takes to succeed in the Games environment.”
Other key roles in the Australian Commonwealth Games Team announced today are Diane Gallagher as Team General Manager and Dr Grace Bryant OAM as Medical Director.
Gallagher has been involved with the Australian Team in every Games since 2002, most recently as the Assistant Team General Manager at both Delhi 2010 and Melbourne 2006. She takes over the lead Team managerial role previously occupied by Perry Crosswhite at Delhi 2010.
Dr Bryant OAM has been Head Doctor with the Australian Team at every Games since 1998 and is a member of the Australia Commonwealth Games Medical Commission. She takes over the Medical Director role previously occupied by Dr Peter Harcourt OAM.
Other major Team appointments will be announced over the coming months.
Glasgow 2014:
– The 18 sports in the Glasgow 2014 Sports Programme are: Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Diving Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
– The 2014 Games again includes para sports integrated into the main Games programme with 22 medal events on offer across five sports: Aquatics (Swimming), Athletics, Cycling (Track), Lawn Bowls and Powerlifting. For the first time Para-Sport Cycling (Track) events will be included.
– This represents the biggest number of para-sport medal events in Commonwealth Games history which will be reflected in the sizeable contingent of Para athletes that will make up the final Australian Team.
– Sports returning to the Games Programme for 2014 are: Judo and Triathlon. Sports on the Delhi 2010 programme but absent from Glasgow are: Archery, Synchronised Swimming and Tennis.
– Glasgow has a population of 600,000 and is Scotland’s largest city. Competition venues are grouped in three clusters around the city. Diving will be held in the Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh and Shooting at Barry Buddon near Carnoustie which hosted the Full Bore events in the 1986 Games.
ACGA – ‘Supporting Australian Sport’: ï#‚#·# Through its ‘Go Glasgow’ program, the ACGA is distributing $7m of its own funds to support athlete
preparation for these Games. Grants are going directly to the participating sports, including Para-Sports.
– The ACGA is also a significant funder of junior high performance sport through its Australian Junior Commonwealth Games Squad (AJCGS) program. This program aims to assist junior athletes who have the potential to be selected in future Australian Commonwealth Games Teams by funding international competition experience. The ACGA has contributed more than $8m to junior development since the program began in 1996.
– The ACGA also funds the Teams representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games both of which provide the athletes with invaluable experience of elite level competition in a multi-sports environment.
Athletics Australia
