Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (10:43)
Yesterday was a very important day in the Olympic history of our nation. Forty-five years later, the team that represented our country at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow has been properly recognised—finally. The Prime Minister welcomed them into the parliament to officially give them the recognition they all deserve. We honoured their contributions, celebrated their athletic achievements and, importantly, recognised their pain. Representing Australia on the world stage is one of the greatest honours.
I was lucky enough to represent Australia at five Olympic Games. Each time, I was representing a country that was proud to be sending us off and cheering us on. The athletes were celebrated, and so too were their achievements.
I competed with the feeling that Australia was behind me. But this wasn't the case for the 1980 Olympians.
Following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Australian government followed other nations, including the US, and publicly pressured the Australian Olympic Federation and our athletes to boycott the Moscow Olympic Games. Despite months of intense political and media pressure, the Australian Olympic Federation remained defiant and sent the team. What a great decision that was.
The politics of the time should not take away from the achievements of these athletes. Regardless of what was happening politically, it does not change the fact that these athletes of the 1980 Australian Olympic team had put in the work to get to the highest stage of their sporting careers. They dedicated their lives to their sport and achieved the ultimate goal of every athlete: representing their country on the Olympic stage. Not only should these athletes be recognised; but they should be celebrated, as all other Olympians are in this country.
To qualify for the Olympic Games, exceptional talent is only the start. It requires so much more than that. To perform at that level you need grit, character, courage, focus, years of hard work, absolute dedication and sacrifices from family, friends and loved ones. Athletes, their families and their teams spend a huge amount of time and energy in pursuit of trying to win in the Olympic Games or even just making an Olympic team.
When that effort pays off, you are selected to represent our great nation, don the green and gold and compete for Australia on the biggest sporting stage in the world. It should be a moment of pride and something you cherish for the rest of your life. When you walk into the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games behind the Australian flag, you should draw strength from knowing that the whole of Australia is with you. When you compete, you should feel that Australians of all sorts—from everyday punters watching at home to our leaders, our commentators and anyone in general—have your back and are all there watching you and cheering you on. On your return, you should be welcomed home and celebrated for the inspiration you have brought to the next generation of Australians.
The Australian government's boycott of the 1980 Olympics put our athletes in a terrible position. It unlocked a wave of public pressure to drop out of the games. Some of our athletes were only teenagers and, instead of being able to focus on their sport with the backing of their nation, they had to navigate abuse and pressure like no Olympians have had to navigate ever.
Ultimately, 121 athletes represented Australia, where they competed on the world stage and won this country nine Olympic gold medals. There was extraordinary achievement among those nine medals. Australians won their first gold medal with Michelle Ford winning in the women's 800-metre freestyle and also won gold in the 4 x 100-metre medley. These were Australia's first gold medals since the Munich Olympics of 1972. That's a very long drought, and not one that we want to achieve again, yet the returning athletes were not celebrated as heroes. Instead, they were given the cold shoulder or, worse, were treated like traitors, and it's absolutely disgusting that they went through that.
Yesterday in this place we did our bit to fix the historical record. Yesterday, on the 45th anniversary, we recognised all these amazing athletes' achievements and acknowledged that they were there, they were competing for our country and they did an amazing job. Thank you for going over and doing that. These Olympians should take pride in both their athletic achievement and the strength of character they had to stand up for themselves and their country and go and compete for their country.
There were also 17 people that actually didn't make it to an Olympic Games teams. To those 17 people I say sorry for all the hard work that you put in and all the sacrifices that you, your family members and your loved ones were put through for a sport that you loved and wanted to compete in at the highest stage. We recognise you and we are also standing with you on this day.
To the team of 1980: you are Olympians; you are great Australians; you have earned your place in the sporting history of our nation. You are an inspiration, and 45 years later we honour and welcome you home. Thank you for your strength, thank you for your courage and thank you for your Olympic spirit.
I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens in Los Angeles in 2028 and seeing our athletes competing over there. I'm getting ready for the next crop of Olympians to come through and for the amazing atmosphere that there will be in Brisbane in 2032.
It's going to be a spectacle like no other. It's going to make Sydney look like it was an amateur; I'm really looking forward to seeing it. That's a high bar to have. And I am from New South Wales, so it's a very high bar to have. The Sydney Olympics were amazing, and what Brisbane is going to do is outshine every other Olympics that has been had in the world. I'm really looking forward to seeing it.
To every Olympian out there: thank you for all your hard work and your dedication. To the families and friends of Olympians as well: you guys are the driving force behind us that gets us to wake up every day and make sure that we can go and compete at our best. For the training, dedication and time given by our coaches and all the support staff—everyone involved in making the Olympics happen—thank you, and remember: once an Olympian, always an Olympian. Cheers.
