A Rewarding Role | Gerard Ryan Crowned Athletics Australia Official of the Year

Athletics Australia Life Member and freshly crowned Official of the Year Gerard Ryan describes 2023 as a “highlight” of his decorated officiating career spanning the Olympic and Commonwealth Games – all thanks to the opportunity of the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst.

Announced earlier this month as the countdown to the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Summer Series heats up, Ryan took out the award as recognition for his life-long commitment to athletics, with his role as Competition Director at the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships headlining a year of excellence.

“I’m greatly honoured in what was a busy year, I don’t think I could ever be busier than what I was last year. There are a lot of other people who are putting in the hard yards and getting their qualifications, so knowing all the people who could have been nominated – it’s a pretty special achievement,” Ryan said.

“I know I do a lot, but I also know I am part of a much bigger system with so much expertise.”

With the 44^th edition of the championships breaking a 27-year drought since the last World Athletics Championships event was hosted down under, the iconic event delivered on three years of pandemic-induced anticipation – a reward for the athletics community around the globe driven by the organising committee.

“You can’t afford to stuff up a World Cross Country! It was a difficult week with the heatwave setting up, then the storm coming through on the event day – it had its challenges for sure. It is a blur but ever since the first meeting in 2019, I was very fortunate to be on that group and have such a huge team behind it,” Ryan said.

In many ways, Ryan deems the event a great example of the opportunities that lay within the officiating and volunteering ranks of which he has been a member for 30 years now.

“There were all these volunteers and it was a chance for them to get right up close to the athletes. Certainly in the post event area, they were picking athletes up and taking them to first aid. They didn’t see the races; they just saw the carnage at the end!” Ryan said.

“Some of the volunteers were hugely experienced people and weren’t in high up positions, but they were happy to be in a roles where their skills, expertise and calmness was really important.”

The Canberra-based official who has featured as a squad leader at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, hurdles squad supervisor at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and warm-up track manager at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games hopes to see more young people become involved in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“There’s too many of us who aren’t going to make it to 2032 as officials, so it’s important that young men and women get involved in the lead up to 2032. I’m sure there will be opportunities at the National level to train people up and some really strong leaders to help guide them,” Ryan said.

Also heavily involved in the 2023 Chemist Warehouse Australian Cross Country Championships and Australian Cross Country Trials, Ryan’s year took the former Australian representative back to his distance-running origins – where he owns bests of 7:56.3 for 3000m (1985), 3:39.57 over 1500m (1985) and 13:38.72 for 5000m (1986).

“Even when I was competing, I was still helping out. All the clubs were running the venues with different jobs, I remember finishing events and helping with recording and bits and pieces. I got involved in the competition planning and management side of things, and opportunities started to arise,” Ryan said.

For more information on how to become an official, CLICK HERE.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia
Posted: 20/1/2024