Pearson and Roe honoured at World Athletics Congress
Published Fri 19 Nov 2021
Two Australians have been heralded at the 53rd World Athletics Congress on Friday, with Olympic champion Sally Pearson and esteemed administrator and official Brian Roe recognised for their contributions to the sport.
Roe became the fourth Australian to be awarded with the Plaque of Merit for his service within the Oceania region, while Pearson was awarded the World Athletics Veteran Pin for her long service to the cause of world athletics.
Tasmania’s Roe has great experience in all aspects of athletics, at local, national, area and international levels. He has worked in the sport in both voluntary and professional capacities for more than three decades.
Roe’s expertise and involvement includes work as an international technical official, a member of both the IAAF Technical Committee and IAAF TOECS Working Group, delegate to IAAF Congress and Technical Delegate. He has also acted as an Athlete Representative and a Consultant to IAAF Competitions and Member Services Departments.
At an Area and National Level, he has also served as an Athletics Australia Board Director, President of Athletics Tasmania Team Member and Selection Chair for Oceania and Australian Teams, Chair of Athletics Australia’s Doping Control Commission, as well as the Competition Director for the Sydney Olympics, 1996 World Athletics Junior Championships and 2001 Goodwill Games amongst other positions.
London 2012 gold medallist Sally Pearson is one of Australia’s most prolific track and field athletes of all time. In an international career spanning 16-years, Pearson amassed a total of 13 international medals, including two Olympic medals and two World Athletics titles.
Since announcing her retirement in 2019, Pearson has focused on helping the next generation of athletes succeed in their own careers. Pearson coaches a squad based on the Gold Coast made up of Australian and Fijian athletes, and also works as Athletics Australia’s Technical Advisor, mentoring the rising stars of the sport. She is also a member of the Oceania Athletics Association (OAA) Athletes’ Commission and has recently joined the OAA Competition Commission.
Athletics Australia Chief Executive Officer Peter Bromley commended both Roe and Pearson for their awards.
“On behalf of Athletics Australia, I sincerely congratulate both Brian and Sally on being bestowed with these awards from World Athletics overnight,” Bromley said.
“Brian has been a staple of the Australian athletics community for more than 35 years, and his commitment to his craft has created a legacy within our community. There aren’t many officials or administrators that have had quite the impact that Brian has had, and that’s something worth recognisng.
“The World Athletics Veteran pin is also due recognition for an athlete of Sally’s stature within the global athletics community. Sally is an indelible part of Australian athletics and is one of our greatest athletes of all time. Her success from early in her career, and even now as a mentor to our current crop of talent, has no doubt been a contributing factor to the increase in the profile of athletics in Australia.
“We are grateful that World Athletics has recognised both Brian and Sally as two greats of our sport. Their contributions, while very different from each other, have been nothing but remarkable.”
In other news overnight, Athletics Australia has also been recognised for its success in 2021, with a nomination for the World Athletics Member Federation Award. First awarded last year at the World Athletics Awards, the Member Federation category honours national governing bodies that have gone above and beyond to serve their athletes, fans and the greater community.
Despite the obstacles that pandemic provided, Athletics Australia was able to host two Continental Tour Bronze and one Continental Tour Silver meetings. The domestic season culminated in one of the largest Australian Track and Field Championships ever, which was highlighted by Nicola McDermott becoming the first Oceanian woman to clear two metres in the high jump.
The Australian team in Tokyo was the second most successful Australian athletics team of all time at an Olympic Games, achieving three medals, five Australian records, 14 top-eight finishes, 20 personal bests and finishing 10th out of 197 nations on the placing table.
The success went beyond high performance, with 120,000 young participants actively involved in the renowned World Athletics Kids’ Athletics program, via the AIS-funded Sporting Schools.
The winner will be announced at the World Athletics Awards 2021, which will be held virtually on Wednesday, 1 December and streamed live on the World Athletics YouTube channel.
By Sascha Ryner, Athletics Australia
Posted: 19/11/2021
