Former Federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib appointed Australian Olympic Committee CEO

Incoming AOC boss Mark Arbib has put the NRL and AFL on notice, and plans to use the lure of gold at the Brisbane Games to convince young athletes to turn their back on the footy codes and chase Olympic glory.

Incoming AOC boss Mark Arbib has put the NRL and AFL on notice, outlining his plans to use the lure of gold at the Brisbane Games to convince gifted young athletes to turn their back on the footballing codes and chase Olympic glory.

Arbib, the former political powerbroker and Athletics Australian supremo, stopped short of declaring war on the country’s biggest sporting codes on Wednesday morning, when his ascent to the top of the AOC was confirmed.

If anything, he showered them and their leaders in praise. But when it comes to the fight for the country’s most talented athletes, Arbib won’t be taking a backward step as he looks to use the 2032 Brisbane Games to convince the best of the best to turn their back on the riches in the NRL and AFL.

Arbib, who officially takes over as AOC chief executive on May 16 - he will start on May 5 and spend a fortnight working alongside departing chief executive Matt Carroll - knows that Brisbane is his trump card in the battle for talent.

Newly appointed AOC CEO Mark Arbib. Picture: Getty Images for the AOC

“I’m a big fan of the NRL and I’m a big fan of the AFL,” Arbib said.

“I love those sports, but they are absolute commercial giants. They’re juggernauts and we need to ensure that we are on the playing field and that we are fighting for every dollar and for every athlete because they are working very hard and being very successful in what they’re doing.

“As a movement, as a sporting organisation, we need to fight hard. So to me, that’s one of the greatest challenges, and particularly when we’re fighting for athletic talent.

“We have an opportunity with Brisbane to inspire every child, every family, every community to get involved in our Olympic network, to get out on the playing field, to join a sport, to get active.

“We are in a fight for talent and we need to ensure that kids wake up, parents want to enrol their kids in Olympic sports. At the moment, that’s happening and Brisbane is the best way for us to leverage that.”

Mark Arbib steps into the role with a home Olympics to work toward. Picture: Maja Hitij/Getty Images

TAKING ON THE CODES

Arbib knows the power and influence of the footballing codes as well as anyone. A Sydney Roosters fan, for a time he sat on the board of their arch enemies South Sydney as a representative of James Packer, who owns a share of the Rabbitohs.

He understands that the NRL and AFL are powerhouses in this country, dominating the sporting landscape during the football seasons.

The worry for Arbib is that the two codes are growing more and more influential, particularly in the female space. The NRLW and AFLW are expanding at a rate of knots and in the process, snapping up the elite female athletes who would previously have taken up Olympic sports.

Maddison Levi is a shining light for Australia’s Sevens Rugby side, a medal hope at every Olympics, but the former Suns player has been courted by both AFLW and NRLW. Picture: AFP

Arbib concedes it is an area of concern.

“This is not a declaration of war,” Arbib said.

“(ARL Commission chair) Peter V’landys and (AFL chief executive) Andrew Dillon are two people I admire and they are hugely successful at what they do.

“They’re expanding now. Their women’s competitions are extremely successful, so we’re competing for talent now in the women’s sports space and what I don’t want to see is that impacting upon our results.

“Australians want a successful team. They want a successful team at the Winter (Olympics), they want a successful team in LA and in Brisbane and we need to ensure that we are inspiring kids to join us, to become Olympic swimmers, to become Olympic athletes.
“That’s the dream. That’s what Brisbane is for us. It’s our northern star and we’ll be using it to inspire children, families, communities to get involved and take up Olympic sport.”

Incoming AOC boss Mark Arbib says Australia wants a successful Winter Olympics team, with athletes like Jaclyn Narracott who won silver in the women’s skeleton in 2022. Picture: AFP

THE POLITICAL ANIMAL

Arbib was a powerful figure in the Labor party in a previous life, wielding huge influence and holding several portfolios including a stint as the Minister for Sport.

He was also a key figure in the 2010 coup that saw Kevin Rudd ousted as Prime Minister for Julia Gillard and few know how to work a back room or boardroom as well as Arbib.

Those qualities will no doubt come in handy as he takes up the fight for Australia’s athletes.

“I’ve got a pretty long list of achievements in sport,” Arbib said.

“I’ve put myself forward and I was lucky to be selected. It’s humbling. I’ve got just as many friends on the Liberal side as I’ve got on the Labor side. That’s not going to surprise you.

“I’ll get on well with Peter Dutton. I’ll get on well with Anthony Albanese. I’ll work with whoever the Prime Minister is like the rest of the board.

“We are very lucky in this country to have two leaders who are so committed to public service, and we’ll work closely with them to get the best for our athletes, to get the best for our sports.

“That’s my commitment.”

Mark Arbib was a Labor Senator until 2012 (pictured), but has had boardroom stints at Souths, Sydney FC, the World Anti-Doping Authority and six years as chair of Athletics Australia.

Politics aside, his resume also includes boardroom stints at Souths, Sydney FC, the World Anti-Doping Authority and six years as chair of Athletics Australia.

The Olympic movement can be a viper’s nest and Arbib was asked on Wednesday whether he had a message for IOC president-elect Kirsty Coventry.

“I was over the moon to see Kirsty take the position,” Arbib said.
“She is someone who has an incredible story. She has done so much for her country, has done so much for sport globally. The message I’d like to send her is Australia, the AOC, our government, we want to work with her.
“We want to deliver the best Games possible, the best Games ever in Brisbane and Australia supports the Olympic movement. We support the ideals and we want Australians to be inspired by the flame and by the rings.”

THE APPOINTMENT

Arbib has been a member of the AOC’s Executive Committee since 2016 and chaired the AOC’s Brisbane 32 Legacy and Impact Committee.

His glittering resume meant he already had the inside running to the AOC’s top job and Arbib went out of his way to make sure he avoided a conflict of interest.

“Well, Matt Carroll advised the AOC board that he was stepping down in November last year,” Arbib said.

“So from that point I started thinking about it. Then the applications opened in January. And I thought just went through the proper process, I made sure I let the president know because there’s obviously conflict.

“Then I completely stayed out of the process and just worked through the external recruiters.”

Matt Carroll will finish his time as AOC boss in May. Picture: NewsWire

The AOC hired global executive recruitment firm Odgers Berndtson to conduct their search for a new chief executive and Arbib eventually trumped former Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and Commonwealth Games Australia president Ben Houston for the prestigious position.

“From our point of view, Mark obviously expressed his interest to me after Matt gave notice and said he was stepping away from the role,” AOC president Ian Chesterman said.

“I said to Mark, you’re a great candidate, please put your application in because you’ll be treated like everybody else.

”It was a very thorough process, pretty detailed process. I think Mark himself was surprised how challenging it was and it produced a great result for us.”

SPRINTING TO BRISBANE

As a former chair of Athletics Australia, Arbib has taken a keen interest in the rise and rise of Australian sprinting.

The prodigiously talented Gout Gout has captured the world’s attention, but the depth is what excites Arbib. Lachie Kennedy is threatening to break the 10-second barrier and Torrie Lewis has shown she is a force to be reckoned with on the world stage.

Gout Gout (left) and Lachlan Kennedy are leading Australia’s sprinters. Picture: Getty Images

Gout Gout, though, has the potential to be a generational talent in Australian athletics and Arbib is as excited as anyone, albeit with the caveat that the teenager needs to be given time and space to reach his potential.

“He’s an extraordinary talent,” Arbib said.

“He has the talent and potential to be an Olympic gold medallist. But it’s very important that we allow him to develop his talent and not …. place the expectations of the nation on him.

“This is a young man who is still at school. We need to give him space. We need to let him develop. We need to let him work with his coach.

“And the sky’s the limit. At the same time as that, we’ve got other sprinters like Lachie Kennedy coming through and a Rohan Browning and Torrie Lewis in the women’s who are game changers.”

The sprinters aside, rising stars in the middle distances such as Cameron Myers and Claudia Hollingsworth give Arbib hope that the Australian team can hit the ground literally running in Los Angeles, where the track and field competition will be held on the first week.

LA aside, all should be entering their prime when Brisbane arrives.

“What people haven’t factored in yet for LA is that athletics is week one,” Arbib said.

“We are all excited by the possibilities of having Gout Gout and Lachie and Rohan and Torrie running week one of the Olympic Games in LA.

“A number of these young track and field stars will hopefully fully bloom in Brisbane. We need them to do that just the same as we need our best Olympic swimmers, our best tennis players, our best equestrian riders to all come together at the right time.

“But coming from athletics and being the (former) chair, it’s extremely exciting to see the potential and to see the pipelines come to fruition.”

Originally published as Former Federal Sports Minister Mark Arbib appointed Australian Olympic Committee CEO