Proud nation cheers our sports stars in Australia Day honours

Australians are split over who should and should not get an Australia Day honour, whether they went to the Olympics or not.

A Golden Slam winner, Australia’s greatest Olympian and the spiritual heart of the Olympic team, who led his side to the dais for the first time, top the list of athletes to receive Australia Day honours.

Dylan Alcott, Emma McKeon and Patty Mills produced extraordinary achievements in their fields of tennis, swimming and basketball in 2021, and were leaders off the court and out of the pool as well.

Alcott, who won the calendar year Grand Slam as well as the Olympic gold medal in the quad wheelchair division, has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service.

The tennis player, radio host, commentator and motivational speaker established the Dylan Alcott Foundation in 2017, which helps young Australians with disabilities gain self-esteem and respect through sport and study.

Alcott will retire from tennis this week after playing the quad wheelchair final at the Australian Open on Thursday, ending a brilliant career but opening a new chapter of his life.

He made a mad dash to Canberra after winning his semi-final in Melbourne on Tuesday morning to take part in Australia Day celebrations as Victoria’s nominee for Australian of the Year.

The passion of Dylan Alcott shows during his quad singles gold medal match win over Sam Schroder at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Picture: Getty Images

“To be nominated and for a person of disability to win that award would be massive – and I can’t be sitting in my bedroom on Zoom with bad internet if I win,” he said of the decision for his mid-tournament trip.

Alcott said it was his purpose to change perceptions so people with disabilities could live the lives they deserved.

“I want to change perceptions not just in sport – in classrooms, in boardrooms, in education, in parliaments, in everyday life, like dating and going to bars. I am seeing more and more representation, which is awesome,” he said.

Mills was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his efforts in helping Australia win its first Olympic basketball medal in Tokyo.

Mills became the first Indigenous Australian to carry the flag in the opening ceremony at the Games and was the heart and soul of the Olympic team.

Patty Mills blasts past the USA’s Kevin Durant at the Tokyo Olympics. Picture: Adam Head

The proud Kokatha (South Australia) and Muralag (Torres Strait) man inspired a nation with his performances in Tokyo and continues to do so from the US where he plays for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA.

McKeon became Australia’s greatest Olympian when she won an incredible seven medals, including four gold, at the Tokyo Olympics, taking her overall tally to 11 Olympic medals, including five gold.

McKeon was also appointed an AM, having been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2017 following her gold-medal win in Rio.

“It’s definitely a huge honour. I’ve looked up to other people who have got this award and it’s an honour to be in that kind of company,” McKeon said.

“I’m just grateful for the support Australia’s given me. I definitely felt that in Tokyo and I still feel it now – people still stop me and say how much joy it brought them during lockdown, which was such a tough time for everyone.”

Mills and McKeon are among four current or former athletes to be honoured with the AM, along with Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo and former Diamonds netballer and commentator Cath Cox.

Another 32 – mainly gold medal winners from the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as netballer Kim Green and soccer player Sam Kerr – were awarded OAMs.

News Corp readers have expressed the view they think many have just been rewarded for doing their “day job”.

While they were supportive of Alcott’s nomination as Australian of the Year, one wrote: “Participating in sport, even winning a medal, doing your job, being an actor, etc., should not be rewarded with a gong. The Australia Day awards should be selective, a reward for outstanding achievements, above and beyond.”

Another said: “I’m a sports fanatic but you shouldn’t get an Australia Day award for going to the Olympics, it’s a personal goal and you get government assistance to go and that should be enough.”

Originally published as Proud nation cheers our sports stars in Australia Day honours