Anthony Albanese gets his man as Greg Norman agrees to help shape 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games

Greg Norman has been hand picked by Anthony Albanese to play a vital role in the Brisbane Olympics, fresh from his LIV Golf axing.

Greg Norman has been hand-picked by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to join the board planning both Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The former World No. 1 golfer-turned-sports administrator is Albanese’s latest addition to the 24-person Brisbane organising committee.

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The Aussie sporting legend is seen as a major coup, with his experience building LIV Golf, and his limitless sporting and business connections, making him the committee’s biggest name and potentially its most pivotal signing.

And after being relieved of his role with LIV Golf, it is a job the man known as ‘Shark’ is eager to sink his teeth into.

“While I wish I could wind the clock back four decades and compete in 2032 – it is a privilege to help shape the Brisbane Games,” Norman told The Courier-Mail.

Greg Norman is the latest addition to the 24-person 2032 Brisbane Games organising committee. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“In my youth in the 70s I worked in the golf shop at Royal Queensland and now that course will be the home of golf at Brisbane 2032.

“As a proud Queenslander, it is an honour and privilege to help shape the Brisbane Games.

“We will prove our credentials as world leaders in events, sport and hospitality at Brisbane 2032, and create an incredible legacy for this state.

“I look forward to working alongside the other committee members of OCOG in achieving our goals.”

He will replace Graham Perrett on the board, as the Moreton MP is set to retire from federal politics at the upcoming election.

Anthony Albanese hand-picked Greg Norman for the role. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

While Sports Minister Anika Wells, who backed Norman for the role, said his experience and profile are a huge plus for the Games.

 “Norman is synonymous with Australian sporting success on the world stage and I look forward to drawing on his 40 years of global sporting experience and business acumen,” she said.

“Norman learned to play golf in the northern suburbs of Brisbane and as a proud Queenslander understands our state’s sporting pride and is a passionate supporter of the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

“I want to thank Graham Perrett for his stellar contribution to OCOG.”

The development comes after Norman was officially replaced as the chief executive and commissioner of LIV.

Norman’s exit, having led LIV from its dramatic birth and clashed with players including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods after poaching major champions from the PGA Tour, had been flagged but is now complete, with leading American sports executive Scott O’Neil taking charge.

While the war Norman started has thawed, with both the PGA Tour and LIV’s Saudi backers, the Public Investment Fund, in talks over a new deal to bring them closer together, the impact he had on the sport in the past three years can’t be understated.

But while LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan lauded him as “instrumental” to every bit of early success, Norman lost the battle for world ranking points, cruelling attempts for players who crossed over to get into the majors, and failed to land a major broadcast deal in the US.

- with NCA NewsWire

Originally published as Anthony Albanese gets his man as Greg Norman agrees to help shape 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games