Australian swimming legend takes plunge back into the Olympic arena elected to AOC executive board
Susie O’Neill has joined the Australian Olympic Committee in the build-up to Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics, elected as one of seven board members at the AGM.
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Australia’s original Madame Butterfly Susie O’Neill has taken the plunge back into the Olympics, winning a highly sought-after place on the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) executive board.
On the lookout for fresh challenges after recently turning 50 and giving up her job as a radio breakfast show host in Queensland, O’Neill has returned to her sporting roots by joining the AOC in the build-up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
One of seven board members who were voted in for four-year terms at Saturday’s AOC annual general meeting in Sydney, the former champion swimmer said the timing was perfect for her to dive back into her first true love, but as an administrator rather than a competitor.
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“I’ve got more spare time on my hands. My kids have grown up, I’ve just quit my day job and obviously I’m passionate about the Olympics,” she said.
“I think the lead into Brisbane 2032 is really exciting. I want to be a part of it, I want to be around athletes, I want to help athletes as much as I can.
“It’s the only peacetime event that we will do around the world, especially with the world going a bit crazy sometimes.”
A legend in the pool, O’Neill retired from swimming after the Sydney 2000 Olympics following a stellar career that ranks her among the all-time greats.
She won eight Olympic medals, including individual golds at Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000), as well as a stack of world and Commonwealth titles.
As popular as ever, she was elected onto the AOC board along with Craig Bingham, Alisa Camplin-Warner, Craig Carracher, Kitty Chiller, Michael Murphy and Elizabeth Scott.
Ian Chesterman was also re-elected unchallenged as AOC president while Matt Allen and Evelyn Halls, also unchallenged, were reappointed as vice-presidents.
John Coates was honoured as lifetime honorary president after standing down following 32 years as president. He was succeeded by Chesterman in 2022.
Fully recovered after undergoing treatment for cancer, Coates joked how he’d been through a rough time lately but was feeling ‘dangerous’ again after getting a clean bill of health.
The AOC has never elected a female president but Chesterman said it was inevitable it would happen, perhaps sooner rather than later.
“It’s only a matter of time. You look at the strength of female leaders we have in our sport at the moment, which I’ve been very pleased to promote.” he said.
“I’ve no doubt that there will be people putting up their hands and I’ll be very happy to hand the baton to the first female president of the AOC.”
Asked whether he would seek another term at the next AOC election in 2029, where the president during the Brisbane Games will be chosen, Chesterman said it was too early to even think about.
“It’s four years to go and so I won’t go too far ahead,” he said.
“I love the Olympic movement so if I can continue to serve and people want me to continue to serve I’ll try and do that as long as I can but not for me but for the movement.
“I know my end date is a lot closer than my start both in the AOC and the Olympic movement. Coatesy went for 32 years, that would make me 95, I’m not going to try and beat him.”
The AOC is still riding high after the team’s incredible success at Tokyo (2021), Beijing (2022) and Paris (2024) Summer and Winter Games but aware there is no room for complacency with Milano Cortina less than 12 months away and Los Angeles a little over three years away.
With US President Donald Trump back in the White House, Chesterman said he was expecting the LA Games to be a great success but warned Australia to increase its funding levels to remain among the leading nations on the medals table.
“We cannot compete against the best in the world if we’re busy trying to just survive,” he said.
“We’re highly confident the Americans are going to put on a great Games. I know that they will welcome the world.
“We’ve worked very closely with the organising committee, the IOC has and everybody is given full commitment that everybody from around the world will be able to come to the United States and compete at these Games.”
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