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Australia at the Olympics

Australia is one of five countries to have been represented at all Summer Olympic Games (the others are Greece, Great Britain, France and Switzerland). Australia has not always participated under their own flag - they participated in 1908 and 1912 as part of a combined Australasia team with New Zealand. Australia have also hosted the Games twice - in Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000.

Trivia

• In the 1908 and 1912 Games, athletes from Australia and New Zealand competed together as a single team, which was designated Australasia (ANZ).

• The first women's swimming gold medal was won by the Australian Sarah 'Fanny' Durack, who won the 100m freestyle in 1912.

• The Olympic torchbearer for the 1956 Olympics was a virtually unknown 19 year old at the time he carried the torch into the stadium at Melbourne. Ron Clarke went on to become the world's finest distance runner in the 1960s.

• Bob Windle is relatively unknown, but has a prominent place in Australia's fine 1500m swimming record. He won the event in 1964, in an Olympic record time of 17min 1.7seconds.

• In Sydney, 2000, Aboriginal Cathy Freeman lit the cauldron at the start of the Games, and went on to win the 400m race.

• In 2000, 17-year-old Ian Thorpe won four medals (three gold) in swimming, breaking his own world record in the 400m freestyle.

• Australia's Best Ever Medal Tally was the the Sydney Olympics (2000) with 58 medals (16 gold, 25 silver, 17 bronze)

• In 2008 in Beijing, BMX was added to the Olympic cycling program. Representing Australia was a rider called Kamakazi, a Queensland BMX champion who changed his name from Jamie Hildebrandt by deed poll.

Related Pages

• about the Australasia team at the Olympic Games
• about every Country at the Olympic Games
• Australia at the Olympcis Quiz
• information about Australia's participation at the Olympics
• Melbourne Olympics 1956
• Sydney Olympics 2000
• About Sport in Australia