Hall of Fame welcomes Matthew Mitcham

Hall of Fame welcomes Matthew Mitcham

Australia’s first openly gay Olympic gold medallist Matthew Mitcham was one of the guests of honour at the 24th annual Australian Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Melbourne’s Crown Casino last night.

Mitcham joined Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other gold medallists Stephanie Rice and Steve Hooker along with former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh and rugby league legend Wally Lewis to watch this year’s inductees welcomed into the annals of history.

Eight athletes of outstanding ability were inducted on the night as athlete and general members of the Hall of Fame in an event which was televised on Fox Sports.

Hall of Fame chairman and former Olympian sailor John Bertrand said the event was a highlight of the sporting calendar.

The Sports Hall of Fame inspires all Australians by recognising and promoting the outstanding sporting achievements of our greatest athletes and encourages everyone, young and old, to reach their sport and life potential, he said.

The annual dinner and induction ceremony is a fantastic celebration of sport.

Nine champions of the future will be honoured and will benefit through the allocation of a series of $5000 grants and mentoring programs through which young athletes are teamed up with current Hall of Famers.

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3 responses to “Hall of Fame welcomes Matthew Mitcham”

  1. what a lousy bitchy thing to say, stand up for his openness and achievement or crawl back under your rock you idiot.

  2. Hm, valid point. I was asking myself the same thing. I wonder his financial arrangements were in case he won a gold medal. It might be some sponsorship reward that was promised in case he wins it.

  3. Putting aside his outstanding achievements and the joy he brought to Australia, am I the only one questioning why there was no money to flight his mom and partner to Beijing but there was enough for a month of traveling through Europe. After all, organizations and individuals made donations to his cause that, if he didn’t really needed them, could have helped someone else. Did he got a sponsor for those as well?