australian swimming 93rd annual report 2001/2002

The Wide World of Sports coverage from the Pan
Pacs in Yokohama was outstanding with Gary
Burns’ Channel Nine team of Tim Sheridan,
Duncan Armstrong, Nicole Livingstone, Ray
Warren, cameraman Paul ‘Bussy’ Boersma and
hard working production team Heather McCann,
Jane Caswell, Lesley Tapsall and John Baxter,
providing brilliant television.
The Pan Pacs gave the Wide World of Sports
team record ratings with over 2 million viewers
on average watching the six-day coverage.
Swimming can certainly be thankful of the
Channel Nine coverage and proud of the e≈orts
of its former stars and to continually promote
the sport as ambassadors and experts in their
fields, but spare a thought for the hardy band
of swimming scribes?
The 2001–2002 season has once again seen a
dedicated group of journalists continue to
follow the fortunes of our swimmers around
the world.
Swimming has become a sound round for the
journo to cover. Stars like Ian Thorpe, Grant
Hackett, Petria Thomas, Giaan Rooney, Geo≈
Huegill and Leisel Jones have made it almost
essential for all the Metropolitan Dailies to
have dedicated swimming writers.
Nicole Je≈ery (The Australian), Wayne Smith
(Courier Mail), Michael Cowley (The Sydney
Morning Herald), Janelle Miles (AAP), Bevan
Eakins (The West Australian) and Catriona
Dixon (Daily Telegraph) have probably penned
more words on the sport of swimming than
renowned coaches Forbes Carlile and Cecil
Colwin and that is saying something.
The full-time swimming writers followed the
Telstra Dolphins team into Germany for the
pre-Commonwealth Games camp in
Sindelfingen where they were joined by crews
from Channel Nine and Channel Seven as well
as News Limited photographer Craig Borrow, a
host of English journalists and German media
representatives.
The attention on the team in Germany was
extraordinary as the media covered the
preparation of the team for Manchester and
the relationships between the Australian team
and the Australian media had never been
stronger and more amicable.
High performance director Greg Hodge and head
coaches Alan Thompson and Ken Wood played
major roles in facilitating the relationships.
Under the direction of Australian Swimming’s
assistant media manager and Hanson Sports
Media representative David Mason, the
Australian team hosted a series of press
conferences and open media days as well as
media training days for the team rookies.
The team arrived in Manchester in the middle of
the Games to a huge media contingent at the
airport which included a host of Australian and
English TV, radio and press representatives and
photographers—totalling well over 100.
The media coverage at the pool saw host TV
broadcasters Channel Seven, with Bruce
McAvaney, Don Talbot and Hayley Lewis on
show with host Radio broadcasters the ABC
represented by Gerry Collins, the incomparable
and unstoppable Norman May and rookie
expert commentator Susie O’Neill.
The ratings were massive with 2.7 million
tuning into the opening night, which saw
Ian Thorpe establish a new world record in
the 400 metres freestyle.
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ABC radio news and the Southern Cross radio
news teams were also there reporting every
stroke and every split-time as the Aussie
swimmers chalked up a record 27 gold medals.
The time-di≈erence made life di÷cult for the
swimming writers who had to cover the Games
for their readership, well after the races had
been swum.
Then there was the dedicated team of ‘nonrights
holders’ which included Channels Nine,
Ten and the ABC; Sky News, the 2GB and Triple
M radio networks, who gathered nightly on
what became a≈ectionately known as the
‘grassy knoll’—a small park across the road
from the Manchester Aquatic Centre.
To the team became known as the‘Knoll Rights
Holders’, the Commonwealth Games team
appreciated your e≈orts in the fickle
Manchester weather as much as we know you
appreciated theirs both in the pool and to
make the nightly cross to Knollville.
Ian Hanson
managing director
hanson sports media
media director australian swimming inc.