- Cathy Freeman attended a memorial service on Tuesday
- Olympic hero pays tribute to Kevan Gosper in Melbourne
- She was greeted by Nine’s host Eddie McGuire.
Stars gathered in Melbourne on Tuesday to pay tribute to Australian athlete and Olympic medallist Kevan Gosper.
Sydney heroine Cathy Freeman was on hand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the moving ceremony where Gosper’s family said goodbye to their loved one after he passed away aged 90 in July.
Former Collingwood president and TV presenter Eddie McGuire was seen giving Freeman a kiss on the hand ahead of the ceremony, at which IOC presidential candidate Lord Sebastian Coe gave a speech.
Freeman was left without the forearm crutch she had previously used to help her walk after undergoing surgery last year.
The athletics world came together to commemorate Gosper, who won an Olympic silver medal on Australia’s 4x400m relay team at the 1956 Melbourne Games before becoming recognised as one of the country’s leading sporting administrators.
Gosper, a long-serving member of the International Olympic Committee, was also the inaugural president of the Australian Institute of Sport from 1980.
Gosper served as president of the Australian Olympic Federation and was instrumental in the organisation of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, when he was vice-president of the organising committee.
Gosper served on AOC’s board of directors for decades while also working as a senior corporate executive.
Eddie McGuire greeted Cathy Freeman with a kiss at a memorial service on Tuesday
Sydney Olympic hero was at the MCG to commemorate Kevan Gosper
IOC presidential candidate Lord Sebastian Coe gave a speech at the ceremony
He is the former President and CEO of Shell Australia and later led the company’s Asia Pacific operations while based in London.
Gosper was also a director of companies including Crown Resorts and Lion Nathan, but throughout his business life he remained passionate about the Olympic cause.
His work on the Sydney Olympics played a major role in them being described as the “best Games in history” by then IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch at the 2000 closing ceremony.
Gosper was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1986 for his services to sport and was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame three years later.
According to his Hall of Fame entry, he was “one of the world’s greatest 400 metres runners” at one stage, winning gold in the race at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, and acting as captain of the Australian athletics team at Melbourne in 1956, as well as at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Controversy hit Gosper just before the 2000 Games when her daughter Sophie became Australia’s first Olympic torchbearer in a shock last-minute announcement.
The Olympic great apologized but denied having anything to do with the decision.
In a statement, AOC president Ian Chesterman said Gosper had been a global giant in the Olympic movement.
Kevan Gosper (pictured) has passed away aged 90 after a short illness.
Before taking up roles as director of the Australian Institute of Sport, Gosper (pictured centre at the 1958 Empire Games) was a top-class runner.
“Kevan was one of the true giants of the Olympic movement, not just in Australia but globally,” Chesterman said.
‘His loss will be greatly felt by many of his friends who will be gathering in Paris for the Olympics. There will be many there from around the world who will be deeply saddened by the news of Kevan’s passing today.
‘Kevan’s impact in Australia was enormous, as a former president of the Australian Olympic Committee and a lifelong servant of sport in this country. But internationally his contribution was equally significant.
‘He rose to the heights of the International Olympic Committee as an administrator after having performed with distinction in his sport, athletics, being a two-time Olympian and winning a silver medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
‘Kevan’s career is remarkable. He became an IOC member in 1977 and twice served as IOC vice president, as well as being twice elected to the executive board. He was involved in some of the most important decisions of his time.’