In early July 1952, World War II veteran Captain Claude Vincent Smeal hastily departed the Korean War battlefield to run in the marathon later that month at the Helsinki Olympic Games.
Claude Smeal - From the Korean War battlefield to Helsinki 1952
Claude Smeal - From the Korean War battlefield to Helsinki 1952
The Australian Olympic Committee acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands on which we are located. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.
We celebrate and honour all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Olympians.
The Australian Olympic Committee is committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society and sport.