Cricket great Steve Waugh will be a member of the 2008 Australian Olympic Team accepting a role as an Athlete Liaison Officer (ALO) along with John Eales and Susie O’Neill in Beijing.

“Steve is a champion athlete and an inspirational leader and he will be a great asset to the Team in Beijing,” said AOC President John Coates.

“Between them John Eales, Susie O’Neill and Steve have a mountain of experience at the elite level and they will support and motivate our Team.”

Athlete Liaison Officers live in the Olympic Village throughout the Games and play a key role mentoring athletes and creating team harmony.

They work with the coaches and help the athletes maintain focus and maximise performance. They speak about their experiences and share the highs and lows of their careers.

ALO’s also assist athletes and Team management in dealing with issues that arise during the Games.

“John Eales established an amazing rapport with the athletes in Athens, he was in demand, and I am sure Steve and Susie will have the same positive effect in Beijing” Coates said.

“At this point we estimate our Team will number 507 athletes, many of them first-time Olympians, who will no doubt be nervous and will benefit greatly from the encouragement provided by the ALO’s” Coates said.

Waugh lived in the Commonwealth Games Village in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 when cricket was included on the program. He experienced life inside an Olympic Village when he attended a Team bar-b-que during the Sydney 2000 Games.

Eales and his Wallaby team-mates also toured the Village during the Sydney Games. At that time Susie O’Neill was competing at her third Olympics winning gold in the 200m freestyle and three silver medals to finish her career with eight Olympic medals.

So popular was “Madame Butterfly” with athletes around the world she was elected to the IOC Athletes Commission in a vote taken by all competitors at the 2000 Games. She accepted her first role as an ALO with the 2002 Australian Olympic Team in Salt Lake City.

“Susie has the benefit of three Olympic campaigns as an athlete and one as an ALO and I am sure our Beijing athletes will want to draw on her experiences and what made her such a great champion” Coates said.

In Beijing all three will work closely with the effervescent Laurie Lawrence who has been appointed Village Activities Co-Coordinator. Together they will organise recreational activities in the Australian section of the Village.

“Laurie is the master when it comes to Team harmony and having fun. Together with the ALO’s they will create an atmosphere where you get to know your mates, you support each other and you go out and barrack for your mates when you are not competing,” Coates said.

AOC