AOC: Two five-time Olympians have been elected as Presidents of their State Olympic Councils on the road to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist Nat Cook has been voted the new President of the

Queensland Olympic Council, while over in Tasmania three-time Olympic medallist Anthony Edwards takes the top post at the Tasmanian Olympic Council.

Edwards is the second rower currently holding a State Presidency along with dual gold medallist Nick Green who was reaffirmed as the Victorian Olympic Council’s President for another term.

Penny Halliday, mother of 2004 and 2008 Olympic rower Amber Halliday, has been installed as President of the South Australian Olympic Council.

Existing Presidents Helen Brownlee (NSW Olympic Council), Robin Poke (ACT Olympic Council) and Greg Kaeding (WA Olympic Council) will carry on in their Presidential posts.

For Brownlee, the role is another in her suite of leadership positions along with her new stint as a Vice President of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) which was announced yesterday.

All invested in sport from either side of the fence, the State Olympic Council Presidents are charged with the task of fundraising, education and promoting the Olympic Movement.

For Cook, still filled with the passion, energy and big ideas that typified her beach volleyball career, being President of the Queensland Olympic Council is an exciting task.

Over the past ten years, Cook has seen the landscape for the athlete, administrator and coach shift dramatically and she believes the Queensland Olympic Council can adjust accordingly.

 “The Queensland Olympic Council is here to add value to your sport and to your Olympians, past, present and aspiring. Together, we can make a real difference,” Cook said.

Cook was a member of the AOC Athletes Commission from 2008-2012, and attended two International Olympic Committee (IOC) athlete forums which gave her a greater understanding of the how the IOC operates. 

As a beach volleyball athlete of more than 20 years, Cook understands how expensive it is to embark on Olympic campaigns- raising funds each cycle determined the campaigns success.  

Cook has raised over $5 million in funds in her time as an athlete while maintaining her role as Managing Director of Sandstorm Beach Club (a beach sports centre) in Brisbane from 2001 to the present.

With one eye on fundraising, Cook also aspires to raise more awareness of the prestigious Pierre De Coubertin awards and Olympic Day in Queensland schools, following Seb Coe and London 2012’s mission to “Inspire a Generation.”

State Olympic Council Presidents

ACT – Robin Poke

NSW – Helen Brownlee

QLD – Natalie Cook

SA – Penny Halliday

TAS – Anthony Edwards

VIC – Nick Green

WA – Greg Kaeding

To learn more about each of the State Olympic Councils around the country go to their mini-websites here>>>

Australian Olympic Committee
Olympics.com.au