Australian Sports Medal | |
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Type | Medal |
Awarded for | Sporting achievements [1] |
Description | Introduced to recognise Australian sporting achievements. |
Presented by | Australia |
Eligibility | Australian Citizen |
Status | Currently issued |
Established | 23 December 1999 |
First awarded | 8 February 2000 |
Last awarded | 2022 Special Honours |
Total | 19,927 [2] |
Website | https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/its-honour/australian-sports-medal |
Order of Wear | |
Next (higher) | 80th Anniversary Armistice Remembrance Medal [3] |
Next (lower) | Centenary Medal [3] |
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. During the original period of its award in 2000–2001, over 18,000 medals were awarded. The award was permanently reactivated in 2020 to commemorate Australian contributions and participation in major multi-sport events.
The Prime Minister announced the creation of the Australian Sports Medal on 31 December 1998 and was formally established on 23 December 1999 by Letters Patent. The medals were first awarded during the year 2000 and were discontinued in 2001.
On 4 December 2020, the Queen of Australia assented to amendments to the regulations for the Australian Sports Medal, which reactivated awards to commemorate Australian sporting participation in major multi-sports events, including: [4] [5]
The year is listed as such in the table due to the award numbers being made public based on the financial year in the Governor Generals Annual Report. [6]
Year | Number awarded | Notes |
---|---|---|
1999-2000 | 18,012 | Initially awarded during the awards first inception. [7] |
2021-22 | 982 | Awards following reactivation of the medal. [8] |
2022-23 | 933 | [6] |
The Australian Sports Medal is awarded by the Governor-General. This commemorative medal was introduced to recognise Australian sporting achievements. The medal acknowledges a range of Australians who, in different ways, contributed to the nation’s sporting success. Recipients included former competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintain sporting facilities and services. Most of the medals were presented to people following their nomination by the sports community. Peak sports bodies recognised or funded by the Australian Sports Commission were given quotas according to a formula based on the number of their registered competitors. All Australian parliamentarians could make nominations. The Australian Sports Medal does not carry a post-nominal entitlement.
With the reactivation of the award in 2020, details regarding the eligibility criteria, administration and application process have yet to be released, and new applications are not yet accepted for the award. On announcing the reactivation of the medal on 18 December 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the medal "will enable official members of Australian teams who participate in eligible international multi-sport events to be awarded the medal [...] The Australian Sports Medal will be awarded to eligible Australian team members and officials in recognition of their participation at international multi-sport events, and a number of international events for people with a disability." [9]
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The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece, and the most recent Games were held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for organising the Games and for overseeing the host city's preparations. The tradition of awarding medals began in 1904; in each Olympic event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals for second place, and bronze medals for third place. The Winter Olympic Games were created out of the success of the Summer Olympic Games, which are regarded as the largest and most prestigious multi-sport international event in the world.
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The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or government". It was also awarded to centenarians, Australian citizens born on or before 31 December 1901 who lived to celebrate the centenary of federation on 1 January 2001. Nominations were assessed by a panel chaired by historian Geoffrey Blainey.
The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government commission responsible for supporting and investing in sport in Australia. The Commission incorporates the Australian Institute of Sport. From 2018 to 2022, it was known as Sport Australia.
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