News
Moneghetti to lead Australian 2010 Commonwealth Games team
Australian marathon great Steve Moneghetti will lead the Australian team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, following his appointment as Chef-de-Mission today.
To be staged in 500 days time (October 3 – 14), the 2010 Commonwealth Games will be the first major international multi-sport competition to be held in India since the Asian Games in 1982.
It is anticipated that the Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) will send its largest team to ever compete in an overseas campaign, with more than 425 athletes and 175 officials expected to be selected.
Newly appointed Chef-de-Mission, Steve Moneghetti, has a long association with the Commonwealth Games that began in 1986, when as a 23-year-old he was selected in his first Australian team for Edinburgh.
By the end of his illustrious career Moneghetti, 46, had represented Australia at four Commonwealth Games, taking home a complete set of medals in the marathon - bronze in Edinburgh 1986, silver in Auckland 1990 and gold in Victoria 1994 before adding a bronze in the 10,000m in Kuala Lumpur 1998.
In 2006 he was appointed Mayor of the Commonwealth Games Village in Melbourne.
ACGA Chief Executive Officer Perry Crosswhite AM welcomed Moneghetti to the team, highlighting his leadership qualities as a defining characteristic.
“The ACGA are delighted to appoint Steve Moneghetti as Chef-de-Mission of the Australian team for Delhi 2010,” said Crosswhite.
“Steve is a highly respected leader amongst his peers and the Australian community and will be a valuable asset for the Australian team in Delhi.
“As leader of the Australian Commonwealth Games team, Steve will be responsible for encouraging all team members to perform at their best at the Games, and to represent Australia with pride and respect.
“He will also be the team representative in the eyes of the Delhi 2010 Games organisers, and will be the spokesperson for the team.”
Moneghetti said he was looking forward to the opportunity to lead the Australian team in Delhi.
“I am delighted to continue my association with the Commonwealth Games which began in Edinburgh in 1986 when I was possibly the last athlete selected on the team. Shows what persistence can do!,” said Moneghetti, with his renowned sense of humour coming to the fore.
“Following on from my role as Mayor of the Village at the Melbourne Games I will build upon the strong relationship Australia has within the Commonwealth Games Family.
“I plan to be a leading member of a united team focussed on representing our country with pride and integrity.
“Moreover my involvement as an athlete, coach and liaison officer with previous teams will provide invaluable knowledge across all sports in Delhi.”
In announcing that the ACGA will send a large team to Delhi, Crosswhite reinforced the need to keep a lid on medal expectations.
“We are expecting to send around 425 athletes to Delhi. This will be our largest team ever sent to a Commonwealth Games held overseas. We had 371 in Manchester and 425 in Melbourne.
“The Delhi Games will present many challenges, and this includes our expected performance. The total Australian team medal tally has increased over the last five Commonwealth Games, peaking at 221 in Melbourne in 2006.
“We need to bear in mind that achieving a greater overall medal count than Melbourne will be a difficult task. It is not a home Games and triathlon and basketball have been removed from the program, two sports in which Australia won gold medals in Melbourne.
“Our biggest challenge will come from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland because of the huge government investment in athletes for the 2012 London Olympics and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“However in saying that, the ACGA has provided over $6.5 million since Melbourne to prepare athletes for competition in Delhi through the Delhi 2010 Preparation Program.”
“In addition, the ACGA has provided over $2 million since Melbourne to assist junior athletes gain international competition experience through the Australian Junior Commonwealth Games squad program. A number of these squad members will be selected to represent the nation in Delhi.”
Moneghetti will join an experienced management team that includes Perry Crosswhite AM (Team General Manager), Diane Gallagher (Assistant Team General Manager), Dr Peter Harcourt OAM (Team Medical Director) and Brian Roe (Team Transport and Logistics Director).
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletters to keep up to date with Athletics in Australia.
More Headlines
_stack_WEB_4e0d093feac62.jpg)
