From Edwin Flack at number one to Alanah Yukich at 1254, Australian Athletics’ International Representation Numbers and Commemorative Bibs are strengthening the connection between generations of the green and gold – symbolic of each athlete’s contribution to the sport in this country.
Beginning with Olympic champion Edwin Flack in 1896, the program provides a chronological record of athletes to represent Australia at the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Athletics Championships, World Para Athletics Championships, World Indoor Championships and World Cross Country Championships at an Open level.
From Betty Cuthbert (#215) to Catherine Freeman (#639) and Nina Kennedy (#1089), the numbers link generations of Australian athletics greats and hold a deeper meaning of recognition and commemoration – reinforcing the connection between those who have carried the nation’s hopes and dreams across the track, field, paddocks and roads.
With the bibs first presented to athletes in 2014, Olympic sprinter Lee Naylor (#725) endorsed the concept and built on its significance in the athletics fraternity as a retired athlete:
“The bib is your entry as an Australian representative, it’s not dissimilar to the baggy green. It’s something that you might not appreciate until you have retired when you reflect on just how unique it is in the sport of track and field to make a team,” Naylor said.
“The bib shows that you have earned that. Whether you went to Atlanta [1996] or competed in Paris [2024], it’s the same bib and we are a collective group – we are a family.”
Australia’s most recent athlete to be presented their International Representation Number and Commemorative Bib, Alanah Yukich, did so on home soil at last week’s Perth Track Classic as the main program came to a brief pause to celebrate the contributions of Australia’s current athletics stars.
“It’s been a crazy journey in the last year. I pretty much gave everything I possibly could have to make the Olympics and now to officially have the bib and to be presented it back here at home in Western Australia – it’s such an honour,” Yukich said.
Rising Paralympic star Telaya Blacksmith holds Para-Bib number 403 as the most recent Australian to be recognised after the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, with number one dating back to Daphne Ceeney from the 1960 Paralympic Games in Rome.
Australian Athletics’ Chief Executive Officer, Simon Hollingsworth noted the importance of the initiative, holding bib number #643 himself as an Olympic 400m hurdler:
“We are honoured to recognise athletes for their incredible achievements as Australians on the world stage. Wearing the green and gold is a privilege few experience, and their dedication and success have played a vital role in shaping the rich legacy of our sport,” Hollingsworth said.
“Our current goal is to highlight the significance of each athlete’s career path whether their time in competition was decades ago, or in more recent years.”
A historic list that is only set to grow into the future, the next generation of Australian athletics stars can aspire to receive their International Representation Number and Commemorative Bib – an experience that is becoming a special moment in every Australian representative’s career.
A full list of Australian Athletics’ International Representation Numbers can be found here, with details of each athlete’s representative careers and results available upon selecting their name.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 4/3/2025
