Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the government, and on behalf of the people of Australia, it is a privilege to welcome the members of the 1980 Australian Olympic team joining us here today in Parliament House. Today, as a parliament, we honour your contribution to our nation's Olympic history. We recognise your participation, but, importantly as well, we recognise your pain. We extend that recognition to all those who cannot be with us today.

To qualify for an Olympic Games demands exceptional talent and so much more. It requires character, courage, commitment, years of hard work, single-minded dedication and sacrifice. Athletes and their loved ones pour countless hours into the pursuit of the Olympic dream. The culmination of that effort—being selected to represent the greatest nation on Earth, Australia, on the biggest sporting stage in the world—should be a moment of fierce and absolute pride. When you are chosen to wear the green and gold, you should draw strength from knowing that the whole nation is with you. And, on your return, you should be welcomed home and celebrated for the inspiration you have brought to the next generation of Australian athletes.

Yet, 45 years ago, the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan cast a dark shadow over what should have been your shining moment. As nations around the world grappled with the boycott, Australia's athletes—some still only teenagers—were placed in an incredibly difficult position. One hundred and twenty-one Australians chose to compete under the Olympic flag, and others chose to join the boycott. And some who had won selection never even had the chance to choose, because their sport made that decision for them. Those who went and those who withdrew were both subject to all manner of vile abuse, even death threats.

Lisa Forrest was just 16 when she was made captain of the women's swim team. She wrote of how her family kept a whistle next to the home phone to blast the constant prank callers. Chris Wardlaw, who competed in the marathon at both Montreal and Moscow, recalls that back in 1976 a marching band had played 'Waltzing Matilda' to farewell the athletes. In 1980, the last question he was asked by a journalist at the airport was: 'Do you feel that you are being traitors to Australia?'

Looking back, it is little wonder that many still bear scars and trauma from those days. That only makes the efforts and success of the Australian team at those games all the more extraordinary. Australia won nine medals, including gold for Michelle Ford in the women's 800-metre freestyle and gold in the men's 4x100-metre medley.

These were Australia's first gold medals since the Munich Olympics of 1972, yet the returning athletes were met only by cold silence or cruel comments. Today, we fix that. Today, on the 45th anniversary, we recognise all that you have achieved and acknowledge all that you have overcome. Take pride in both. You are Olympians, you are Australians, and you have earned your place in the history of the game and our nation. Welcome to parliament, and welcome home.

Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge the Australian athletes in the gallery today and all those who competed in Moscow. A hundred and twenty-one Australian athletes across 17 sports made the decision to compete, returning with a haul of two gold, two silver and five bronze medals. They made their country proud.

I also acknowledge the many Australian athletes who did not go. These are Australians who sacrificed much to become Olympic athletes. These are Australians who bore a personal cost for a principled decision—a decision to stand up against tyranny and stand up for democracy. These Australians were caught in the balance of a contest between two futures and two worlds—a contest that we, as Australians, in our free and democratic country, had a clear stake in. In 1980, the world was in the grip of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall still stood, and communities behind the Iron Curtain were being crushed under the jackboots of communist totalitarianism.

The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, destroying towns, villages and road networks, while landmines devastated the population. For many Afghan Australians who immigrated here and are now part of our Australian family, the Soviet invasion of their homeland was marked by its brutality. Eventual estimates are that anywhere between one million and three million Afghans died. To them, this boycott mattered.

For many Eastern European migrants who fled this evil regime for similar reasons, this boycott mattered. So many people from so many countries fled to places like Australia in search of a better life. The decision made by former prime minister Malcolm Fraser to support the US-led boycott was the right one, and history has judged it so. We would not send athletes to an Olympics in Moscow today, and the Australian government was right to support a boycott then.

That decision—correct as it was—takes nothing away from the Australians who did compete. They should not be personally attacked. They should never have been personally attacked. I repeat to you in the gallery today: you made Australia proud. For every athlete who went to the Moscow Games, there were other athletes who did not. One of our greatest sprinters, Raelene Boyle, a three-time Olympic silver medallist, chose not to compete, stating, 'It was one of the hardest decisions of my life.' I remember being so inspired by Raelene Boyle. She is a hero. I also remember and acknowledge Tracey Wickham. She had broken multiple world records and was a red-hot favourite to win gold in Moscow. Like so many others, she did not go. Four decades later, the Cold War has ended, but the memory of that time reminds us of the importance of standing up on the world stage for our values, even when the cost is heavy.

It is an enormous source of national pride that we will host the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. I know that team Australia will take inspiration from all those who competed as well as those who did not, because all Australian athletes in 1980 demonstrated their strength whether they went to Moscow or not. I say to those in the gallery today: every single athlete who competes for our country on the national stage is loved, admired, cherished, supported and celebrated. We look forward with pride and anticipation to the next chapter of Australia's Olympic story.