Bronwen Knox Named Deputy Chef de Mission for Paris Olympics

Four-time Olympian and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) alumni member, Bronwen Knox, was named as a Deputy Chef de Mission to help manage the Australian team on the ground at next year’s Paris Olympics.

Knox, who won two Olympic bronze medals for water polo at Beijing and London, will assist Australian cycling great, Anna Meares, who was named as the team’s Chef de Mission.

It was also announced at the Australian Olympic Committee’s Annual General Meeting that fellow Olympians, Ken Wallace, Mark Knowles and Kyle Vander-Kuyp will assume the three other deputy/leadership roles.

Knox, who, as a 14-year-old, was inspired to play water polo because she was enthralled by the ‘grace, beauty, the speed, the agility and strength’ of the players she watched from the stands during the Sydney Olympics, became the first Australian woman to make the nation’s Olympic water polo team four times.

She was renowned for her intelligence for the game, and her ability to thrive under pressure. Knox enjoyed a tremendous Olympic debut at Beijing, scoring 12 goals to finish as the tournament’s third-leading goalscorer. Included in her haul was the three goals she scored in Australia’s 12-11 bronze medal decider against Hungary.

Australian Olympic President, Ian Chesterman, said he expected the four to add depth to the Paris-bound team through their experience and standing in sport.

“Ken Wallace, an Olympic champion and four-times Olympian was outstanding in this role at Tokyo 2020 and has been Chef de Mission for the Australian team at the Pacific Games in Samoa 2018 and will be again in the Solomon Islands later this year,” he said.

“Both Bronwyn Knox and Mark Knowles bring all the experience of four Olympic Games each in leadership roles with team sports. That is invaluable in the bigger picture of the Australian Olympic Team.

“Kyle Vander-Kuyp will act as the AOC’s Indigenous Liaison Officer – a role he performed outstandingly at Tokyo 2020. As well as offering support to our 16 First Nations athletes, he brought great meaning to all team members showcasing Australia’s great indigenous history we all can share.

“With our sports spread out across Paris, we have these experienced Olympians with great leadership qualities joining our Chef de Mission Anna Meares, a four time Olympian and Olympic champion.

“These are all people with a deep understanding of the needs of athletes – in either the team environment or individual sports. The Paris Games do provide a geographical challenge and our athletes can be assured that no matter where they are competing, they will have the resources they need and we can respond to issues as they arise.”

NSWIS