As part of a NSW Government initiative to celebrate Australia's greatest female athletes, the Eastern Grandstand at Accor Stadium in Sydney Olympic Park will now be officially known as the 'Cathy Freeman Stand’.
Still glowing from the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM, the stadium has become synonymous with female sporting legends.
This significant honour to Cathy Freeman OAM comes as the result of a nomination process initiated by the Minns Government earlier this year.
Members of the public were invited to nominate a female sporting hero deserving of a grandstand named in her honour.
The initiative is delivering on a Minns Government election commitment to acknowledge female athletes on the state’s grandstands, promoting women's participation in sports.
Ms Freeman, a proud Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman, is one of Australia's most celebrated athletes.
Her achievements include Olympic gold and silver medals, two world titles and four Commonwealth Games gold medals.
The stadium holds a special place in Ms Freeman's career and world sporting history.
It is where she lit the flame to mark the start of the 2000 Sydney Olympics on 15 September 2000 – 23 years ago today – and 10 nights later claimed individual gold in the 400m final.
That victory in front of a home crowd of 112,524 spectators saw her become the first Aboriginal Australian to win an individual Olympic gold medal.
That iconic gold medal run and victory lap carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags held the record of the most-watched television event in Australian history with 8.8 million live viewers, which was only topped in August with the Matildas’ Semi-Final match against England at Accor Stadium with a peak of 11.15 million viewers.
It was the 100th Olympic gold medal won by an Australian.
The newly renamed Cathy Freeman Stand is the main public seating area of Accor Stadium and seats nearly 30,000 spectators.
It is the closest to the major public transport links to Sydney Olympic Park, is located adjacent to Cathy Freeman Park and houses the athlete’s tunnel from which Ms Freeman emerged in a high- tech full body suit for the 400m Olympic final.
The Cathy Freeman Stand is the second female athlete recognition announcement made by the Minns Government.
This follows the announcement that a giant mural has been commissioned to celebrate the Matildas’ historic success at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023TM tournament.
The permanent artwork, to be installed on the external façade of the eastern side of the stadium, will serve as a permanent reminder of how the team’s run at the World Cup captured the imagination of the nation and inspired the next generation of female athletes.
In a true sign Australia’s female sporting sisterhood, Ms Freeman met with the Matildas in the days leading into their opening FIFA Women's World Cup 2023TM match, to share guidance and advice to the team.
Cathy Freeman OAM said:
“I am deeply honoured and humbled by this recognition.
“This stadium and Sydney Olympic Park hold a truly special place in my heart and that will never change.
“I hope that my story continues to inspire generations of girls and boys to chase their own dreams in sport and life.
"Like the rest of Australia, I cheered on the Matildas during the FIFA Women's World Cup and I can't wait to see future generations of Australian female athletes make their mark."
The Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, said:
"It's about time we name a grandstand in NSW after a woman, and I can't think of a better athlete then Cathy Freeman.
“I’m so proud to announce that Cathy Freeman will have a grandstand named after her at the home of Australia's biggest sporting moments.
“Cathy’s a national sporting hero. Everybody remembers where they were when Cathy Freeman produced her historic 400 metre race to win gold for Australia at the Sydney Olympics.
“I want the next generation of young girls to watch sport at this stadium, looking up at the Cathy Freeman Stand, thinking about their own sporting dreams.”
The Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper, said:
“We have sculptures of Belinda Clark, Marlene Mathews and Betty Cuthbert at Moore Park, and now
we have another deserving female sporting legend honoured at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, NSW’s home of major events.
“This wonderful venue has just hosted the single biggest sporting event this year, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, and it is fitting that the first name to adorn the stands here is a ground- breaking and inspirational Australian, Cathy Freeman.
The Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison, said:
“The renaming of the stand serves as a lasting tribute to Cathy Freeman's exceptional career and her immense contributions to Australian sports.
“It also symbolises the NSW Government's commitment to recognising and empowering female athletes, inspiring future generations of women to excel in the world of sports.”

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Freeman Honoured at Accor Stadium Grandstand Renaming

By Steve Kamper&nbsp; 
Minister for Small Business Minister for Lands and Property&nbsp; 
Minister for Multiculturalism Minister for Sport&nbsp;
On Thursday 10 August, I received a Notice of Resignation from recently appointed Venues NSW Chairperson, the Hon. Morris Iemma.&nbsp;
The reasons for Morris’ resignation are due to a medical episode and the requirement for ongoing treatment.&nbsp;
My first thoughts are with Morris and his family. On behalf of the NSW Government, I wish Mr. Iemma a speedy recovery.&nbsp;
Out of respect for Mr. Iemma and his family, I ask for their privacy to be respected so that Morris can recover and rehabilitate in peace.&nbsp;
Mr. Iemma was selected for the role of Chairperson following a process led by the Premier’s Department and the Office of Sport.&nbsp;
An Assessment Panel shortlisted the candidates. The Assessment Panel was comprised of Office of Sport CEO Karen Jones, Diane Lesson (nominee of the Acting Secretary, Premier’s Department) and Axiom Managing Director Peter Perry.&nbsp;
A Selection Panel assessed candidates on their skills, experience, suitability and capability. The Selection Panel was comprised of International Olympics Committee Vice President John Coates AC, Office of Sport CEO Karen Jones and Axiom Managing Director Peter Perry.&nbsp;
Following the resignation, we have appointed another incredibly qualified candidate from that process, David Gallop AM.&nbsp;
David Gallop AM is a well-recognised and accomplished sports administrator, having led the NRL and FFA over a period of 20 years. David will bring valuable experience working with international organisations including FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation to the role.&nbsp;

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Media Statement: Venues NSW Chairperson

Following the Matildas’ heart stopping win over France in the quarter-final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, the NSW Government will open two Sydney stadiums as screening sites to ensure more football fans can cheer on the team in the tournament semi-final.
The Matildas will face England in their &nbsp;knockout clash on Wednesday 16 August at Stadium Australia, kicking off at 8:00pm, scene of some of the greatest moments in Australian sporting history.
The match is already a sell out and to ensure tens of thousands more fans can watch the match in a community atmosphere, the NSW Government has secured the rights and access to screen the match at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta and Allianz Stadium in Moore Park.
Anyone can attend.
“The Matildas’ run at this FIFA World Cup has captured the nation; their quarter-final win was the highest rating TV event since Cathy Freeman’s 400m gold medal run at the Sydney Olympic Games.
“We’re opening up more big screens... we want to give NSW every chance to break that viewing record.
“This is a once in a generation moment in Australian sport, and I want as many people as possible to be able to share in the excitement of the match in front of big screens with a community atmosphere.”
Ticketing and other information can be found at the <a href="https://www.allianzstadium.com.au/" data-new-window="true" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Allianz Stadium</a> and <a href="https://commbankstadium.com.au/" data-new-window="true" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CommBank Stadium</a> websites.

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Commbank, Allianz Stadium Open for Matildas Screening

The NSW Government has confirmed 2 new appointees to the board of Venues NSW for the positions of Chairperson and Member of the Public Service.&nbsp;
The Cabinet has endorsed former Premier of NSW Morris Iemma as the new Chairperson and has endorsed Emma Hogan as a board member.
The role of Chairperson was advertised after the previous chair vacated the position in February 2023.
The NSW Government instructed the Premier’s Department and the Office of Sport to lead an appointment process for this role.
An assessment panel shortlisted the candidates. The assessment panel was comprised of Office of Sport CEO Karen Jones, Diane Lesson (nominee of the Acting Secretary, Premier’s Department) and Axiom Managing Director Peter Perry.
A selection panel assessed candidates on their skills, experience, suitability and capability. The selection panel was comprised of International Olympics Committee Vice President John Coates AC, Office of Sport CEO Karen Jones and Axiom Managing Director Peter Perry.
A former Premier of NSW, Mr Iemma has 40 years’ experience in public administration and the non-government sector.
Mr Iemma is currently chairman of the NSW Government Cancer Institute, the Usman Khawaja Foundation, Clean Energy Partnerships and the Astra Institute of Higher Education.
The former premier is currently on the boards of Football NSW and the Ingham Medical Research Institute and was previously a trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust (which has since become a part of Venues NSW).
The former government also appointed Mr Iemma to:
<ul>
 <li>Chair, Greyhound Racing NSW</li>
 <li>Board Member, NSW TAFE</li>
 <li>Commissioner South District, Greater Sydney Commission.</li>
</ul>
Ms Hogan joins the Venues NSW board after leading the Department of Customer Service since 2019.
She was only months into the role when she guided the department to support the NSW Government’s response during the unprecedented 2019-20 bushfire season, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and flood and storm events more recently.
She is currently a board member at Destination NSW and ReachOut Australia, is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration and is a member of Chief Executive Women.
NSW Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:
“First and foremost, I would like to thank the work of those involved in the selection process and those who put their name forward for the roles.
“I am looking forward to working collaboratively with Morris Iemma and the entire Venues NSW board to ensure that we can continue our mission to make NSW and our venues the premier destination in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Morris Iemma is an outstanding candidate with a wealth of experience, including as the 40th premier of NSW – and that is something that history shows both sides of politics can agree on.
“Emma Hogan is an incredible leader and public servant. Her work leading Service NSW and the people of NSW throughout COVID-19 was exemplary. She is an outstanding professional who will no doubt bring invaluable customer-focused experience to the board.”

NEWS