Australian High Commission
New Delhi
India, Bhutan

Sydney Olympics CEO to visit India

 ARCHIVED MEDIA RELEASE

PA/16/2001                                                                             14 September 2001

Sydney Olympics CEO to visit India

The former Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG), Mr Sandy Hollway, is visiting India from 17-21 September to speak on the management of the Games and the role of volunteers.

Mr Hollway will give a series of presentations as a special guest of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Delhi (17-19 September), Mumbai (20 September) and Chennai (21 September). His visit is co-sponsored by the Australia-India Council, as part of its role in promoting Australia-India links, including in sport.

Mr Hollway’s presentations will cover four aspects of the Sydney Olympics: overall event management; the legacy of the Games for Australia; the role and management of the volunteer program; and implications for business. His audiences will range across sports, industry, government and voluntary organisations.

In Delhi, Mr Hollway will also launch the Indian element of this year's Clean Up the World campaign at the National Rail Museum on 18 September. Based on the longstanding Clean Up Australia volunteer initiative, a range of Delhi schools will hold environmental clean-up in their neighbourhoods, joining hands with clean up volunteers in over 120 countries.

About 60,000 volunteers assisted in the staging of the Sydney Olympics, and since completing his SOCOG appointment Mr Hollway has been Chairman of the New South Wales Advisory Committee for the International Year of Volunteers, following through this aspect of the Games legacy.

Mr Hollway's career has been of distinguished public service to Australia. He has been Secretary of two Commonwealth Government Departments (Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs from 1996-1997 and Industry, Science and Technology from 1993-1996), has held key positions in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and was Chief of Staff in Prime Minister Bob Hawke's office from 1988 to 1990.

For further information, please contact:

Rory Medcalf, First Secretary, Australian High Commission on telephone 688 8223, ext. 197, or Project Officer Vinit Kapur on 6888 223, ext. 463.