IOC awards journalist with prestigious Women and Sport Award

BEIJING, Feb 03, 2022 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee ‘IOC’ today announced that Tracey Holmes, a sports broadcaster and journalist with Australian Broadcasting Corporation ‘ABC’ is the winner of the 2021 IOC Women and Sports Awards for Oceania. She is the first female journalist to be awarded this prestigious award.

The award is recognition of the significant contribution Holmes has made to mainstream reporting on women’s sport since 1989 and the mentorship she has provided for the next generation of women sports journalists, the IOC said. Her work, the IOC said, clearly aligns with the Women and Sport Awards objectives of recognizing the people and organizations that are making a real change in and through sport.

“In 1989 I started a weekly segment on the ABC called ‘Women in Sport’, now the ABC has a 50-50 project for its coverage and the sports department is the standout performer,” said Holmes on receiving the Award. “This award is a tribute to all those women athletes and women sports administrators who persevered without money, coverage or recognition to create a world today where women in many countries can do and can be whatever they so choose. It is also a tribute to my mother and father from whom I learned we are all equal, and it is a tribute to all those – many of them men – who freely offered their mentorship and guidance throughout my career.”

Mr Kevan Gosper, Honorary IOC Member from Australia, who nominated Holmes for the award, said: “I have worked closely with Tracey dating back to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and in my earlier role as Chairman of the IOC Press Commission. Her commitment to gender equality and the promotion of women in sports administration has been integral to her professional work.”

“I have seen first-hand the meaningful impact her mentoring work is having on young women in the region who want to break into sports reporting.”

“This is also an important acknowledgement by the IOC and the Women in Sport Commission recognizing and rewarding the essential role the media play in how women in sport are portrayed and ensuring the equal coverage of women’s sport and sportswomen by the media.” Kevan Gosper

“This is also an important acknowledgement by the IOC and the Women in Sport Commission recognizing and rewarding the essential role the media play in how women in sport are portrayed and ensuring the equal coverage of women’s sport and sportswomen by the media,” he said.

Holmes’ nomination was supported by a number of Australia’s key sports and media personalities, such as Cathy Freeman, Olympic and World Champion 400m runner and 1998 Australian of the Year who said: “Tracey has been a constant supporter of greater equality in sport – for race, colour and gender – reporting on inequality when and wherever it exists. Australian sport, and especially women’s sport, is the better for her reporting.”

“Tracey has been a constant supporter of greater equality in sport – for race, colour and gender – reporting on inequality when and wherever it exists. Australian sport, and especially women’s sport, is the better for her reporting.” Cathy Freeman

The HON Marjorie Jackson Nelson, former Governor of South Australia and known as ‘The Lithgow Flash’ when she became the first Australian woman to win gold medals in the 100m and 200m track and field at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games, said of Holmes: “Tracey Holmes is a highly recognized and respected sports journalist who has for many years been a strong advocate for women’s sport at all levels. She thoroughly deserves being awarded this international prize for her journalism.”

Gary Fenton, former Sports Director of the Seven Network (Australia) said of Holmes: “She fires up in the face of any injustice and has been a loud voice for women’s sport within the Australian media. Tracey Holmes is a journalist of consequence.”

Working for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australia’s national television and radio broadcaster, Holmes has become synonymous with sport throughout the region. She was the inaugural host of Grandstand, a newly created national sports program through the 1990s and her weekly radio show and podcast, The Ticket, is today known as a ‘must listen’ by sports administrators in Australia and around the world.

Holmes was awarded the ‘Best Analysis of Sport Business’ at the Sport Australia Media Awards in 2020 and first prize in the AIPS Sport Media Awards for the Best Audio Sports Program (Radio) for her program ‘Black Lives Matter and Athletes' Right to Protest’ in 2021.

As an anchor for Australian TV rights-holding broadcasters or as a sports reporter for organizations including ABC, CNN, Seven, Foxtel and CGTN China, Holmes has covered 12 Olympic Games, three FIFA World Cups and is currently in Beijing covering the Winter Games for the ABC.

“Her coverage and impact on women’s sport extend well beyond her high profile roles in anchoring multiple Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup broadcasts,” said Margaret Ralston, Australian sport journalist, advocate and government advisor. “She has provided a platform for women, and men, working to address the inequity across all areas of sport and has been an influential advocate for greater equality at all levels of sport.”

“Tracey has played a pivotal role in raising the profile of sportswomen and women’s sport through the Australian media,” said Anita Palm, Olympian and Head of Sport for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. “She breaks important stories in her coverage of sport, including women in sport-related stories that would otherwise not be reported, and which lead to significant awareness and change in the sporting landscape.”

Moya Dodd, former vice-captain of Australia’s women’s football team the Matildas and former FIFA Executive Committee member, said Holmes has been a standout reporter and advocate for gender equality in sport for decades. “Alongside her respected coverage of sport generally, she has always made room for the stories of women athletes to be told, in their own voice and without the filters of misogyny, and women administrators in their battle for a seat at the table,” she said.

“Alongside her respected coverage of sport generally, she has always made room for the stories of women athletes to be told, in their own voice and without the filters of misogyny, and women administrators in their battle for a seat at the table.” Moya Dodd

“Tracey Holmes breaks big stories that lead to real change – in Australia but globally too. Her contribution to women in sport through the mainstream media is outstanding and fully deserves to be acknowledged,” said Ashley Abbott from the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Holmes has achieved numerous firsts in the media industry, including being the first woman to be appointed as a sports broadcast trainee at the ABC in 1989, the first female reporter in the ABC’s national sports department, creator of the first weekly ‘Women in Sport’ program in Australia, and the first host, male or female, of a national sports program in Australia.

She is known for her coverage of all Olympic and Paralympic sports and athletes, not just high-profile Australian sports and male athletes.

When asked what advice she could give to young women who would like to make a career in sport’s journalism, Holmes answered: “I think for any woman who wants to get involved in anything, whether it's journalism, sport, politics, whatever, the biggest thing you have to have is a passion and a desire. And from that passion and from that desire comes belief.”

“I think if you walk into a room and you believe in yourself, everybody else in that room will then believe in you. It's one of the toughest things when you first start, I understand that, but I think that with passion and belief you will have an inner strength that will help you overcome all of the boundaries that people will try and put in front of you. You find a way of overcoming them,” she added.

Holmes has been a mentor and trainer with the Women in News and Sport Program (WINS) since its inception in 2016, and ABC Mentor for Indigenous Women. She has also been the broadcast mentor with the IOC’s Young Reporters Program since its inception in Singapore 2010.

“I benefited when I was a young journalist coming through from the experience of older journalists, like Les Murray, who passed on their knowledge, passion and their wisdom to me. So it has always been something that I have liked to do, sharing and mentoring others, especially young people coming through. I've been recognized for doing what I think we should all do anyway. In that way, I'm a little bit humbled,” Holmes said.

The WINS, run by the ABC is a training and mentoring program that provides female journalists in the Pacific and Asia with the tools to carve out a career in the male-dominated world of sports media.

Speaking of the WINS program, Karen Shrosbery, WINS Program Manager said: “Years after attending Tracey’s workshop, I still have participants quoting her – one popular saying is ‘never limit yourself, find all your potential’.”

The young female journalists who battle daily challenges in their job gain great confidence by seeing and learning in person from a professional such as Tracey Holmes, she has given them the confidence to speak out and to discover their own voice, Shrosbery said.

“Tracey leaves no one behind, no matter your experience or cultural background. She has played a pivotal role in setting my foundation as a journalist, and I remain her pupil for life,” said Sonali Prassad from Delhi, India who met Holmes as an aspiring 18-year-old journalism student at the IOC Young Reporters program in 2010, and went on to be a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT 2019-20 and winner of both a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship 2016 and a Google News Lab Fellows 2016.

Dr Robin Mitchell, IOC Executive Board member and President of the Oceania National Olympic Committee, who endorsed Holmes’ nomination, said: “At the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 last summer, we have reached gender balance, with 48.8 per cent women competing. However, the coverage of women’s sport in our region is still vastly unrepresented in the media, as are the number of female reporters who cover sport.”

"The coverage of women’s sport in our region is still vastly unrepresented in the media, as are the number of female reporters who cover sport.” Dr Robin Mitchell

“Tracey Holmes is one reporter who stands out,” he said. “She is acknowledged for her professional coverage of sport, and especially for her outstanding coverage and empowerment of women in sport. Tracey first came to my attention when she assisted me when I brought a delegation of accredited media from the 15 Pacific Island NOCs in 1999 and in 2000 for familiarization and training prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. She has also been involved with numerous highly successful training and mentoring programs throughout the region for female journalists.”?

Along with a trophy and certificate, Holmes has the opportunity to apply for a Women and Sports Award project grant of up to 30,000USD. Holmes has clear vision of how she would like to use the grant.

“Earlier last year when I returned from the Tokyo Olympics came the news that Kabul had fallen. I was in touch with some incredibly talented, knowledgeable and energetic people who managed to help around 100 Afghan female athletes, and some of their families, out of their country and into my country,” she explained.

“With the recognition and grant that this award brings I would like to build a program that will help these incredible women transition to a new life in sport and media in their new country, my country, so they have the future they deserve.”

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Reporters: Ji Ye, Anthony Edgar