Mexico City, 1968   Out of the cold darkness he came. John Stephen Akhwari, of Tanzania, entered at the far end of the stadium, pain hobbling his every step, his leg bloody and bandaged. The winner of the Olympic marathon had been declared over an hour earlier. Only a few spectators remained. But the lone runner pressed on. As he crossed the finish line, the small crowd roared out it’s appreciation. Afterward, a reporter asked the runner why he had not retired from the race, since he had no chance of winning. He seemed confused by the question. Finally, he answered. ‘My country did not send me to Mexico to start the race. They sent me to finish.’

K. Dunstan 1973
“Sport is the ultimate super-religion, the one thing every Australian believes in passionately”.

D.H. Lawrence
"Aussies play sport as if their lives depended on it."

Donald Horne, 1971 - The Lucky Country
“Sport to many Australians is life and the rest a shadow”.

Ronald Conway, 1971 - The Great Australian Stupor
“The nation has long cherished on perennial excitement, one lifted to the status of a cult — sport”

Michael McKernan, 1979
“Sport is the Australian National religion”