Australians are putting their faith in athletes. Less than a year after winning the bid to host the 2032 Summer Games, Brisbane is setting up its organising committee. With more than 10 years to go before the event, the first step is to appoint the members of the board of directors. Some of them were already known, such as the Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, her deputy Steven Miles, the Mayor of Brisbane, Adrian Schrinner, and the inevitable John Coates, President of the Australian National Olympic Committee. But the last two entrants were less expected. Natalie Cook, the former beach volleyball player, gold medallist at the Sydney Games in 2000, was chosen to sit on the board. Another former athlete, Aboriginal sprinter Patrick Johnson (pictured above), the Australian 100m record holder in 9.93, will also have a seat at the table. In total, the board will have 22 members. The bulk of the members have already been appointed. It also includes two athlete representatives, swimmer Bronte Barratt and disabled athlete Kurt Fearnley. Five other independent members are expected to be announced this week. The first meeting of the board is scheduled to take place before the end of April.
