Richard Kevan Gosper | |
|---|---|
 Gosper in 1951 | |
| Chief Commissioner of Melbourne | |
| In office 1993–1996 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1933-12-19)19 December 1933 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 19 July 2024(2024-07-19) (aged 90)[1] |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representing Australia | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 | 1956 Melbourne | 4 × 400 metres relay |
| British Empire and Commonwealth Games | ||
 | 1954 Vancouver | 4 × 110 yards relay |
| 1958 Cardiff | 4 × 110 yards relay |
Richard Kevan Gosper,AO[2] (19 December 1933 – 19 July 2024) was an Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He was a Vice President of theInternational Olympic Committee, and combined Chairman and CEO ofShell Australia. Gosper died on 19 July 2024, at the age of 90.[3]
Gosper ran for theMichigan State Spartans track and field team, finishing 4th in the 400 m at the1955 NCAA track and field championships.[4]
Gosper competed for Australia in the1956 Summer Olympics held inMelbourne, Australia, where he won the silver medal in the 4 × 400 metre relay with his teammatesGraham Gipson,Leon Gregory andDavid Lean. Their run set a new Australian record of 3 min 6.2 sec.[5]
Gosper was nominated to theInternational Olympic Committee in 1977; was a vice president of theSydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG). He was chief of the IOC Press Commission, deputy chairman of the IOC Co-ordination Commission for theBeijing 2008 Olympic Games, chairman of Olympic Games Knowledge Services and president of theOceania National Olympic Committees. He was inaugural chairman of theAustralian Institute of Sport 1980–1985, and president of the Australian Olympic Committee 1985–1990 and continued to serve on its executive board.[citation needed]
From 1980 to 1993 Gosper was chairman and chief executive ofShell Australia inMelbourne, and later head of Shell Asia Pacific operations out ofLondon. The other positions he held include beingchief commissioner of theCity of Melbourne and chairman of theNational Australia Day Council. He was a director of a number of Australian companies, includingCrown Resorts,Visy andLion Nathan.[citation needed]
His autobiography,An Olympic Life, was published in March 2000.[citation needed]
In May 2000, Gosper was criticised after his daughter Sophie was made the first Australiantorchbearer in a late change over the previously selected Greek-Australian Yianna Souleles. At age 11, Sophie Gosper was too young by one year to carry the torch in Australia, but was invited by theHellenic Olympic Committee to be the second carrier of the Olympic flame in Greece.[6] Gosper apologised days later due to public outrage, though he insisted he was not involved in the decision.[7]
He was accused of being an "apologist for dictators" after his criticism of pro-democracy protesters during theBeijing 2008 torch relay.[8] He suggested that during the Olympic Torch Australian appearance Chinese para-military torch attendants could be called into action if Australian police were unable to cope with potential protests. His remarks prompted a swift rebuke fromAustralian Attorney-GeneralRobert McClelland.[9]
Gosper was appointed anOfficer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the1986 Australia Day Honours for service to sport and sports administration,[10] and was inducted into theSport Australia Hall of Fame in 1989.[2][11] He received anAustralian Sports Medal in 2000 for services to athletics and the Olympic movement,[12] and was similarly honoured by France, the Netherlands, Spain, Monaco and Senegal and Solomon Islands.[11]
Commonwealth Games champions in men's400 metres | |
|---|---|
| 440 yards (1930–1966) | |
| 400 metres (1970–present) |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
