Olympians honoured in New Zealand

5 | 2 | 2014

A new initiative in New Zealand is ensuring that the achievements of the country’s Olympians are never forgotten.

The New Zealand Olympians Association has embarked on a unique project to identify all of the country’s 1,233 Olympians that have competed since 1908 and provide each of them, or their surviving family members, with a personal Olympian number and a labelled pin badge.

The project, headed by Selwyn Maister, President of the New Zealand Olympians Association and a former New Zealand hockey star who won Gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, aims to recognise and honour the country’s sporting heroes, including those who are less well known.

Speaking about the initiative, Maister said: “A lot of New Zealand’s Olympians live anonymously within their communities so it’s special to be able to propel them to the status they deserve. Many of the pin badge presentations have been made at community sports events before large audiences and it has resulted in some very emotional occasions.”