Cathy Freeman a special guest at the South Australian Sport Awards
For the first time, in 2025 the South Australian Sport Awards will be held in conjunction with the Festival of Sport. Ahead of appearing at the event, Olympian Cathy Freeman talks medals, mental tenacity and legacies.
Olympian Cathy Freeman, whose gold medal win in the women’s 400 metres is etched in our collective memory decades later, says “it’s not the awards themselves that matter”.
“Winning the gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics will always stand out for me – not just because it was on home soil, but because of what it represented,” said Freeman.
But, she added, it was never just about being the fastest that night.
“It was about belonging. It was about managing the hopes and dreams of so many First Nations people, and feeling, even just for a moment, that we were seen, that we were celebrated.”
Freeman will be the special guest at this year’s South Australian Sport Awards, being held later this month in conjunction with the Festival of Sport, a two-day industry conference for a broad audience of sporting associations, including grassroots.
“Ultimately, it’s not the awards themselves that matter – it’s what they allow you to do for others.
“The Sydney Olympics will always be a part of my story, and I’m deeply proud of that. But if you ask me what I’d like to be remembered for today, it’s bigger than one race.
“I’d like to be remembered for bringing people together. For creating a moment where Australians – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – felt a sense of shared pride, and maybe even hope.”
In 50 years’ time, she is hoping to expand on that legacy to be remembered as “someone who believed in the power of education, in the potential of every child, and who never stopped advocating for First Nations excellence”.
You might like
“Ultimately, I hope people remember that I never stopped walking proudly in two worlds – and that I helped others believe they could do the same.”
Cathy Freeman at the Olympic Games, Sydney, 2000
Being named Young Australian of the Year at 18, and later Australian of the Year, showed her that leadership is “about responsibility, not recognition” and she had a platform that came with a “duty to inspire and uplift others”.
Those ideals are similarly reflected in the upcoming Festival of Sport.
The conference is for leaders who wish to give back, for graduates considering a career in the sports industry, for professionals and volunteers who are passionate about learning and knowledge-sharing, and for sports fans looking to mix and mingle.
The event will be held at the Wolf Blass Centre, Morphettville Racecourse on Thursday night 22 May and all-day Friday 23 May.
The Festival of Sport will open with a guest panel of Australian Olympian Jessica Stenson and Paralympians Jed Altschwager, Emily Petricola and Meg Lemon sharing insights on the Road to Los Angeles and Brisbane 2032.
It will be followed by three sessions – Future Events and Legacy, Participation for All, and Technology and AI-Future Proofing our Industry – providing insights and tangible learnings for the audience.
Freeman said there were moments in her career that proved pivotal to her ongoing mental tenacity and focus.
“Without question, the 1996 Atlanta Olympics was a turning point for me,” she said.
“I came away with the silver medal in the 400 metres, and what’s interesting is… I actually believed that was all I was capable of. I didn’t go into that race with a gold medal mindset – I was operating with a self-limiting belief that silver was my ceiling.
“That realisation didn’t hit me until later, but it was profound. I recognised that the biggest barrier wasn’t physical – it was mental. I had done the training, I had the ability, but I hadn’t yet developed the mindset that champions need – the one that truly believes you deserve to win.
“That experience forced me to confront the stories I was telling myself. It was the beginning of a new mental discipline—retraining my thoughts, building self-belief, and learning how to quiet the doubt.”
One of the aims of the Festival of Sport is to stimulate the state’s sport ecosystem, which supports everything from talent identification and progression to providing opportunities for people to play sport purely for recreation, across a multitude of sports.
Freeman said when she was breaking through, particularly around the 1990 Commonwealth Games and 1992, there was not a lot of structured support for young athletes.
“Today, there’s far more recognition of the need for mental health support, for career planning, for mentoring pathways that connect athletes not just to coaches, but to community, culture, and wellbeing,” she said.
“That didn’t really exist for me. You kind of had to find your own way – and manage the pressure largely on your own shoulders.
“Funding is also much more structured now for emerging athletes. In my time, you often had to piece things together – grants here, sponsorship there – and a lot of the time, you felt like you were walking a tightrope financially, especially when traveling overseas.”
As the special guest at the South Australian Sport Awards on the Thursday night, she said she is looking forward to seeing the sporting community coming together to celebrate excellence.
“Events like this are so important because they don’t just honour athletes – they recognise the hard work of coaches, volunteers, families, and everyone behind the scenes who make sport possible.”
The new award categories for the South Australian Sport Awards were devised to celebrate the depth of great sporting moments and achievements in South Australia, from grassroots to elite. (See below for the list of finalists.)
“I’ll be cheering from afar for all the nominees and winners, especially the young athletes who are just starting to build their dreams,” Freeman said.
“Celebrating sport means celebrating community, resilience, and the spirit that drives us forward – and that’s something I’ll always be passionate about.”
Purchase tickets for the Festival of Sport and the awards here.
The finalists in the 6 categories of the South Australian Sport Awards 2025 are:
Sports Moment of the Year
– Netball SA, Adelaide Thunderbirds go back-to-back
– Ripper GC win LIV Golf Adelaide 2024
– Racing SA, South Australian female jockeys make history
Community Impact Award
– Athletics SA, 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships
– Australian Sailing, ILCA 2024 World Championship Regatta
– LIV Golf Adelaide
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion
– Adelaide University Sport and Fitness
– Tennis SA, Break Back
– SACA, Inclusive Cricket League
Outstanding Contribution Award
– Surf Life Saving SA, David Jansen
– Speedway Australia, Adam Currie
– SANFL, Greg Bald
Athlete of the Year
– Rowing SA, Jed Altschwager
– Surf Life Saving SA, Taj Ward and Fletcher Luscombe
– SACA, Travis Head
Team Spirit Award
– Baseball SA, South Australian Youth Women
– SACA, South Australian Blind and Low Vision Cricket Team
– Surf Life Saving SA, Line Throw Team
