Former Olympian appointed head of WAIS

24/1/95

A former Olympian and prominent sports administrator has been appointed as head of the board of the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) - the State's headquarters for the development of elite athletes.

The appointment is seen as a key step towards the State capitalising on sporting opportunities in the lead up to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

Sport and Recreation Minister Norman Moore said today that seven times Australian National high jump champion Chilla Porter - who competed in both the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and the 1960 Games in Rome, had taken up the appointment to the position of chairman of the WAIS Board.

Mr Moore said Mr Porter would bring an important blend of business and sporting expertise to the position, at a time when WAIS was undergoing rapid expansion and development because of the Sydney Olympic decision.

He was replacing Professor Bruce Elliott, who had held the position with distinction for the past 10 years and would remain on the board.  Professor Elliott, a sports scientist of world standing whose expertise was invaluable, retired from the chair position on December 31 and had accepted an invitation to continue as a board member.

Mr Porter had been a member of the West Australian Athletics Board for five years and had been instrumental in restructuring athletics in WA as a member of the West Australian Athletics re-structuring Interim Committee.  He was also Deputy Chairman of the Olympics 2000 Taskforce.

Mr Porter won a silver medal for the high jump in the Melbourne Games and also won silver medals at the Cardiff Commonwealth Games in 1958 and the Perth Commonwealth Games in 1962.

"His impeccable sporting background and more recent experience in sports administration, makes him an ideal choice to ensure that this State gets the most benefit from Sydney winning the 2000 Games," Mr Moore said.

"This marks a new era in the management of elite sport in this State, with a former world-class athlete at the helm.  The WA Institute of Sport will have a fundamental role in helping prepare Australian athletes for the next two Olympics, in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000."

Mr Moore said Professor Elliott's contribution was considerable.

"The professor was WAIS's inaugural chairman and provided the iInstitute with the direction and policies which now make it a national leader in its field.  In particular, his ability to help State associations understand how they can utilise the institute's expertise and resources has been fundamental in the development of WA's elite athletes."

Media contact:  Ross Storey 339 3972 or 321 1444