Tracey Holmes, a journalist for ABC Sports, has been awarded the International Olympic Committee’s 2021 Women and Sports Award in Oceania.
Holmes was the first journalist to receive the prestigious award. The IOC stated that Holmes’ contributions to reporting on women’s sports and her mentorship of the next generation are what made this award possible.
Holmes stated that she started a weekly ABC segment called “Women in Sport” in 1989. Holmes added that the ABC now has a 50/50 project to cover the topic and that the sports department is the best performer.
“This award is a tribute for all the women athletes and women sport administrators who have persevered without recognition, money or coverage to create a world where women can do and be anything they choose.”
It is also a tribute my father and mother, who taught me that we all are equal. And it is a tribute all those, many of whom were men, who have freely mentored and guided me throughout my career.
For 30 years, Holmes has been a trailblazer. She was the first woman to be hired as a trainee in sports broadcasting at the ABC. Later, she became the first female reporter for the ABC’s national sports department. The Women in Sport program had a significant impact on increasing coverage of women’s sports in Australia.
Holmes is also a host of the award-winning weekly podcast and broadcast journalist. She is currently reporting from Beijing for ABC about the Winter Olympics.
Kevan Gosper from Australia, an honorary IOC member, stated that Holmes’s commitment towards gender equality and the promotion women in sport administration were integral parts of her professional work.
He said, “This is also a significant acknowledgement by IOC and Women in Sport Commission recognising the essential role media play in how women in sports are portrayed and ensuring equal coverage of women’s and men’s sport by the media.”
