NSW Hall of Champions

Every year, athletes who have achieved at the highest level of their sport are selected to become members of the NSW Hall of Champions. The athlete must have represented NSW and been retired for two years and to qualify.

Since 1979, over 400 sportsmen and women representing 59 sports have been added to this prestigious Honour Roll.

Sporting icons such as Sir Donald Bradman, Dawn Fraser and Shane Gould are included in this impressive list. More recent champions include Ian Thorpe, Layne Beachley and Brett Lee. Exhibitions showcasing the museum’s significant collection help bring our sporting heritage to life.

Champions elevated to Legend status are athletes who represent the greatest of the great in their field. Athletes are approved for induction by the Minister for Sport following recommendations from the Hall of Champions Selection Committee and New South Wales peak sporting bodies.

Inductees list

Congratulations to Suzy Batkovic OLY, Alex Blackwell, Murray Braund, Pattie Dench and Tim Gavin and who were inducted to the NSW Hall of Champions and Paul Kelly, who was elevated to Legend status at the 2024 NSW Champions of Sport Awards on Monday 25 November at The Star Event Centre in Pyrmont.

Olympic Champions In Paris

In 1924 three Australian athletes won gold at the Olympic Games in Paris. Those athletes are Hall of Champions honourees - swimmer Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton, athlete Nick Winter and diver Dick Eve.
 
On display in this exhibition are Charlton’s gold, silver and bronze medals, Eve’s breathtaking gold-medal vase and Winters’ running spikes.
 
Astonishingly, all three athletes were from the Sydney suburb of Manly, and this iconic coastal beach is featured in the display.
 
Paris first hosted the Olympic Games in 1900. This is where Hall of Champions honouree Freddie Lane won Australia’s first gold medal in swimming This medal can be seen in the exhibition.
 
One hundred years on, 2024 will undoubtedly create Hall of Champions athletes of the future.