GC2018 headquarters dedicated to the legendary runner Ron Clarke

The headquarters of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) will be named The Ron Clarke Building in honour of the Australian middle distance running legend and 17-time world record holder.

Minister for the Commonwealth Games Stirling Hinchliffe said it was fitting the building would recognise a former Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke AO, MBE.

“This building dedication unveiled today recognises Ron Clarke’s pivotal involvement in the successful bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018),” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“There is no doubt the powerful mix of Ron’s status as a world-recognised athlete, combined with his civic leadership, greatly assisted the Gold Coast in successfully landing the bid.

“Indeed, his personal contribution is one of the key reasons we are standing here today.

“Ron Clarke was unquestionably one of the all-time greats of world middle distance running at a time of enormous depth in the Australian ranks.

“He without doubt revolutionised his sport with his 17 official world records and showed generations of runners, and people from all walks of life, what could be achieved with hard work and courage.”

GOLDOC Chairman Peter Beattie AC remembered Clarke as a mayor with an athlete’s focus.

“He was a mayor with an extremely strong will who wasn’t afraid of breaking ranks to achieve a noble aim,” Mr Beattie said.

“And as a Commonwealth Games competitor in Perth in 1962, Kingston 1966 and Edinburgh in 1970, he certainly knew what the Games were about.

“I know then-Premier Anna Bligh and the entire bid team had the highest respect and admiration for what he brought to the table in 2011.

“I certainly shared that admiration.

“As Premier during the first three years of Ron’s mayoralty I found him to be one of the most honest and forthright people to ever visit my office, and an absolute gentleman,” he said.

GOLDOC CEO Mark Peters recalled Clarke’s desire for the 2018 Games to genuinely inspire young people to take an interest in sport and fitness.

“It’s a philosophy GOLDOC was keen to share with Ron and we believe at the end of the day it will be a great shared legacy for our organisation and his memory,” Mr Peters said.

“Ron was always generous with his time with aspiring athletes and his legendary deeds will continue to influence generations of runners for many years to come.

“And to see the reverence in which he was held by visiting Commonwealth Games Association delegates during their visits to the city during the bid process spoke volumes for the awe in which he continued to be held in the global sporting arena,” he said.

Ron’s wife Helen said her husband was thrilled when the bid was won and excited about the possibilities it opened up for the city.

“Many times when he and I spoke about the 2018 Games he did so with his civic hat on,” Mrs Clarke said.

“He was just as excited about the infrastructure he saw going up around him and the changes he could see happening in the city as he was about the sporting competition which, given his athletics background, I think speaks volumes for his genuine love for the Gold Coast,” she said.

Media Contact:         Jessica Hill 0475 950 772