Commonwealth Games legends appointed Village Mayors

Veteran Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists Mark Stockwell and Sara Carrigan have been named Village Mayors for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones said as Mayors of the Athletes’ Village, champion swimmer Stockwell and cyclist Carrigan had an important part to play in mentoring athletes during the Games.

Ms Jones said aside from their careers as athletes, both co-Mayors had been strongly involved in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games – Stockwell chaired the successful bid for the Games from 2010 to 2011 and Carrigan was involved in the bid while she was a member of the sport and technical committee.

“Mark Stockwell is best known by most Queenslanders for being a brilliant athlete,” Ms Jones said. 

“But in my opinion his greatest legacy will be what he did for the Commonwealth Games.

“He was one of the loudest voices during the bid process and laid the foundations for what will be the largest event in the Gold Coast’s history.

“Generations of Queenslanders will remember him swimming his way into the history books but even more will benefit from his contribution to the Games.

“Sara Carrigan is a sporting legend and I’m constantly humbled to hear about the work she’s doing to progress grassroots cycling in Queensland.

“She’s a shameless Gold Coaster and one of the most decorated athletes in the country.

“I can think of no one better to mentor our young athletes at the Commonwealth Games.”

Ms Jones said the role of the Village Mayor was steeped in tradition. 

“The Village Mayors will be responsible for welcoming international athletes to the Coast and sharing their experiences,” she said.

“These positions are crucial to the success of the Games – an event that will be broadcast to 1.5 billion people and is set to generate $4 billion for our economy.”

ENDS

Media contact: Jack Harbour 0419 620 447