Swimming Australia Names John Bertrand as New President

Three months after Barclay Nettlefold resigned his short-lived post as the president of Swimming Australia, the organization has named John Bertrand as their new president.

Betrand’s background is in the world of sailing, where he won an Olympic bronze medal in 1976 in Finn Class.

“John is a two-time Olympian and a bronze medallist and he has a proven track record in high performance sport,” the president of the Australian Olympic Committee said. “He has impeccable connections in Australian sport and business communities and we are very supportive of his appointment.”

Bertrand is currently the chairman of the Sports Australia Hall of Fame and the Chairman of the Alannah and Madeline Children’s Foundation.

“I am honoured to have been selected to preside over Swimming Australia,” Bertrand said.

“I’ve had an association with high performance sport and high performance teams for more than 40 years and this appointment is one of the highlights of my career.

“Swimming has a proud history in this country and a reputation for hard work, humility and success. This tradition needs to continue and be a clear focus for all athletes and coaches as we head towards Rio in 2016.

“Australians love watching our gold-capped swimmers in action and personally I get a real sense of pride when they are making their presence felt on the swimming world stage. The recent performances at the World Championships in Barcelona and Montreal were a positive next step towards Rio and it’s clear that things are moving in the right direction.

“My immediate focus will be to provide the corporate leadership and direction to ensure continued improvement in sporting results, corporate governance, team culture and grass roots growth at the community sport level.”

Bertrand is 66 years old and a member of the prestigious Order of Australia.