IAN HANSON

Edited transcript of the Live Chat with Neil Fuller on Monday, March 5th 2001

Interviewer: Hi Ian, how are you and where are you now?
Ian Hanson: I'm very well, I’m sitting in the media centre at the Hobart Aquatic Centre on day 3 of the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships and we are all very excited with the prospect of a world record in the 800 meters freestyle tonight.

Interviewer: What does the role of Media Manager for the Australian Swimming Team involve?
Ian Hanson: It is quite an involved role and one which I have been involved in since 1991, and basically I act as the liaison between the media and Australian swimming and in particular the swimmers I arrange interviews for television, radio and press, and I also guide the athletes in media training.

Interviewer: verram: Ian, will u be travelling with the team to Japan or staying in Australia?
Ian Hanson: I will be travelling with the team to Japan, it is a key part of my role to make sure that the athletes are comfortable with their media responsibilities and its important to make the necessary arrangements for major press conferences which will involved the worlds media in Fukuok. Australian swimming sees this situation to be important also for Australian swimming on a world stage as well as keeping the Australian public informed on the results of the Dolphins when they are on tour. There will also be major television and web site commitments which I will coordinate for Australian Swimming and our ' broadcasters Channel 9.

Interviewer: Where you ever a swimmer yourself?
Ian Hanson: I was an average club swimmer who qualified for state championships for NSW on 2 occasions and never went fast enough to make a final but I did have some success as a surf swimmer and won various state and Australian medals in Surf belt R & R and Surf teams events and actually represented NSW on a tour of Europe in 1980. My wife was a champion swimmer, and my daughter Brooke has been on various National Teams since making the commonwealth games team in 1994 she is actually still swimming and this year won 6 gold medals on the world cup tour in Europe, and is racing at these Australian Championships She finished 3rd in the 100 meters breaststroke last night.

Interviewer: verram: Ian, how did u find the Sydney Olympic experience? Have you come down from the Olympic high yet?
Ian Hanson: That’s a very good questions. The Olympic experience for me, to be classed as part of the Australian Olympic team, was a huge thrill for me, and to march on to the Olympic stadium for the Opening ceremony was, without doubt, one of the biggest thrills of my life. Being a Sydney boy through and through (even though I now live on the Gold Coast) made it even more special. I have been lucky enough to attend the last 5 Olympic games, 1984 1988 as a journalist with News Limited, 1992 as the Media officer for the Australian swimming team, and 1996 and 2000 as a media Liaison Officer for the Australian Olympic team. I didn't really have much time to recover from the hard yards of working 18 hours a day for 3 weeks, because I had to attend the Telstra Welcome Home parades (What a great celebration) and then gear up to work at the Australian Short Course championships in Melbourne before letting my hair down for a couple of the days. Then it was back to the promotion of the FINA world cup and Qantas Skins in December, but the Xmas parties were certainly a wonderful way to celebrate the end of the busiest year on record and as I said earlier the most exciting time of our lives.

Interviewer: verram: Ian, as media manager, how did u manage to handle the rivalry and words being exchanged between Australian swimmers and American swimmers during the Olympics?
Ian Hanson: That too is a very good questions There were certainly times I would wake up and read the papers and cringe at some of the comments made by our swimmers and also cringe when I’m actually in the press conference room listening to our senior swimmers fire back at the allegations made by members of the US team. Now that the dust has settled I can reveal that the blow up caused by Gary Hall's comments, "That the Americans would smash the Aussies like guitars" was really blown out of proportion and I did have a few words to say to Kieran Perkins after his retort against Gary Hall. As it turned out the Gary Hall/Kieran Perkins joust went a long way towards creating some new aussie legends when Michael Klim, Ashley Callus, Chris Fiddler, and Ian Thorpe actually "Smashed the Americans", broke two world records in one race and then gave their own rendition of the Air Guitar Celebration after the race for so many millions of Australians that was their highlight of the Olympic games. History was made as the Yanks had never been beaten in the 4x100 meters relay and it was Ian Thorpe who actually beat Gary Hall in that thrilling last leg.

Interviewer: What is Don Talbot like to work with, do you work closely with him?
Ian Hanson: I do work very closely with Don Talbot and there is no doubt that working with Don you know exactly where you stand. He is a straight shooter who is without doubt the best Head Coach in the world. I have known Don for almost thirty years and I worked with him on Australian swimming teams since the world championships in 1991. He is direct, forthright and very professional and one of the main reasons why Australian swimming is one of the leading swimming nations. He is always available to the media, and is never backward in coming forward with his Quotes.

Interviewer: tinak: Hi Ian, what do you like best about your job?
Ian Hanson: I think the opportunity to meet and work with and understand some fine young Australians who dedicate their lives to the sport of swimming does give me a big thrill, in particular when you first meet swimming like Leisel Jones who last April was unheard of, and I briefed her before her first ever TV interview, when she would not say boo to a mouse, was very shy and nervous in front of a TV camera, to watch her grow in confidence where she now takes her media commitments in her stride and is developing into a young lady who I’m sure will go a long way not only as a swimming but as a decent young Australian. Obviously the opportunity to travel around Australia and around the world and to look back over my career knowing that I’ve attended every Olympics and every commonwealth games since 1982

Interviewer: verram: Ian, is it true the men’s and women’s team for Fukuoka will be separated?
Ian Hanson: nothing formally has been announced regarding that situation, but Don Talbot, our head coach, will almost certainly implement a plan to simulate the women’s program which without Suzie O’Neill appears to lack some world class swimmers and it is a plan to assist in developing the women’s team. It's nothing new in the world of swimming and the US has a similar system and they are the Number 1 swimming nation in the world.

Interviewer: verram: What do you make of the recent retirements of very high profile swimmers Dunn, Riley, Fydler, Perkins and O'Neill? Is it a big loss for Australian Swimming in the lead-up to Japan?
Ian Hanson: It certainly is a big loss to Australian swimming but there is no doubt that if we didn't have the Olympics in Sydney then these swimmers may well have retired before this. We were lucky enough to have the Fab Five for well over a decade at the highest level, as well as role models for young Australians. But there comes a time in everyone's life were they have to move on but its certainly not the same without them. We are lucky in Australian swimming to have another crop of champions like Ian Thorpe, Michael Klim, Grant Hackett, Petria Thomas, and Sarah Ryan amongst others who are ready to take on the responsibilities and the roles left by those great champions. We have also got some tremendous depth in so many of our events that the next generation of Australian swimmers are ready to live up to the standards set by the Fab Five.

Interviewer: Thank you Ian for your time, we hope we can chat to you from Japan! Have fun for the rest of the Hobart meet.
Ian Hanson: We look forward to bringing you some great news from Japan too, thank you for your support of Australian Swimming and the Telstra Dolphins. Don’t forget the big showdown between Thorpe and Hackett live on channel 9 at 7.20 pm Sydney time, or you can hear me on ABC radio. I will be doing a live call at the same time.