Vale Leslie Martyn MBE

Esteemed Member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame

26/01/1932 – 31/08/2021

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame is mourning the passing of esteemed Member Leslie Martyn OBE (Admin) who passed away on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at the age of 89.

Leslie Martyn began his career in Australian sport as the Weightlifting Manager of the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Team and eventually grew to be considered to be one of Australia’s most influential sports administrators. He was twice named as Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic Weightlifting Team, and three times Chef de Mission of the Australian Commonwealth Games Weightlifting Team.

In 1976, following the poor performance of the Australian team at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Martyn was a key figure in the formation of the Confederation of Australian Sport (CAS). He, along with fellow SAHOF Member Wayne Reid OBE (dec.) and Sir Arthur George (dec.), met with then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to seek more funding for sport from the Government. CAS was formed with Martyn as Chairman of the Development Committee and represented all national sports as an undoubtedly strong lobbyist group and was influential in the establishment of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra.

A personal highlight for Martyn came in 2000 when he was part of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Torch Relay.

SAHOF Chair John Bertrand AO said; “Les Martyn was one of Australia’s most influential sports administrators, and he will be deeply missed. Sport was an integral part of Les’ life and his impact on numerous sports was profound; from training and managing Australian weightlifting teams to becoming the President of the Australian Weightlifting Federation, President of Confederation of Australian Sport and Chairman of the Australian Commonwealth Games Association for nearly a decade. 

Les was one of a kind. His passion for sport and life, and his influence on sport in Australia, will be remembered for many years. 

We are mourning a great loss and our deepest condolences are with his three sons Stuart, Paul and Graeme and their families.”

Read Leslie Martyn’s full biography here.