In a letter to AHEPA NSW Inc dated 28 January 2025, the Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) has confirmed the Discobolus Monument in Stockroute Park will not be demolished nor disposed of in any inappropriate way.
SOPA said it is committed to making sure the public artwork is “relocated in a way that respects the original intent of the artist and the Greek community.”
This commitment comes after The Greek Herald first reported in November 2024 that the Discobolus Monument faced demolition as outlined in the NSW Government’s Sydney Olympic Park Draft Masterplan 2050. The Greek Herald has closely followed the story, being a voice for the Hellenic community who rallied together to save the monument.
AHEPA NSW Inc also held meetings with SOPA in November 2024, following the release of the draft Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan 2050 late last year.
In its written submission to the NSW Minister for Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, AHEPA NSW Inc highlighted that “the published draft Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan 2050 had a major omission which has caused great concern amongst our community. The lack of reference to the future of Stockroute Park, which hosts the Hellenic Olympic Tribute – Discobolus – raised fears of the future of this unique monument of Olympic heritage. Essentially, it is feared the public artwork would be demolished.”
The submission continued: “The Media Release of the Olympic Co-ordination Authority (dated Tuesday 21 December 1999) attached to our submission, the Hellenic Olympic Tribute – Discobolus – makes it clear that it was one of the ‘large scale, permanent outdoor public art projects at Homebush Bay and venues in Western Sydney. The AHEPA NSW Inc-led community gift was perceived as being a ‘permanent’ contribution to Sydney Olympic Park’.”
Background
In 1998, in the lead-up to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, AHEPA NSW Inc formed the Hellenic Olympic Tribute Committee. Its purpose was the creation of a public art gift from the Australian Hellenic community to our city, an idea borrowed from the American Hellenic community who developed a similar public artwork in Atlanta four years earlier. Fundraising efforts secured some $500,000 for the project.
Shortly before the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Hellenic Olympic Tribute by renowned artist Robert Owen – the Discobolus – was unveiled in Stockroute Park at Sydney Olympic Park.
Designed as a lasting acknowledgment of Greece’s contributions to the Olympic movement, the park has since become a significant cultural and historical landmark, and was officially recognised by the NSW Geographic Names Board in 2010.
The park and its installations were enhanced between 2009 and 2010 in preparation for the Sydney Games’ 10th anniversary. Collaborations between Greek Australian groups and international Greek institutions introduced interpretive signage and artistic elements that celebrated Greece’s contributions to the Olympics.
AHEPA NSW Inc has been corresponding and meeting with SOPA regarding the maintenance needs of the Discobolus for many years. In particular the faded inscriptions on the marble markers, honouring the associations, businesses and individuals who contributed to the project.
Moving forward
AHEPA NSW Inc has welcomed the assurances of the SOPA regarding the future relocation of the Hellenic Olympic Tribute – Discobolus.
The multifaceted monument – consisting of the Robert Owen sculpture, a set of mature olive trees with marble plinths bearing (now faded) dedicatory inscriptions and the dedication plaques explaining the public artwork and listing its donors – all need to remain part of the relocated commemorative space.
