Wally Foreman
Encyclopedia
Walter "Wally" John Foreman (5 January 1948 - 2 November 2006) OAM
was a sports administrator and commentator for ABC
Radio program "Grandstand" based in Perth, Western Australia
.
Born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
but raised in Bruce Rock
, Foreman worked in the sports media for more than 30 years. He started his career in the media when he was a journalist at the West Australian
newspaper in 1972 and joined the ABC
Sports Department in 1975. He left the ABC briefly to work in TV for Channel 9, before taking up a position with the ABC in Adelaide.
During his career, he covered a wide range of domestic and international sporting events including four Olympic Games
, five Commonwealth Games
, the Australian Open
tennis tournament, World Cup athletics
, Hockey World Cup
tournaments and the Pacific Conference Games
.
He was a familiar voice throughout Australia
, having commentated on AFL
football, NBL
basketball and various national championships.
Foreman was appointed to become the inaugural director of the Western Australian Institute of Sport
(WAIS) in 1984 and held the position for more than 17 years. The WAIS achieved and earned a reputation as a world class provider for elite athletes and a national leader in its field.
In the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games, he was involved in the development and implementation of the Olympic Athlete Program and acted as a consultant to both the Queensland
and Tasmanian government with regards sports institutes being established in these states.
He retired from the WAIS in 2001 and returned to work within the ABC Sports Department in Perth.
In 2003, he received an Order of Australia (OAM)
award for his services to sport and was named Western Australia Citizen of the Year (Sport) in 2000. In 2000 he has also awarded the Australian Sports Medal
(ASM).
He was married to Lyn Foreman
, who is head coach (track) at the WAIS and was a former national athletics champion, and had two sons.
Foreman suffered a heart attack
on 31 October 2006 and died in Perth
on the afternoon of 2 November 2006 after initially being diagnosed as being stable.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
was a sports administrator and commentator for ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Radio program "Grandstand" based in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
Born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
but raised in Bruce Rock
Bruce Rock, Western Australia
Bruce Rock is a town located in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately east of Perth and southwest of Merredin. It is the main town in the Shire of Bruce Rock....
, Foreman worked in the sports media for more than 30 years. He started his career in the media when he was a journalist at the West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
newspaper in 1972 and joined the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Sports Department in 1975. He left the ABC briefly to work in TV for Channel 9, before taking up a position with the ABC in Adelaide.
During his career, he covered a wide range of domestic and international sporting events including four Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
, five Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
tennis tournament, World Cup athletics
IAAF World Cup in Athletics
The IAAF Continental Cup is an international athletics competition which comprises track and field events. It is the only world cup contested by teams representing entire continents, rather than just those of individual nations...
, Hockey World Cup
Hockey World Cup
The Hockey World Cup is an international field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation . The tournament was started in 1971...
tournaments and the Pacific Conference Games
Pacific Conference Games
The Pacific Conference Games were a quadrennial athletics competition, held between 1969 and 1985 and contested by Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and the United States.The 1981 event was open to athletes from all nations....
.
He was a familiar voice throughout Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, having commentated on AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
football, NBL
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
basketball and various national championships.
Foreman was appointed to become the inaugural director of the Western Australian Institute of Sport
Western Australian Institute of Sport
The Western Australian Institute of Sport is an elite sports institute set up in 1983 by the Government of Western Australia to support athletes in Western Australia...
(WAIS) in 1984 and held the position for more than 17 years. The WAIS achieved and earned a reputation as a world class provider for elite athletes and a national leader in its field.
In the lead up to the Sydney Olympic Games, he was involved in the development and implementation of the Olympic Athlete Program and acted as a consultant to both the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and Tasmanian government with regards sports institutes being established in these states.
He retired from the WAIS in 2001 and returned to work within the ABC Sports Department in Perth.
In 2003, he received an Order of Australia (OAM)
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
award for his services to sport and was named Western Australia Citizen of the Year (Sport) in 2000. In 2000 he has also awarded the Australian Sports Medal
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal was an award given during 2000 to recognise achievements in Australian sport.Recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, office holders, and people who maintained sporting facilities and services. Over 18,000 Medals were...
(ASM).
He was married to Lyn Foreman
Lyn Foreman
Lyn Foreman is a former champion hurdler who competed for Western Australia and Australia from 1979 to 1982. She was the national 400m hurdles champion three times between 1979 and 1981....
, who is head coach (track) at the WAIS and was a former national athletics champion, and had two sons.
Foreman suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
on 31 October 2006 and died in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
on the afternoon of 2 November 2006 after initially being diagnosed as being stable.