AUS - Landon receives another prestigious honour

MELBOURNE - Basketball Australia's Lorraine Landon was among the sporting legends inducted into Sport Australia's Hall of Fame on Thursday, the third prestigious honour bestowed upon her in 2011.

Landon, the General Manager of National Teams and Competitions for Basketball Australia since 2001 and the presiding Chair of FIBA's Women's Commission, joined the likes of cricket legend Glenn McGrath and former professional surfer Layne Beachley among the inductees in Melbourne on Thursday.

This comes just weeks after FIBA Oceania handed out the first Landon trophy, given to the winners of the FIBA Oceania Basketball Championship for Women and named after a person who has done so much for basketball all around the world.

Earlier in the year, Landon was a recipient of the Order of Australia Medal.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed to be quite honest,” she said of her induction.

Landon’s time within basketball has seen her successfully serve in a distinguished list of roles that have played a critical part in the sport’s growth and development, in Australia and beyond.

She has also performed a number of significant roles within wheelchair basketball as well as offering her services to the sport for people with a disability.

Landon continues to be an influential figure in basketball’s development and direction moving into the future. 

The three accolades are added to her already long and impressive list of achievements. It includes being inducted into the Basketball Australia Hall of Fame, receiving the FIBA Order of Merit and the IOC Golden Rings for Landon's work in delivering the Sydney Olympic Basketball Competition as well as the IOC's 2004 Women in Sport Award to name a few.

“I’m very humbled – it’s been a great journey. I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of opportunities and I suppose I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to take the opportunities that have come my way. It’s wonderful," Landon explained.

“This is for all of sport and all of the different categories that we have in sport. Obviously to be selected by my peers is wonderful and I’m unbelievably excited about that.

“Primarily it’s recognition for our sport. We’re a team sport and I always see myself as part of the team and that’s what I enjoy – being part of the team.

“To have our sport recognised is wonderful. And it also reflects on some of the other opportunities I’ve been involved in outside of our sport and that’s in the areas of disability and working with other communities and sporting organisations, so it’s a reflection of some of the other work that I’ve done, but primarily, to me it’s the recognition of our sport – basketball."

After the inaugural Landon Trophy was handed out, FIBA Oceania Secretary General Steve Smith paid a glowing tribute to Landon.

"Lorraine Landon is unquestionably one of the pre-eminent people in international basketball," he said.

"She is well known on five continents for her long standing commitment to the development of our game and especially the promotion of women's basketball. 

"We are indeed lucky to have someone of her vision and commitment in our zone."

Lorraine Landon’s Service to the Sport of Basketball
•    General Manager, National Teams and Competitions, Basketball Australia, since 2001; Life Member
•    Chair, International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Women’s Commission, 1984-1986 and since 2002
•    Director, Basketball New South Wales, 1998-2003; Life Member
•    Director, Women’s National Basketball League, 1996-2001; Life Member
•    President, Australian Women’s Basketball Committee, 1982-1996
•    Manager, Australian Basketball Team, Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games
•    Manager, Australian Women’s Team, World Basketball Championships, Malaysia, 1986
•    Director, State sports Centre Trust, 1994-2009
•    Member, NSW Sports Advisory Committee, 1994-2008
•    Director, Western Sydney Sports Academy, since 2005
•    General Manager, Sydney Kings and Sydney Flames Basketball teams, 1989-1997
•    Chief Executive Officer, Bankstown basketball Association,  1976-1988; Life Member
•    Manager, Wheelchair Basketball and Intellectual Disability Basketball, since 2003
•    Member, Ministerial Advisory Committee on Sport and Recreation for people with a Disability (NSW), recent appointment

FIBA