Cathy Freeman Stand unveiled at Accor Stadium

The Sydney Olympic Park venue has become synonymous with female sporting legends and featured heavily during the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 where almost 380,000 spectators attended five matches.

The naming of the grandstand comes as the result of a nomination process initiated by the NSW government earlier this year, where members of the public were invited to nominate a female sporting hero deserving of a grandstand named in her honour.

The initiative is delivering on an election commitment by the NSW government to acknowledge female athletes on the state’s grandstands, promoting women's participation in sports.

Ms Freeman, a proud Kuku Yalanji and Birri Gubba woman, is one of Australia's most celebrated athletes.

Her achievements include Olympic gold and silver medals, 2 world titles and 4 Commonwealth Games gold medals.

Stadium Australia holds a special place in Ms Freeman's career and world sporting history.

It is where she lit the flame to mark the start of the 2000 Sydney Olympics on 15 September 2000 – 23 years ago – and 10 nights later claimed individual gold in the 400m final.

That victory in front of a home crowd of 112,524 spectators saw her become the first Aboriginal Australian to win an individual Olympic gold medal.

That iconic gold medal run and victory lap carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags held the record of the most-watched television event in Australian history with 8.8 million live viewers, which was only topped in August with the Matildas’ semi-final match against England at Accor Stadium with a peak of 11.15 million viewers.

It was the 100th Olympic gold medal won by an Australian.

The newly renamed Cathy Freeman Stand is the main public seating area of Accor Stadium and seats nearly 30,000 spectators.

It is the closest to the major public transport links to Sydney Olympic Park, is located adjacent to Cathy Freeman Park and houses the athlete’s tunnel from which Ms Freeman emerged in a high-tech full body suit for the 400m Olympic final.

The Cathy Freeman Stand is the second female athlete recognition announcement made by the state government.

This follows the announcement that a giant mural has been commissioned to celebrate the Matildas’ historic success at the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023  tournament.

The permanent artwork, to be installed on the external façade of the eastern side of the stadium, will serve as a permanent reminder of how the team’s run at the World Cup captured the imagination of the nation and inspired the next generation of female athletes.

In a true sign Australia’s female sporting sisterhood, Ms Freeman met with the Matildas in the days leading into their opening FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 match, to share guidance and advice to the team.

Cathy Freeman OAM said, “I am deeply honoured and humbled by this recognition.

“This stadium and Sydney Olympic Park hold a truly special place in my heart and that will never change.

“I hope that my story continues to inspire generations of girls and boys to chase their own dreams in sport and life.

"Like the rest of Australia, I cheered on the Matildas during the FIFA Women's World Cup and I can't wait to see future generations of Australian female athletes make their mark."

Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said, "It's about time we name a grandstand in NSW after a woman, and I can't think of a better athlete then Cathy Freeman.

“I’m so proud to announce that Cathy Freeman will have a grandstand named after her at the home of Australia's biggest sporting moments.

“Cathy’s a national sporting hero. Everybody remembers where they were when Cathy Freeman produced her historic 400m race to win gold for Australia at the Sydney Olympics.

“I want the next generation of young girls to watch sport at this stadium, looking up at the Cathy Freeman Stand, thinking about their own sporting dreams.”