Swimming Australia pays tribute to a great of Australian sports journalism

The swimming community lost one of its greatest allies and former scribes with the passing of Wayne Smith on Tuesday.

Smithy, formerly of The Courier-Mail, Brisbane Telegraph and the Australian before joining The Australian died suddenly on the Sunshine Coast. He was a champion of swimming, and of women’s sport, in newsrooms when both were considered unfashionable.

From Tracey Wickham through to Kieren Perkins and Susie O’Neill, Smithy was respected for his fearless commitment to the sports he loved and his relentless pursuit of accuracy and accountability.

Swimming Australia head coach Rohan Taylor said: “I had lunch with Wayne just before the Tokyo Olympics but his relationship with the swimming community extended over decades. He was a student of the sport, he was tough but he was fair.”

“He was always seeking to understand and he knew his stuff. He genuinely cared about the people he wrote about but there were no free passes. Swimming was blessed to have him in our corner.”

Vale Wayne Smith, a great reporter, a beautiful writer and all-round good human. Swimming Australia wishes to share our condolences with Wayne’s family and friends.