Bruce McAvaney: Lifetime Channel Seven icon makes stunning switch to rival network for the Paris Olympics
- Long-time commentator makes surprising move
- One of Seven’s biggest stars for decades
Bruce McAvaney has surprisingly moved to ABC to cover the Paris Olympics after 30 years as one of Channel Seven’s biggest stars.
The 71-year-old is regarded as the voice of football for his work as a reporter for the AFL, but is also fondly remembered for his coverage of key Olympic moments, such as Cathy Freeman’s gold medal in Sydney. And now his stunning transformation means he will be covering the Games once more.
McAvaney joins the ABC Radio commentary team, alongside Australian Olympic stars including former sprinter Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and swimmer Sarah Ryan.
“I’ve always thought the Olympics were the ultimate event for an Australian broadcaster and to be given this opportunity by the ABC means the world to me,” McAvaney said on Monday.
Channel Nine and Stan have the rights to this year’s Games, which start on July 27 Australian time, leaving McAvaney hopeful of returning to Seven to cover the world’s biggest sporting event.
He played his final AFL game for the network in February 2021, having lent his talents to more than 1,000 games.
McAvaney was seen as the voice of the AFL for decades, along with co-commentator Dennis Cometti. It was a difficult decision for him to leave.
“I felt like I was at a point in my career where I needed to reduce my workload,” he said at the time.
Bruce McAvaney has been one of the faces of sport on Channel Seven for decades, but now he has moved to the ABC to report on the Paris Olympics.
The shock move comes after he announced the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for seven people (pictured at the broadcaster’s Melbourne headquarters)
“I’m going to miss it so much. I can just picture it: when Richmond and Carlton run onto the pitch in the first round and the ball bounces, I’m going to climb a wall somewhere.
“I’ll have to move on and just be a fan like everyone else.”
McAvaney stressed that the decision to step back after that year’s coronavirus-interrupted AFL season had nothing to do with health concerns, as he had battled chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in 2017.
The shocking decision was the result of discussions with his wife Anne and the network.
“I felt confident that I could continue with my commitment, but I just felt like this was the right time for me,” McAvaney explained.
“Something had to happen. I realized I wanted to keep working. I didn’t want to retire, that’s far from my mind. But I just didn’t think I was capable of doing as much as I was doing.”
The fan favorite predicted the 2021 Tokyo Olympics would be a seven-game slate and also worked on horse racing coverage for the network after stepping down from his football duties.
McAvaney has made some of the most famous Olympic calls in Australian history – and now he’s on course to maintain that record at the Paris Games (pictured the Eiffel Tower)
He then helped cover Seven’s Women’s World Cup last year, making a remarkable observation as the Matildas gained new fans across the country.
After the Matildas defeated Denmark in the round of 16 in front of a capacity crowd at Stadium Australia in Sydney, McAvaney said the atmosphere at the event made him feel like he was “floating on air”.
“There’s something about these types of competitions that’s different than going to the big competitions where the men dominate,” McAvaney said.
‘It’s a friendlier feeling… Am I making that up? No, I’m not, because a lot of people have told me that.
“There’s a lot of joy, there’s a lot of laughter, there’s a lot of complaining, there’s a lot of ‘Come on!’ shouting – but there’s also a lot of good sportsmanship.”