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Beijing Olympics of Faith

Mark Tronson who assisted in the development of International Olympic Committee’s ‘Religious Services’ protocols in February 2000 while a guest of the IOC in Lausuanne Switzerland, says there is much confusion among Christians in relation to expressions of faith in the ‘Olympic village’ for the upcoming Beijing Olympics next year.

Mark Tronson who assisted in the development of International Olympic Committee’s ‘Religious Services’ protocols in February 2000 while a guest of the IOC in Lausuanne Switzerland, says there is much confusion among Christians in relation to expressions of faith in the ‘Olympic village’ for the upcoming Beijing Olympics next year.

Baptist Minister of 30 years, M V Tronson has had a long association with the Olympic movement although he has never held any official title or ever received any payment for his contributions. He’s been a faith financed funded missionary through donations via a monthly newsletter for 25 years.

Between 1982 and 2000, Mark Tronson pioneered ‘sports chaplaincy’ across the nation in association with Australian Heads of Churches. He was himself the Australian Cricket Team chaplain for 17 years until the end of 2000.

In 2001 he established ‘Life After Cricket’ and became the editor of the ‘Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter’ with an editorial team of Allan Border (Qld), Phil Emery (NSW), VCA’s Jason Bakker and Shaun Graf, David Boon (TAS), Greg Chappell (SA) and Kim Hughes (WA). It is shortly to publish its 15th edition.

The two respite facilities he inaugurated for Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) athletes, coaches and their families are ‘Basil Sellers House’ (Moruya 1992) and ‘Basil Sellers Tweed’ (Casuarina 2006). In 2007 he made these centres available to the cricket fraternity as ‘Cricket family respite’.

Over the years, he has been a passionate competitor and title-holder in athletics and field hockey. He has written extensively about hockey, and has been an author of five books on hockey, he was the hockey comment writer for ‘The Australian’ newspaper over many years, including field hockey Olympic tournaments and World Cups.

Providence has played a large part in his ministry. 1981-92 he was a part-time industrial padre at Shell Australia when IOC Vice President Kevan Gosper AC was Shell Australia Chairman. This association began a train of events which eventually came together in a pattern.

At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, this association helped Mark Tronson initiate his Olympic chaplaincy ministry. Subsequently, he followed this up by appointing Olympic chaplains from Australia between 1988-1996 to various Olympic host city’s Religious Services program.

For instance, the Reverend, The Hon. Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC was a Calgary Canada 1988 Winter Olympic Chaplain. Reverend Russell Hinds served in both Seoul ’88 and Barcelona ’92, while AIS Chaplains’ the Reverend Ken Bond was in Barcelona ’92 and the Reverend Peter Nelson in Atlanta ‘96.

After the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Kevan Gosper concurred that a Religious Services protocol might be helpful for future host cities. In order to initiate development on this, Mark Tronson visited IOC headquarters in February 2000.

There was one other factor which was a delight in the heart of M V Tronson.

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