In 2003, tennis champions Margaret Court and Rod Laver were announced as Legends, both of whom have tennis stadiums named in their honour. In 2016, the 20th year of the Legends series, 11 Australian singles tennis champions were recognised, not only for their individual achievement but also for advancing Australian tennis globally: Pat Cash, Ashley Cooper AO, Roy Emerson, Neale Fraser AO MBE, Evonne Goolagong Cawley AO MBE, John Newcombe AO OBE, Patrick Rafter, Tony Roche AO MBE, Ken Rosewall AM MBE, Frank Sedgman AM and Fred Stolle AO. In addition to these greats, Lleyton Hewitt was honoured on a special-edition farewell stamp to commemorate his retirement from competitive tennis and as the new captain of the 2016 Davis Cup team.

In 2012, the Australian Legends of Football spanned football, rugby and soccer by honouring Mark Schwarzer, Gary Ablett Junior, Billy Slater, David Pocock, Ron Barassi, Joe Marston, John Raper and David Campese. In 2013, the Legends of Australian Horse Racing stamp issue honoured George Moore, Roy Higgins, Bart Cummings, Bob Ingham, John Tapp and Arthur "Scobie" Breasley. While not a Legends issue, in 2002 Champions of the Turf recognised five racehorses from Australia’s Racing Hall of Fame, including Might and Power – after all, jockeys and trainers are nothing without their horses. Australian Olympic Legends were honoured in 1998: Betty Cuthbert, Herb Elliot, Dawn Fraser, Majorie Jackson, Murray Rose and Shirley Strickland.

Going for Gold

Olympic Gold Medallists were also the inspiration for Australia’s first instant Gold Medallist stamps. These were produced for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, both individual and team events: 16 stamps in all. This was also another example of allowing living people on Australian stamps, in addition to the Monarch and the Legends Award recipients. These Gold Medallists stamps have continued ever since, for each Summer and Winter Olympics, the last release being for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Stamp sheetlets for the Paralympian of the Year have also been produced since this time. The Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winners from the 2006 event held in Melbourne were also featured on stamp sheetlets.

A record-setting team

While individual sporting achievements rate highly in Australian culture, so to do sporting teams. Such teams represent the epitome of banding together to achieve incredible things. An historic Australian team was recognised in 2018 with the release of The First Cricket Tour: 150 Years stamp issue. This commemorative stamp honoured the first international cricket tour by a team from Australia, which occurred in 1868.

