People

For former Olympian, love of sport lives long

The sports of rowing and rugby have very little in common beyond the letter “r.” But if Tony Popplewell hadn’t played rugby, he may never have discovered rowing—and a front-seat ticket to the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

Tony Popplewell, third from the right, stands proud as a member of New Zealand’s 1964 Olympic rowing team. Tony still travels with New Zealand’s athletes to the Olympic games in an administrative capacity. Though he claims the 2008 games in Beijing will be his last, he admits he’s been saying that for the past four years.

“I was bordering on senior-level rugby, and, being as tall as I am, I would be in the middle of the scrum,” says Tony, who is a member of New Zealand’s Takapuna Kiwanis club and a past New Zealand-Pacific District governor. “A friend of the family said, ‘Oh, you need to get into rowing to build yourself up for rugby.’”

Tony had never before heard of the sport. But, he took the friend’s advice and tried it.

“After a couple of times, I decided I quite liked it. I eventually gave up rugby,” he says.

So, he honed his rowing skills and in 1960, found himself on the national rowing squad, living and training in Auckland—and then, on his way to the Olympics to represent New Zealand rowing.

“I had never been out of New Zealand before, and it was a pretty good adventure for us,” Tony recalls. Though the rowing team did not return to New Zealand with a medal, plenty of once-in-a-lifetime highlights may have helped make up for the disappointment. Among Tony’s favorites:

• “Watching New Zealand runner Peter Snell win gold in both the 800- and 1,500-meter races.
• “Being in the middle of the ‘parade of nations.’
  “It was a mind-blowing thing to see all the people. I had never seen so many people in one place,” he says.
• And the closing ceremony.

“We were trying to enjoy the occasion as much as we could,” Tony says. “A group of us delayed our exit from the stadium as much as possible. We said, ‘Let’s do just one last circle around the track.’ So, we ran around the 400-meter track again, and there, before us, was Emperor Hirohito. We lined up and bowed to the emperor as a mark to say thank you.”

After the Olympics, Tony continued to row for a while, and he coached the sport for several years in the ’70s. He has served, over the years, in many official and administrative roles on behalf of New Zealand rowing, including as a team leader and manager for New Zealand’s athletes participating in the Commonwealth Games and Olympics. That, he explains, mainly involves “operations”: getting the team to the host nation and proper venues—and all the other logistics the athletes might require.

“It’s a pretty stressful job during the games—it’s 24/7,” he admits, “and it requires quite a lot of preparation; building relationships with local people and figuring out what’s available.”

He travels with the teams, and when he takes them to Beijing, China, for the 2008 Olympics, it will mark his 10th Olympic or Commonwealth games in an administrative role.

“Beijing will be my last,” he says—but not with much conviction. “Of course, I’ve been saying that for several years (and gone anyway).

“I feel very fortunate to travel the world with these games and these athletes.”