Athletes Celebrate Historic Campaigns At New Zealand Team Olympic Gala 2024

New Zealand’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes have come together to celebrate their remarkable success at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The New Zealand Team Olympic Gala 2024, held this evening in Auckland, brought together more than 500 athletes, coaches, and supporters for an evening of reflection and celebration.

2024 was a golden year for New Zealand’s athletes, as the nation secured its highest-ever medal tally at the Olympic Games, winning 20 medals, including 10 golds, and finishing 11th on the medal table.

The success was followed by the memorable performances of New Zealand’s Paralympic athletes who won 9 medals and set numerous Oceania and New Zealand records.

“We are here to celebrate what has been a remarkable year for both Olympic and Paralympic sport,” said NZOC President Liz Dawson.

“These Teams have made our country proud, embodying the values we hold dear— respect, integrity, excellence, leadership and pride. We are incredibly proud of them and the way they represented Aotearoa New Zealand on and off the field of play."

Among those in attendance at the Gala was Finn Butcher who won gold in the kayak cross in Paris.

"It’s fantastic to be here tonight to reflect on the success of both these teams in Paris," said Butcher.

“It was a bit of a whirlwind at the time so it’s great to see everyone again and celebrate these amazing Games.”

The Gala also acknowledged exceptional off-field accomplishments, including Olympian Sarah Walker’s appointment to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Marcus Daniell’s election to the IOC Athletes’ Commission, and Dame Lisa Carrington’s receipt of the ANOC Outstanding Sporting Career Award, one of the highest honours in the Olympic movement.

The event served as a thank-you to the supporters, whānau, sponsors, and partners whose contributions enable the New Zealand Team to shine on the world stage.

"The Paris Games were an extraordinary success, not just because of the medals but because of the values, spirit, and resilience our athletes demonstrated. We are deeply grateful to everyone who played a part in this journey, showing the world not just what do, but who we are” said NZOC CEO Nicki Nicol.

Nicol thanked the people who made the Games possible.

"It’s a big financial undertaking to get a team to the Olympic Games and make sure they are prepared with everything they need to take on the world's best. We couldn't do it without the support of our generous sponsors, partners, donors and NSO partners, so I'd also like to thank them for everything they do for the New Zealand Team."

The New Zealand Team will next be in action at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

About The New Zealand Olympic Committee

The New Zealand Olympic Committee was established in 1911. Since then, we have used our unique mandate to select and lead more than 60 teams to Olympic and Commonwealth Games across the globe. Our athletes and teams are at the heart of our organisation and their stories have become integral to our national identity. They represent Aotearoa New Zealand with honour and pride and the silver fern is a symbol of their sporting success. For decades our teams and athletes have showcased our unique culture and values on the world stage as well as promoting excellence and innovation through their stories and success.

We are a charity and rely heavily on commercial and other funding partnerships as we promote sport and the Olympic and Commonwealth values and help create New Zealand history. We are engaged in education programmes for young New Zealanders and, through Olympic Solidarity and other partnerships, help fund athlete and sport development.

We work in partnership with High Performance Sport New Zealand, which invests significant funding and specialist resources in NSOs, coaches and athletes to support performance on the world stage in New Zealand’s targeted sports.We are proud to represent the Olympic and Commonwealth sporting movements in New Zealand.

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