The Hula Report: Women’s Day Tributes
They are family. Some are like family. Others I pay tribute for the way they shaped my path along the never-ending road to the Olympics. On this International Women’s Day I salute the women who made this a magical journey.
The story can only be told because of the support of my wife of 38 years, Sheila. Her understanding and patience in the early days of my work covering the Olympics as a radio journalist helped lay the foundation for the decades of experiences we both would share on the Olympic beat.
Sheila was the publisher of Around the Rings, the newsletter we founded and then sold in 2021 to Infobae of Argentina. Sheila was her own tour de force in the Olympic world. She and I are both involved in development of our new consulting and content creation firm, Hula Sport Communications.
From the early days of my foray into the rings, I will always remember the encouragement of then IOC media chief Michele Verdier. As a novice among the ranks of an Olympic press corps deep with years of experience and contacts, Verdier helped me find a place in the media rogues gallery.
Our incredible sojourn as a family to Sydney, Australia, from 1998 to 2001 was made possible with the backing of Julie Flynn, news director for Radio 2UE, rightsholder for the 2000 Olympics and Paralympics.
Australia led to a whole new realm of acquaintances whose careers grew mightily after Sydney. Jackie Brock-Doyle was a key member of the Sydney 2000 media team. After helping London win the 2012 Games, she remained as media chief and now is a top adviser to World Athletics president Seb Coe.
Glenda Korporaal covered the business and political angles of the Sydney Games. Now she’s a senior editor for The Australian.
Nicole Jeffery, an important sports journalist in Australia for decades is now on the comms team with Brock-Doyle at WA.
Jacquelin Magnay is another Australian stalwart on the Olympics beat. After Sydney she moved to London from where she now reports.
Tracey Holmes was famously fired as a member of the comms team for Sydney 2000. But that did nothing to block her career, from a stint with CCTV in Beijing to her current work with ABC Radio (Australia).
Karen Webb also was subject to losing her job on a political whim. She departed Sydney 2000 just months before the Games. The IOC snapped her up, making her a part of its Sydney team. Since then, Webb has held posts in Doha, including work on the 2022 FIFA World Cup. She is now chair of British Swimming.
In the field of public relations, we have always welcomed the chance to work with Sevi Hubert Townsend of Jon Tibbs and Associates. Her professionalism and knowledge stand out.
The Games following Sydney were in Salt Lake City for 2002. Deseret News reporter Lisa Riley Roche was at the forefront of covering those Olympics. And now, as Salt Lake City campaigns for an encore, Roche brings to bear her experience across three decades.
Wakako Yuki, a venerable reporter for Yomiuri Shimbun, has been on the Olympic beat for 30+ years. She is the doyenne of the Japanese press corps at the Games.
From the IOC, Anita DeFrantz has been a constant in my travels on the Olympic highway. The senior member of the IOC in the U.S., DeFrantz has been a part of my Olympic coverage since we first met in 1990. Her work unsuccessfully challenging the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics is a chapter of its own in the annals of the Games. She is now third in IOC seniority.
Gunilla Lindberg was elected to the IOC in 1996 and is 13th in seniority. Her unending labors as secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees has made her one of the most knowledgeable IOC members about the operations of NOCs.
I miss the presence of Irena Szewinska, the great sprinter from Poland, home turf for the Hula clan. I met her long after her days as a runner, when she became an IOC member. She was always kind and happy, unpretentious for her Olympic feats.
Happily unpretentious was Gianna Angelopoulos, first woman to head an Olympic organizing committee. Always accessible to the press, she sought the attention that helped get Athens to finish line.
Laura Walden was on the scene in Europe for almost 20 years. The Texan was part of the pr team for the European Olympic Committees before launching her on line publication Sport Features and working on Olympic bids from Pyeongchang.
Atlanta-based reporter Karen Rosen is among the “almost family” I can thank for the contributions she has made to Olympic journalism through the years. As a colleague her know-how is voluminous. So is her collection of memorabilia. We will hear more from her in years to come.
Kathy Kuczka and Janice McDonald have been members of our Olympics family for numerous editions. They helped make it all possible. My first intern Melissa Gray is now a senior editor for CNN. My sister Liz will always be remembered for dishing out the bagels at our first Newsmaker Breakfasts held during the ‘96 Games.
Last, thanks to Mom, who was number-one for influencing my life for many years. We lost her in 1994, just weeks after thrilling her when she heard me report from Lillehammer. It was the first time she heard my voice on the radio from overseas. I often think about that today when I have a microphone in front of me. Thanks for the cheers, Elsie Hula.