Margie McDonald honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

One of sports greatest storytellers and a trailblazer for females in sport, Margie McDonald, is the latest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, announced at the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Media Awards.

McDonald joins a prestigious group of some of Australia’s great media personalities and reporters, with many former recipients on hand at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the occasion.

The 200-person event saw Nine, the ABC and News Corp as the big winners with the three organisations all taking out multiple awards.

Ellie Cole received the inaugural Rising Star award for her impressive transition from elite sport to broadcasting, becoming a trusted voice for the Nine Network on the hosting desk, in the commentary box and on the pool deck.

Another athlete turned journalist, Elizabeth Wright, was recognised for her reporting of sport for people with disability at the ABC.

News Corp and the Nine Network were announced as joint winners for their coverage of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, while photographer Delly Carr was recognised for his iconic photo of Jess Fox celebrating Noèmie Fox’s gold medal moment in the women’s kayak cross in Paris.

For the first time, sport documentaries had their own category, with SBS’s story on the rise of the A-League’s Western Sydney Wanderers in ‘Came from Nowhere’ taking the title.

The night closed with McDonald’s honour following a journey that started when she was 12 years old standing on a milk crate to cheer on Easts Tigers at Langlands Park in Brisbane. She has gone on to cover 13 summer and winter Paralympic Games, five Commonwealth Games, four Olympic Games and thousands of rugby league matches.

Kicking off her career as a cadet reporter at the Townsville Bulletin in 1978, she worked at AAP locally and in London, The Australian, NRL.com and is currently with NSW Rugby League as a sports journalist, and at 47 years in, she has no intention of giving up her beat.

"I love sport - it's as simple as that. I love the results, the people, the history, the stories. It's always been an absolute privilege to watch it and write about it,” she said.

"I never set out to be in the spotlight. I like to beaver away in the background but to be recognised this way, for something I so enjoy doing, is very humbling.”

"I am overwhelmed by this award. I am deeply grateful for the respect the ASC Board has shown me.”

From soccer players in the 80s autographing her notebook instead of answering questions, to security guards blocking her from ‘men’s only’ dressing rooms and working in press rooms with no female toilets, McDonald laid the foundations for many women in the industry today.

ASC Chair Kate Jenkins AO presented McDonald with the honour.

“Margie is a much-loved figure across sport and her passion has never wavered,” Ms Jenkins said.

“Her disbelief at being recognised with this honour speaks to her humble nature and genuine love of sport.

"The work of pioneers like Margie over many decades has left sport and the coverage of it in a better place for everyone.”

The evening saw media professionals and organisations from across Australia acknowledged for their coverage of sport.

2024 ASC Media Awards winners:

Best coverage of sport for people with disability Elizabeth Wright, ABC Sport  Highly Commended: Zachary Gates, Wide World of Sports

Best sports documentary Came From Nowhere, SBS

Best coverage of rural and regional sport James Gardiner, Newcastle Herald: ‘Newcastle Jets - a turbulent year for Newcastle’s flagship football side’  Highly Commended: Jeremy Story Carter, ABC: ‘Wahgunyah, undefeated’

Best depiction of inclusive sport That Pacific Sports Show, ABC

Best coverage of sport by a club or organisation Surfing Australia, 2024 Australian Boardriders Battle

Best sport profile – written Kirby Short, Cricket Australia: ‘Comes in waves, the fall and rise of Josie Dooley’

Best reporting of an issue in sport Julian Linden, News Corp: ‘China's secret doping cover-up’  Highly commended: Michael Warner, News Corp ‘White Line Fever’

Best sport podcast The Final Word Cricket Podcast, Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon

Best coverage of a sporting event - JOINT WINNERS Nine Network, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games  News Corp, Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Best sports photography Delly Carr, Jess Fox celebrates Noèmie Fox’s win

Best sport coverage by an individual – broadcast Corbin Middlemas, ABC Sport

Best sport coverage by an individual – written Will Swanton, The Australian

Rising Star Award Ellie Cole, Nine Network