Australian Sailing has welcomed the appointment of Malcolm Page OAM as Head Coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) Sailing Program.

Page is Australia’s most successful Olympic sailor, having won gold medals in the 470 class at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London games. After becoming the first sailor to defend an Olympic gold medal, Page was given the honour of carrying the Australian flag at the 2012 closing ceremony.

Most recently Page has been working as the Chief of Olympic Sailing at US Sailing. His main objective was to bring the USA back to being a dominant youth and Olympic nation by designing and implementing a high performance plan.

Page is excited to be back in Australia and says it was the right move for him and his family; “Getting involved with the VIS and with the sport that I love is the perfect re-introduction to Australia,” adding “Victoria has always been instrumental in sport as well as the world sailing scene.”

Daniel Belcher, President AS is also delighted to have Malcolm Page back in Australia and take up the role of VIS Head Coach through until October 2020; “Mal is an inspiring figure in the Australian Sailing community and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.”

“As one of our key State Sailing Performance Program Partnerships, the VIS and Australian Sailing look forward to strengthening the development of Youth and Olympic Sailing in Victoria, and supporting upcoming sailors to achieve success.”

The VIS and other network partners across the country play a vital role in developing the next generation of Australian Olympic sailors. It is through the support and guidance provided by the state and national institutes that our future stars begin their pathway to international success.

VIS Performance Manager (Podium) Bill Tait is thrilled about Page’s appointment and the leadership he will bring to the VIS Sailing Program; "After an extensive international search we are excited to have Malcolm aboard as our Sailing Head Coach.”

“Malcolm's credentials as a sailor, coach and program leader are first class, but perhaps more importantly he brings calm and methodical philosophy to developing talented sailors".

Page will be responsible for of the VIS Sailing Program and leading the overall Victorian Performance Pathway for Sailing, working alongside AS Head of State Sailing (VIC) Carrie Smith.