Cronulla Water Polo | Mark Tonelli

Mark Tonelli

Mark was born in Ipswich, Queensland in 1957. He attended St. Joseph's College Gregory Terrace in Brisbane until his senior year in 1974. Although having won an academic scholarship to Harvard University in the United States, he chose the University of Alabama, with coach Don Gambril, the head coach of the USA Olympic Swim Team to achieve his ultimate dream -- the 1980 Olympics and Gold for Australia.

Amongst Marks sporting achievements, he is Australia's most versatile all-rounder having won multiple-gold at Australian and International Championships in freestyle butterfly and backstroke. He was Captain of the Australian Swimming Team and honoured as Captain of the Australian Team of the Year, a fitting reward for his leadership before and during the Moscow Olympics where he won his most distinguished Gold Medal as the ‘flyer’ on the 4 by 100 medley relay at Moscow.

Following the 1980 Olympics, Mark was invited onto the Australian Sports Commission by Prime Minister Bob Hawke as an Inaugural Commissioner and served on the elite athletes standing committee, strategic planning and taxation committees.

Marks intimate knowledge of sport and his honours degree in broadcast and film communications has led him into broadcasting. He was a commentator for the swimming, kayaking and diving events at the Olympics in Los Angeles and again in Seoul, as well as the ABC, Radio 2UE, and the TEN network covering Australian, Commonwealth and World championships for the past two decades including Sydney and Athens.

Mark’s career has spanned other industries such as fitness, insurance, hospitality, information technology, sales and marketing, strategic sports consultancy and most recently real estate. His media credits include hosting Network TEN's home improvements show Bright Ideas, reporting for Channel Ten News and Sports Tonight, the Sports Panel, Sports Bet Show and Updates (on Channel 7’s cable sports channel C7).