‘An absolute privilege': Australia's octogenarian basketball team know it's never to late to don the green and gold

The Guardian

4 days ago

Oscar Carlson describes himself, rather self-deprecatingly, as 'just an old bloke that does stuff'. Only doing stuff – in this 84-year-old's case – extends to representing his country on the international sporting stage.
Last month, Carlson was a member of the Australian 80-year plus men's team at the World Maxibasketball Championship in Switzerland. The Boomer Boomers, if you will. The championships feature national teams in age categories from 35-plus and upwards; games are played under ordinary basketball rules, with minor modifications for older age categories – including an extended shot clock and smaller courts.
Coach Adrian Hurley (top left) addresses the team during a timeout in a game
The championship, held in late June and early July across the Swiss host cities of Bellinzona, Lugano and Locarno, are a major undertaking – involving approximately 6,000 athletes, the event is larger than the Winter Olympics. The tournament is organised by the International Maxibasketball Federation, which was founded in the early 1990s; the latest world championship was the 17th edition. The tournament offers a powerful message about the importance of active ageing and the role that sport can play in providing community for older people.
The Australians won their opening game in a one-point thriller over Brazil, but then fell to a heavyweight United States. 'We weren't flogged, but we were well beaten by a better side,' Carlson says. 'It was a great experience.'
The team huddle. The warmup. Andy Andriejunas with the ball. Frank Tomasi sits on the bench during a game
A clash with a second Brazilian team rounded out the group – but their opponent's age advantage was telling. 'They were a bit younger,' Carlson says. 'But they were good games, very competitive. We did OK but weren't up to the standards of those guys.'
Carlson comes from a sporting family; his father was a cricketer and his mother was a gymnast. At first, Carlson did not see himself following in the family tradition. 'I was a skinny little kid growing up,' he says. 'Bullied at school, beaten up, until one day …' On that fateful day, aged 12 or so, Carlson found his way down to the surfboat club in Melbourne. It was the start of a lifelong love of sport – a love that has stayed with him seven decades later.
The team poses for a group photo in Bellinzona
A career in teaching and physical education followed, with a detour into a monastery. 'Swim coach, rugby league coach, etcetera etcetera,' he says. 'The rest is history.' As Carlson passed through the years, more sports followed. He became a basketball coach of one of his schools; later in life he became a marathon runner and an Ironman contestant. 'Sport was my go-to thing – I was active, I wasn't brilliant at it, but I was good enough,' he says. 'It was my way of life.'
And now, at 84, representing Australia in international basketball. 'An absolute privilege,' he says. 'Of all things, to represent your country in any sport, for any reason – it's a privilege.'
The Australia's men's over‑80 basketball team faces Argentina in front of family and friends in Switzerland
The Australian team was coached in Switzerland by Adrian Hurley – who brought serious sporting pedigree to the role. Hurley coached the national team, the Boomers, at two Olympics; he was a torchbearer at the Sydney 2000 Games, and played an important role in establishing the Australian Institute of Sport basketball program in the 1980s that continues to this day.
Coaching the 80-plus team required a somewhat different skill set. In a speech to the team ahead of the opening game, Hurley said his first priority at the championship was ensuring all team members returned safe and healthy to Australia.
A member of the team takes off his jersey after a game
Those were no idle words. While staying active into older age is good for health, playing competitive basketball can come with its own challenges. 'In the Pan-Pacific Games last year, two blokes had heart attacks in consecutive days,' the team captain, Bryan Hennig, says. Fortunately, in one of the cases, a player on the opposition team was a trained paramedic. Some courtside defibrillation followed and the player made a full recovery. 'He was back two days later watching games,' Hennig says with a laugh.
Having returned to Australia, Carlson is already on to his next challenge – he wants to win a world title in his age group in kayaking. Sadly for the basketball team, Carlson is not the only player who might not be lacing up again in two years' time for the next championship in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Players from the Australian team congratulate their Argentina counterparts after a game as the nation's most senior representative
At 86, Hennig is already outside the 80-85 age category; he was inducted into the South Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, including for his work promoting masters basketball. Player-manager Gordon Watson will be over 85 by Buenos Aires – putting both into the 85-plus category. In Switzerland, the team were worried that there may not be enough players in that age group to field an Australian team next time around.
'I'm finished,' Hennig says. 'The hardest part is finding 80-year-olds – they're thinning out!'