Recently retired swimming champion Matt Welsh has been selected to carry the Olympic torch on the Australian leg of its journey to Beijing on April 24.
Joining the swimmer will be Trooper Andrew Behrndt, who was injured in a roadside bomb blast in Iraq last year, paramedic Janelle White, and university student Sophie Bowen.
Torch relay legs in London and Paris have been besieged by protesters angry at China's actions in Tibet.
Welsh says he is honoured to be chosen as a torchbearer and hopes the Australian relay will not attract the same level of animosity.
"As a sportsperson I've never been one to understand why politics and sport always seem to go hand-in-hand," he said.
"Hopefully in Australia people will know and understand this isn't a big political move, this is a move to celebrate sport."
Welsh says the Olympics spreads a peaceful message and hopes Australians will embrace the spirit of the Games during the relay in Canberra.
"It's got a very, very long history and it seems to be able to break most boundaries and has done in the past," he said.
"It's a great opportunity and hopefully one to be positive."
Source: By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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