National Party MP Sam Burrill, with help from his Olympian mates, won the Pollie Relay Dash in front of Parliament House on Thursday morning - even beating super-competition ACT Senator David Pocock.
"Pocock has beaten me in the legs of the relay previously, so it's good to finish ahead of him for once," the Victorian MP said, after the race.
The Pollie Relay Dash is an initiative of the Australian Sports Federation, the national non-profit sports fundraising organisation.
The third annual relay celebrated sports participation by getting teams of athletes and politicians to complete legs including sack races, a cardboard canoe slalom run and throwing a rugby ball through a target.
Swimming golden girl Lani Pallister and BMX freestyle dynamo Natalya Diehm were among the Paris Olympians carrying the baton alongside federal and state politicians.
Also there were Zac Stubblety-Cook (swimming silver), Caitlin Parker (boxing bronze) and track star Ella Connolly.
Senator Pocock was joined in the relay by politicians including Wentworth MP Allegra Spender and Canberra's Bean MP David Smith.
Dan Repacholi, the Federal member for Hunter and an Australian sports shooter at four Olympic Games, fired the starter's gun
The light-hearted but high-spirited event prioritises participation over ability when it comes to sport.
Senator Pocock, a former star Wallaby and Brumbies player, said participation in sport was more important than ever - for people's mental and physical health as well as their sense of connection to the community.
"I know for me as a kid it was a place that I felt safe, I felt like I belonged, I made friends and I hope more and more Australians have that opportunity," he said.
Donations to the Australian Sports Federation are tax deductible and help Olympic dreams come true, including for Natalya Diehm, who won bronze in freestyle BMX at the Paris Olympics.
"I honestly don't know how I would have done it without their help and their support," she said.
- See more at asf.org.au
