"That makes having this chance to lead the Australian team at Glasgow even more special.

"I was the final person to be selected for the Australian team when the Games were last held in Scotland and this time I'm the first,"

Steve Moneghetti wins gold in the Commonwealth Games marathon at Victoria  1994

It will be the second consecutive occasion that 50-year-old Moneghetti has fulfilled the Chef de Mission's role, having held the same position at New Delhi in 2010, when Australia finished top overall with a total of 177 medals, 74 of them gold. 

"I owe a lot to the Commonwealth Games," said Moneghetti.

"While Delhi had its complications and its challenges, none of that was to do with the athletes or the competition.

"Being passionate about sport and the human element of sport I was delighted to think that the outcomes from Delhi were a lot better than a lot of the athletes expected.

"Having not been in such a high-level management position before I was learning a lot of things on the job.

"This time I'll certainly be more hands on.

"Winning medals is getting tougher as the standard of competition gets stronger.

"With the Home Nations [England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales] coming off such a successful Olympics [at London 2012], and several other Commonwealth nations looking to chip away at Australia's medal dominance, every medal will be a hard fought battle."

Four years before New Delhi, at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Moneghetti had been the Mayor of the Athletes' Village.

Steve Moneghetti, in grey suit, leading out Australia's team at the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi

Australian Commonwealth Games Association chief executive Perry Crosswhite said it was an advantage for the athletes to have someone of Moneghetti's experience and leadership qualities in such a key role within the team at the Games, which are due to take place between July 23 and August 3.

"Steve continues to be one of the most respected names in Australian sport and will be a great ambassador and spokesperson for the team in the lead-up to and during the Games," said Crosswhite.

"As Chef de Mission at Delhi 2010, Steve demonstrated his leadership qualities and ability to motivate those around him by keeping the team focused on performing in an undoubtedly challenging environment.

"We are delighted that he was keen to take on the role again in 2014 where his experience in representing Australia as an athlete, a coach and most recently as Chef de Mission, gives him a unique understanding of what it takes to succeed in the Games environment."

Other key roles in the Australian Commonwealth Games team announced today were Diane Gallagher as team general manager and Dr Grace Bryant as medical director.

Gallagher has been involved with the Australian Team in every Games since 2002, most recently as the assistant team general manager at both Delhi 2010 and Melbourne 2006.

She takes over the lead team managerial role previously occupied by Crosswhite at Delhi 2010.

Bryant has been head doctor with the Australian team at every Games since 1998 and is a member of the Australia Commonwealth Games Medical Commission.

She takes over the medical director role previously occupied by Dr Peter Harcourt.


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March 2010: Australia Chef de Mission - Delhi 2010 will be a different experience
May 2009: Moneghetti appointed Australian Chef de Mission for 2010