Prominent Australian sports journalist and media figure Rod Allen has died in a cliff fall in Sydney, police said on Sunday.
The body of Allen, 45, was found early Sunday at the base of a cliff on Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour, they said. Reports said he had been camping on the island as part of a former colleague’s 50th birthday celebrations.
Allen was previously managing editor for sport for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Sun-Herald newspapers and managed Fairfax Media’s coverage of the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing.
In recent years Allen was head of media relations for Football Federation Australia. He also managed the Australian Olympic Committee’s office in the main press centre at last year’s London Olympics.
As media manager for the Western Sydney Wanderers football club, he last Friday celebrated its A-League premiership victory in its inaugural season.
Police said investigations into the circumstances surrounding Allen’s death were continuing. He is survived by his wife Laila.
Prominent Australian sports media figure dies in cliff fall
