Iconic sport broadcaster Bruce McAvaney has confessed that his refusal to wind down his commentary duties has got his doctor and wife offside as he continues to battle leukaemia.
The 72-year-old was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in 2015 and has managed to keep working despite the effects of the blood and bone marrow cancer.
McAvaney has been especially busy of late as he covers athletics and horse racing.
He was front and centre in the coverage of the Stawell Gift sprint races, which began on April 4, and played a major role for Channel Seven as the Queen Elizabeth Stakes were run at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday.
From there he was off to lend his talents to the Australian Athletics Championships, where Gout Gout is running in the 200m sprint after Lachlan Kennedy’s stunning 100m run on Saturday night.
It’s the sort of workload that would tax far younger commentators, and McAvaney has admitted not everyone is happy about his amazing ability to put in the hard yards.
Bruce McAvaney (pictured) has got his doctor and wife offside by maintaining a very busy commentary schedule despite his ongoing battle with leukaemia
The 72-year-old is pictured left with co-commentator Jason Richardson during his work on the Stawell Gift earlier this month
The stunning rise of Australian athletics has kept McAvaney (pictured with sprint star Gout Gout) keen to remain behind the microphone
‘I am nearly 73 and quite frankly, my doctor is not happy,’ he told News Corp.
‘My wife’s not happy. But I am.’
The commentary great is revelling in athletics’ rise to prominence in Australia, which comes on the back of stellar performances by stars like Gout, Kennedy, Jessica Hull and Olympic champion pole vaulter Nina Kennedy.
‘It’s drawn level with swimming,’ he said of the recent rise of track and field.
‘Quite frankly, for some people it might have gone past it.
‘Our swimming team is incredible, but I feel like they’re hidden in terms of exposure.
‘This weekend is monumental and historic in terms of national coverage.
‘The sport’s become very sexy again.’
In 2017, McAvaney summed up his cancer diagnosis by saying, ‘Look it could be very serious. It could jump out of the ground at any moment. I don’t expect it will.
‘But I’m living a complete life with no restrictions.’
He ended his regular AFL calling career in 2021, saying, ‘I felt like I got to a stage in my career where I had to reduce my workload.
‘I’m going to miss it enormously, I just visualise when Richmond and Carlton run out there in round one, and the ball is bounced, I’m going to climb a wall somewhere.
‘I’m going to have to move on and just be a fan like everybody else.’
He switched to leading Seven’s coverage of the 2023 Women’s World Cup as the Matildas went on a brilliant run at the tournament.
McAvaney also joined ABC Radio’s commentary team for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and featured in SBS’s coverage of the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
