Aussie swimmers banned from talking about billionaire benefactor
Australian swimmers competing at the Commonwealth Games have been instructed not to publicly thank billionaire Gina Rinehart for performance bonuses. The directive was reportedly issued by Commonwealth Games Australia, which does not count Rinehart as an official team partner.
Why it matters
Illustrates the tension between private sports funding and official organizational sponsorship protocols.
shares Share article As the Commonwealth Games begin in Glasgow, Australian swimmers have been warned not to speak publicly about their billionaire benefactor, Gina Rinehart .
The billionaire head of the monolithic mining company Hancock Prospecting, Rinehart recently announced that her performance bonuses for Australian able-bodied and para swimmers will extend to the Commonwealth Games.
Gina Rinehart seen at a Swimming Australia event. Getty
On Thursday, Hancock Prospecting confirmed that swimmers will receive $20,000 AUD for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze medals, with an additional $30,000 available for any individual world record broken.
Alongside this, members of four-person relay teams will receive $5000 for gold, $3750 for silver and $2500 for bronze.
This money will be “deposited directly into their accounts within two weeks of the Games concluding”, meaning it will go straight to athletes and not be funnelled through Swimming Australia.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in