Australian Sports Commission’s Post

This is a recurring problem athletes have to deal with all over the continent. While more popular group sports like football with humongous budgets may have some semblance of government support (depending on the country), individual performers like Simbine who require less are often left on their own till sometimes the eleventh hour when they get some 'incentive money' thrown at them to perform miracles...if they get lucky. It's a lonely frustrating path for many athletes on the African continent...Sadly, that is how we lose out on many more potential stars and talents on the world stage or on the other hand keep performing for years at top level. A more sustainable funding system is badly needed to save the continent's hopefuls.

It’s with great pride that I announce three major athlete funding initiatives: 1 - Aspiring Australian Olympic Athlete Fund, in addition to the AOC’s Medal Incentive Funding (MIF) The existing MIF remains, but will also allow donors to contribute additional funds to medal winning athletes including team sports. The second fund is new. The ‘Aspiring Australian Olympic Athlete Fund’ will be structured to allow donations to individual athletes, focussed on providing support to those aspiring to attend an Olympics, or those who qualify to attend a Games. 2 - Indigenous Athlete Support Grant scheme Furthering the AOC’s objective to provide practical support to Indigenous Australians, the Indigenous Athlete Support Grant scheme has been developed for the Paris Olympic Games to support Indigenous athletes selected in the Australian Olympic Team. Grants of $5,000 will be awarded to eligible athletes to assist their Olympic journeys to Paris 2024 to athletes who meet the criteria approved by the AOC Indigenous Advisory Committee. 3 Australian Olympic Indigenous Athlete Fund The Australian Olympic Indigenous Athlete Fund is being created, designed to generate between $500,000 to $1 million per year to enhance opportunities and pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander athletes in high-performance Olympic sports. This will simultaneously promote increased representation of First Nations athletes at Olympic Games leading up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games and beyond. The AOC will encourage high net worth individuals seeking a return on investment, to invest through the Fund, thus gaining access to a curated portfolio of Australian and global fund managers. Bring on #Paris2024

The health & sporting future of our country will be determined by what we do now…

🏅💰 World Athletics introduce $50,000 Prize for Gold Medalists 💰🏅 This news that came out last week, marks a significant milestone in the world of Olympic sports (with plans to extend this to silver and bronze medalists in LA 2028). This move is not only a game-changer for individual athletes but also sets a precedent that could impact the wider Olympic movement. It addresses a longstanding concern about financial support for athletes, acknowledging the immense dedication and sacrifices they make in pursuit of excellence. As someone frequently approached about athlete funding, I understand the challenges faced by International Federations, National Olympic Committees, and Governing Bodies in allocating limited resources while striving to meet ambitious targets. So I applaud World Athletics' decision to do this, providing well-deserved support that can aid athletes all year round. But what does this mean for African athletes? ▶ Increased Financial Support: African gold medalists will see a substantial boost in their earnings, providing financial security and recognition for their hard work and talent. ▶ Retention of Talent: The introduction of substantial prize money could potentially stem the tide of African athletes switching allegiances to represent other nations, often due to financial constraints. This could lead to greater continuity and loyalty within African national teams. ▶ Enhanced Training Opportunities: With more resources at their disposal, African athletes can invest in better training facilities, coaching, and support staff, ultimately improving their performance on the global stage. What impact would this have across other Olympic Sports? Well, only time will tell. Between 2017 - 2021 International Olympic Committee – IOC made $7.6bn in revenue from the Olympic Games with 90% being redistributed back into sports. This development highlights the evolving landscape of Olympic Sports. Would like to get your thoughts on the potential impact of this? #paris2024 #olympicsport #olympics #athletewelfare #sportsbiz Africa Sports Unified https://lnkd.in/eVfW8G58

Vrije Universiteit Brussel and SIGA mapped and conducted extensive research on existing models covering good governance in sport. 📄 The resulting report takes a deeper look into the existing sport transparency indicators and cross compares them in order to propose 15 Sport transparency indicators to be utilised as the means of evaluation for the Sport Transparency Index. This index will enable stakeholders to objectively rank, compare and contrast basic transparency levels within sport (namely sport clubs, leagues, national associations and international governing bodies) in order to enable, facilitate, measure and quantify standards of transparency in Sport. 🏃♂️ We are delighted to share the 2nd Sport Transparency Index newsletter. The newsletter can be accessed here: https://lnkd.in/dm9XVfiM   The newsletter, which will be updated and released bi-annually, will provide key information regarding the Sport Transparency Index project and identify new opportunities for involvement and engagement. #sport #sporttransparency

Malaysia Paralympic Council (MPC) president, Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin has called on local corporate sponsors to support national sports associations (NSAs) based on their performances and not solely on their fanbases. Speaking to Scoop, Megat said that corporations should practice meritocracy, KPIs and think twice before funding NSAs that fail to bring any results with their funds. “It’s time for all local corporations to stop funding NSAs that don’t produce any results to shift their focus on associations that bring pride for the nation. “In terms of results and bringing pride for the nation, MPC has always been consistent as we always deliver medals and our athletes always qualify to participate in the Paralympics, unlike certain NSAs like the Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC) who have once again failed to qualify for the Olympics. #corporatecommunications #corporatesponsorship #corporatemarketing #business Read more 👇

Will you rise to the challenge? Professional sport can help our elite sport. Corporate Australia can fuel the future. If Athletes earning >$250k per year from a playing contract invested $1,000 per year in the WattleNest we could immediately provide >$500,000 in funding support to our elite talent. If sponsors invested 1% of their sports marketing budget into The WattleNest we could immediately provide in excess of $2M of funding directly to our athletes. Time for change Australia. Our Olympic and Paralympic athletes should not be living below the poverty line! Todd Balym News Corp Australia Sports Entertainment Network AFL - Australian Football League National Rugby League Cricket Australia Football Australia Rachel Condos-Fields GAICD #corporategovernance #changeleadership #legacy #changemakers #urgent #investing #impact #corporatefinance Commonwealth Bank ANZ National Basketball League (NBL) Westpac #asx #esg #olympics #paralympics #brisbane2032 Australian Sports Foundation Australian Sports Commission

Taking cues from the #Matildas, we witness the transformative power of effective teamwork, the strategic prowess that comes with adaptability, and the impact of mentorship on achieving remarkable #outcomes. Embark on your #leadership journey today, leveraging lessons from the pitch that can elevate your business game to unprecedented heights. 🌟🚀 #BusinessStrategy #Teamwork #Mentorship #LeadershipDevelopment"

Why do sports matter?? - More than half of Canadians 15 and older participated in sport in 2023 - Sport is the number one form of civic engagement for Canadians - Sport tourism generated $7.4B for Canada’s Economy in 2019 - A 1% increase in physical activity can save a $1B a year Sport has a unique ability to unite, inspire, teach and so much more! Sport accessibility, athlete funding, welfare and safety at all levels of sport (never mind sport performance!) is all directly related to the health of our National Sport Organizations (NSOs). Investing in national sport programs isn't about an elite few, it's about investing in the governing bodies that guide and bring sport to all Canadians - whether that's the turf down the road or watching the Olympic Games far away. #Budget2024 @Carla Qualtrough, @Chrystia Freeland #athletesafety, #nsofunding, #safesport, #sportsfunding, #nationalsports, #youthsports, #athletedevelopment