Last month we reported how Australia’s richest person, longtime Swimming Australia patron Gina Rinehart, would continue to support the organization’s athletes from a financial assistance perspective.
The monetary support will be spread across 3 distinct pools, including Patron’s Tokyo Enhancement Payment, Hancock Prospecting Virtual Prize Money Pool, and extended Hancock Prospecting Quarterly Swimmers Support Scheme Payments. You can read more details about these funding segments in our original report here.
However, unique to Rinehart’s financial support moving forward is the fact that the mining magnate has insisted the monetary contributions be made directly to athletes themselves, as opposed to going through Swimming Australia.
“Trying not to speak on her behalf,” departing Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell told The Daily Telegraph, “but I think the sentiment was that she wanted to ensure that every single dollar went straight to athlete support.
“That was her preference of how to structure it and it was ours, too.”
The additional funding is coming at a time when nearly all of the would-be Australian International Swimming League (ISL) participants withdrew from season 2 due to their nation’s travel restrictions. In response, the ISL released a statement prior to the season 2 kickoff, criticizing what the league called “bullying” by unspecified national federations.
It’s a very West Australian thing t o do . Ppl thoroughly enjoyed it’s closed borders & 25% want to secede.
They really should. The mining $$ are already drying up.
It was WA export of minerals with record prices for ore & gold that gave Australia a record trade surplus during Covid . That is something .
Also despite the yuuuge territory & indigenous vulnerability , not one case of local.Covid .
Remarkable management . Plus Perth has dog beaches.
Even more reason for WA to Knick off so they can be even more isolated than they already are
I think they will be taking SA & NT with them . Thus ALL the camels . You will have none.
Lol that’s weird that she doesn’t trust swimming australia to handle the funds .. maybe her contributions get sucked up by “admin fees” in SA books
Yes, I’m sure it was SA’s preference too. 🙄