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‘Incomprehensible,’ Australian Olympic Committee chief on country’s sport funding

Notably, Australia had managed to win 29 medals in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics which included eight golds.

SNS | New Delhi | February 15, 2020 7:59 pm

‘Incomprehensible,’ Australian Olympic Committee chief on country’s sport funding

TOKYO, May 28, 2019 (Xinhua) -- John Coates, chairman of the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), smiles during an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Tokyo, Japan, on May 22, 2019. Hosting an Olympic Game means different opportunities for different countries, offering them chances to showcase the charisma of each nation, John Coates, chairman of the Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has said. (Xinhua/Du Xiaoyi/IANS)

In a recent development, the president of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) John Coates has expressed his shock at the Australian Sports Commission’s “incomprehensible” expenditure on consultants.

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC), the government agency which is responsible for managing the structure and investment in sport and physical activity at all levels.  It has reportedly spent 17 million Australian dollars on advertising and marketing in addition to 7.7 million Australian dollars on leadership training in recent years.

The same has been confirmed in a report carried by IANS via Xinhua news agency.

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The extensive expenditure in these aspects has also raised concerns because it has come at a time when some Olympic sports have seen more than 60 percent fund cuts.

Notably, Australia had managed to win 29 medals in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics which included eight golds.

“I am very surprised by where the money is being spent, particularly at a time when our senior athletes have been making representations for greater direct support,” Coates was quoted as saying by IANS.

“Payments to advertising agencies, companies like the Australian Forensic Services and such large payments to the Melbourne Business School are ­incomprehensible,” he added.

“What also must be remembered is at the end of day, the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) is a wholly run subsidiary of Sport Australia; it’s not a separate legal entity,” he further said.

Meanwhile, Minister for Sport, Richard Colbeck stated that the redevelopment program would commence “within the next two or so years.”

Colbeck also expressed optimism suggesting that “the good people at the top” of sports executive would be more responsible with the resources available to them for the benefit of the sport itself.

“All elements of the way sports are resourced are important. Sport Australia allocates resources and are responsible in that context,” he concluded.

(With inputs from IANS).

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