Australian sports call for national integrity body
ASC chief says sports are not “adequately equipped to deal with the torrent of integrity issues they are facing”
Industry leaders representing Australian sport have called for the creation of an independent sports integrity body as a way of addressing the increasing number of issues affecting the integrity of Australian sport.
Addressing delegates at a meeting of the National Sport Integrity Forum in Melbourne, Australian Sports Commission (ASC) CEO Kate Palmer said: “We’re facing significant integrity issues across a range of areas and we are just not going to cope, we’re going to be hit and hit hard. We are just not equipped and that’s something that I’m hoping the integrity review has dealt with when it was a major issue that we raised.”
In August 2017, a review was commissioned to examine the feasibility of establishing a national sports integrity commission. The completed review was passed to Australia’s Federal Government in March for analysis and possible action in this area.
Palmer added: “The issue is…most sports in this country are not able, they don’t have the capability or resources to deal with integrity issues. Even the most basic integrity issues.”
There have been a number recent high-profile scandals which have damaged the public image of Australian sport such as the Australian cricket ball tampering scandal and most recently a mass brawl between Australian basketball side the boomers and players from the Philippines during a recent match.
IAAF Athletics Integrity Unit chair David Howman also attended the event and questioned the possible independence of any future national integrity body, adding: “Everybody depends on something, so I don’t think that anyone is totally independent. The best definition is to say you must be someone without any conflict of interest.”
Addressing the issue of funding for the new body and integrity initiatives in general, Howman said: “Tax the broadcasting rights, put a half percent extra on, tax the sponsorship, put a half percent, create an integrity fund, which would help athletes, some of the money should go to the athletes in how they can be supported and so on, and you solve the problem. So, why isn’t it happening?”
Howman’s sentiments were echoed by Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Paterson who called on sporting bodies to “own integrity” before assigning responsibility to an external agency.
Paterson added: “They may not be able to own every component of investigation or finalisation, but you must own your own integrity as an important component of every sport and not consider outsourcing it.”