Australia will cut government funding to its top sports if they fail to bring governance standards up to scratch in the wake of the country’s London 2012 flop and the release of a clutch of embarrassing reports.
The Australian Sports Commission said swimming, cycling, athletics, sailing, rowing, hockey and basketball could be hit with cuts of up to 20 per cent.
The ASC said standards included improving organisation structures, the board election processes and gender balance, and having zero tolerance for lack of transparency on how sports spend money.
“While good governance does not guarantee success, its absence almost certainly means failure,” said ASC Chairman John Wylie.
Australia had its lowest medal haul in 20 years at the London Olympics. A review revealed disciplinary problems and a “toxic culture” in the swimming team, who just one gold.
