Statement from Kevin Hasemann, Swimming QLD CEO
Swimming Queensland is proud of its long-standing partnership with Mrs Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting and finds the negative characterisation in some quarters of Mrs Rinehart’s new sponsorship of another sport regrettable.
Mrs Rinehart’s sponsorship of swimming spans more than three decades, ranging from swimming clinics for indigenous children in remote communities through to helping our high performance swimmers pursue their sporting dreams.
The Hancock Prospecting Swimmer Support Scheme, established by Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting in 2012, is the lifeblood of Australia’s high performance swimmers. It provides them with over $3m in direct financial support annually to help pay their bills and educate themselves while striving for international success in their chosen sport.
The extraordinary results achieved by Australia’s swimmers at the Tokyo Olympic Games last year, where they won half of our nation’s gold medals across all sports, underlines how beneficial Mrs Rinehart’s support has been. And every recipient of Mrs Rinehart’s generosity is deserving of it, as they inspire national pride and win the Australian public’s admiration.
With the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games looming on the horizon, Swimming Queensland, which administers swimming in the most successful region in the world, is delighted that Mrs Rinehart has committed to continuing the Swimmer Support Scheme for the next decade. Because of Mrs Rinehart’s undertaking, our emerging swimmers will be able to dedicate themselves to achieving Home Games glory, and perhaps even surpass Australia’s high-water mark at Tokyo.
And we look forward to joining Mrs Rinehart and her team at the Patron’s Annual Awards Dinner in Brisbane on 19 November to recognise the achievements of Australia’s swimmers in 2021/22.