Australian Sports Called to Task

(ATR) Sports in Australia have been forced to stand up and take notice this week, with the government calling for more work to be done on gender equality.

The Federal Minister for Sport Sussan Ley and Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Chair John Wylie wrote to the country’s top-funded sporting organizations highlighting progress in women’s sport but also calling on them for continued support and growth.

"The Turnbull Government and the ASC are committed to the fair recognition and reward of elite female athletes, and to the promotion of female participation in all levels and forms of Australian sport," Minister Ley said.

"In 2016 we can think of no defensible reason why male and female athletes should travel in different classes or stay in different standard accommodation when attending major international sporting events such as world cups or championships."

"Australia’s elite female athletes continue to demonstrate not just the very best of their sporting ability, but also leadership and integrity both on and off the field."

The issue of unequal travel policies came to the fore after it was discovered that the Australian men’s basketball team traveled business class to the London 2012 Olympics while their medal-winning women’s counterparts were in premium economy.

Chief executive officer of Basketball Australia, Anthony Moore tells Around the Rings that his organization has taken considerable steps since the London controversy to ensure that both teams are being treated fairly.

"Basketball Australia undertook after London and it was agreed to fly both national teams business class for all international events," Moore said.

"It’s my opinion that if you want to be a professional sporting organization, then preparation of your players is paramount. It just should a normal course of business as a sporting organization."

"Our athletes sacrifice an enormous amount so there has to be a level of professionalism given back to them. We receive significant government funding so the taxpayer should expect that we spend it equally when it comes to travel. Equity in this area is now a non-issue for us."

When the issue was discovered in 2012, then sports minister Kate Lundy highlighted rugby as a sport with the chance to lead the way in gender equality.

''Rugby is one that has an opportunity," she told The Age newspaper in 2012. "It now enters into the Olympic family with the sevens coming on for Rio [in 2016] and that presents a fantastic opportunity for rugby to embrace the women's game.''

Four years on and while there still remains a gap with the traditional 15-a-side teams, with the Wallabies traveling business and their female counterparts traveling economy, the sevens teams will have a chance to compete on the world’s biggest stage after traveling in the same level of comfort.

Likewise, Water Polo Australia has a policy of equality for its teams.

"Water Polo Australia has an 'economy' travel policy that applies to everyone in our sport - male or female, coach or athlete, staff or volunteer. Everyone flies economy," Water Polo Australia High Performance Team Manager Tom Hill said.

"We don't differentiate between our male and female teams, the same standards apply across both teams. This will be the same process leading into the Rio Olympic Games."

Gender equality has been a hot topic in Australia over the last 12 months, with the women’s football team going on strike in 2015 over a pay dispute.

Competing in last summer's FIFA World Cup, female players each received AU$500 (US$361) in match fees in the lead up to their knockout game with Brazil; male players were earning AU$7500 (US$5416).

With their players’ contracts up for renewal, the Professional Footballers Association acted on behalf of the team, arguing that their AU$21,000 (US$15,164) a year salaries were not enough to live on, and in fact fell below the country’s standard minimum wage. Eventually, a new agreement was reached which raised the top-tier annual salary to about AU$40,000 (US$28,800).

So while Australian women continue to dominate in sport, they still attract less pay, commercial sponsorship and media coverage. At the very least though, it seems that equality in travel arrangements has improved.

Written by Alice Wheelerin Sydney

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