Explore the latest developments concerning Australian swimmers banned.
Australia’s Commonwealth Games team is under strict instructions to make no mention of billionaire Gina Rinehart or other private benefactors in media interviews or on social media until after the 2026 Glasgow Games are closed.
The warning comes after Rinehart offered up cash bonuses to Australia’s swimmers for winning medals and breaking world records at the Commonwealth Games.
Individual swimmers will pocket $30,000 for a world record, $20,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Relay team members will be rewarded with $7,500 per person for a world record, $5,000 for a gold medal, $3,750 for silver and $2,500 for bronze.
A Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) spokesperson said Australia’s best swimmers had a history of always showing up to the Games.
Commonwealth Games Australia says the restriction preventing Australian swimmers from publicly thanking Gina Rinehart is not political. It says it is commercial and designed to protect the companies that have paid to become official Australian team sponsors.
Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting are not official partners of Australia’s Commonwealth Games team. Sponsors pay significant money for that position and naturally expect their commercial rights to be protected.
Athletes shouldn’t be using official interviews to promote another company, display its logo or deliver some rehearsed advertising message.
But is simply thanking another human being really the same thing? That is where this starts to lose me.
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Kyle Chalmers said he was grateful for any financial support for swimmers. (ABC News: Che Chorley)
Australian swimmers can pocket $20,000 for winning gold at the Commonwealth Games thanks to Gina Rinehart.
A report has suggested that swimmers have been told not to thank Ms Rinehart if they win a medal.
The Commonwealth Games swimming events get underway tonight. ABC Sport will be live blogging the entire program.
Freestyle king Kyle Chalmers has welcomed potential windfalls for Australia's Commonwealth Games swimmers after Gina Rinehart offered up cash bonuses for medals and world records.
Amid a spate of high-profile athlete withdrawals from Glasgow 2026, Dolphins squad members have been given a significant incentive to take part.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning Australian swimmers banned.
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