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Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting will sponsor Australian Olympic Team through to 2026

Charlotte EltonThe West Australian
Gina Rinehart.
Camera IconGina Rinehart. Credit: unknown/supplied by Hancock Prospecting

Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting will sponsor the Australian Olympic Team through to 2026.

The Australian Olympic Committee announced the agreement on Friday morning, hailing the mining company for its “major commitment to Australian Sport.”

Hancock Prospecting will sponsor Aussie athletes competing at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, and the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February 2026.

The partnership also encompasses the Youth Olympics and Pacific Games.

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Mrs Rinehart, the executive Chairman of Hancock said she was “delighted” at the agreement.

“We are so proud to help our great Olympians who are such inspirations, through their hard work, most do not really know how hard they work, dedication, focus and self-discipline, as they endeavour to represent our country to the best of their ability,” she said.

“The traits these role models show in my view, are important for us all, if we wish to succeed in life and business.”

Ms Rinehart said she believed there was a need for greater scrutiny of how taxpayer money was allocated to sporting bodies.

“At Hancock we believe it is important that if there is government funding to other sporting bodies, that it be strictly applied to support the Olympians and future Olympians, their coaches and training requirements and participation in sport.

“We believe government or sponsor funds should be used to ensure sport is at the service of the community and the athletes, and much tighter scrutiny of taxpayers and sponsors funds would assist.”

The deal follows on from Mrs Rinehart’s long-running partnership with the Swimming Australia, which helped to see the Australian swim team collect a record medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics last year.

The mining magnate was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Australia in this week’s Australia Day honours for her services to the mining sector, to the community through philanthropic initiatives, and to sport as a patron.

AOC President John Coates said the timing of the agreement was “perfect,” with the Beijing Winter Olympics about to begin.

“There is no coincidence that the strong support of Gina Rinehart for many of our athletes in Tokyo yielded excellent results. There were so many golden moments and success in the pool, our rowers had a wonderful Games, as did our beach volleyballers,” Mr Coates said.

“The AOC is proudly independent of government. We neither receive nor seek federal funding for our day-to-day operations. We are grateful to have the support of Mrs Gina Rinehart, Hancock Prospecting and all our partners to ensure we retain that independence.”

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