The acid has been put on Australian sporting bodies with a new report slamming their commercial interests
Writing for the New Weather Institute, Socceroos legend Craig Foster has put the spotlight on the relationship between Gina Rinehart and Australia’s champion swimmers, but also called out multiple football leagues
The report is called Dirty Money: How Fossil Fuel Sponsors are Polluting Sport, and Foster says “uncomfortable questions” have to be asked and “athletes, fans, and custodians of sport, must address them”.
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today 
“This report could not be more timely for a much needed reckoning in sport,” Foster said.
“It lists 205 current deals worth over $5.6 billion and it’s sobering, though unsurprising, to see that my own sport, football, leads the league of shame for fossil fuel sponsorship. In the Australian context, mining company Hancock Prospecting’s sponsorship of the Australian Olympic Team, Swimming Australia and Rowing Australia are well known and lend the credibility of great athletes to a company.
“The issue is about more than where money comes from; it’s about the future of sport and the planet it relies on.
“My own home country of Australia is already on the frontline of bushfires, droughts and record breaking floods which provide vivid reminders of the devastating and compounding repercussions of climate change.
“As this report sets out, no one is immune. Unpredictable and extreme weather means sport at both grassroots and elite levels is harmed by climate impacts.”
Foster’s assertion Hancock Prospecting sponsors Swimming Australia is not correct, but many of Australia’s top swimmers have a financial relationship with mining boss Gina Rinehart.
Rinehart is often seen at major swimming events and hosted a party for her athletes in Paris.
Swimming, rowing, artistic swimming and beach volleyball are among the sports Rinehart has an invested interest in.
“It’s sobering, though unsurprising, to see that my own sport, football, leads the league of shame for fossil fuel sponsorship,” Foster said.
The AFL also came under fire with Foster pointing to a recent survey of Australian fans that had 83 per cent of respondents believing “that sport in the country had already felt the impacts of climate change and 54 per cent of respondents would be excited if their AFL clubs were to go carbon neutral”.
The report said that there were seven existing fossil fuel deals in the AFL at the start of 2024 which netted over $24 million.
Fremantle and their relationship with Woodside is one the club’s that is regularly called into question.
But last year the club’s former president Dale Alcock defended their long-term relationship with the company and also addressed the environmental issue.
“Effective and appropriate climate action is critical for us all and Woodside has made significant commitments to the energy transition while maintaining secure and reliable energy supplies for Western Australian households and businesses,” he said after the club renewed its sponsorship deal.
While aware sponsorships are “vital for the survival of many clubs at both elite and grassroots level”, Foster calls such statements “sportswashing”.
“Sport has always been a driver of change and a force for good,” Foster said.
“This is our opportunity to push for partnerships that reflect the values of respect, excellence and integrity that should be at the heart of sport – and to draw a clear line for a sustainable world.”
A spokesperson for Shell said their company invested $5.6bn in low-carbon solutions in 2023 which was 23 per cent of its capital spending.
“This is to support the development of low-carbon energy solutions including e-mobility, low-carbon fuels, renewable power, hydrogen and carbon capture and storage,” the spokesperson said.
And a TotalEnergies spokesperson defended their company’s relationship with sport.
“For several years, TotalEnergies has been a partner of major sporting events in its key regions and around the world,” the spokesperson said.
“Our aim is to share with all our audiences and clients the passion for sport and the values it represents: safety, respect for each other, solidarity, the pioneering spirit that drives us to adapt and innovate daily, and the performance (mind) that inspires us in all our commitments.”
