With the Olympics in full flow I thought it was a good time to reflect on the Australian Sports Commission’s spend on Summer Olympic and Paralympic sports in the past three years. We first published the table below in May. Figures are updated according to the end July-June financial year so we went back to the ASC today to see if they had updated figures for 2011-12. The answer was “they’re not finalised.”
So, here is the report from May, and tables:
After speaking to AIS director Matt Favier this week about the challenges facing high performance sport in Australia, particulary its funding over the next four to five years, I thought it might be interesting to look at which sports are receiving what taxpayer funds.
The Australian Sports Commission provided the table below, which is the government spend sport-by-sport through the ASC on Olympic sports and the Paralympics for the past three years.
It shows spending across the past three years, with the following caveat:
Investment in 2011-12 is slightly lower than 2010-11 as of 1 May 2012 because:
- The financial year is not complete and all program budgets have not been finalised;
- 2010/11 was the last year of a four year $4m per annum special appropriation to Football Federation Australia through the ASC;
- The majority of the Green and Gold Project’s funding ($4.49 million overall) was provided in 2010/11.
The ASC says majority of the money in each sport listed here is spent on high performance but there are also funds set aside for participation, AIS scholarships and direct athlete support.
Swimming’s regard in our nation is reflected in its number one position on the the table and there are some big numbers against other traditional ”major” sports with a general relative valuation determined by the chance of Olympic medals and finals.
Of note too, is the $20,000 to modern pentathlon. It might be some$11,248,190 less than the sport of swimming receives, but is making the world of difference to 20-year-old Chloe Esposito, who has gone from an unknown in her sport to a potential Olympic medallist in London in the past year.
Government funding to Olympic and Paralympic sport in past three years. Source: ASC
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| Archery | $ 887,936 | $ 822,469 | $ 628,000 |
| Athletics | $ 6,456,578 | $ 9,024,950 | $ 8,517,026 |
| Badminton | $ 478,000 | $ 702,000 | $ 602,000 |
| Basketball | $ 4,737,424 | $ 7,149,669 | $ 6,680,081 |
| Boxing | $ 1,253,131 | $ 1,675,142 | $ 1,190,000 |
| Canoeing (Slalom & Sprint) | $ 2,992,893 | $ 4,491,163 | $ 3,959,350 |
| Cycling | $ 5,451,066 | $ 8,499,650 | $ 8,245,100 |
| BMX | $ 632,000 | $ 653,000 | $ 671,000 |
| Diving | $ 1,766,055 | $ 2,327,457 | $ 2,131,130 |
| Equestrian | $ 1,718,000 | $ 2,937,000 | $ 2,776,000 |
| Fencing | $ 62,000 | $ 62,000 | $ 62,000 |
| Football | $ 7,134,110 | $ 9,261,067 | $ 3,655,808 |
| Gymnastics | $ 2,366,701 | $ 3,554,286 | $ 3,279,971 |
| Handball | $ - | $ - | $ - |
| Hockey | $ 5,905,581 | $ 7,903,604 | $ 7,398,326 |
| Judo | $ 704,000 | $ 684,000 | $ 684,000 |
| Modern Pentathlon | $ - | $ - | $ 20,000 |
| Rowing | $ 6,154,982 | $ 8,887,801 | $ 8,259,717 |
| Sailing | $ 3,870,192 | $ 7,029,750 | $ 6,251,082 |
| Shooting | $ 1,818,000 | $ 2,322,000 | $ 2,101,000 |
| Swimming | $ 6,783,981 | $ 12,240,815 | $ 11,268,190 |
| Synchronised Swimming | $ 26,000 | $ - | $ - |
| Table Tennis | $ 295,000 | $ 333,000 | $ 347,000 |
| Taekwondo | $ 91,535 | $ - | $ 100,000 |
| Tennis | $ 790,949 | $ 1,624,681 | $ 1,463,112 |
| Triathlon | $ 1,807,194 | $ 2,558,795 | $ 2,481,140 |
| Volleyball (including Beach) | $ 2,871,138 | $ 3,093,044 | $ 3,049,004 |
| Waterpolo | $ 2,487,843 | $ 3,295,174 | $ 3,027,222 |
| Weightlifting | $ 514,000 | $ 384,000 | $ 384,000 |
| Wrestling | $ 128,000 | $ 50,000 | $ 60,000 |
| Paralympics | $ 9,227,978 | $ 13,227,144 | $ 14,034,478 |
| Total | $ 79,412,267 | $ 114,793,661 | $ 103,325,737 |
