SPORTS MINISTER HOLDING BACK AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TEAM
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP said today that the release of the latest benchmark study by the Australian Olympic Committee shows that Australia has fallen to 7th on the gold and overall medal tally. The lack of leadership from the Federal Government over the last two years threatens the gains Australia has made at the Olympic Games over the last two decades.
“The disappointing benchmarks for 2009 requires the Sports Minister to release the long awaited “Crawford Review” without further delay and guarantee that she will respond to the report by the end of the year, as promised,” Mr Ruddock said.
“There are only 48 months between the Beijing and London Olympics and 14 of these months have been spent awaiting the results of Australia’s longest ever review into Sport.”
Sporting organisations and peak bodies have been unable to make important long-term decisions and provide security for their coaching staff because the Rudd Government has preferred to just ‘review’ sport and is unable to provide any funding certainty beyond June next year.
The 2009 AOC survey shows Australia’s medal tally has dipped below 40 for the first time in over a decade. This is a clear sign that the Rudd Governments’ apathy towards a sports policy is affecting our international sporting performance.
“The time it has taken to undertake this review into sport is ridiculous and the government should release it without any further delay and guarantee she will respond to it be the end of the year,” Philip Ruddock said.
A failure to do so will only provide more uncertainty for sports and a below average performance at the next Commonwealth and Olympic Games.