Australian swimmers have publicly thanked billionaire Gina Rinehart for her financial support at the Commonwealth Games, despite a directive from Commonwealth Games Australia banning them from acknowledging her incentives in media interviews or public comments.
Rinehart, who runs mining company Hancock Prospecting and is Australia's richest person, offered bonuses to the Aussie Dolphins for medal-winning and record-breaking performances. Swimmers received $20,000 for individual gold medals, $15,000 for silver, $10,000 for bronze and $30,000 for any world records. Relay teams had the same money split between four members. Para and non-para swimmers were eligible for equal payments, which were deposited directly into their accounts within two weeks of the Games concluding.
Record payout after dominant performance
Following Australia's complete domination in the pool, Hancock Prospecting announced $1,272,500 in prize money awarded to athletes in the Dolphins team. However, swimmers were given a clear directive not to thank Rinehart in any media interview or public comment, given she was not an official sponsor of the team. They were allowed to speak positively about her, but any mention of the financial support was strictly banned.
With the Games now over, Aussie stars Kyle Chalmers and Elijah Winnington have broken ranks and acknowledged the support.
Chalmers and Winnington speak out
"Some people change lives without ever stepping onto the podium or competing!" Chalmers wrote on Instagram alongside photos with Rinehart. "Mrs Rinehart is one of the true Australian greats. Not just because of what she’s been able to achieve, but because she continues to give back to Australia and Australian sport in such a meaningful way."
He added: "At this years Commonwealth Games, she awarded $1,272,500 in medal incentive bonuses to Australian swimmers. That kind of support isn’t just generous, it sends a message that all of our hard work, sacrifice and the commitment required to compete at the highest level is VALUED."
"For me personally, it means I can keep chasing something I’ve dedicated my life to. As a husband, a father, and someone balancing the realities of life outside the pool, support like this makes an enormous difference. It gives me the opportunity to keep turning up every single day and seeing just how much I can continue to achieve."
"Mrs Rinehart, thank you for believing in Australian athletes and for investing in our dreams. Your impact reaches far beyond our medals. I’ll never take that support for granted."
Teammates echo gratitude
Sam Short, who won four gold medals in Glasgow — worth $80,000 in incentives from Rinehart — agreed. "She is the reason the team is in its best spot ever," he commented on Chalmers' post.
In a separate post, Winnington wrote: "With the Commonwealth Games officially over I’d like to take this opportunity to especially thank our sports biggest supporter… Mrs Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting. Her ongoing support is truly appreciated and I personally am extremely grateful. She has singlehandedly changed the lives of countless Australian swimmers over so many years. Thank you Mrs Rinehart."
Background and controversy
A number of Australia's top swimmers were believed to have been considering bypassing the Commonwealth Games to focus on the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in August, before Rinehart stepped in.
"These bonuses are a way of Australia saying thank you and showing the appreciation our athletes deserve for bringing our country such a sense of pride and achievement," she said.
Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting have supported swimming for more than three decades, and it was revealed in 2023 that she had poured $60 million into various Australian Olympic teams, including The Dolphins.
Rinehart previously backed Australian netball before controversially withdrawing her funding after backlash from Indigenous player Donnell Wallam. Supported by her teammates, Wallam was uncomfortable with Hancock Prospecting's name appearing on the Diamonds' playing kits, given Rinehart has never distanced herself from an infamous comment from her late father, Lang Hancock, who said in a 1984 interview that Indigenous Australians should be sterilised to "breed themselves out".
