The Australian Olympic Committee has no plans to sever ties with Hancock Prospecting, as other sports which benefit from sponsorship deals with Gina Rinehart’s company also stand their ground amid controversy surrounding the mining giant’s short-lived sponsorship of Netball Australia.
Hancock this weekend pulled out of a $15m deal with Netball Australia after player concerns were raised over the company’s record on Indigenous matters. In 1984 Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock, the founder of Hancock Prospecting, suggested Indigenous Australians be sterilised to “breed themselves out”. Diamonds players also discussed Hancock’s environmental credentials.
