Australian athletes are underfunded, have limited financial security and rely on their families or outside employment to survive financially, and their financial circumstances and ability to perform have been worsened further due to Covid-19.

According to the results of a survey by the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) to understand the impact of Covid-19 on elite and professional Australian athletes competing at national/international level and outside of the major professional codes, most of the representative athletes who responded to the ASF survey earn less from all sources (sport and work) than the national minimum wage, and around half earn less than $23,000 a year.

Nearly 61% of athletes reported lost income, lost earning opportunities and ongoing losses due to Covid-19.

And to compound the situation, Australian athletes were largely missed by Covid-19 related income support schemes with only 28% qualifying for JobKeeper or JobSeeker.

Around 75% of respondents compete at a National or International level, yet 50% of these athletes reported earning less than $23,000 p/a.

Australia is and always has been a proud sporting nation. The love of the game runs in our DNA and has driven us to consistently excel on the world’s stage. However, our survey highlights that, with few exceptions, our elite athletes, the best and the brightest in sport, the ones we call legends, face a precarious future due to underfunding and limited financial security which has been worsened by COVID-19 with almost 20% of our international athletes considering retirement if COVID-19 disruption continues”
said Australian Sports Foundation CEO Patrick Walker.

The survey shows that 78% of athletes reported that outside of sport, paid employment was their primary source of income and are therefore often forced to rely on their families, if they are financially able to do so, to support their sporting careers.

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This means that athletes whose familes are unable to provide financial support are disadvantaged in progressing their sporting careers, and may be lost to their sport.

The financial sacrifices and pressure on families and careers due to the pandemic has caused nearly 17% of Australian international athletes to contemplate retiring and ending their athletic careers should the disruption continue through 2021.

The survey also showed that the gender pay gap is as prevalent in sport as in other sectors with 49% of females earning in the lowest income bracket compared to 35% of men and less than 16% of female athletes earning in the highest bracket compared with 27% of men.

The survey also lays bare the profound impact on physical and mental health as well as the career aspirations of Australian athletes.

73% of those who responded to the survey reported that the pandemic had negative impact on their physical health, while 86% of respondents reported worse mental health.

The loss of the best and most experienced athletes early in their sporting careers would lead to a future that lacks mentors, advocates, and those who inspire others to take up sport in Australia.

This would negatively impact both community engagement and participation and the future success of Australia’s national, Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games teams in the longer term, a particular concern given the likelihood of Australia hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Off the back of a report outlining the impact of Covid-19 on grassroots community clubs across the country in 2020, this new report looks at how elite and representative Australian athletes have been impacted by Covid-19.

For more information, please visit https://covid.sportsfoundation.org.au/

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