Gina Rinehart offers big bonuses for Aussie athletes at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games

MEDIA RELEASE – Swimming Queensland

Gina Rinehart offers big bonuses for Aussie athletes at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Australian swimmers will have the chance to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as Gina Rinehart has once again backed them with significant financial support.

Those who win a gold medal in an individual event will take home $20,000 each, a silver medal will earn $15,000 and bronze $10,000. Any individual swimmer who breaks a world record in the pool in Glasgow will be paid a $30,000 bonus. Athletes who win multiple medals will be rewarded for each and every medal earned.

Swimmers taking part in relay events will also have the chance to share in tens of thousands of dollars in bonus prize money.

Mrs Rinehart’s generous bonus scheme, which she also offered at countless other major sporting events over many years, all but saved the 2026 Commonwealth Games swimming competition after earlier media reports suggested many of Australia’s top performers in the pool were considering prioritising the Pan Pacific Championships instead if it weren’t for the bonuses.

These bonuses will be paid on top of the yearly payments that Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting have long made to many top-tier Australian swimmers, enabling them to be financially secure so they can focus on their training and competition schedules.

Medal-winning swimmers will receive the following cash rewards:

Australia is by far the most successful nation in Commonwealth Games swimming history, having won 330 gold medals since swimming was included at the inaugural Games in 1930.

Mrs Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting have supported swimming for more than 30 years, initially in West Australia, then in Queensland too, and since the London Olympics, nationally also.

Mrs Rinehart and her renowned private company are also the largest private supporters of Australian Olympic sports. Mrs Rinehart was awarded an Order of Merit by the Australian Olympic Committee in 2014.

The initiative continues Mrs Rinehart’s longstanding private support of Olympic athletes, including direct funding, scholarships, and career transition assistance.

Mrs Rinehart is the Patron of the Australian Dolphins Swim Team, Swimming WA, Swimming QLD, Rowing Australia, and Artistic Swimming Australia.

Quotes attributable to Mrs Gina Rinehart AO:

“There is something very uplifting about seeing an Australian athlete stand on the podium while our flag is raised. Such exciting times make Australians proud and deserve to be celebrated.

“Athletes who win multiple medals will receive a payment for every medal they win, with payments deposited directly into their accounts within two weeks of the Games concluding. A swimmer winning three individual gold medals and breaking a world record would earn $90,000!

“Our athletes are outstanding ambassadors for Australia. They are proud to compete for our country, and inspire millions of Australians, especially young people. 

“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. Given the size of our population, we punch well above our weight on the world stage!

“The Commonwealth Games are an important stepping stone for our future Olympic champions, with 79 per cent of Australian Olympic medallists having competed at the Commonwealth Games before reaching an Olympic podium. Supporting our athletes in Glasgow is also an investment in Australia’s future Olympic success.

“Our swimmers set a Commonwealth Games record by winning 28 gold medals on the Gold Coast in 2018 and came close to matching that mark with 25 golds in Birmingham in 2022. I’m hoping that, with these bonuses on offer, we can set a new record this year in Glasgow!

“Private enterprise has an important role to play in backing Australians who work hard, strive for excellence and make our nation proud, and I call on more business leaders to step up and do the same.”

Quotes attributable to athletes:

Cate Campbell
“I don’t say this lightly, but Gina Rinehart saved swimming.”
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/how-gina-rinehart-saved-swimming-20210805-p58g84

Elijah Winnington
“She is almost like this godmother figure.”
https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/gina-rinehart-hosts-aussie-olympians-on-paris-river-cruise/news-story/625d75879a542024a566c1a9021b966b

Shayna Jack
“More athletes would retire well and truly before their 30s if it wasn’t for Ms. Rinehart’s generosity.”
https://swimswam.com/australian-billionaire-boosts-investment-in-swimming-with-world-championship-bonuses/

Kaylee McKeown
“Swimmers need sponsorship, and Mrs Rinehart has supported me since I was 16. I am very thankful”
https://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/gina-rinehart-hosts-aussie-olympians-on-paris-river-cruise/news-story/625d75879a542024a566c1a9021b966b

Mitch Larkin
“Gina Rinehart singlehandedly saved our sport.”

“She’s been supporting the swim team for about 10 years now, the Paralympic team as well and she’s just announced a contract to continue to support us up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.”
https://www.skynews.com.au/opinion/gina-rinehart-singlehandedly-saved-australian-swimming-mitch-larkin/video/5c4ba45ea9dadd3a922df3c71a806c48?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Lani Pallister
“I don’t think that any of us will be able to do what we do without her support.”

“We’re so incredibly grateful for everything that she does for us and she continually goes above and beyond.”
https://7news.com.au/sport/olympics/gina-rinehart-hosts-australias-olympic-champions-on-paris-river-cruise-after-success-in-the-pool-c-15613393