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Now that Brisbane has secured the 2032 Olympics, the federal government will be under pressure to ramp up funding for sport to try to overhaul the 58-medal haul at Sydney in 2000. There will be commercial benefits for some of our gold medallists. Yet, as we reported on Saturday, 11 of Australia’s gold medallists received financial support from the nation’s richest person, iron ore magnate Gina Rinehart. A prosperous economy and a strong civil society are critical to Australia’s success across all walks of life.

Little old Australia. Punching above its weight. Population, a mere 25 million. Cut off from the world by Covid-19. Fighting just to get to the Olympics. Winning a record-equalling 17 gold medals. Little old Australia. What an eclectic group of winners. The swimmers. A BMX bandit. Canoeists. Sailors. Rowers.

23 July 2021 – 8 August 2021

Your generous involvement in swimming and other sports has been more important than many will ever understand. From someone who has been involved in this sport over a long period of time your backing has been transformational and the credit you receive cannot be understated!

But as the waterworks started, Clancy confirmed her journey with Mariafe Artacho del Solar would continue as they seek to be Australia’s first beach volleyball gold medallists since Nat Cook and Kerri Pottharst. Artacho del Solar added: “Don’t make us cry again!” “It’s definitely very special and unique, this bond that we have. It’s very hard to put into words. It is not something that you just have with anyone. “So we’re super grateful and I wouldn’t want to do this journey with anyone else.”

“But the philanthropic support of Gina Rinehart is something very special. Not only has Gina’s support been integral to helping Mariafe and Taliqua reach success, it underpins our whole beach volleyball program.”
“Thank you Mrs R, you’re a massive part of our team’s achievements”.

It has been a big Olympics for the athlete’s favourite billionaire Gina Rinehart, who when she wasn’t cheering on gold medals in the swimming pool with legend Dawn Fraser has been giving her workers a break to watch the action from Tokyo.

Olympic legend Dawn Fraser wishes billionaire Gina Rinehart was around when she was at the peak of her swimming career. Fraser, who famously won gold at three Olympics, considers “Mrs Rinehart” to be one of the secret weapons behind Australia’s success at the Tokyo Games, where the country’s athletes have won the most gold medals in history. The mining magnate is one of Australia’s biggest Olympic fans and contributes up to $10m annually to four Olympic sports: swimming, rowing, volleyball and artistic swimming.

But as Australia digests the week that was and contemplates how to better it, it’s worth pointing out that 11 of the 17 gold medals and one bronze came in disciplines in which the living costs of athletes were not covered by their sporting organisations or government funding, but were paid for by one benefactor alone: the country’s richest person, Gina Rinehart.

Rinehart makes an annual $1.4m investment in Australia’s top 50 rowers, directly funding a weekly wage of $525 each to the best 25 men and top 25 women, allowing them to train full-time at the sports training bases.

She joined the rowing ranks after the Rio Olympics and the funding has allowed the rowers to train together rather than be trained by different coaches in their home states.

Rinehart has immersed ­herself in the Games.