Seven was staring at a Comm Games disaster. Gina Rinehart may have saved the day
Seven suffered a blow last month with news Australia’s most in-demand athlete, Gout Gout, had chosen to skip the Commonwealth Games to focus on the World Athletics Under 20 Championships – formerly known as the world junior championships – in Oregon in August.Seven will broadcast that event, but losing Gout from Glasgow is a blow – particularly with Nine, owner of this masthead, opting to prioritise Olympic content.Gout Gout won’t compete at the Commonwealth Games. Credit: Getty ImagesSeven, however, is privately buoyed by Rinehart’s willingness to fund incentives for swimmers.The Commonwealth Games – moved to Glasgow after the Victorian government withdrew as host – is also grappling with questions over its relevance, with the 2026 program reduced to 10 sports from the 19 in Birmingham four years ago. Para events will also feature in Glasgow.Swimming Australia’s dilemma centres on the importance of Pan Pacs, a quadrennial event held in even years between Summer Olympics. The 2022 event was postponed to 2026 due to COVID-19.It features swimmers from Australia, the United States, Canada and Japan, and serves as Swimming Australia’s “benchmark event” for athlete funding. The rivalry between Australia and the US is more appealing from a broadcast perspective than the competition the Dolphins will face at the Commonwealth Games.From left: Mollie O’Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Chelsea Hodges and Kaylee McKeown after winning gold in the women’s 4x100m medley relay at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.Credit: APIf a swimmer excels in Glasgow but performs poorly at Pan Pacs a fortnight later – the swimming program at the Commonwealth Games concludes on July 29 – it risks impacting their funding for the following year.Rinehart’s latest offer adds a fresh layer to the Dolphins’ planning, with several Australian swimmers eager to capitalise on the financial upside of competing in Glasgow.Many would have attended regardless, but the sport’s biggest names now have even greater incentive to do so.Rinehart funds swimmers directly, not through Swimming Australia, and has done so for several years. Bonuses were offered at the 2023 and 2025 world championships in Fukuoka and Singapore, as well as for the Paris 2024 Olympics. She also pays swimmers who meet certain requirements an annual fee.Ultimately, Swimming Australia’s high-performance staff will determine whether athletes can compete at both meets, according to informed sources. Although it is likely all the top swimmers will be involved in Glasgow, a final decision will not be made until later in the year.However, Rinehart’s medal incentives might encourage those with big programs to compete in as many events as they can in Glasgow.This masthead revealed last year that Canadian star Summer McIntosh, widely regarded as the world’s best female swimmer, was set to bypass the Commonwealth Games and focus on Pan Pacs.Kyle Chalmers, who has close ties to Rinehart, is expected to race in Glasgow but skip the Pan Pacs due to parenting duties as his partner Ingeborg Løyning returns to competitive swimming.Fellow Olympic gold medallists Mollie O’Callaghan, Kaylee McKeown, Cam McEvoy and Zac Stubblety-Cook are likely to compete at the Commonwealth Games.Summer McIntosh will skip the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to prioritise the Pan Pacs in the USA. Credit: Getty ImagesOne option under consideration is for Australia’s leading swimmers to compete at the Commonwealth Games while still in heavy training, before tapering into peak condition for Pan Pacs.The situation also sets up an intriguing broadcast divide.LoadingNine will televise the Australian trials in Sydney in June, which double as selection events for both the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs. However, Nine will only broadcast the Pan Pacs, as part of a long-term rights deal with Swimming Australia and the International Olympic Committee, through to Brisbane 2032.It won’t be in Nine’s interest to promote the Commonwealth Games, and the network would privately prefer Australia’s biggest names prioritise the Pan Pacs.A spokesperson for Rinehart, via Hancock Prospecting, declined to comment on the proposed incentives.
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