AUSTRALIAN BASKETBALL OFFICIALS have said they would review travel policies after stinging criticism that the men’s team travelled to the London Olympics in business class but the women in economy.
Sports Minister Kate Lundy called for more equitable arrangements after learning that the Australian Opals, captained by global star Lauren Jackson, a WNBA three-time Most Valuable Player, flew premium economy.
“My view is that team travel should be equitable for our male and female athletes,” Lundy told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Basketball Australia said each national team was allowed some discretion over how their funding was spent — including on travel arrangements — but noted the inequality needed to change.
“The simple fact is when a policy results in gender inequality, it’s very clearly not the right policy going forward,” acting chief executive Scott Derwin said.
“I am putting in place a review of our Olympic travel policy with the goal of ensuring there is equity between travel arrangements for the men’s and women’s teams attending future Olympics.”
Second in the world
Kristina Keneally, who takes over from Derwin next month, welcomed the review as she hit out at the long-standing policy under which men are reportedly allowed to fly business class for flights longer than three hours.
She said, “In this day and age, there’s just no excuse for men’s and women’s sporting teams to be treated differently when they both compete at the same world class level.” Keneally added:
In this circumstance, the disparity is even more glaring when you consider that our women’s basketball team is one of the best in the world — enjoying the number two spot in international rankings.
Bernie Harrower, whose daughter Kristi plays for the Opals, revealed, on ABC radio, that players had complained internally about the policy for years.
He said, “It’s always been a bone of contention amongst people in the know that the women have always flown, wherever they have gone, they have always flown in economy and the men have gone business class.”
Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick described the disparity as “a highly visible example of gender inequality for our best athletes”.
Not the only country
The Australian Olympic Committee said it provided travel subsidies for return economy fares on Qantas Airways for all athletes competing at the Games and it was up to sports administrators to determine how they were used.
The outcry comes after it was revealed that Japan’s world champion women footballers were seated in premium economy while their male colleagues enjoyed business class on a flight to Europe for the Olympics.
“I guess it should have been the other way around,” World Cup heroine and 2011 FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Homare Sawa told Japanese media. She remarked:
When we won the World Cup, our seats were changed to business class for our return flight. I hope we can produce a good result again and be treated the same way.
Not one bit surprised by this, I found Australia a very male orientated society.
Can’t agree. For example, every single strip club I ever went to in oz, was wall to wall women.. Not a single male employee!
The basketballers should just go off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of ozzzzz… Lalala la lala la.. I need some disprins now…. Or Wall paper paste, wall paper paste is good too..
Each team has discretion on how funding is spent….. So it’s not a huge scam to undermine women’s rights, just prudent spending by the management !
Maybe so but given how hard some people are having it right now I think its a awful bloody waste for anybody in the public eye like this to be using business class
just because we are broke doesnt mean Australia is Barry.
@ Marty Grenham,
Saving for a ‘rainy day’ springs to mind! Maybe Kate Lundy should have stepped in before the horse bolted.
Money is not an issue for australia at the moment, they’re the only country in the OECD with a shiny budget surplus!
The men are bigger and need the legroom. Just common sense really.
De Wimmin don’t do common sense
Wtf ……
The men need to be relaxed and well rested before the games. Nobody really cares about women’s basketball.
That’s so Australian. Put the Sheilas on the back cos we need space for our tinnies up front!!
That’s so Australian. Put the Sheilas down the back cos we need space for our tinnies up front!!
Double standards…. And double posting…sorry!!
Proper order!
Back to the cleaning the dunnie Sile.
I heard that the women got extra baggage allowance to bring irons and rubber gloves for cleaning so fair is fair..
Would it be anything to do with the fact that the mens team are probably all well over 6ft and need the extra leg room? seems reasonable enough to me!
Nice reasoning Eamonn, and Pani, but the Japanese Olympic officials can surely not use the same argument.
Why, because Asian people aren’t allowed to grow over six foot?
This isn’t really about gender, it’s about the finances of the sporting organisation that just happens to be women’s basketball. Someone check all male Australian athletes in all sports and see did they fly business. The gender argument would be put to bed very quickly if they didn’t.
Nice. Get grab me a beer Sheila.
Where’s the story?
It’s genuinely an interesting question because the male organisations will bring in millions more from their non Olympic activities. As the Australian guy said, both teams were given the same allowance but the male basketball organisation paid the difference.
Still feels wrong such is the disparity between male and female sports-flights won’t change that.
Reverse the seating arrangements on the trip home. Simples!!!
“The outcry comes after it was revealed that Japan’s world champion women footballers were seated in premium economy while their male colleagues enjoyed business class on a flight to Europe for the Olympics.”
Why wasn’t this a headline story in thescore.ie and the Australian situation was?
I wonder where the non white basketball players sit do you not think its a valid question
I wonder if the men had of traveled in economy and the women had of traveled in business would this story of still made the news? ……..somehow i doubt it
Huge PR opportunity missed by Qantas here?
First world problems eh?
*The women
If the sport in question was netball……
Sure the men’s team would earn more money for the sport therefore higher wages and more perks
Sure the men’s team would earn more money for the sport therefore higher wages and more perks