Sport NZ Releases Report on Athletes’ Rights And Welfare

Sports lawyer Stephen Cottrell, in partnership with Sport NZ, has released a report on the rights and welfare of elite athletes’ in New Zealand.

Commissioned as part of a broader Sport Integrity Review, the report builds on the findings of interviews with 107 individuals ranging from elite athletes, coaches and high-performance staff to National Sport Organisation CEOs, athlete managers and the Athletes’ Commission.

“This project is an important part of our Sport Integrity Review and we are grateful for the contributions made by people across the system,” Sport NZ CEO, Peter Miskimmin said.

“Mr Cottrell’s findings are consistent with what we have learned through the various other reviews conducted by high performance sporting organisations since this project was commissioned.

“At the same time, it gives us and others in the system, including NSOs and their athletes, valuable insights and some things to consider both individually and collectively.”

The report addresses the growing evidence of problems arising in elite sport in New Zealand because of a lack of genuine focus on athlete rights and welfare.

Equally, the privilege of ‘wearing the fern’ should not be a blanket justification for placing unreasonable or excessive demands on an Elite Athlete as a requirement of representing his or her country.

High-Performance Sport NZ CEO, Michael Scot, confirmed that Mr Cottrell’s recommendations relating to the organisation would be implemented through the organisation’s High Performance 12 Point Plan.

“Mr Cottrell’s recommendations provide additional context for the terms of reference of these pieces of work, and the High Performance 12 Point Plan provides the right framework and approach to get the job done,” Mr Scott said.

“Between these projects, and through the collective efforts of all those working in high-performance sport in New Zealand, I believe we will create a stronger, more sustainable high-performance system.”

The High Performance 12 Point Plan will include input from National Sporting Organisations, athletes and other key stakeholders.

Click here to download the report.