2022 REWARDING BAD BEHAVIOR

This week the funding of New Zealand sport in 2022 was announced. Swimwatch has often made the point that the administration of the funding of sport in New Zealand is corrupt. What drugs were to the East German regime, money is to New Zealand sport. In my opinion Castle promotes bad behaviour. Her distribution of cash encourages lying, cheating, deception, assault and now death. Let’s go through a few decisions made in relation to the 2022 funding announcement to see what I mean.

Cycling

Cycling has been given the second highest amount paid to a sport. At $5,169,000 cycling will receive 12% of the total funding paid to all 48 sports. And for what? In 2021 cycling demonstrated corruption beyond belief. For example:

  1. It lied to a government inquiry.
  2. It made secret hush money payments to participants in those lies.
  3. The staff turnover has been stunning. The CEO has gone, three senior coaches have disappeared. This is not a stable organisation.
  4. A senior coach was playing musical beds with a cyclist on overseas trips.
  5. It cheated at the Olympic Games
  6. It has created an environment that contributed to the death of one of its most senior members

And what did Castle think of all that? She rewarded cycling as the second most worthy sport in the country. It tells us all we need to know about Castle’s standards. It sends a terrible message to the rest of New Zealand sport. Castle should be sacked for that decision alone. But cycling is not alone.

Canoe Racing

Castle has rewarded Canoe Racing with a 16% increase in funding to $2,582,000 – the 4th highest amount paid to a New Zealand sport.  

And this is the sport that is clearly in the process of conducting a witch hunt against a fine New Zealand athlete because he complained to the Minister of Sport. The comments Canoe Racing are using to hang Thompson were allegedly made in 1998 and 2014. Those attacking Thompson are the ones who should be called to account. But instead, Castle rewards them with an additional $425,000.

I see Castle makes grand announcements about the appointment of welfare officers. What a joke. When a man like Thompson is under unjustified assault and Castle gives his assailants additional money, all the welfare in the world won’t fix that. Not when the boss is leading the corruption. If welfare and justice mean so much to you Ms. Castle, do something about it today. Clear up the Thompson case before it is too late.

Swimming New Zealand

Swimming New Zealand will receive a lift in funding of $185,000 to $1,168,000. That is certainly not for looking after the welfare of its members. The sport spent a week last year before the Human Rights Review Tribunal answering questions about that very subject.

We have not yet received the Tribunal’s decision. However, what we do know is that included in the evidence was a letter from a North Shore Hospital specialist that said the following.

Mr Wright has suffered from high blood pressure for some years. Blood pressure is affected by many factors including emotional stress.  The accusations made will have stressed him. Showing him a report that clears him can only help ease the stress and should help with his blood pressure management.

Yours sincerely,

Renal Fellow North Shore Hospital

So, there you have it, emotional stress and a serious life-threatening illness. And do you know the care or concern Mr. Wright was shown by Swimming New Zealand? None. But do you know what, Ms. Castle thought that was just fine. In fact, she rewarded those who did not give a toss about welfare with an additional $185,000. No one should talk to me about Raelene Castle’s concern for welfare. Not when actions paid for with her money could well have shortened my life.

Rowing

Rowing has managed to keep its nose clean through 2021. It has certainly been rewarded in the 2022 funding round. The 2022 payment of $7,988,000 is an increase of $1,586,000. It lifts rowing to New Zealand’s best paid sport, receiving a huge 18.5% of all the total money paid.

But rowing has not always been free of scandal. In recent years there has been public information on the following welfare issues.

  1. Eric Murray had a real problem asking for permission to return home for the birth of his first child prior to the 2011 World Championships. That dispute resulted in the resignation of Rowing High Performance Manager, Alan Cotter.
  2. Elite coach Tonks had a falling out when he left Rowing New Zealand after his link with a Chinese crew was questioned by the governing body.
  3. Emma Twigg received no government funding in 2015 because of her decision to accept a one-year post-graduate FIFA Master course in management, law and humanities of sport, taught across universities in Leicester, Milan and Neuchatel.
  4.  Rowing New Zealand boss Craig Ross used grants from charities to buy skiffs offshore after he had undertaken to buy local. His convictions were overturned as a result of a High Court appeal.
  5. Several promising high school rowers have accepted full scholarships to American Ivy League Universities. Rowing New Zealand has harshly treated this treason.

Once again Sport New Zealand money has promoted a culture of self-entitled greed that is wrong and unnecessary. John Walker, Rod Dixon and Nick Willis can run a mile successfully without that corruption. Valerie Adams and Tom Walsh are better than average at shot put without damaging the welfare of others. The presence of Castle and her money is bad. Dozens of inquiries have investigated rowing, swimming, canoeing, and cycling. All have avoided the real issue – Sport New Zealand and its CEO, Raelene Castle.

Oh, Castle will make cosmetic changes like appointing a welfare officer here and there but will avoid the root cause of the corruption. This is not where she wants to go at all. Because if she does, the issue will be how fit is she to do the job? Sadly, for New Zealand sport the answer to that question is clear.  

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