Rowing Australia announces four-year funding agreement with Hancock Prospecting

Hancock Prospecting, Australia’s leading mining and agricultural company, has renewed their Major Partnership with Rowing Australia - backing Australia’s rowers in their journey to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

The four-year funding agreement will see Hancock Prospecting and Rowing Australia Patron Gina Rinehart continue to provide direct funding to elite athletes and enable them to have a laser-focus on chasing their dreams to represent our country to the best of their ability.

Hancock’s and Rinehart’s relationship with Rowing Australia dates back to 2015 and has revolutionised the High-Performance program. The results were on show in Tokyo in 2021, when Australian rowers collected two Gold Medals and two Bronze Medals at the Olympic Games and a Silver Medal at the Paralympic Games.

Rowing Australia President Rob Scott thanked Hancock Prospecting and Rinehart for their unwavering support, saying the partnership not only empowered our athletes but also strengthened the sport of rowing in Australia.

Scott advised “this is exceptional news for Rowing Australia as an organisation and in particular our athletes, who are preparing for the World Championships and then next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“Hancock Prospecting’s support of Rowing Australia reflects the company’s commitment to fostering growth, nurturing talent, and helping our athletes achieve greatness.

“This is a major commitment, and we are truly grateful to have a partnership of this significance underpinning our sport. We are indebted to Hancock Prospecting and Mrs Rinehart AO for this outstanding contribution.”

Rinehart relationship with rowing goes well beyond funding. She is connected to the athletes and most recently visited them in July in Europe, where they were training ahead of a World Cup regatta. She also presents The Gina Rinehart Rowing Leadership Award at the annual Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Gala ceremony.

One of Australia’s Tokyo Olympic champions, Annabelle McIntyre, said the heights she achieved would not be possible without Gina Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting championing her cause. McIntyre was a member of the victorious Women’s Four in Tokyo and hopes to qualify in the Women’s Pair for Paris alongside Jess Morrison.

McIntyre enthused “this is incredible news for Australian Rowing. We’ve been very fortunate to have Mrs Rinehart AO’s support since before Rio and you can see the outcomes of that backing through our team’s consistent performances on the international stage, year after year.

“The continued support from Mrs Rinehart AO and Hancock Prospecting is exciting as it not only allows us to keep pushing towards qualifying for the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in Belgrade later this year but will help the next generation of rowers coming through to achieve their dreams on the road to LA 2028.”

Explaining that the commitment would set rowing up for more success and give the sport the confidence to plan for a new era of growth and top-notch performance, Rowing Australia Chief Executive, Sarah Cook noted "this is another example of the game-changing support Mrs Rinehart AO shows to Australian sport,” Cook said. “The sky is the limit for Rowing Australia with Hancock Prospecting powering us through another Olympic cycle.”

Netball Australia’ Diamonds elite program was also a recipient of Hancock funding up until October 2022, when Hancock withdrew its sponsorship support for Netball Australia after a week of controversy. At the time, Hancock Prospecting released a statement saying that “it (is) unnecessary for sports organisations to be used as the vehicle for social or political causes.”

Shortly after its announcement of it having ended its support for the Netball Diamonds elite program, the statement criticised sports people for speaking up about their own concerns regarding sustainability of sponsors.

The statement addressed "sports organisations and recent media", advising "Hancock and its Executive Chairman Mrs Rinehart, consider that it is unnecessary for sports organisations to be used as the vehicle for social or political causes.”