Half of Australia’s athletes live in poverty, how is one former star trying to change things

Natalie Cook made history when she won gold at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, but it left her $300k in debt. This is the million-dollar idea to save the half of Australia’s Paris Olympians from financial hell.

Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook and Australian Olympic athlete Tenealle Fasala in Brisbane. Wednesday April 17, 2024. Picture, John Gass

When Natalie Cook retired from beach volleyball after five Olympics she had a gold medal, a bronze medal, heaps of track suits .... and a $300,000 debt.

But almost since that day, the Sydney 2000 beach volleyball gold medallist has become a one-woman cyclone sweeping through the corporate world trying to raise funds to ensure others can find a better path.

Cook’s latest fund-raising effort for Olympians of the present and future is the $1 million challenge where she teams up 100 athletes with businesses or individual supporters with the goal of raising $10,000 each and $1 million in total.

Each business and athlete will work together to raise funds for the athlete’s sporting career.

The challenge will include fund-raising, education and mentoring from Australian sporting greats.

Cook, who used to walk over blazing coals as part of her fundraising tricks, is concerned by the chastening statistic that half of Australia’s athletes live below the poverty line and earn less than $23,000 a year.

Olympic gold medallist Natalie Cook has some fun in Brisbane. Picture: John Gass

“I finished $300,000 in debt because as you get better the standard of coaches and support staff goes up and the cost escalates,’’ she said.

“You can’t go backwards. We mortgaged my fathers house. It paid for my coach and my volleyball partner who could not afford it.

“I had this two prong vision. Firstly that athletes don’t have to do what I did and have that pressure on families. Also, I don’t ever want an athlete to say “I stopped because I could not afford it’’ and feel like there is no hope or help.

“I’ve spent 30 years of serious fundraising since we did a Yatala pie fundraiser when I sold 486 pies to make my $1000 plus to go to Tasmania for my under-15 volleyball trip.

Natalie Cook with Australian water polo star Tenealle Fasala. Picture: John Gass

“The whole athlete part of the million dollar challenge has been designed to give them the tools, the help and support and let them know they are not alone. We are looking to raise a million dollars this year, hopefully next year it happens in half the time and by 2032 we would like a million dollars a month.’’

Tenealle Fasala, daughter of former champion swimmer Greg and a member of the national water polo squad, said being able to raise $10,000 would “totally change my life outside of water polo.’’

“At the moment I work fulltime to pay rent and buy food but having extra money would help me to focus on my sport more and reach my goals,’’ she said.

“I work and I go to training before and after. The hardest part in such an intense sport is that we don’t have much down time to recover. Especially being such a physical sport. My body is constantly hammered.’’

Fasala said any additional funding would help her gain precious time to recover.

Originally published as Half of Australia’s athletes live in poverty, how is one former star trying to change things