Survey finds half of elite Aussie athletes earning below the poverty line

A survey has revealed that a shocking number of Australian athletes are failing to make a living, even when representing the country.

Emma McKeon won seven medals in Tokyo. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

A survey of elite athletes from the Australian Sports Foundation has found that nearly half of our nation’s best sportspeople are earning less than $23,000 a year to pursue their sport.

The survey polled 2304 athletes, 604 of which were at elite or international level across 60 sports, delivered the surprising results.

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As of July 1, 2023, the minimum wage in Australia was raised to $23.23 per hour or $882.80 per week. This equates to $45,905.60 per year.

The poverty line is based on 50 per cent of the median household after-tax income, which is $489 per week, equating to over $25,000 per year.

And 46 per cent of the athletes surveyed earned less than $23,000 per year, while 42 per cent of elite athletes are suffering mental health challenges.

More than two-fifths of the athletes of the athletes surveyed over the age of 18 had seen their financial positions worsen over the past year, while more than half had considered walking away from the sport.

Speaking to Fox Sports News, two-time Olympic gold medallist Bronte Campbell said the findings were “really surprising”.

“The median income of elite athletes is between $23-49,000,” she began.

“When you look at how expensive everything is today, that’s really not a lot of money. It again highlights to me how hard it can be, especially as you’re emerging into a sport.”

Bronte Campbell is chasing another Olympic berth. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Asked if it is still difficult for those raking in gold medals, Campbell said it was a rare athlete that stays at the top of their game their entire career and never suffers injury.

“The main thing around performance is that performance in sport comes and goes,” she said. “Over a long career, you may have a really good year and then some leaner years.

“Even though you might have a year of really great performance and along side that comes extra things like sponsorship money or gold medal bonuses which are given out, the next year, if you have an injury and miss a team, you may go back to being on $4000 a year.

“That makes it incredibly difficult to plan for your future and incredibly difficult if you’re looking at something like a mortgage and going to a bank and trying to explain why your income goes up and down so much.

“Athletes are real people living in the real world and they have all the same pressures on them.”

For someone like Bronte in swimming or another Olympic event, the Games are the pinnacle of the sport.

She said it’s a four-year cycle between events, requiring a long commitment and dictates where the athletes live, if and when they can start a family and whether they need a job or can keep studying.

Campbell also said increased government funding, including $200m for women’s sport after the Matildas’ Women’s World Cup run and $20m for athletes qualifying for the Paris games, was “very welcome”.

Logan Martin won the BMX Freestyle gold in Tokyo. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

But she admitted even the funding only goes so far, saying as she has to go to some overseas events, the funding will mean she’s “only a little out of pocket” instead of “extremely out of pocket”.

She said the reality is unless you are on elite teams constantly, “you pretty much are looking out for yourself”.

In a release from the Australian Sports Foundation, CEO Patrick Walker said: “Australia prides itself on the performance of its elite athletes but this report shows they’re not getting the assistance they need to reach their full potential.

“This research confirms that financial stress is contributing to poor mental health, causing an alarming number of athletes to consider leaving their sport altogether.

“Surprisingly, very few elite athletes surveyed reported receiving financial support from a sporting body or via fundraising. Of course, sporting bodies themselves are cash-strapped and dealing with rising costs and a squeeze on income.

“It’s crucial for our athletes that the whole sports sector works together to provide as much support as possible. We know that what athletes need in terms of finances, equipment, medical and mental health support will outweigh what government, sporting organisations or sponsorship can provide.”

Originally published as Survey finds half of elite Aussie athletes earning below the poverty line