Liz Cambage threatens to boycott Olympics over team photo

Australia’s biggest women’s basketball star has threatened to abandon the Tokyo Olympics after taking issue with a team photo.

Liz Cambage says she will “sit out” the Tokyo Olympics after taking issue with the athletes chosen to represent Australia in promotional shoots ahead of the Games.

Cambage, 29, who has played for our national women’s basketball team the Opals at the past two Olympics, made the threat on Instagram on Thursday in a series of posts.

She shared two images — one of athletes showing off Australia’s uniform for the Games and another promoting the official underwear sponsor of the team — she said were examples of whitewashing and did not represent the diverse backgrounds of Australia’s athletes.

“If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT A COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T EVEN REPRESENT ME,” Cambage wrote.

The second image included Indigenous Rugby Sevens player Maurice Longbottom but Cambage wrote: “Also fake tan doesn’t equal diversity.”

Cambage took issue with the athletes selected to represent Australia in promotional shoots.

Cambage wrote “fake tan doesn’t equal diversity” alongside an image which featured Indigenous rugby player Maurice Longbottom (second from right).

“Y’all do anything to remove POC (People of Colour) from the forefront when it’s black athletes leading the pack,” she added.

“Until I see y’all doin more @AusOlympicTeam Imma sit this one out.”

Cambage then shared footage of Cathy Freeman’s win in the 400m at the Sydney Olympics.

“Also just to remind you,” she added. “Australia’s GREATEST sporting moment was thank too BLACK INDIGENOUS WOMAN.”

The AOC said it acknowledged Cambage’s point with regard to this particular photo shoot.

“The athletes made available to Jockey could and should have better reflected the rich diversity of athletes who represent Australia at the Olympic Games,” a spokesman said.

“The AOC does however have a very proud history of celebrating and promoting diversity in all its forms. From Indigenous reconciliation, people of colour, gender equality and all forms of diversity, the AOC is rightly proud of its record.”

The spokesman said the AOC’s annual general meeting tomorrow would address a change to the AOC Constitution which would ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island representation on its Athletes’ Commission.

“Next month we will launch our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan following lengthy consultation with our Indigenous Advisory Committee,” he said.

“Our Olympic Team for Tokyo, as it did in Rio, will consist of more women than men.

“We proudly defend our track record on diversity and there will be further photo shoots that reflect our broad diversity of athletes.

“With regard to this photo shoot however, we acknowledge while proud of the athletes involved and proud of our association with Jockey, it should have better reflected the diversity of our Team.”

He said the Olympic Charter committed them oppose any form of discrimination.

Liz Cambage playing for the Opals at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Liz Cambage has threatened to boycott the Olympics.

Others commented on Jockey’s photo on Instagram, asking if Australia didn’t have black or brown people.

Cambage herself wrote, “yay more whitewashed campaigns” with an eyeroll emoji.

Last year, Cambage — who plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA — issued a fiery message to Australian “allies” protesting the death of George Floyd and black deaths in custody.

In a long series of videos on her Instagram stories, Cambage said she “did not feel my worth until I left this country”, having had to deal with racism while growing up in Australia.

She finished the series with a pointed message ahead of the protests.

“Until you start teaching the real history of Australia, until you start respecting the traditional land owners of this country, you do not care about black lives,” she said.

“Until I see more diversity and more inclusion in this country, you do not care about black lives. Go delete the square. And if you really care about black lives, go report that officer from the other day that threw that kid to the ground. If you care.

“Check out of America Australia because we have s*** we need to sort right here. We have blood on our hands, we have blood on our hands and we need to fix it.

“And if you really care about black lives, I’ll see you on Saturday.

“Because you can post and pretend all you want right here, but until I see you guys out in the streets being real-a** allies, you ain’t f***ing s***.”