Olympics 2024: How ‘poor culture’ could derail Australian hockey’s Olympic Games gold medal quest

Hockey Australia has been plunged into crisis ahead of the Paris Olympics with revelations poor culture could scupper a second straight Games preparation.

Rosie Malone’s omission from Australia’s hockey squad for the Olympics has unearthed more alleged cases of poor player treatment. Picture: Getty Images

Hockey Australia has been plunged into crisis ahead of the Paris Olympics with revelations poor culture could scupper a second straight Games preparation.

Information obtained by News Corp shines a light on the grievances of current and former players left disgruntled by their treatment of the governing body while in its elite high performance program and those who have exited.

It comes as star international striker Rosie Malone prepares to fight for her spot on the Paris team on Friday, threatening to derail the Hockeyroos Olympic campaign.

Malone was sensationally left out of Australia’s Paris team despite being the country’s premier striker in recent years and comes months after she was named as a finalist for the International Hockey Federation’s player of the year award.

Rosie Malone is regarded among the best international hockey players but was left out of the Hockeyroos squad for the Paris Olympics.

The 26-year-old, a popular figure among players, has been left devastated by the decision and it’s understood Malone has hardly slept or eaten since being told last Friday and has already lost nearly 2kg.

It has been claimed Malone was not told why she was left out of the team during her phone call.

It’s understood players involved in recent games against England and Germany were told they would be included in the Olympic’s side. Malone is the only member of that group to be excluded.

Malone will be flanked by a lawyer and argue her case but even if the Australian Olympic Committee recommends she be included, Hockey Australia can choose not to do so.

If she is included, it means one player who has been told of her inclusion in the team could be ripped out to make way while the team and staff will enter Paris knowing the extent of what has transpired.

Revelations of the shock omission have unearthed a deeper issue of poor player treatment stemming years.

Rosie Malone’s omission from the Australian team for the Olympics has unearthed a deeper issue of poor player treatment. Picture: Jason O'Brien

Players have supplied written and verbal feedback to Hockey Australia’s board, detailing the alleged mistreatment of players in the program and those removed from it.

Some have reported insensitive dealings around unplanned meetings used to drop players, ending their career, with no feedback leading into it.

Others have outlined a lack of support for athletes transitioning out of the elite performance program while recovering from injury, with no financial support offered for any rehabilitation measures that sit outside of Hockey Australia’s plans even if it is recommended by health professionals.

There have been claims development players have been denied food post-training, with only elite performance members granted access to it.

One development player also allegedly had her commitment to the program questioned when she couldn’t attend a gym session, despite being in an unpaid role and needing to work or attend placement.

Rosie Malone has been left devastated by the decision to not include her in Australia’s squad for the Olympics. Picture: Simon Watts

Concerns have also been raised about the control over players who are given a six-month contract that extends beyond major events like the Olympics but allows Hockey Australia to dictate when they can play outside of the tournament.

It’s a major blow to a governing body that up-ended its high performance program following an upheaval over similar issues before the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Allegations of HA ignoring mental health concerns, body-shaming and bullying led to multiple staff resigning and instigated an independent review of its operations.

But just one Olympic cycle later it appears it has been unable to shed itself of the issues within the organisation just a month out from the beginning of the 2024 Paris Games.

Three Hockeyroos captains stood down in the period leading up to Tokyo while Rachael Lynch’s successful appeal against her exclusion from the initial 22-player Games squad resulted in the governing body changing its policies to block future attempts to do the same.

Only the Australian Olympic Committee’s involvement in the final 16-player makeup for the Paris Olympics enabled Malone to launch an appeal.

Hockey Australia has been approached for comment.

Originally published as Olympics 2024: How ‘poor culture’ could derail Australian hockey’s Olympic Games gold medal quest