Dear Australian Olympic Committee,
I am writing this open letter to ask you to end your partnership with Hancock Prospecting.
Hancock Prospecting is a fossil fuel company which is profiting from the destruction of the planet and is exploiting your organisation for sportswashing. The partnership means that every single Olympic medal won by an Aussie athlete until 2026 will be tainted.
Hancock Prospecting and the remainder of the fossil fuel industry are destroying the planet. According to Greenpeace:
Fossil fuel companies are wrecking our climate
Fossil fuel companies are spending to lock-in climate pollution
Fossil fuel companies cause deadly air pollution
Fossil fuel companies cause water pollution
Fossil fuel companies perpetuate environmental injustice
Fossil fuel companies don’t treat workers fairly
Fossil fuel companies have misled the public about the climate threat
Fossil fuel companies are attacking solutions, while raking in tax breaks
Australia has the highest per capita carbon footprint of any nation on earth, and Aussies love sport. Fossil fuel corporations understand full well the power of sportwashing in a sports-mad nation and their partnership with your organisation is clearly an attempt to exploit Australian culture in an attempt to protect their public image.
Burning fossil fuels also threatens the very existence of many sports, and could place elite athletes in danger if they are forced to push their body beyond its physical limits in extreme weather conditions. It is also a clear threat to the Winter Olympic Games and winter sports.
Cutting ties with a fossil fuel corporation is possible. Tennis Australia ended its partnership with Santos, and still manages to host the Australian Open, one of only four majors. Yes, sport is a business. Yes, sporting organisations need money. I’m asking that you source that money from elsewhere, and not from Hancock Prospecting.
Yours Sincerely,
Kieran Blake
Image: Australian Olympic Committee
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