Australia is seriously considering taking inspiration from the British model and creating an online sports lottery to finance the preparation of its Olympic teams. John Wylie, the chairman of the Sports Commission, appealed to the government to quickly authorize the initiative, saying the country was currently at a “critical juncture”. “Our high-level sport has a crucial need for funding,” he explains. At the Rio Games, Australia fell to 10th place in the medal rankings. It was ranked 4th in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. The creation of an online sports lotto, the profits from which would be used to finance sport and culture, is supported by the entire Australian sports movement, including John Coates , the president of the national Olympic committee and member of the IOC. “We are 100% behind this idea,” he said.
— Published on November 29, 2016
