AOC prepares for legal action over report

The Crawford report, which last week called for a shift in funding away from Olympic sports towards professional and "national pysche" sports, paid for advice from a company part-owned by former AFL star James Hird.

The company, Gemba Group, criticised the AOC, comparing it unfavourably to the US Olympic Committee in its report to a panel of experts. But, the AOC considered the advice so flawed and the figures so wrong that it has initiated legal action against Gemba alleging misrepresentation.

Coincidentally, nine of the "national psyche" sports recommended for increased fundings are listed as clients of Gemba on its website.

Gemba Group is part-owned by former Nike executive Ben Crowe  who was on Richmond's coaching selection committee  and former adidas executive Robert Mills, who has worked with several AFL clubs on sponsorship.

The Crawford report said Australia should stop trying to over-achieve in world sport and instead educate the public to be satisfied with a "realistic" aim of being a top-10 Olympic nation.

The review panel, appointed by Federal Minister for Sport Kate Ellis, consisted of businessman David Crawford, who conducted a review of the AFL's structure in 1993, Sam Mostyn, who is an AFL commissioner, and Colin Carter, a former AFL commissioner.

NRL sponsor Mark Bouris left the panel because of filming commitments with The Apprentice. Hockey administrator Pam Tye was also on the panel.

The report has come under fire for its stance towards professional sports such as AFL, NRL and cricket, and its recommendation funding be skewed towards professional sports and others such as surf lifesaving and swimming, which are part of the national pysche, at the expense of broad-based Olympic sports.

Gemba says in its report it has three years of working with the government, golf, tennis, cricket, AFL, cycling, hockey, triathlon and netball, but gives no commercial details. But, Gemba's Mills said that because of confidential commercial information, only a dozen pages of the 73-page report had been made public.

"I am unaware of legal action and we were employed because we have a broad cross-section of experience with sport  most of our work in the past 18 months has been with Olympic sports rather than commercial sports," said Mills.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Australian Sports Commission, Greg Hartung, has been voted in as vice-president of the International Paralympic Committee. Hartung, who is widely respected by all sports, has resigned as the commission chairman effective next year. He has been Australian Paralympic Committee president for 11 years.

Ellis said Hartung's election to the international body "acknowledges his reputation within the international paralympic community as a knowledgeable, passionate and dedicated operator".