AIS pays more than $3m in restoration to abused athletes

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has paid over $3 million to more than 225 athletes who were abused while holding scholarships at the institution. The restorative program, which covered athletes from 1981 to 2013, provided each athlete with compensation ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. Australian Sports Commission (ASC) chief Kieran Perkins stated that the money is merely one aspect of the restoration program, and the primary objective was to give ex-athletes a voice.

Perkins expressed that the money alone cannot undo the trauma experienced by the athletes, but the acknowledgment of wrongdoing and the willingness to listen were crucial. The ASC formally apologized in 2022 to the affected athletes, emphasizing that their experience was not their fault and that they were children at the time. Perkins stressed that the priority of those involved in the restorative engagement program was to ensure that similar abuses do not occur to athletes today.

The ASC released a survey indicating generally positive wellbeing in Australian sport, with 71% of respondents thriving. However, para athletes and people with disabilities experienced more variable outcomes, suggesting that culturally safe and supportive environments strongly influence overall wellbeing.