Boxing Australia Statement

Published Fri 19 Apr 2024

Boxing Australia Updated Statement
06-05-24

In relation to the action regarding a Boxing Australia staff member. The staff member is currently serving a six-month suspension from participating in CombatAUS activities, as spelt out in the recent National Sports Tribunal determination.

Given the serious nature of the allegations and findings outlined by the National Sports Tribunal, it was beholden on Boxing Australia to conduct our own review of our employee’s ongoing role in the organisation.

That review, which included a report from an independent workplace consultant, considered the following facts:

  • Boxing Australia's greatest priority is to ensure all athletes, coaches and staff, from grassroots right up to the elite level, feel safe, respected and supported.
  • Boxing Australia supports the National Sports Tribunal determination and sanction which runs from 6 November 2023 until 6 May 2024.
  • While the sanction relates to CombatAUS events, Boxing Australia applied our own suspension that prevents him from coaching or engaging with any high-performance athletes or attending any Boxing Australia events. 
  • Boxing Australia has not received any complaints about his language or behaviour in the 10 years that he has worked at Boxing Australia. 
  • We have met with the employee and believe he is genuinely remorseful about his actions, accepts the NST sanction and is determined to learn and improve from these events. 
  • We believe he can still make a significant contribution to boxing, including providing his technical expertise, knowledge, network and passion for the sport.

With all this in mind, we have determined that he will continue to work at Boxing Australia, albeit with a modified role and responsibilities. He will primarily be involved in administrative duties where he will continue to engage with coaches, arrange logistics and camps activities. However, he will not coach or engage with athletes, or attend camps, competitions or training sessions. He has also been stood down from the Boxing Australia Selection Panel and the National Selection Panel. Dinah Glykidis will fill the selection panel roles in the interim. Over and above the training courses mandated by the NST determination, Boxing Australia will also conduct our own leadership, stakeholder management and workplace training for all staff.

We wanted to provide this update to ensure transparency and remove any uncertainty, and to allow the BA team to move forward as a stronger, more respectful and trusted organisation.

Boxing Australia Statement
19-04-24

Many in the Boxing Community would have seen media reports of a six-months suspension applied to Boxing Australia staff member relating to their inappropriate behaviour.

Boxing Australia acknowledges and respects the processes undertaken and the decisions made by both CombatAUS and the National Sports Tribunal.

A National Sports Tribunal hearing was conducted on 20 March 2024. We have now been informed that the Tribunal determined a reduced sanction of a six-month suspension from participating in all CombatAUS activities from 9 November 2023, and requirements to be reprimanded, apologies and attend counselling and training course. The full determination can be found here.

We are obviously disappointed by the staff member’s language and behaviour as outlined by the Tribunal. There is absolutely no place in our sport for any form of discrimination, harassment, bullying and sexual misconduct.

Boxing Australia has access to all the relevant documentation, we have initiated our own Code of Conduct process so we can reach our own conclusions and determine whether any additional sanction or management action is required. This may take several weeks. 

In the meantime, we confirm an interim restriction was applied earlier this year (Feb) and is currently under review which means as it stands he is not allowed to coach or work with athletes. He is currently undertaking administrative duties.

We can also confirm he was never nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee as a coach for the Paris Olympics. 

Boxing Australia understands this issue has been difficult for some members of our high-performance team and members. We want to reassure you that this matter has had our full attention since we were first informed about it in October last year. 

We have been very limited in what we could do or say about it for the reasons mentioned above, however we have been working hard behind the scenes to minimise any disruption for our athletes. 

We also doubled down on our safety and welfare processes since becoming aware of this matter in October. We will continue to do everything we can to ensure our staff, athletes and members can do what they love in a safe and respectful environment. We want everyone to feel confident that they can talk to our National Integrity Manager about any incident or issue that makes them uncomfortable and know that they will be listened to. 

Information can be provided confidentially to our National Integrity Manager in writing integrity@boxing.org.au. Alternatively, people can call the Australian Institute of Sport’s Be Heard service (https://www.ais.gov.au/AISBe-Heard) for free and confidential support. Any information will be handled sensitively and in strict adherence with the National Integrity Framework.

We have appreciated the advice and feedback we have received from members during this time and for your understanding and patience around this sensitive matter. 

 

Counselling (24/7)