Netball Australia Loses $15M Mining Sponsor After Female Team Protests on Climate Change Grounds

Courtney Bruce of the Australian Diamonds defends against Grace Nweke of the Silver Ferns during the Constellation Cup match between the Australia Diamonds and the New Zealand Silver Ferns at John Cain Arena in Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 19, 2022. Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

Australia’s wealthiest person and her mining company on Saturday pulled an AU$15 million (US$9.53 million) sponsorship deal from Netball Australia after the former captain of its women’s team convinced some players to protest in support of climate change.

Gina Rinehart, and her company Hancock Prospecting, which mines iron ore (not coal), said she was withdrawing sponsorship due to disunity within the sport and after inaccurate reporting on her company’s work with Indigenous communities.