sport news Netball Australia sponsorship saga: Sport in debt after Gina Rinehart ... trends now
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Netball Australia is struggling to repay a $4.2m debt after losing a sponsorship deal from Gina Rinehart's company Hancock prospecting - despite the Victorian government coming to the rescue after the deal collapsed.
Rinehart pulled the pin on the lucrative Hancock Prospecting deal after Indigenous netballer Donnell Wallam refused to have the Hancock Prospecting logo on her jersey with the backing of her teammates.
This was reportedly due to comments Rinehart's late father Lang Hancock had made about Aboriginal Australians almost four decades ago.
He suggested in 1984 that Indigenous Australians should be sterilised to 'breed themselves out' in coming years.
Wallam was is the national squad but had not yet made her international debut at the time.
Five months on from the saga, Netball Australia is still reeling from the furore, despite Visit Victoria coming to the rescue with a new $15m deal.
Under the new deal players will wear Visit Victoria branding on their uniforms and appear in tourism campaigns to promote the state.
The deal also gives Victoria hosting rights for the 2023 Super Netball Grand final as the state becomes the official home of the Diamonds.
Netball Australia is still in debt after after Gina Rinehart (pictured) withdrew a massive $15m sponsorship deal
Gina Rinehart (right) is pictured with her father Lang Hancock, who started the company Hancock Prospecting. His comments from an 1984 interview have angered members of the Diamonds team
The body appears to show no regrets
