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Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Anti-Muslim post shadows Nova Peris' election to Olympic sport board
Olympic gold medallist and former Labor senator Nova Peris was elected as a director of Hockey Australia just weeks after sharing a comment on social media from an anonymous account that called Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'. The 54-year-old joined the board of the government-funded national federation last month, nearly three decades after she played in the Hockeyroos' triumph at the 1996 Atlanta Games, becoming the first Indigenous woman to win Olympic gold for Australia. Hailing her as a legend of the sport, Hockey Australia president Ross Sudano said Peris would be a powerful advocate for the women's game and regional communities, 'enriching our increasingly diverse board'. But Peris' re-posting of the anti-Islam rhetoric has brought into question her fitness to sit on the board of an organisation that receives $9.5 million a year from the Australian Sports Commission and whose diversity policy includes a focus on multicultural communities. The post was made by a since deactivated account on X on April 14 above a cartoon which depicted a drowning Muslim man pleading for help before turning on his rescuers in a boat labelled 'England'. The heading below the image read: 'The path of Islam is always the same'. Peris distanced herself from the comment when contacted by this masthead. 'I absolutely do not share the views expressed in that post, more importantly that account no longer exists and hasn't done so in many months,' she said in a text message. She did not answer why she had shared the post, a screenshot of which has been published on the social media platform and in an article by the National Indigenous Times.
The Age
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Anti-Muslim post shadows Nova Peris' election to Olympic sport board
Olympic gold medallist and former Labor senator Nova Peris was elected as a director of Hockey Australia just weeks after sharing a comment on social media from an anonymous account that called Muslims 'Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated'. The 54-year-old joined the board of the government-funded national federation last month, nearly three decades after she played in the Hockeyroos' triumph at the 1996 Atlanta Games, becoming the first Indigenous woman to win Olympic gold for Australia. Hailing her as a legend of the sport, Hockey Australia president Ross Sudano said Peris would be a powerful advocate for the women's game and regional communities, 'enriching our increasingly diverse board'. But Peris' re-posting of the anti-Islam rhetoric has brought into question her fitness to sit on the board of an organisation that receives $9.5 million a year from the Australian Sports Commission and whose diversity policy includes a focus on multicultural communities. The post was made by a since deactivated account on X on April 14 above a cartoon which depicted a drowning Muslim man pleading for help before turning on his rescuers in a boat labelled 'England'. The heading below the image read: 'The path of Islam is always the same'. Peris distanced herself from the comment when contacted by this masthead. 'I absolutely do not share the views expressed in that post, more importantly that account no longer exists and hasn't done so in many months,' she said in a text message. She did not answer why she had shared the post, a screenshot of which has been published on the social media platform and in an article by the National Indigenous Times.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gold-winning Paralympic equestrian star dies aged 76
Paralympic equestrian star Anne Dunham died on Sunday at the age of 76. Ms Dunham, from Wiltshire, was a world champion rider with a career spanning 23 years. Starting at the Atlanta Games in 1996, Ms Dunham won 10 Paralympic medals, six of them gold. Ms Dunham had grown up with a love of horses, working in a stables from an early age, and she was determined not to give up on the sport when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 27. Ms Dunham's Paralympic golds included five team wins between Atlanta and Rio and an individual gold in Beijing in 2008. She won 32 major World Championship dressage medals, including 19 golds. Ms Dunham retired in 2017 at the age of 68. She said it had been a "hard decision", but she knew it was right and "time to give others a chance". She was awarded an OBE in the same year for services to Para-sport. Penny Briscoe, the Paralympics GB chef de mission, said in a statement: "Anne was a wonderful, dedicated and devoted member of the Paralympics GB team whom I had the absolute pleasure of knowing since 2002. "While her remarkable achievements over 20 years in Para dressage speak for themselves, what always stood out for me was her commitment to being her absolute best and encouraging the best from those around her. "Anne really was a team player and represented the heart and soul of Paralympics GB with passion and professionalism. "The world of Para sport will miss her greatly and my deepest sympathy goes out to her family and friends." Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Paralympic dressage star Dunham retires GB close in on 50 gold medals in Rio
