Protecting Sport Together

Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) is proud to announce the formation of our inaugural Culture and Safety Advisory Committee. This group is dedicated to supporting SIA to strengthen prevention and protection strategies for integrity, safety and inclusion across Australian sport.

The Committee brings together 7 independent experts with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences while providing a voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), disability and LGBTQ+ communities. 

Their vital role is to provide insights to inform SIA’s strategies and activities, working together to help safeguard the future of sport by assisting to foster safe, fair and inclusive sporting environments for all Australians.

Meet the committee

The committee members are:

• Dean Barton-Smith AM OLY
• Libby Burke
• Mark deWeerd
• Phil Doorgachurn
• Lauren Jauncey
• Mitch Nivalis
• Kyle Vander-Kuyp OLY.

Committee members will provide independent and strategic advice so SIA can better understand and respond to cultural challenges in sport. This includes insights to enhance inclusion, address racism and discrimination.

The committee will help ensure SIA’s strategies are co-designed and to assess whether our programs developed in partnership, address threats to integrity and are effective in supporting community safety, fairness and inclusiveness.

Their insights are especially important in shaping SIA’s Culture and Safety Strategy, which aims to support sport via practices and protocols through an integrity lens impacting the long-term safety of sport. 

SIA Culture and Safety Advisor, Patrick Johnson, is looking forward to the contributions the group will bring. 

I’m energised by their commitment to lend their voice to these important issues and the contributions they will bring to our agency and the broader sporting community on cultural awareness and cultural safety

The Committee will next come together in November 2025.

Watch the video

To hear more from some of our committee members, view the video below.

How Surf Life Saving Australia upholds integrity and humanity

There are few sports that can boast participation from the grassroots to the high performance space along with providing an essential community service; but that’s exactly the case for Surf Life Saving Australia and its thousands of members. On beaches across the nation, lifesavers rescue an average of 30 people per day and conduct 451 preventative actions every hour.

Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is Australia’s peak coastal water safety, drowning prevention and rescue authority, however it also provides opportunities for its members to partake in competitive activities allowing aspiring surf lifesaving athletes the opportunity to turn their lifesaving community service into a sporting endeavour.

Athletes wishing to compete in SLSA sporting events must first be a surf lifesaver. Competition eligibility stipulates proficiency and patrol hour requirements for all members wishing to compete at SLSA Championship events.

SLSA Head of Mission, Peter George, said it’s what makes the sport so unique.

“We’re possibly the only sport in the world that has a humanitarian background; you have to be a surf lifesaver to be compete in our sport,” he said.

“We’re number one in the world in terms of life saving sport; both our open and youth have won back-to-back titles over the last four years,” Peter said.

“We have a number of Olympic swimmers, kayak paddlers and runners who have a surf lifesaving background. It's a sport that’s high profile in terms of the quality of the athletes, but each one of those athletes need to be a lifesaver first.”

Peter has 60 years’ continuous service with SLSA and is passionate about the work of the organisation.

“I get the privilege of reading some of the rescues that people do; big seas, enormous challenges…every one of those rescues is inspiring,” Peter said.

We do 8–10,000 rescues every year. If we weren't on the beach doing those rescues around 800 to 1300 people would die every year.

In those 60 years, Peter has seen SLSA evolve in delivery of both the volunteering and competitive sport arms of the organisation, in particular, with regard to integrity.

With around 60,000 children aged 5 to 15 involved in the Nippers program, it’s vital that SLSA has a strong focus on the protection of children and young people. SLSA's policies have been assessed by Sport Integrity Australia as meeting the Sport Integrity Policy Standards. SLSA has developed a Child Safe Policy, Child Safe Commitment Statement along with Child Safe Guideline.

But the commitment doesn’t stop there. There are numerous policies and procedures in place from Nippers all the way through to SLSA’s Silver Salties program (over 60s) governing all activities for the sport of surf lifesaving to ensure safety and fairness for all.

‘Aussies’: SLSA’s pinnacle event

Earlier this year members of the SIA team – education and anti-doping – were onsite at Aussies, the national Surf Lifesaving Championships. It’s the largest surf lifesaving event in Australia and the largest event of its kind in the world.

It has a rich 110-year history, and is an event every surf lifesaver wants to attend. Taking up more than a one kilometre stretch of Kirra Beach, more than 7,500 athletes converged on the Gold Coast for Aussies 2025.

Aussies showcases the athletic prowess of surf lifesaving – from youth through to open and masters – and with a festival vibe; there’s plenty of action on the beach and in the sea.

As a rule, SLSA takes a risk management and evidence-based approach to coastal safety to ensure appropriate public education programs, mitigation strategies and lifesaving services are in place to address coastal safety issues, hence risk management runs deep within the organisation.

For an event the size of Aussies, contingency plans have been developed for almost every scenario – from having to move the event due to dangerous surf, marine animals, lightning – you name it, there's a contingency plan.

Wayne Drury is Sport Manager at SLSA and has the enormous task of overseeing operations for Aussies.

The safety of competitors, members, officials and volunteers is his primary concern.

So just how tough is it to manage an event the magnitude of Aussies and ensure everyone can compete in a safe and fair environment?

The Aussies team is a well-oiled safety vessel, involving emergency services (front and back of beach), Bureau of Meteorology and local council in all of their activities over the 9-day event.

“We do a risk rating every morning on the surf conditions that takes into account the nature of the swell along with the weather,” Wayne said.

“We have a morning safety meeting, we go through that risk rating and then make a recommendation to the competition committee who decides on how competition proceeds on that day.

“As an event that often has multiple water areas operating, we have a safety officer in each area who is linked back to the head of safety, which is all controlled centrally through SLSA’s event Control Centre.”

Add to that radars and drones that monitor the situation – swells, change in weather conditions and/or marine life – all day for nine days, there’s a strong foundation of safety across the entire Aussies event.

Wayne has been in his current position for seven years. Prior to that he was on the volunteer side in the technical delivery, as an official, referee, and Director of Sport in Sydney, hence he’s been involved in the SLSA movement for many years.

It’s an organisation that he loves and a team that he’s proud to lead.

“We link in with an enormous amount of expertise across our volunteer ranks to deliver a phenomenal event.

“My team, and the team of volunteers that we have, cover safety, technical delivery, IRB (Inflatable Rescue Boat) support and medical, and that team is focused on always improving this event.

“It was a great event 20 and 30 years ago, but as times change, and to remain relevant, we need to be on that road to continuous improvement – and we are definitely on that road,” Wayne said.

Three cheers for SLSA volunteers!

As every major sporting event organiser knows, sport doesn’t happen without an army of volunteers. More than 500 volunteers stepped into official roles for Aussies 2025.

Jenny Kenny was Deputy Referee at Aussies and is also the National Officials Advisor at SLSA.

She joined SLSA in 1980 when women could first do their bronze medallion. Living in Tasmania, her early years were a ‘cold' surf life saving experience.

The team at SLSA take great care in looking after their volunteers. There’s provision of clothing (including high vis gear), food and drinks, and shade and sunscreen. Time is also taken to check in on volunteers during the day and placing each volunteer in a role that best suits their skill set.

Jenny’s happy to give up her time and volunteer because of the collegiately of SLSA and the opportunities that are afforded to members.

“If you’re a lifesaver you can do just about anything!” she said.

You can be in leadership, you can patrol, you can compete, you can officiate, you can be an administrator; you gain skills through this organisation that serves the public.

Jenny said it’s also a sport where the competition is fierce, but athletes never lose sight of their strong link to community service.

“We had a moment during the beach flags event – where people dive into the sand to get the flags – a guy broke his arm and one of his competitors, instead of trying to win the flag, immediately went to check on his fellow competitor to make certain he was OK.

“It's that sort of sporting environment – if somebody's in difficulty, you stop doing what you're doing, and you help out.”

With an ageing volunteer base and new blood needed for the organisation, Jenny encouraged anyone interested in surf lifesaving to give it a go.

“You can do it purely as a community service, or you can do it as a sport as well, from 5-years-old right through to 90 – the age of one of our officials – which is pretty amazing.”

The dangers of botanicals

‘Natural’ and ‘plant-based’ is often listed as a positive claim on supplements and complementary medications. The reality is that ingredients listed with a natural, botanical (plant-based) source still present a notable risk to health and anti-doping for athletes.

Botanical ingredients are different to many other ingredients that are used in medicines. Botanical ingredients are complex and can contain many unique substances within them. The exact composition of a botanical ingredient may vary over time or between products. Differences in the breeding of a plant can lead to changes in the chemical composition of the botanical ingredients.

In addition to this variation, botanical ingredients listed on supplements and complementary medicines may be highly concentrated and processed. This change means that composition of the ingredient may differ from the original plant. While it may be safe to consume a plant as part of a normal diet, that doesn’t mean that the concentrated version is safe. An increased concentration of certain substances can result in health and anti-doping risks.

Botanical names may also be used in a misleading way to mask the presence of prohibited substances. Some products with botanical ingredients listed contain prohibited substances. This may be because a prohibited substance is present in the plant or a prohibited substance has been added under the name of a plant. For example, supplements with “geranium oil” listed in the ingredients have contained methylhexanamine, a synthetically produced stimulant that is WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) prohibited.

''One of the issues we often see here at SIA is athletes who assume that because something is promoted as being 'natural', it’s good for them, and more is even better,” said Sport Integrity Australia Chief Science Officer, Vanessa Caig.

This is misleading as there are plenty of 'natural’ products that have either anti-doping implications or health risks, and at worst, both. 

''Athletes should always take the necessary steps to check anything that they consume is actually safe to consume, particularly in terms of the WADA Prohibited List.''

Sport Integrity Australia acknowledges the decision of Wheelchair Rugby Australia to impose a 3-year period of Ineligibility on athlete Luke Matthews for the Presence of a Prohibited Substance, namely Phentermine.

Mr Matthews, a wheelchair rugby athlete for the Queensland Tornadoes (Division 2), returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from an In-Competition doping control test on 4 May 2024.

Mr Matthews sample was analysed by the Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, part of the National Measurement Institute and the presence of Phentermine was detected.

The substance Phentermine is listed under class S6.A (Non-Specified Stimulants) under the World Anti-Doping Code – International Standard – Prohibited List 2024 (2024 Prohibited List) and is prohibited In-Competition. Phentermine is classified as a Non-Specified Substance under the Prohibited List 2024.

In accordance with Article 10.8.1 of the Australian National Anti-Doping Policy 2021 (ANADP) Wheelchair Rugby Australia has imposed a 3-year period of Ineligibility on Mr Matthews, commencing on 4 May 2024.

Mr Matthews is ineligible to participate in any sports that have adopted a World Anti-Doping Code compliant anti-doping policy until 4 May 2027. He is also not permitted to compete in a non-Signatory professional league or Event organised by a non-Signatory International Event organisation or a non-Signatory national-level event organisation.

Additional information on the Prohibited Substance

Phentermine is classified as a Schedule 4 prescription-only medicine and should only be administered by a general practitioner. It is known to cause serious health side effects including chest pain, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, headaches and dizziness, and requires careful consideration if used in combination with other medications.

Classified by the World Anti-Doping Agency as an ‘S6 Stimulant’ class of substance, Phentermine is listed on the Prohibited Substances and Methods list and is prohibited for use ‘In-Competition’.

Stimulants are a class of drug that accelerate the function of the central nervous system. They stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which causes an increase in body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and affects respiratory rate. 

They also suppress sensations of hunger, thirst and fatigue which when combined with sharp rises in body temperature result in an increased risk of dehydration, complete exhaustion and death.