Best reporting of an issue in sport

This award for journalistic excellence recognises a story, or series of stories, on a single issue in sport. It seeks to promote responsible, well-researched and analytical coverage of issues affecting sport.

Joint Winners

Selina Steele, Michael Cain, Julian Linden, The Daily Telegraph ‘Tackling abuse in football’

The Daily Telegraph exclusively revealed serious allegations, opens in a new tab by Matildas great Lisa De Vanna and other players, of indecent assault, sexual harassment, bullying and grooming inside the Matildas.

Football Australia described the revelations as a ‘tsunami’ but conceded its processes for dealing with serious complaints were outdated and, in what is likely to set a precedent for other Australian sporting bodies grappling with how to deal with complaints around inappropriate behaviour, handed the entire investigation to Sport Integrity Australia to guarantee independence and confidentiality.

While the findings are not expected until later in 2022, they are already a game changer for Australian sporting bodies.

Adrian Arciuli, Anna Henderson, Abdullah Alikhil, SBS ‘The Taliban Takeover - the end of women's sport in Afghanistan’

SBS's coverage of the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, opens in a new tab highlighted the power of journalism to create change. Following the takeover, Australia evacuated 4,100 people from the country including women's football players, with the captain of Afghanistan’s women's football team Shabnam Mobarez, speaking exclusively to SBS about the evacuation flight.

SBS then secured an interview with deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission, Ahmadullah Wasiq, who declared sport ‘is not seen as something that is important for women’.

The story sent shockwaves around the world, and subsequent international media coverage led to Cricket Australia postponing November’s historic test match between Australia and Afghanistan and put pressure on the International Cricket Council to reconsider Afghanistan's future in the sport.

Finalists

Eddie Betts, AFL 360, Fox Footy ‘The Fight Against Racism’

In an emotional interview on FOX FOOTY’s AFL 360, Indigenous star Eddie Betts opened up on the toll that racial abuse, opens in a new tab has taken on him throughout his decorated career, before pleading with the nation to help him in his lifelong struggle.

Despite his personal pain, Betts said he remained committed to calling out racism and pushing for change, moving the nation with his appeal to unite all against racism. In response, all 18 AFL clubs made individual public stands, with singer-songwriter Paul Kelly also releasing a single ‘Every Step of the Way’ in honour of Betts.

His appearance on AFL 360 along with apt interviewing by Gerard Whateley and Jason Dunstall had far reaching impact and response making it a powerful report on racism in Australian sport.

David Mark, ABC News ‘Revelations of abuse in gymnastics’

The day before the Australian Human Rights Commission released its report on an independent review into gymnastics in Australia, David Mark published an online and extended TV feature, opens in a new tab outlining allegations of child physical, psychological and sexual abuse at the AIS going back decades.

It featured powerful first-hand accounts from two gymnasts who attended the AIS in the 90s and 2000s with both making serious allegations of abuse and ongoing harm they had suffered at the hands of their coaches and how they felt let down by the Institute which failed to protect them.

The stories provided a very human perspective on what has become one of the most topical issues in Australian sport: the physical, psychological and sexual abuse of children.

Russell Jackson, ABC Sport ‘Childhood sexual abuse in the AFL’

The series began with the story of former St Kilda star Rod Owen’s childhood sexual abuse by junior coaches, opens in a new tab, exposing wholesale child sex abuse in the VFL (now AFL) Little League. Inspired by Owen’s courage, other survivors came forward, as did family members of boys who didn’t live to tell their stories.

The stories drew close to one million readers and following careful interviews with 60 victims of childhood sexual abuse in football, court documents, legal and police sources, exposed the abuse of hundreds of boys in the St Kilda and Carlton Little League programs between 1967 and 1977.

Most had waited up to 50 years to tell their stories leading to many receiving overdue professional help and ongoing support.