Sports Integrity Australia will provide an integrity officer for the Australian Commonwealth Games Team in Birmingham.
Sport Integrity Australia’s Director Integrity Capability Justine Crawford will be embedded within the Australian Team in the role of Integrity Liaison Officer.
Crawford is a former intelligence analyst with the NSW Crime Commission and British Transport Police, before working with UK Anti-Doping as Head of Intelligence and Investigations.
She returned to Australia in 2014 to work with the Australian Federal Police and joined the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), now Sport Integrity Australia, in 2018.
The role will assist in implementing and promoting a best practice integrity framework and culture for the 2022 Australian Commonwealth Games Team and will coordinate responses to integrity related issues that may arise at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Reporting to Chef de Mission Petria Thomas OAM, the Integrity Liaison Officer will form part of the Team Executive and Management group that is responsible for the planning and delivering an environment that enables Team Members to perform at their best and have a positive Games experience.
The role will be central to establishing Games time processes for the Team to mitigate against integrity threats and risks and will work in consultation with the Team Executive to coordinate the resolution of integrity issues during the Games.
Commonwealth Games Australia will also utilise the services of the recently established National Sports Tribunal to deal with selection and other team-related disputes outside Games time.
Earlier this year, Commonwealth Games Australia joined the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia to endorse the introduction of Sport Integrity Australia’s National Integrity Framework, designed to provide better outcomes for sports and their members where disputes arise.
Collectively representing 53 sports and more than nine million sporting participants and millions more volunteers across Australia, the three bodies supported the move to provide a suite of policies to help protect all participants in sport.
The National Integrity Framework policies, developed in consultation with the sports sector, include areas such as safeguarding children, member protection, competition manipulation and sports wagering, and the misuse of drugs and seek to protect the integrity of Australian sport.
Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips AM said the appointment of an Integrity Liaison Officer will help safeguard team members and ensure issues are dealt with efficiently and effectively as possible.
“Commonwealth Games Australia is ensuring the relevant policies and procedures for our Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games team are consistent with the National Integrity Framework,” Phillips said.
“This appointment of a dedicated Integrity Liaison Officer will help ensure that Games time matters related to safeguarding, anti-doping and team member conduct are handled in a thorough, transparent and fair manner for all parties.”
Sport Integrity Australia CEO David Sharpe said the partnership was a milestone for sport integrity in the coordination of major events.
“The establishment of an Integrity Liaison Officer embeds integrity at the centre of the Australian team for Birmingham 2022.
“The role will benefit athletes, support personnel and the organising committee alike by ensuring expert integrity advice is available at the fingertips of all parties, at all stages of the Games.”
“I applaud the leadership of the CGA for their proactive commitment to integrity, and the protection of their athletes.”
Australia is planning to send its largest team to compete in an away campaign with an expected team size of 425 athletes across 21 sports
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July to 8 August.
