Sport Integrity
Sport should be a safe and fair place for all participants. At Badminton Australia, we offer a safe place for people to raise concerns about behaviour they’ve witnessed or experienced in sport as well as find more information if they have an integrity question. Threats to a sport’s integrity can include competition manipulation and sports gambling, doping, the improper use of drugs and medicine and behaviours that impact people’s positive experience of sport, such as discrimination or abuse, including against children. Integrity in sport means that participants, officials, supporters, and fans can participate in and enjoy sport, confident in the knowledge that they are part of a safe, fair, and inclusive environment.
All of our members and participants have an obligation to protect and maintain the integrity of sport, as well as the health and wellbeing of everyone involved.
Badminton Australia has adopted The National Integrity Framework. Read on below for more information about the related policies and how to raise a concern.
We work closely with Sport Integrity Australia, the national coordination agency for sport integrity threats. For more information about Sport Integrity Australia visit their website.
YOUR SAFETY IS OUR FIRST CONCERN.
If you are in Australia and in immediate danger or at risk of harm, call your local law enforcement agency or dial triple zero (000).
We understand that going through a complaints process can often make people feel overwhelmed, isolated, confused, and anxious. Free support is available. Follow this link for a list of National support services.
The National Integrity Framework
We take sport integrity seriously and on the 31st March, 2022, Badminton Australia adopted the National Integrity Framework.
The National Integrity Framework (also known as the NIF) is essentially a set of rules that all members of our sport need to follow when it comes to their behaviour and conduct in sport. See below for the 5 NIF policies.
Sport Integrity Australia have a wide range of resources related to The National Integrity Framework, including videos, factsheets and eLearning available on their website.
The Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy is designed to protect children
and young people in sport by putting in place rules and processes to ensure
sporting environments are inclusive, positive and safe for all children and
young people, all the time. Whilst Sport Integrity Australia manage any complaints regarding this
policy, you can contact Badminton Australia’s National Integrity Manager with any
concerns or for support in implementing child safe practices at your club.
Please contact integrity@badminton.org.au
For further resources around child safeguarding please see our child safety page.
The Member Protection Policy is designed to protect the welfare, wellbeing and health of everyone involved in sport. It provides clear definitions of abuse, bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, discrimination, victimisation and vilification in sport, along with information on how to report these behaviours.
The Improper Use of Drugs and Medicines Policy is designed to protect athletes from harm caused by the improper use of medicines, supplements and illegal drugs.
Please note further resources regarding anti doping can be found here.
The Competition Manipulation and Sport Gambling Policy is designed to keep sport fair by protecting sporting competitions from competition manipulation (also known as match-fixing) and associated betting activity.
The Complaints, Disputes and Disciplines Policy (CDDP) provides sport and its participants with a best practice complaint management process that can be run by either Sport Integrity Australia or the sport.
A range of other policies also exist in support of the National Integrity Framework. For all other policies please see our policy page.
For information regarding Anti Doping or Child Safety please see the relevant pages on our website.
Making a Complaint
We understand the process of making a complaint can feel overwhelming. The Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy (CDDP) details how complaints regarding NIF policies are handled, however the below information answers some frequently asked questions.
Everyone from athletes, officials, parents, support personnel, administrators and supporters play a role in protecting the integrity of our sport. Badminton Australia works with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) to coordinate and manage complaints and reports.
If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right, say something!
Integrity related complaints are handled by either Badminton Australia (and it’s affiliates where appropriate) or Sport Integrity Australia, depending on the specific complaint.
If the Complaint is about Child Safeguarding or Discrimination, you should make the Complaint to Sport Integrity Australia.
You can lodge a Child Safeguarding or Discrimination complaint to Sport Integrity Australia by completing the online form.
If you would prefer to talk to someone at Sport Integrity Australia, assistance is available by calling 1300 027 232.
All other integrity complaints should be submitted to and will be managed by Badminton Australia and/or your State/Territory Association.
Our integrity Manager can be contacted via the following email: integrity@badminton.org.au
Formal complaints cannot be anonymous; however you can still report concerns to SIA or Badminton Australia anonymously.
It is important to note, however that an anonymous report may limit the action that can be taken in relation to any allegations.
The complaints process within the Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy sets out the steps taken to address formal complaints, including that the respondent (the person the complaint is about) is provided an opportunity to review and respond to the allegations.
It can feel overwhelming when you are considering making a complaint, remember that support is available.
Regardless of where you submit your complaint (SIA or BA) you may be asked for further information or invited to an interview to discuss your complaint in more detail. When first contacting either SIA or BA the following information will help us assess your complaint:
- Your name
- Your contact details (email and phone)
- Your state
- Your club/association
- Whether you would like a support person or interpreter present for any further conversations
- Who the alleged conduct occurred to (This could be you or you may be submitting the complaint on the behalf of someone else)
- The name and any other known information about the person the complaint is about (the respondent)
- A description of the alleged conduct
- Dates, times and locations of the alleged conduct
- The names and contact details of any witnesses and if they are aware you are making the complaint
- Details of any actions that have been taken in relation to this matter
The information provided will be assessed and evaluated to determine whether the matter is a complaint or a report, if it has been sent to the correct area or needs to be redirected and which policy may apply .
You will be updated throughout the process and further information may be requested.
Resources and Education
Sport Integrity Australia have a wide range of resources to support sport in implementing the NIF and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in sport. In addition to their NIF policy resources they also have the following resources:
List of free counselling services
In addition to the resources on their website SIA also have an app to inform and protect athletes in the sport integrity space, wherever they compete, perform or play. More information can be found here
Sport Integrity Australia have also developed an extensive range of education resources about sport integrity for all levels of athletes, their parents, teachers, coaches and support personnel.
Their eLearning hub has online courses about topics including:
- anti-doping
- match fixing
- substances of abuse
- ethical decision-making
- safeguarding children and young people
They also host free webinars on specific topics to inform and educate sporting organisations, members, administrators and athletes. For more information about upcoming webinars see their website.
The Safe Sport Hotline is part of an expanded service offered to members of sport to share their story with a trusted member of the Sport Integrity Australia team about integrity issues they have experienced.
The service includes an anonymous reporting capability that covers wider racial and cultural issues in sport for people who feel they have been discriminated against in their sport.
1800 161 361
7AM-7PM, 7 DAYS A WEEK, 365 DAYS A YEAR
Every person in sport, in every role, has the right to participate in an environment that is fun, safe and healthy, and to be treated with respect, dignity and fairness.
If you have a concern about abusive or inappropriate material online, you can also report it to the eSafety Commissioner for action. eSafety can investigate cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse, image-based abuse (sharing, or threatening to share, intimate images without the consent of the person shown) and illegal and restricted content.
Keep up to date with all that is happening in sport integrity by following Sport Integrity Australia on Facebook, X, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or listen to On Side, the official podcast of Sport Integrity Australia.
You can also download the Sport Integrity App, which is available for free download from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
