Australian sport failing on diversity - Perkins

MELBOURNE : Australian sport is racking up impressive achievements in global competition but it has failed to develop athletes and coaches that represent the diversity of the country, former Olympic swimming champion Kieren Perkins said on Wednesday.

Perkins, who now runs the national sports funding agency, the Australian Sports Commission, said little had changed since he left sport to pursue a career in banking over a decade ago.

"Sport needs to be a lot more open and inclusive," the 49-year-old said in a speech at the National Press Club.

"I’ve been very disheartened but honestly not surprised to see that sport looks identical to when I finished in the late 2000s as an athlete.

"We haven’t progressed and it’s imperative that our sporting sector becomes truly representative of a modern, progressive and diverse Australia.

"By 2032 (Olympics), if sports still look the same as they do today, I certainly haven’t done my job properly."

Perkins cited Australia's Commonwealth Games delegation at Birmingham as evidence of a lack of diversity in elite sport.

While 53 per cent of the athletes were female, less than 10 per cent of high performance coaches were women. Thirteen percent of the team were born overseas compared with 29 per cent of the Australian population.

Perkins said Australian sport had to do more to nurture talent from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and create more inclusive environments for people who might be turned off by rigid structures around competition, training and coaching at community level.

"All Australians must see themselves in their sporting heroes, helping to promote national pride, drive sport participation and increase our talent pool," said Perkins, who won back-to-back 1,500 metres freestyle gold