Water polo community recognised for great work in LGBTI inclusion

Published Fri 22 Jun 2018

The Australian water polo community has again been recognised for its positive approach towards LGBTI inclusion at the annual Australian Pride in Sport Awards held in Melbourne on Tuesday night.

As one of three foundation members for the Pride in Sport Index (PSI), Water Polo Australia (WPA) has contributed to a national system which reviews and measures LGBTI inclusion within sporting organisations.

In the five LGBTI award categories on the night, the water polo community was awarded top honour in two of the nominations.

Water Polo Australia Board Member Steve Blunt says it is great to see individuals and the sport as a whole being recognised.

“Pleasingly the water polo community was again recognised through two awards on the night.

“The National Water Polo League Pride Cup, which was hosted by Water Polo Queensland, the Brisbane Barracudas and Brisbane Tritons in Brisbane in 2017, received the LBGTI Inclusion Initiative Award for the second time.

“On top of that Jeremy Archer, past President of the Brisbane Tritons and now Board Member of Water Polo Queensland, was recognised as the LGBTI Out Role Model.

“Our collective work in this space is a great example of effective collaboration between States, clubs and the national body,” he said.

These awards, combined with winning the 2017 Inclusive Sports Initiative award and Melissa Rippon and Damien Hicks from Brisbane Barracudas taking out the Inclusive Coach awards, continues to demonstrate that water polo is a leader for equality in sport.