Harvey Spencer v Australian Powerlifting Alliance

The Applicant is an athlete and amateur coach in the sport of powerlifting and a member of the Respondent. The Respondent is a national governing body for the sport of powerlifting in Australia.

On 29 September 2025, the matter was referred to the National Sports Tribunal (NST) under the Australian Powerlifting Alliance’s (APA) Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy and by the mutual agreement of all parties. The matter was validated by the NST CEO on 6 October 2025.

The dispute concerned multiple alleged breaches of the APA Coaches’ Code of Behaviour and Consent, the APA Member Protection Policy, and the APA Constitution. The allegations related to the Applicant’s verbal conduct at a competition, involvement in the creation of a document containing derogatory language about athletes and posting a misleading online review.

The Respondent submitted that the alleged breaches were substantiated. The Applicant denied certain allegations, asserting that his conduct was either misconstrued, formed part of light-hearted interactions, or did not amount to a breach.

The NST Member considered each allegation and found that the allegations relating to verbal remarks at a competition and the creation of the ‘opps sheet’ document were not substantiated. The allegation concerning the Applicant’s misleading online review, was substantiated in part and found to constitute a breach of the APA Constitution and the APA Coaches Code of Behaviour and Consent.

On 23 December 2025, the NST Member delivered her determination, issuing the Applicant with a formal warning and requiring completion of specified education modules and acknowledgment of relevant APA policies and resources.