Groundbreaking Partnership: Oho to Safeguard Australian Open and Tennis Australia

Melbourne, January 10, 2025:  Oho, Australia’s award-winning screening technology, has won a five-year deal to provide safeguarding services to future Australian Opens in addition to Tennis Australia’s year-round programs across the country.

Announced today, Oho has also been selected to be part of the AO Startups Program which accelerated the uptake of the Oho platform as Tennis Australia’s selected safeguarding tool.

Coaches, officials, athlete services and event management teams will all be covered by Oho’s accreditation screening and ongoing verification capability under the contract.

Tennis Australia (TA) is the governing body for tennis in the country, supporting the sport from grassroots to Grand Slams. Across Australia, 1.5 million people play tennis, guided by over 3,000 coaches. TA also oversees elite athlete programs and manages multiple tennis events, culminating annually in the signature event; The Australian Open.

Oho is Australia’s first automation technology solution for initial and ‘always on’ screening in sport, care and community. It has been specifically designed to be the smartest, fastest, and most secure way to continuously screen, prevent compliance breaches, and strengthen safeguarding.

Director of Integrity & Compliance at Tennis Australia, Daniel Stuk, said “Oho’s screening platform and their continuous and ongoing screening service helps ensure that only suitable and appropriate people are engaged to work with children and young people.”

Executive Director and Co-Founder of Oho, Claire Rogers said, “We are incredibly proud to stand behind this iconic event and support tennis at every level across Australia.

“With a responsibility for so many children and young people, the Australian Open and Tennis Australia will be equipped with Oho’s benchmark safeguarding system for the next five years.  Together we are working to protect Australia’s elite athletes and 600,000 kids playing tennis across Australia” she said.

The AO Startups Program supports founders who have been selected for the potential of their technology solutions to transform sport. Oho, a home-grown company, is one of approximately 10 startups from all over the world in the 2025 cohort.  Being part of the AO Startups program includes the ability to pilot new functionality at Tennis Australia, introductions to sports leadership around the world, and potential access to investment.

Dr Machar Reid, Director of Innovation at Tennis Australia, said, “Oho was a standout in our December intake of AO Startups. They’ve onboarded some significant early clients, with the potential for a whole lot more. We’re excited by what future holds for them as a team and business.”

CEO of Oho Liv Whitty said, “The recognition from AO Startups is more confirmation that the landscape of public expectations is changing, and now more than ever robust governance in sport and community organisations is crucial.”

A study from Victoria University in 2022 shows 50% of Australian children and young people indicate they have experienced some form of interpersonal violence in sport below the age of 18. Up to 60% of violence in sport has shown to be perpetrated by a coach.

Ms Whitty said, “These statistics are heartbreaking enough but even more worryingly, the research also identified that kids have shown they are unwilling to disclose their experiences of violence out of fear of losing access to their favourite activities.

“It makes it is even more important for sporting and community organisations to have great safeguarding governance.  The joy of sport should always come with the assurance of safety. By harnessing the power of Oho’s automation, Tennis Australia is investing in safeguarding that is as seamless as it is essential, protecting children and young people now and into the future.”

“Not only is this partnership a powerful step forward in safeguarding the future of tennis, but Tennis Australia is setting a benchmark for the sporting community, ensuring that every child, athlete, and team member can focus on the joy and excellence of the game without compromise.”

The Oho platform supports over 130 organisations across Australia, completing 2 million checks a year and thousands of corrective compliance actions.

More Information:

Madeleine Brown
M: 0413 177 124
E: madeleine.brown@weareoho.com

ABOUT OHO

Oho is Australia’s award-winning integrated technology for ‘always-on’ worker screening for the care and community sectors that monitors employee, contractor and volunteer ‘right-to-work’ accreditations. The smartest and fastest way to recruit, stop compliance breaches and strengthen safeguarding.  Our automated verification includes national coverage of Working with Children Checks, Teacher Licences, NDIS Worker Cards, AHPRA Registrations and more.

With the new partnership, Oho will now be protecting more than 4m children and vulnerable people across Australia as they go about their daily activities.

Sources:

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/08862605221114155
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17430437.2023.2268555#d1e406