Bridget McKenzie served as Australia's Sports Minister from December 2017 to May 2019 ©Getty Images

Australia's former Sports Minister Bridget McKenzie opted to use spare federal money to fund a AUD$150,000 (£77,000/$101,000/€93,000) study into the benefits of shooting rather than supporting last year's International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS) Global Games in Brisbane, documents show.

As reported by The Guardian, the decision denied the 2019 INAS Global Games AUD$200,000 (£77,000/$101,000/€93,000) until it received funding through a separate process after further lobbying.

Shooting enthusiast McKenzie – the official patron of the Australian Clay Target Association – served as Sports Minister from December 2017 to May 2019.

According to internal documents produced to the Australian Senate, the Department of Health told McKenzie in June 2018 that it had under-spent on its sports participation and integrity programme by AUD$580,000 (£299,000/$390,000/€360,000) and required advice on where to send the remaining money.

A list of funding options was drawn up to determine where the money would go, including giving AUD$200,000 to the 2019 INAS Global Games, which took place from October 12 to 19.

But McKenzie had told her department she was looking to commission a national study into the economic, social and health benefits of shooting, which would cost approximately AUD$150,000.

The shooting study was added to the list of funding options and was successful in receiving money from the leftover funding pool.

The INAS Global Games, meanwhile, was sent a rejection letter.

Although the 2019 INAS Global Games were not awarded the AUD$200,000 at that point, Sport Inclusion Australia chief executive Robyn Smith continued lobbying the Government and nearly a year later, in the 2019 budget, the event was given AUD$1.8 million (£900,000/$1.2 million/€1.1 million) and given "major event" status.

Any suggestion that the Government "rejected funding" for the 2019 INAS Global Games was categorically denied by McKenzie’s office.

"In fact the Government provided AUD$1.8 million to the Brisbane INAS Global Games in the 2019 budget," a spokesman was reported as saying by The Guardian.

"INAS received three times the funding through the budget than was available in the programme under-spend."

INAS revealed a new look, name and values on the last day of the 2019 INAS Global Games.

Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport was unveiled at the Closing Ceremony in front of hundreds of athletes, coaches and dignitaries.

The Closing Ceremony of Brisbane 2019 was chosen for the launch to reflect the fact that the INAS Global Games have become the world's biggest high-performance sports event for athletes with intellectual impairments.

Nearly 1,000 athletes from 50 countries competed in 10 sports last year.