Opals' Cambage makes stand for diverse Australia Liz Cambage is willing to take a stand against racism. Photo: Getty Images Ian Ransom Australia has a good chance to clinch gold in the women's basketball at the Rio Olympics but the nation is unlikely to win any medals for racial tolerance, according to outspoken Opals centre Liz Cambage. 
Cambage has never shied away from confrontation, whether staring down the world's best players on court, or battling social media trolls in her downtime.
In   February, Cambage felt moved to publicly call out one of her national teammates for wearing "blackface" at post-season celebrations for her Melbourne basketball club.
While humiliating for Australian forward Alice Kunek, who said her costume was intended to be a tribute to American hip-hop icon Kanye West, the episode was also bruising for Cambage. The 24-year-old, whose father is Nigerian, was bombarded with abuse on her social media accounts for being too "thin- skinned" after she posted that she was "shocked and disturbed" by her teammate's action.
"If I don't call [racism] out, who's going to do it?" Cambage, who won bronze with the Opals at London, said. "People are scared to take a stand. If you do take a stand you receive backlash.
"I guess I'm lucky I learnt quite young not to really care what people say. I've learnt young to take a stand if I feel like something's wrong.
"I'm sick of seeing people get hurt and I'm sick of seeing people being made fun of.
"We teach kids that bullying is wrong and I don't think there's any difference when you're an adult."
She cited the experience of Indigenous football star Adam Goodes as one Australia can learn from. "I feel like the whole of Australia should be ashamed for what happened with Adam Goodes," she said. "We pushed one of Australia's greatest athletes away from what he loved doing through racism and through discrimination."