olympic kill board

G'day all,

For those interested please note the new e-mail address.

Vin,

The guitar strumming was a reference to some yank that said the US 100 metre relay team would smash the Aussies like guitars.

Hugh,

Sir William Deane the G.G. of Australia was quite out of character at the opening ceremony. I do believe that he was pissed as a parrot. If he was, then he would not be the first GG to be intoxicated at a major event. I don't think any Australian could forget Sir John Kerr at the Melbourne Cup, he was that full he could hardly stand.


I am not excusing Sir William's Olympic behavior, but in the past he has always acted with dignity. Last New Years eve he invited children with cancer to spend the evening at his Sydney residence, which is located right on the harbour. Earlier that year he comforted the families who had lost their loved ones in the Swiss canyoning tradgedy. Sir William was the first to receive the Olympic flame and insisted in taking the flame over to the out skirts of the airport where crowds had been waiting for hours.

As a staunch republican, I have to say that Sir William is the best GG that I have known in my life time, however I hope some day soon the need for a GG will have past.


Andrew.

There has been some comment as to whether the GG should be drug tested too! He sure looked like he had tied on a beauty.
I think the main reason so many Aussies are ticked off about the ceremony is that the girl who lit the flame wasnt even a gold medal winner! So far every single person I have raised the subject with has been heartily cheesed off with the decision.
Other than that there has been a fair bit of cringing over some elements of the ceremony,but generally everyone thinks it was done pretty well as far as a presentation goes.
Aussies dont mind self criticism at all, it makes us stronger and all the better for it.Pollies get to brag about things the rest of us see in a different light.
BTW the crowds were pretty much blind drunk it seems so I think the motives for booing were more set by the 'guitar smashing' statememt and the French insisting on setting of Nucs in the pacific...
hooroo
chris

[Vin]

Rhetorical Question, Andrew. The "some yank" was the bloke who was just pipped by Thorpe. The Melbourne press complimented him on the dignity and grace in his congratulations to the winning team. It drew the comparison with his ungracious pre-event gamesmanship.


Vin

>The guitar strumming was a reference to some
>yank that said the US 100 metre relay team
>would smash the Aussies like guitars.

The American swimmer's pre-gamemanship lacked humbleness, but so did the four Australians dancing infront of him afterwards. All five should get their arses kicked and be reminded not only why the Olympics exists, but also that there are others who can represent their countries in the same events and with greater humility.

It is a shame as that has been the best race in the pool thus far and will probably be the race to watch in the pool for the next five years at the World Chamionships, Pan Pacs and next Olympics. The 200 m Freestyle was a good race too, differant leader at every turn.


cam

>>All five should get their arses kicked and be reminded not only why the Olympics exists, but also that there are others who can represent their countries in the same events and with greater humility.<<

Cam,

It is a nice sentiment, however I think the Olympic ideal was destroyed forever in 1968 when a couple of Scandanvian rowers died from steroid abuse. Since then the real competition has been in the Labs.

A few countries have participated in "Trash Talk", the Aussie swimmers included, but in their defence it was in retaliation, although that does not make it right. The gold medal for trash talk goes to the US mens basketball side, oh how I wish someone could beat them. As for the strumming guitars, well if you talk the talk you have to be prepared to have it thrown back in your face if it back fires, perhaps in future Mr Hall Jr. will think before he talks. As an old footy coach I once had used to say, "It's not boasting if you can do it".

The race to watch at the pool I feel will be Perkins v Hackett, I would normally say Hackett would be unbackable, but he is out of form and low on confidence, and we all know about Perkins heart, it is as big as Phar Laps.

Chris,

As to Cathy Freeman lighting the cauldron, I was uneasy with myself afterwards as I don't think I am racist, but I was angry over the decision to have her be the final torch bearer. It wasn't because it was Cathy Freeman, it was the whole reconcilliation message being shoved down my throat again. I know that the Olympics have become a platform for politicians, but I was hoping (praying) that some how Sydney would be different. More the fool me.

Andrew.

[Barrett]

Speaking of Australian olympics, I'm reminded of the scene in "Anzacs" when the Lt. rushes a Maxim gun with a grenade in one hand and his Webley in the other. Hopping from post to post in the German wire, he flings the grenade with unerring accuracy, blowing up the MG and finishing off the crew with the revolver and capturing the survivor.
The lance corporal (Paul Hogan) deadpans, "Leftenant, that's just the way I planned to do it. And if they make it an olympic event, my money's on you for the gold."
Now THAT would be an event worthy of a gold medal! (In the film the officer was nominated for the VC but the CO was KIA before it could be submitted.)

Let us be realistic; for years the opening ceremonies of these events have been staged for the international viewing audience - the millions (now bilions) who may never watch anything else connected to the Olympics, and who do not know the names of any current Olympic Australian athletes (or Canadian, or British or French), or past ones for that matter. So what they saw was the Olympic site (impressive - with a positive message about Australian architecture and technology), a long program of entertainment (okay, maybe too long, but eveybody does that now), a parade of athletes which included the two Koreas marching in together (now THAT is something to celebrate - a hint of a promise that somewhere the world some people may be trying to solve a problem rather than sulk over it), a celebration of women in Olympic sport (which, after the recreation of the Games themselves in 1896, was likely the most important thing in their history - some things are right, even if they ARE politically correct). But as I say, to the billions of viewers outside Australia, the names of all those women are unknown, whatever their achievements. What the viewers remember next morning (and next year) are the lady in the wheelchair (let me reach for my checkbook to write another donation to the MS Research Foundation) and the lady lighting the flame.

An athletic nonentity you say ? To we foreign viewers they were ALL nonentities. Another gesture rammed down throats ? Well, consider this message, transmitted to the world. "Hey, we have had problems with our Aborigines - and they with us - but we are trying to work them out. We are making progress. Not only do we offer this girl to honour of lighting the flame - but she accepts the honour" (i.e. if we use her, she agrees to be used, if only to be a roll model to others with her background). This is a pretty positive message to send to the world, comparable to Mohamad Ali (anti-Vietnam War advocate and black) lighting the flame in Atlanta, Georgia (place names with long histories of segregation, slavery, lynching, KKK etc).

Now if you think the ceremonial ending a mistake - if the message of "We are making progress - reconciliation is happening on both sides - leave us alone and give us time" was one you would have scrapped in favour of another, then that's your choice.

A friend says to me, "Hugh, you've been there; I want to rent a movie that says something about Australia. What do you recommend ?" What should I answer ? "Quigley Down Under" ?

[Darryl]

Only 11 days to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

vbr

Darryl