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With only a handful of weeks remaining until the start of the Beijing Olympics we’re reading in the press how over 80 of Australia’s athletes have opted to stay out of the Opening Ceremony activities.

Many of my family and friends have expressed their surprise at this decision to miss what they see as the most fulfilling aspect of representing Australia at an Olympics. 

However, for the athlete, the Opening Ceremony has always been a bonus if it’s not too close to your competition.  We’ve all heard about the pollution and atmospheric challenges our athletes face in China, so for many marching in and standing around for hours in those conditions is just not an option.  Years of training goes into performing at your peak in your events, so bailing on this incredible honour is just part of an athlete’s Olympic journey which hopefully ends in gold for Australia.

We all have such strong emotions and memories of watching our team enter the Olympic Stadium and at the ‘Bird’s Nest’ in Beijing that feeling is set to continue for our sports mad public.

There’s also plenty of excitement from the Queensland Olympic Council headquarters in Brisbane, due to the fact that so many Queenslander’s have placed themselves on the team for Beijing.  QOC Executive Director Michael Brially is practically doing cartwheels about the 80 odd Maroons who have gained selection so far.

Brially and his staff work tremendously hard for Qld athletes, raising funds and performing support services for young Olympians.  The QOC does a top job and the selections reflect this.
Leaving the Olympic theme for just a moment, what a year it’s been for State of Origin football, what a series! 

No matter if you’re a Blue or a Maroon supporter (better if you’re the latter of course!) this series has had everything.  And now it’s on to the decider next on July 2, bring it on! 
It was great to see the Queensland Team of Century acknowledged before Game II at Suncorp Stadium.  The NRL and ARL have done an amazing job this year in celebrating 100 years of League.  As a League tragic of massive proportions I’ve enjoyed so many of the celebrations this season.  If Queensland can win on Wednesday and the Broncos farewell Wayne Bennett with his 7th Premiership, my world will be completely balanced and at peace!

Enjoy the run down to Beijing and get ready to cheer on the Aussie Swim Team in particular for the first 8 days of competition.  I believe our team will capture close to 12 gold medals in the pool which will make it our best team in Olympics history.  More on our chances next time.

Cheers,
Duncan.

There have been plenty of different stories in the media lately, highlighting how we as Aussies obsess about different aspects of sport.

The media have weighed in on major topics, as is their job, but done so with differeing degrees of respect and accuracy.

Firstly let’s have a look at the continuing Nick D’Arcy drama unfolding in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or CAS. 

D’Arcy is public enemy number one and was voted by a popular Australian sports magazine as the most hated figure in world sport.  Whichever side of the argument you’re on, whether D’Arcy should be wearing the green and gold in Beijing or watching from his parents’ home on the Sunshine Coast, no one can debate the size of the media-driven frenzy this whole episode has created. 

My question is: did this nightclub incident deserve all the camera time, radio time and column space? 

Then we turn our attention Australian swimming skipper Grant Hackett and his so-called ‘roof over the tool shed’. 

Hackett was photographed and videoed after his attempt to win a place in the 10 kilometre event at the Beijing Olympics failed at the trials in Spain. 

A completely spent and disappointed Hackett didn’t look especially good in the shots and why would he?  He’d just flogged himself to death over 10 painful kilometres and was set upon by the entire field in a race that took over and hour and half. For me that is plenty of reason to let it all hang out! 

Then the media steps in and hits high gear because they believe, in their infinite swimming wisdom, that Hacky is unfit.  For 48 hours the story raged, including viewer phone polls on both Seven’s Sunrise program and Nine’s A Current Affair.  The question was “Is Grant Hackett fat or fit?”  Can you believe it? 

Then in the best natural stitch-up in many years the media assembled on mass to Hackett’s training base in Melbourne for his first swim session back, and hey presto, he looked awesome, fit and trim and with a six pack in place, wondering what all the fuss was about. 

Grant Hackett is class act from start to finish and, like so many of our great champions, deserves better treatment at the hands of our media.  It was a nothing story to begin with and Grant will have the last laugh by winning another Olympic gold medal for Australia in Beijing.

So now that I’ve had two digs at our media services let me compliment them in the most appreciative way.  The passing of Jack Gibson during the week brought a tremendous outpouring of appreciation for this great Australian achiever and mentor, from many people who had the privilege of knowing him. 

All the news services and especially the Nine Network did an incredible job of bringing to our attention the importance of Jack’s life, not only in Rugby League but in the fabric of sport in this country. 

I sat at home entranced by the reporting of unknown details, quotes, achievements and failures of an extraordinary man who led an incredible life.  The first-hand stories and accounts of when people met Jack, were coached by him, or were lucky enough to call him a friend or mate was very touching and emotional. 

Our media can become a beast at times on certain issues however no one does a tribute to a great Australian better and one of their finest hours was during this week in remembering the great Jack Gibson. 

Duncan

Interesting developments were reported in the weekend papers over the appeal of Brisbane swimmer Andrew Mewing which centres on his non-selection in the Aussie Olympic Team for Beijing. 

Mewing finished 8th in the 200 metre freestyle at the Telstra Nationals in March in an A-qualifier time, but wasn’t selected on the team for the 4 x 200 freestyle relay.

Swimming Australia criteria states that up to eighth place in the 100m or 200m finals will be considered for selection, provided the swimmer has met the B-qualifying time.

Ordinarily this might have been a bit strange but what made it a controversial omission were the later actions of Head Coach Alan Thompson and the selection panel.

Thompson and the selection panel then went on to make another decision, a decision which made Mewing’s omission all the more puzzling.

They then chose to select Felicity Galvez for the ladies 4 x 200 freestyle relay when Galvez only posted a B-qualifier time and is ranked only the 9th fastest in the 200 freestyle.

You can see where Mewing is coming from when asking the Swimming Australia tribunal to ‘please explain’ his omission from the team when his credentials stack-up better than Galvez.

Mewing’s background in swimming is impressive. He’s represented Australia on a number of occasions, and I feel he won’t let Australia or our 4 x 200 relay down in any way in Beijing. From an Olympian’s perspective I’d like to see as many swimmers go to the Olympics as possible, provided they meet the criteria and I’m sure the AOC feels the same way due to the record our swimmers have at the Olympics.

Australia’s swimmers have brought home over 150 medals since the modern games kicked off in 1896; the closest to that medal count is Athletics which is back on 65!

So do you think the AOC would like to cram more swimmers onto the Beijing team?  I think so too!  Mewing is a very popular swimmer and has received a wave of support from past and present swimmers, many in the current team, who want him to press on in his bid to become an Olympian. 

This case is seen by many as a watershed moment for swimmers in Australia.

Many controversial non-selections have occurred over the years but very few have actually been fought through the system.  Swimming Australia has so much swimming depth to pick from and a very successful selection criterion which has served our teams well for decades. 

However there are gaps in every system through which individuals can fall into and therefore there has to be an avenue in which the individual can fight for his case. We are seeing this with Mewing’s case and if his bid is successful it will give future swimmers confidence the system will allow them to air their grievances in terms of non-selection.

Mewing now fronts the Court of Arbitration for Sport to get an objective look at his swimming results, tribunal hearing and case for selection.  Alan Thompson is quoted on the weekend saying the team will welcome Mewing if CAS finds he was denied natural justice in his tribunal hearing and should have been selected. 

I say give the bloke a go in the good old Aussie fashion.  Mewing has swum fast enough to qualify for the Olympics and there’s a spot open on the Aussie team, so what’s the hold-up?   

Feeling your legs burning as you pump them up and down on an exercise bike isn’t the most pleasant feeling I have ever endured and if you have done it for even half an hour you know it can hurt.

So imagine doing it for 150 kilometres without a break!

Are you feeling the pain yet?

Well I got to participate, via watching a few men do this for charity, grimacing all the while but knowing they were doing the right thing for people less fortunate than themselves.

I have participated in a number of charity rides and I understand what they went through.

When you are riding, you have to remember why you put yourself through the pain. As the Ride for a Reason was to raise money for kids I’m sure the riders had all the incentive they needed.

The three men riding the bikes were former police officer Mark Turner, QPS solicitor Angelo Venardos and police officer Sergeant Brett Price.

My role on the day was official starter and also to be there because I am the ambassador for the Law Enforcement Torch Run which helps fundraise for the Special Olympics and the Tour De Kids which helps the Starlight Foundation.

The day was made even better when Brad Beven dropped by to ride a few kilometers and he looked like he was doing it a lot easier than the other three guys. There’s a lot to be said for being a world champion triathlete I guess.

The day raised $3200 for some very good causes and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Mark Turner from Brisbane Triathlon Squad, Colin Day of Ride Inside, Katherine Bennett of the Brisbane Broncos, and Mark Lang of RideOz.

Duncan

What an Olympic trials we enjoyed in Sydney last month! 

It was the best and most successful record breaking National Championships in swimming’s modern era. 

You’d have to go all the way back to the 50’s and 60’s to find such a consistent and outstanding performance at an Australian Titles.

The stand out swimmers need no introduction after being bathed in the media over the last three weeks. 

Libby Trickett, Eamon Sullivan, and Stephanie Rice were just incredible and set two world records a piece in their events. 

Added to these three were supporting acts from Emily Seebohm and Sophie Edington who broke world records in the 50 backstroke, which is a non-Olympic event.  Eight new world marks were established during the eight days of swimming, along with 15 Commonwealth records and another four Australian records. Amazing stuff really! 

We have a 45 member Aussie team for Beijing and for me the most impressive aspect is the age range. At one end there’s 32 year old Adam Pine and at the other is 15 year old Cate Campbell.

Australia has never enjoyed such depth heading into an Olympiad before. At previous events we were always soft in several aspects of the team.  Luckily as a nation we have enjoyed having superstars like Kieran Perkins, Susie O’Neill, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett spearheading our teams.  But this time we have superstars and a great team of hopefuls around them who have all stepped-up with great personal best times.

We now have to sit back and watch the rest of the world qualify for Beijing. We’ve staged our trials first and thrown down the challenge with all our records and performances.

The Americans don’t have their trials until July where I believe there will be even more records go.  So as a lover of swimming we’re in for a great show in 08 in the lead up to Beijing. 

From the trials the swim team on paper is now looking at 15 to 16 Gold medals!!!!