Aussie pundit shockingly claims Irish Olympic team is a joke
Roar Guru Australian sports pundit Russell Barwick had the blogosphere and airwaves humming as he denounced the Ireland Olympic team for not being part of the highly successful Team GB on ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption program.
Barwick went on to say Irish athletes going for gold for their country were similar to a Hawaiian surfer claiming he wasn’t from the United States.
“We, the rest of the world, can’t understand. It’s like a Hawaiian surfer not claiming that he surfs for the USA.
“It’s not like Tasmanians say they don’t want to represent Australia. You’re all part of the one mix master.”
“I understand the history of Irish politics. Well actually, I don’t understand the history of Irish politics.”
His bemused British co-presenter attempted to steer him away from the thorny issue of Irish politics claiming there wouldn’t be enough time. Barwick responded saying half of Ireland was part of Great Britain anyway and that Ireland managed to forget about their national identity when it came to the “British Lions” in rugby.
“Team GB has an enormous advantage over basically every other country in the world because it’s four countries all wrapped up into one,” said Barwick.
“What about the British Lions tour? They all kiss and make up for a British Lions and they kiss and make up for Six Nations.
“It’s a whole Irish joke, the whole thing. It just makes no sense,” he concluded as his co-presenter put his head in his hands, and invited people to respond if they wanted.
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- Ireland, london 2012, Olympics
August 12th 2012 @ 3:55am
Nev said | August 12th 2012 @ 3:55am | Report comment
How do peanuts like this have any credibility
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August 12th 2012 @ 4:49am
Pot Hale said | August 12th 2012 @ 4:49am | Report comment
I thought it was hilarious. Watching the British presenter’s face as the guy dug the hole deeper and deeper was priceless. In fairness, he did concede his error the nest day when someone pointed out to him that Team Ireland already enters the Olympics as an all-island team. Though the fact that Team GB also represents Great Britain and Nothern Ireland probably confused him again…
August 12th 2012 @ 4:49am
Mark Roth said | August 12th 2012 @ 4:49am | Report comment
By that logic, why aren’t athletes from New Zealand wearing the green and gold?
August 12th 2012 @ 5:14am
Pot Hale said | August 12th 2012 @ 5:14am | Report comment
Or even part of Team GB as well?
August 12th 2012 @ 9:51am
Rugby Diehard said | August 12th 2012 @ 9:51am | Report comment
Pot hale – the only thing more stupid than that guy who no one knows making those comments are the people who give them more publicity by writing or reporting on it…..
August 12th 2012 @ 4:49am
JVGO said | August 12th 2012 @ 4:49am | Report comment
Who is Russell Barwick?
August 12th 2012 @ 5:02am
Football United said | August 12th 2012 @ 5:02am | Report comment
geeez, he’ll do very well to steer clear of some certain quarters of glasgow or ireland in general for that matter. extremely touchy issue to be trivialising on some quarters of these isles
August 12th 2012 @ 6:32am
Viscount Crouchback said | August 12th 2012 @ 6:32am | Report comment
“Well actually, I don’t understand the history of Irish politics.”
You and the rest of humanity, old bean!
On a serious note though, surely the Irish athletes would rather be part of Team GB’s world-class operation rather than the frankly amateurish Irish system. We see what the Welsh and Scots achieve as part of Team GB – I’m sure the Irish would be equally successful.
How does a future GB&I team sound to you, Pots?
August 12th 2012 @ 8:10am
Pot Hale said | August 12th 2012 @ 8:10am | Report comment
Fine by me, VC. As long as we continue to call it Team Ireland, obviously.
August 12th 2012 @ 12:04pm
Viscount Crouchback said | August 12th 2012 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
Touché, old fruit!
The difficulty, I suppose, is the nonsense to do with flags and anthems.
Nonetheless, it would be lovely to see Irish athletes able to reach their full potential.
August 12th 2012 @ 10:00pm
AndyMack said | August 12th 2012 @ 10:00pm | Report comment
Um they are seperate countries. Why dont the Netherlands just join Team GB as well…???
August 12th 2012 @ 8:53am
sheek said | August 12th 2012 @ 8:53am | Report comment
Why not call them the British & Irish Lions Olympic team………………………………….
August 12th 2012 @ 6:53am
Worlds biggest said | August 12th 2012 @ 6:53am | Report comment
Russ would do well to do some history homework, why on earth would Ireland want join to join team GB for the Olympics ? It will never happen or certainly I hope it doesn’t happen. According to my Irish mates they spent 11 mill in total on these Olympics, fair to say they don’t or choose not to put a huge amount into it. ( correct me if I’m wrong Pots ) so why sell there soul once every 4 years to jump on the GB juggernaut. The Lions is and should be the only exception to the rule.
August 12th 2012 @ 8:34am
Pot Hale said | August 12th 2012 @ 8:34am | Report comment
It’s not an exception really – It’s the British and Irish Lions which combines the two countries. It’s been around for 120 odd years. Started out as the British Isles team for about 50 years, then got dubbed the British Lions, which stuck for another 50 years, before the name changed in 2000 to reflect that Irish players played on the team.
Most Irish sports are played on an all-island basis – rugby, boxing, hockey, rowing, cricket, Gaelic football and hurling, and play or compete with other countries on that basis. Soccer and netball are two exceptions. However, the Olympics complicates it further with hockey and equestrian sports for example, having divisive participation. And Ireland are unlikely to field a sevens team for the Rio games in 2016 due to lack of funding. Ulster players may therefore seek selection on the Team GB team.
Despite VC’s kind offer above, not sure how much of a difference combining with the GB team would make – despite the likelihood of increased funding but any Irish competitor facing a much bigger pool of players. It would make more sense to cut the number of sports they enter by two-thirds and focus on sports they can compete in.
August 12th 2012 @ 9:00am
The Bush said | August 12th 2012 @ 9:00am | Report comment
That’s fascinating that the Ireland team at the Olympics is all Ireland.
Pots,
Are you aware of many Northern Irish athletes not competing for GB right now? Do Northern Irish athletes usually go GB or Ireland?
August 12th 2012 @ 9:58am
Pot Hale said | August 12th 2012 @ 9:58am | Report comment
Yes – they do all the time. Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlon both fought this week and took away bronze medals in their respective fights. The other three NI guys who won medals with Team GB were for rowing and single schulls.
I can’t give you a hard and fast rule on who usually goes where, although traditional religious lines (Protestant and Catholic) likely play a large part – not always though. Frankly, water sports (if you’ll pardon the phrase) are much more the preserve of British Olympics – Ireland wastes time and money investing in isolated canoeists, kayakers, schullers and rowers – even though the island has got a lot of water. There just aren’t the resources.
I would pick boxing, golf, rugby, equestrian, middle/long distance/marathon running, and possibly sailing. Forget the rest.
We won 5 medals at this olympics – 4 in boxing, one in equestrian. Our most successful for 60 years! Which speaks volumes.
August 12th 2012 @ 7:00pm
Lorry said | August 12th 2012 @ 7:00pm | Report comment
my family is from northern ireland and as far as i can see, the opposition to united Irish sports teams (not within the UK) is a class issue…
My working class protestant cousins are ardently opposed (my boss at the pub I worked at for awhile once told me to take my Irish rugby jersey off ‘because some of the boys from …… won’t like it)
My university educated protestant cousins and their catholic friends, on the other hand, don’t mind/ actually support united teams
I think it’s mainly football which is hopelessy divided on the island of Ireland, sadly….
August 12th 2012 @ 9:21am
Rugby Fan said | August 12th 2012 @ 9:21am | Report comment
For Rio, the unanswered question right now is in the golf. McIlroy & McDowell can represent both countries. McIlroy put a few noses out of joint when he suggested he might choose Britain. It looks like he’ll be maintaining radio silence on the matter for as long as possible.
August 13th 2012 @ 10:25am
Pot Hale said | August 13th 2012 @ 10:25am | Report comment
Oddly, McIlroy, with a catholic background, has chosen GB, and McDowell, with a Protestant background, has said he’d pick Ireland.
There’s nowt as quare as folk.
August 13th 2012 @ 10:47am
Bakkies said | August 13th 2012 @ 10:47am | Report comment
Have they though? Olympic qualification and format for the Rio event hasn’t been decided though? GB may decide to go with Westwood, Donald, Poulter?, Rose to eliminate any controversy and tug of war over the two Irish golfers. They will still field strong golfers. Ireland know they can’t rely on Harrington and will bend over backwards to have those two players.
”And Ireland are unlikely to field a sevens team for the Rio games in 2016 due to lack of funding. ”
I say that is more to do with the fact that the IRFU don’t field a 7s team in the IRB sevens series and have a poor attitude towards it.
August 13th 2012 @ 10:43pm
Pot Hale said | August 13th 2012 @ 10:43pm | Report comment
Team GB represents Great Britain and Northern Ireland – although you would hardly know it from British media coverage. Think most people have accepted that McIlroy has said he’d go for Team GB even though he and GMac both played for Ireland under the Irish flag in the World Cup recently.
He may not get selected, but after yesterday’s PGA win, it’s unlikely.
The poor attitude towards sevens is largely to do with lack of funding.
August 14th 2012 @ 1:04am
Bakkies said | August 14th 2012 @ 1:04am | Report comment
The current muppets in the IRFU don’t see 7s as a valuable development tool. How can you improve your 7s team when they don’t play? Their excuse is that they wanted to focus on Ireland A, well the Wolfhounds only played 1 fixture last season and there is no Churchill Cup any more. At this rate Ireland won’t qualify due to no match practice/squad development and considering that the IRB is based in Dublin that is not a good look.
August 12th 2012 @ 9:08am
nickoldschool said | August 12th 2012 @ 9:08am | Report comment
It’s that embarrassing that it’s almost funny! Was he really thinking what he was saying or just taking the p*ss? “We, the rest of the world, can’t understand. It’s like a Hawaiian surfer not claiming that he surfs for the USA.”
Love the line “You’re all part of the one mix master.”!!! Ignorance at its best!!!
August 12th 2012 @ 9:25am
Seiran said | August 12th 2012 @ 9:25am | Report comment
Yeah right, and South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia should also be playing under the flag. It’s all the same place anyway right?
what a fool
August 12th 2012 @ 11:56am
Rough Conduct said | August 12th 2012 @ 11:56am | Report comment
AFL broadcaster – enough said.
August 12th 2012 @ 7:11pm
JVGO said | August 12th 2012 @ 7:11pm | Report comment
Oh…makes sense.
August 12th 2012 @ 8:45pm
Bristler said | August 12th 2012 @ 8:45pm | Report comment
Incorrect. Rugby Union and League fan and journalist. Reported on the RWC for ESPN and serves as a counterpoint on PTI Australia to the AFL-supporting Sam Kekovich.
Interesting that you think “it makes sense” that he is an AFL man considering the overwhelming majority of Australia’s premier sports callers are AFL callers. Compare Bruce McAvaney’s encyclopaedic athletics knowlege and wonderful Olympic calls to the embarrassingly amateur rubbish dished up by the Rays Hadley and Warren. Additionally, Dennis Cometti has proven himself to be far superior to his northern conterparts. Even Peter Donegan, who has done an outstanding job at the Olympics, and previously at numerous events, is an AFL man and currently commentates VFL on ABC TV and occasionally AFL on ABC Radio.
August 13th 2012 @ 10:48am
Bakkies said | August 13th 2012 @ 10:48am | Report comment
I am pretty sure Barwick has done AFL radio commentary.