The Winter Olympics are over for another four years, which means our short-term affairs with curling and figure skating will finish as we return to our sporting wives in Aussie rules and rugby league.
Australia will return from Sochi with a respectable three medals (two silver, one bronze) and a top 30 finish on the medal table.
For a nation of our population and our climate, finishing on the podium once let alone three times is an impressive achievement and a testament to our determination to win.
However, the celebration of our success has been tempered by the behaviour of some surrounding the Olympic movement – in particular Torah Bright.
I know it’s heretical to be critical of such a champion, but her behaviour as a senior member of the Australian Winter Olympic team was nothing short of pathetic.
Forget the bubbly personality, cute dance moves and Cheshire cat smile on her face, hidden behind all this was a malicious campaign that bordered on bullying.
Even before she set eyes, let alone trained on the snowboarding course, she was complaining about its composition, claiming it was dangerous for competitors.
While alterations were made, it was not enough for Torah, who feverously demanded more and more changes, claiming lives were in danger on such an uncouth track.
Other snowboarders did admit the course was difficult but none other than Torah claimed it was severely dangerous, as most snowboarders know injuries are an occupational risk of their chosen careers.
Some suggested Bright was creating a siege mentality as there were indications her press conference attitude had been prepared in advance of the Olympics.
For me, her media theatrics sounded like excuse-making in the event she failed to claim gold over the three events she participated in.
Her Twitter #teamoutcast dummy spit also reflected poorly on her character and attitude.
While the high level of funding for Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin compared to other snowboarders raises legitimate questions that need answering, Torah is the last person who should be complaining about funding.
Watching her complaining about the amount of support she receives from the AOC was nothing short of galling considering she already earns millions of dollars a year on the pro circuit.
Bright’s self-serving commentary sounded like Joe Hockey telling the average Australian they get too much government assistance; hypocritical and aloof.
Trying to bully the AOC into increasing funding by using social media in reality TV-style to garner support shows a lack of maturity on her part.
If Bright felt so strongly about funding, she should have conducted herself in a discreet fashion in negotiating a better outcome for all in the boardroom, not on social media in a hostage-like situation.
Jacqui Cooper hit the nail on the head when she called Bright’s actions a deliberate attempt to create a “negative vibe”.
Instead of performing on the snow where the medals are won, Bright was too concerned about performing for the cameras and making everyone feel sympathetic for her cause.
Hopefully when Torah heads to Korea for the 2018 edition, she will have remembered how to conduct herself and let her snowboarding do the talking.
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