While China and the US fight their usual boring-as-bat-excrement two-horse race, the rest of the world are going about the business of competing in the real Olympics. Except for Australia of course.
We’ve all read the press; it’s been 30 years since we’ve done so badly in the swimming.
And the excuses roll in. The swimmers had synchronised stage fright, the coaching staff too lenient, there is too much pressure on the Australians to perform, there’s no talent this year.
The last came from under-fire head swimming coach, Leigh Nugent, as he offered his last line of defence for an abysmal campaign in the pool.
Yet in a curious twist which either heightens or desensitises his failures, it’s difficult to tell which, the rest of the Aussie contingent has been equally ineffective.
This comes as a fair shock to a country that in the past so desperately needed to do well in the Olympics and sport in general. There’s no better way for Australians to remind the world we actually exist, and that we’re useful. We’ve got about as much historical relevance as a banged up old LTD Ford from the 90’s, and we know it.
We’re bright, we’re fresh, but we’re immaterial and we resent it.
So why at time of writing are we getting beaten in 2012 by Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Cuba, Japan, NEW ZEALAND, Kazakhstan, North Korea, South Korea, and at a time in the campaign where it’s not uncommon for Australia to be leading?
As a nation we’re selling tonnes of dirt to the Chinese so there’s plenty of money going round to spend on state-of-the-art coaching, massages and tracksuits (most of which end up getting banned).
Plenty of coin for post-mortems, disciplinary committees and media consultants.
Plenty of coin to procure the athletes’ pretensions.
Money everywhere, yet all the money in the world can’t buy the one thing you need: good old fashioned desperation.
The Aussies don’t want it enough.
This doesn’t develop overnight; it’s been twelve years in the making.
China is champing at the bit to win everything, to the point their athletes are willing to blatantly cheat and look like international imbeciles in the interests of the national team.
While the Australians are busy crying to their parents in post-match interviews and bashing store fronts, the Chinese and South Korean badminton teams are putting jester hats on and dancing about like monkeys on hot coals, ending their careers in the national interest.
We put our mark on the world in Sydney 2000 and have been cruising in neutral ever since. It’s no surprise we’re now grinding to a halt.
Go Kazakhstan.
Kharel
Guest
Well Johnno, Ottoman army was under the command of Germans general in Galioplli if you want to compare.
Tom Callaghan
Guest
Australians keep trying to rationalise their continuing defeats at the hands of GB teams by spuriously referencing the structure of the British Isles 'Oh but they have four nations' they bleat. Well, even though its not an argument worth responding to its sweet to state that the single English county of Yorkshire has more medals than Australia at the London Olympic games. Just fancy that: THE SINGLE ENGLISH COUNTY OF YORKSHIRE HAS MORE MEDALS THAN AUSTRALIA AT THE LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES.
Tom Callaghan
Guest
It rather looks like Liam is a bit like the Kookaburra keeper who tried to deny GB a legitimate goal by teeling lies to the umpire doesn't it?
Rory
Guest
Liam You're either wrong or lying. There was no such comment on the BBC.
Rugby Fan
Roar Guru
There's all the difference in the world between a British commentator drawing that comparison himself - which is what you originally implied - and a British commentator reporting an extreme reaction by an Australian broadcaster to his own country's performance.
liam
Guest
your logic that "someone else would have noticed", just doesnt change the fact that what the british commentator said, was exactly what i quoted. he wasn't asutralian. i'm a kiwi. i've been to gallipolli and know some history. i was seething, to be honest. i wrote the bbc complaints immediately. that no-one else seemed to have noticed perhaps says it all. any and all media here (im in london) is swept up in a huge british patriotism fever. if what the guy was repeating was simply reading out an australian headline, well. thats disappointing also, but the headline people are referring to isnt what i heard. he definitely said capitulation, and thats the word that offended me. i wish it wasnt so but im afraid i'm not making anything up. how come no-one else heard this? i'm still bemused by the fact no-one has said anything in the press here.
Rugby Fan
Roar Guru
Sorry liam, your story doesn't hold up. BBC Five Live has an average weekly audience of six million and considerably more during the Olympics. If any BBC commentator had the poor taste to compare an Australian sporting loss to Gallipoli, it would have been noticed by more people than just you alone. There were no tweets about any such comment on the BBC, and no mention anywhere else. What we do have instead, is a UK paper picking up on a reaction by an Australian commentator who does seem to have made that comparison. A twitter search pins the blame on Alan Jones, as does this article: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/swimming/7379466/Aussies-lash-out-after-relay-favourites-bomb "Veteran broadcaster Alan Jones reportedly described the Australian's fourth placing as representing a worse defeat than Gallipoli"
liam
Guest
thanks for pulling it out, but he most definitely said capitulation. which is a lot more offensive than "defeat", as capitulation implies the effort was sub-standard and gutless. i didn't notice him ascribing it to aussie press.
liam
Guest
as i've said above, it was at the swimming on radio five live, mid morning. it was either the day after or 2 days after the aussie relay team didnt medal. i emailed the BBC with a complaint, and havent heard back.
liam
Guest
it was on the BBC, radio five live at the swimming. that was a direct quote.
Phil Bird
Roar Guru
great comment. tom also
Phil Bird
Roar Guru
Hi Hoy, My thoughts are it doesnt matter how much you want it, it's how much the other bloke wants it. And there seems to be a pattern emerging with certain countries doing extremely well. Adding to that the half-generation lead time of 8 years. Kazhakstan - got pretty slated on a massive scale with that Borat film. North Korea - if they arent dropping bombs then they're trying to make themselves heard with medals. South Korea - don't want to lose to North Korea China and America - it's the next Cold War. Frankly, while all this is taking place you know what's happened with the world? The economy has steadily been on the mend. We just need something to focus our energies on and what better than good old fashioned competition? If Syria could get involved that would be half their problem sorted?
Fly on the Wall
Guest
You think we had a bad time in the pool? I just heard a German TV news report that said their country did not win a single medal in swimming. If so, THAT is underachieving (have not checked the figures).
Hoy
Roar Guru
Why are so many of our athletes finishing second? That is a question that needs answering I think. Why can't our favourites win, and if we are in the mix, why can't we close out to win a Gold? Magnussen's 100 is almost an aside, because that could have happened as a freak occurance, like a fullback wishing the ball dead, but it takes a right turn into an attackers arms. It was a bees dick in that, but as he was ahead, why couldn't he finish off? It seems that the quote "the world is catching up" is bandied about as well. Fine, the world catches up, but why is the world catching up, and we are treading water? Why aren't we advancing with the world?
Tom Callaghan
Guest
But I Hear that som party goers are put off by the fact that the Aussie swimmers cry when the event has climaxed. Offputting. Very offputting.
Pommie b*
Guest
For once??? We beat you at the last olympics too ;-)
Happy Hooker
Guest
Apparently the Aussie swimmers are in huge demand in the village from other athletes in party mode. This is due to them being guaranteed to come second.
Tom Callaghan
Guest
WIGGO, Tables produced in London Daily Telegraph and Guardian show GB in fourth on golds. Upon what sources do you base your figures for Germany? Are you including the so called United Team that competed up to 1968? What about the other points I made about longevity of participation not being sufficieny criterion,et,etc, ? I'm a bit puzzled by your references to 'Us' being 'fourth' but also 'seventh' over time but I'm being distracted by watching several sports on computerat once.
Wiggo
Roar Rookie
LOL if you have better sourses let me know Based on Golds US- 929 USSR - 395 Germany - 247 not including E.Germany GB - 207 Average 7.96 Golds per games which still puts us in 7th Go Murray awesome result
I still call Australia Home
Guest
I don't know what it is but if I see that letter 'T' from the comm bank ads I'm gonna smash him ;)