Wally the Fly

Wow, this Twenty20 Olympics thing just won’t die.

Since The Sideline Eye went on a little rant high-profile cricketers have declared they’re all for it (well why wouldn’t they?).[1]

In the Media section of The Australian there was a story about how the IOC has never been able to crack the second biggest country in the world, India, implying cricket is the best way to do this.

However, there are those in the cricket world who still seem to have a handle on reality though, here’s Andrew Miller from cricinfo magazine:

“Cricket, in fact, would fail on two counts. Firstly, the chosen format for Olympic inclusion would have to be the short and disposable Twenty20, because the truly Olympian version of the game, Test cricket, would be impenetrable to the game’s new-found global audience. Secondly, the calendar is simply too crowded for the players to treat the trip with anything like the gravitas it would deserve.”[2] 

Not to mention the fact that they’ll have to be suitable quality playing grounds all around the city that is hosting the Games. Sure London will have cricket fields but will Chicago, Sao Paulo or Berlin?

At least something like rugby 7s would be able to fit into a couple of days and be at one rectangular stadium (each stage of the IRB 7s tournament goes over one weekend).

What happens when England need to become ‘Great Britain’ and Jamaica, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago and the others who win plenty of medals on the track in their own name can’t become the ’West Indies,’? Or could they? 

This commentator makes a good point, writing that:

“Frankly too, for all the hype, I am not utterly convinced about Twenty20’s staying power. The concept, after all, is only five years old – at least insofar as its application to professional cricket is concerned.”[3] 

Also would the three Olympic superpowers of the USA, Russia and China consider this sport’s inclusion when softball and baseball have been given the royal punt?

The only reason Twenty20 could, just maybe, sneak through is if the IOC are that desperate to crack the ‘Indian market.’

Money talks…

[1] http://content-www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/story/366506.html 

[2] http://content-www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/366567.html 

[3] http://www.insidethegames.com/show-news.php?id=2639

While the history books will record that an unbelievable swimmer won eight gold medals and a bloke became the fastest man on earth while looking like he didn’t leave second gear there are a few other moments that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Matthias Steiner, a German weightlifter in the ‘open’ category of those who weigh more than 105kg, had lost his young wife of three years in a car accident. When he made the German team the first thing he did is visit his wife’s grave. It was one of the most emotional and dramatic finishes to any of the Beijing events when he celebrated winning a gold medal and becoming the strongest guy in the world after lifting 248kg above his head.

Emma Snowhill had lost her boyfriend in a tragic accident and missed the World Championships before Athens and thus wasn’t selected to compete in the the Triathon in 2004. She had an opportunity to race in the NZ colours but refused. She would have watched the race on television as an Australian crossed the line first, but who won the gold for Greece. But from all that she was there on the dias in 2008 with a gold medal around her neck singing the Australian national anthem.

And don’t forget Kenenisa Bekele, who also has had tragedy in his past. The Kenyan had won gold in Athens in the 10,000 and silver in the 5,000 and this year had his chance to make history, vowing to clinch from his teammate and friend the great Hail Gabreilsesse, the title of the greatest distance runner of all time. And he did, winning the 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals.

And of course there are the ones we did hear about, Anna Meares, Matthew Mitcham and the humility of Grant Hackett winning a silver medal to go with his two golds in the same event.

Yes there were the controversies and the dramas and the usual criticisms when we don’t win as much gold as we expect/demand. There are the usual arguments of whether the Olympic ideal is dead. But there was plenty of things that came out of Beijing to remind us of why it’s the greatest sporting event on the planet.

While there’s always plenty of chat about what games should be given the royal boot from the Olympics what’s interesting this time round are the lobbies to get some new sports into the Games.

The lobby to get Twenty20 cricket into the Games has already begun. This is shortest, simplest form of cricket, a fledgling format that still has that new car smell. It was created with dollars in mind not athleticism, for the big hits rather than the long stubborn innings. A game which is about having less cricket and more of the ‘fun stuff’ to get non-cricket people to watch it. This is the form they want in the Olympics.

A recent report has called on the IRB to try and get Rugby Sevens into the 2016 Games. Apparently when this was attempted last time it got fewer votes than roller sports.

Both campaigns have their points. Sevens rugby have a global circuit, a world cup that from next year will have a women’s competition with strong teams from Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Australia and the ‘home nations.’ Similarly cricket has strong teams from around the world; from Oceania, Africa, Europe (well England), the Caribbean and the subcontinent.

But do we really want to see Rugby 7s and Twenty20 cricket in the Games?

The Olympics give the smaller sports their day in the sun and the athletes that compete in them to extend the cliché, their 15 minutes of fame. Two weeks out of every four years we’ll switch on and watch judo, diving, archery, track and field. Even for sports with a higher profile in Australia like swimming, it is still the event for those athletes.

The rest of the time we can think about our footy, tennis, cricket or golf.

Cricket and rugby stars play in front of big crowds and are house hold names already, they have their competitions and most of them have plenty of money.

One of the requisite for gaining Olympic entry must be that the Olympics will be the pinnacle for that sport.

By this definition football and tennis wouldn’t be in the Games - they should be booted out.

The majority of athletes in the majority of Olympic sports try their guts out just to have the right to go to the games. So when multimillionaire tennis stars decide whether they can fit the Olympics in their schedule and what impact it’ll have on their preparation for the next major it creates a huge imbalance.

What does it say when Harry Kewell says he wants to play at the Olympics but decides against it because he joined a new Turkish club and that’s the priority?

The amateur games may be over and the Olympics may be getting overly political and marred by drugs and other scandals. But the Olympics are still a magical sporting event with athletes from basically every nation, who for that very brief time, have the eyes of the world upon them. Why take that away? Why take that away by adding already well-followed sports like rugby and cricket?

It’s the time where suddenly the water cooler conversation turns from footy to women’s basketball and the Hockyroos.

It’s the time where we’ll suspend belief that Equestrian is actually a sport because Australia has a shot at gold.

Where nobody mentions the non-PC-ness or non-athelitisim of shooting because we want Michael Diamond to repeat his Sydney exploits.

Despite this we’ll be talking about why Synchronised Swimming shouldn’t be in the Games… and it has nothing to do with the fact Australia never wins it, thank you very much.

Ditto ping pong and European handball.

It’s the time where hot-blooded males have can justify watching beach vollyball to their spouses/partners. Just ask the 43rd President of the United States.

It’s a time where standards change; where we expect nothing less than gold in the pool but a podium finish in a barely heard of sport by an even more unheard of athlete is triumphed.

It’s the two weeks where one of our greastest sporting exports Lauren Jackson, gets the attention she deserves and where Australia’s world beating hockey players get a bit of cred for their efforts year around.

It’s when our swimmers get out and shake up a can of whoop-arse launch it like a genade. These guys of course, must only be referred to on a first name basis.

We’re all dissapointed Libby changed her name but we’ll recover. We’ll watch 14 and a bit minutes of blokes going up and down in a pool because Grant has a chance to become one of the greats of world swimming in one of the toughest swimming events.

The next fortnight we’re allowed to get worked up, jump up and down and perhaps even shed a concealed tear over sports that that never appear on our television screens.

The next fortnight the ‘tv-must-be-turned-off-at-dinner’ rule is replaced with the ‘don’t-change-it-from-channel7-on-pain-of-death’ rule.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way

Will D’Arcy be ruled out of the Australian Olympic team?

Hmm, this is a real tough one.

From the Tele “Cowley, 27, was discharged from hospital yesterday following surgery to repair injuries that will leave him with five titanium plates in his face for the rest of his life.”[1]

But wait there’s more, he’s could be found guilty of grievous bodily harm.

GREIVOUS BODILY HARM!

Grievous bodily harm in section 4 of the NSW Crimes Act is ‘any permanent or serious disfiguring of the person.’

Ah but apparently AOC’s John Coates isn’t concerned about that.

From the Tele again; “This has nothing to do with the criminal charges that are against Nick D’Arcy,” Coates said. “The issue for me is whether he has breached a team membership agreement which says he won’t bring himself, his sport or the AOC into disrepute.”

Interesting test we have here. Sure he gave a bloke five titanium plates in his face and could potentially be put in prison but you know what… Australian Swimming is all the better for it.

That’s the Olympic Spirit.

[1] http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23507043-5001023,00.html