I woke up this morning and Twitter was going off like an Aussie road cyclist in golden knicks!
Plenty of cycling fans seem miffed that Cadel Evans or Stuey O’Grady aren’t going to be the official flag bearer at the opening to the Olympic games. Don’t get me wrong, I thing Lauren Jackson is a great choice, but it seems slightly odd to me that a sport that is hardly at the forefront in the minds of most Australians, much like cycling it has to be said, has jagged two Official flag bearers (Andrew Gaze being the other one) in the last four Olympics. I said so on Twitter this morning and have had quite a few people telling me basketball is more popular and international than I realise. Whether that is a fact or not, I don’t know, but it certainly doesn’t rate like the more popular team sports in this country.
As for the cyclists missing out. I am pretty sure the fact that Evans and O’Grady are racing the day after the opening ceremony probably means neither of them will even be at the opening. Bit hard to wander around carrying a huge flag if you aren’t even going!
The second firestorm surround NPC’s favourite cycling commentator, Phil Liggett. He made the following remarks at a press conference in London.
“It is absolutely disgraceful what they have done. They have devastated the track with the new events and taking out the iconic events of the Olympics,”
“We have never had a good mountain biking event. Thousands will watch them but they are not Olympic gold medal events. They weren’t meant to be in the Olympic Games,”
“They introduced BMX. Great, but I am sure [Olympics founder] Pierre de Coubertin would have laughed his head off if he found out it was an Olympic discipline. It might be exciting but we are talking the Olympic Games.”
So, mountain biking wasn’t meant to be in the Olympics? I was thinking about some other sports when I saw Bridie O’Donnells next two Tweets…
so Liggett said Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin ”would laugh his head off” if he saw BMX was in the Olympics. But he’s cool w beach 1/2
— Bridie O’Donnell (@Bridie_OD) July 26, 2012
cont.. volleyball, golf & tennis (FFS, like they *need* more international air time) and 467 individual swimming events? GO!!! @CBuchanan68
— Bridie O’Donnell (@Bridie_OD) July 26, 2012
Nice one Bridie. I’ll add to that list. Rugby. Football (soccer). Synchronised Swimming. Artistic Gymnastics. Dressage. Table Tennis. Badminton. I could go on.
Might I suggest that Phil is just expressing his opinion. And you know what they say about opinions. Also, Phil, there is a huge amount of cycling fans of the opinion that you have no place in a commentary box. Most people I know would have been sacked long ago if they had performed as poorly at their jobs as you have the past few years!
I think its funny that some of the older generation are a bit peeved about some of the “new” sports being introduced because in the end the Olympics are about TV, ratings and generating revenue and by introducing some of these new sports they ensure there is still coverage for the traditional sports.
Football is one of the biggest raters in the Olympic program. FIFA couldn’t really give a tinkers cuss about the Olympics hence they are under 23’s and not sanctioned dates. Its the Olympics themselves that need Football
As for BMX and mountain biking. I am sure the Olympic movement have noticed the ratings success of the X games and how popular those sports are with the youth and that’s why they deserve to be there as there is a whole generation of people who love those sports and are happy to see the Olympics as the pinnacle if their sport
To Phil and others, build a bridge
My 2 cents anyway 😉