THIS WHINGEING IS A DISGRACE
Sally Pearson and Anna Meares won gold overnight. Pearson in the hurdles, Meares in the velodrome.
These are wonderful stories – especially after Meares’ comeback from a broken neck four years ago – but the real Olympic story can only be kept off the front page for so long.
And it’s worse than you thought. We have a swimming emergency.
Batten down the hatches!
Thankfully, there’s been a swift reaction. IOC representative Kevan Gosper has called for an increase in Government funding; AOC President John Coates has called for compulsory sports programs in schools; the Federal Minister for Sport, Kate Lundy, has called for an inquiry and former Olympian, Susie O’Neill, has been roped in to help lead an official review.
Phew. The wheels are in motion. We’re going to be okay.
In a remarkable show of determination and courage, Australia’s Sally Pearson, above, and Anna Meares, below, win gold.
Imagine if we jumped to attention like this over homelessness or mental health care or kids who sacrifice their childhood to be the primary carers for their invalid parents.
These things don’t merit being on the front page of anything.
But whack on a pair of swimmers and hit the end of a swimming pool 0.01 of a second behind an American and, bang! The nation sends up the emergency flares.
I don’t think I’m alone in being disgusted by this obsession with our supposed Olympic ‘failure’. A bit of perspective wouldn’t go astray.
Better yet, a bit of honesty might be in order.
Three years ago, the Crawford Review suggested we re-think sporting success to mean national participation instead of elite-level gold medals. Apart from the health benefits, team sports can provide a sense of belonging, boost self esteem and encourage happiness. David Crawford, the leader of the review, thought that might be a more worthwhile national achievement than reaching the top five in the 2012 Olympics.
John Coates threw a hissy fit, labelled the report ‘insulting’ to our Olympic athletes and said, “I will leave it to you [David Crawford] to tell… Dean Lukin he’s no longer a hero.” Phew. Thank goodness he didn’t overreact.
Amidst all his hair pulling and gnashing of teeth over the last few years, Mr Coates has forgotten to mention one thing: he’s the chair of the Australian Olympic Foundation which has, wait for it, $100 million dollars sitting in its coffers.
Whoops! Must have slipped his mind.
Sometimes those things happen. You know, you’re sitting around have a cup of tea and you completely forget that what you’re sitting on is actually a dirty, great, fat pile of cash. Perhaps the reason he’s not spending it on training athletes is because he’s saving it for orphans and abandoned puppies.
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63 Responses to this article
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Aylin August 8, 2012
What on earth happened to ‘our’ gold medals? Well, they were never ‘ours’ to begin with!!! The sense of entitlement from the mainstream media is appalling. Calling athletes failures and getting hot under the collar over a sporting event has left a bad taste in my mouth.
I have just come back from Turkey and to date, they have only won a bronze medal and they a decent sized team as well. But, there is no ‘national emergency’, no name calling or calling for more money or ties – the sport is reported at the end of the news bulletin and left to the back pages, so refreshing.
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Marnie August 8, 2012
Thank you for writing so eloquently to describe the frustration that I am feeling about the reaction to the Australian Olympic efforts this year. If only mental health or say a famine in another nation got the coverage that swimming has this past week. Imagine the amazing number of lives that we could save! I guess those lives just aren’t as valuable.
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Jo August 8, 2012
This is an excellent article. With our population we have constantly “punched above our weight” for years and with that success has come very unrealistic expectations.
As a parent I’d be devastated if one of my children wept after winning a silver medal, worried that they’d let me down. If that’s the sort of pressure these young athletes endure then I’d never willingly steer my children down an elite path – I’d much prefer the Crawford approach and have them involved in programs that emphasise participation and wellbeing.
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RedHotMamma August 8, 2012
I agree entirely.
On a recent radio interview I heard Ita Buttrose say she would be quite happy if Australia never won another Olympic medal (or words to that effect) in relation to sports funding and I was impressed, I don’t think I had heard anyone say that before.
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Monnie August 8, 2012
My God, you’re good, Ms Grant.
Brilliant article!
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Caitlin August 8, 2012
Right on!
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Margy August 8, 2012
Now this is a well written article Corinne. Congratulations!
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TraceyA August 8, 2012
What she said!
Great article Corinne.
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Fred August 8, 2012
There’s more to the Olympics than just swimming. Hopefully we can get over our obsession with it and regard it as just another Olympic event.
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Sally August 8, 2012
Oh yes!…
“stop being over-blown, self-important dickheads”…
Steve Solomon, Sally Pearson, Anna Meares …all fantastic in their events and such great attitudes.
Thanks for articulating my random shouting at the TV over the last 2 weeks. Gold star for you.
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Lyn August 8, 2012
It is not only the officials that disgust me. Some of the athletes think it is their god given right to have the gold medal. Everyone should be happy just to be at the Olympics and treat any medal as a bonus. These athletes and officials should get over themselves and stop whinging.
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Sherrib August 8, 2012
Well said Corinne! Well done to all the athletes! As always the stories of courage and determination are truly inspiring. Brickbats to the self-important fools who think winning a swag of Olympic medals is more important than the Australian peoples real needs and the athletes emotional wellbeing. While it’s great to be competitive at a world level, we need to spend Australia’s taxpayers money wisely so our elderly can afford to turn on the heating in their houses as they enjoy watching our team compete at the Olympics,
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Van Essa August 8, 2012
I just watched the final of the men’s 3m diving and was saddened to watch the Chinese competitor sob because he ‘only’ won Silver. But our diver Ethen Warren came 7th and couldn’t contain his joy at just being in an Olympic final. Like Susie O’Neal said last week when Magnusson ‘only’ won Silver – “What if this is as good as it gets for him?” I totally agree with her. These athletes don’t know what is in their future. This could be as good as it gets! Rejoice every single little second that you are over there.
I guess everybody reacts differently but I agree with you about the Australian official’s and the money issue. Let’s give some money to the more important issues instead of pouring more money into sport. They have their fair share.
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Valerie August 8, 2012
Joining the chorus of agreement.
More money? Sorry, if you can’t do it with what you have, then maybe not doing it is OK.
As my disabled child faces an uncertain future with less and less potential resources available to him every day, I think the theatre of sport is more a pleasing comedy than a compelling reality.
I think healing, eating, functioning (that kind of stuff) should come in front of medals. But that’s just because I see what happens when you can’t and there’s not enough money to help you try. -
Julie August 8, 2012
I thought Michael Diamond should be given a gold medal for being the most gracious loser after he was effectively told he was a walk in for gold. As he said, at that level anything can happen. So I absolutely agree that the Australian public has every right to call on a review of the Olympic committee- time for some changes there. I think Daniel Kowalski would be a great replacement for Coates, and diamond for Gosper.
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Magee August 8, 2012
Wonderful article. Now – how to get it read by all the Olympic bubby-boy officials with their bottom lips hanging out.
I suggest that the athletes hold a Formal Review into the officials, as to whether the officials serve them properly and truly support their needs, and how they need to change. Then give them KPIs. ! Officials often delude themselves that they are the ones with the talent. -
JD August 8, 2012
How very true, Corinne. I would like to think most of the Australian public agree with you.
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Jules August 8, 2012
Corinne – thankyou.
Finally a common sense article amongst the trollop that is the Australian mainstream news.
It can only be good to finally start shining some light on other sports for Australia. They need funding. Enough with swimming already!
This is what the Olympics should be about, celebrating victory for all regardless of whether they are Australian or not. Read some of the back stories of these olympians. Some have had to grow up in such dire situations. They are the true heroes of these games. -
Rach August 8, 2012
You are superb Corinne. Thanks for writing this.
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Toni August 8, 2012
I must be wrong but I always thought it was all about representing your country! Every athlete that makes it to the games is a winner in my eyes. Crying because you got a silver medal at the Olympics, please, our young people need to learn to be good losers as well as good winners. And the Australian media, I won’t even start, a disgrace .
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Julia August 8, 2012
Dear Australia, please watch this video to the end to see the normal reaction for winning a silver and bronze. These American women do their country proud – they were just so happy to be there and compete and achieve PBs and get a medal. And they didn’t have to detract from Sally Pearson’s victory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFNqbhJ3kmw -
Tracey August 8, 2012
My favourite moment of the games so far was hearing Mitchell Watt, the Australian champion who won silver in the long jump – calling out the media (and by association whingey-whiny Australians) to say he’s proud, his family’s proud and 1000 wellwishers are proud – so pull your head in and celebrate his success rather than asking how he feels that he didn’t get gold!
A brilliant piece Corinne – you’ve articulated and shared what many of us feel.
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KayO'Sullivan August 8, 2012
Fantastic. Brilliant. And incisive. Gold medal to Corinne.
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sam August 8, 2012
Well done Corinne. My son came home triumphantly from the school sports carnival the other day, flashing an enormous sticker on his hat. When i asked him where he had come he said pleased as Punch “last” Maybe we should go back to basics where just being in it was good enough.
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Clare August 8, 2012
Bravo! I agree with everything about this article. Our family is loving watching the Olympics on TV. The only downside is the attitude that by not winning a gold, you have somehow failed your country. Some of the commentators should be ashamed of themselves. What happened to ‘Life. Be in it’?
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Kerry Nth beaches August 8, 2012
I would like to thank all athletes around the world for their efforts too. Without them, the athletes attending the games would be meaningless. I noticed a SMH poll this morning asking which athlete we were most disappointed in. A BLOODY DISGRACE – we should be proud of them all. I am canceling my SMH subscription.
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Roni Jean August 8, 2012
Well said Corinne. Whatever happened to our great, Aussie, “She’ll be right, mate, no worries” attitude? So what if we don’t win? I’ve always told my children that I don’t care if they don’t come first, just as long as they give it their best shot. All our athletes are Aussie children, we should be proud they’re giving it their best shot. I certainly am.
Our family are avid cycling fans, and while there seems to be a bit more cycling events pushing their way through the torrent of swimming events shown on the tv, I also like to watch weightlifting and shooting. I haven’t seen a lot of either. My neice has a little blog and sums it up pretty nicely here: http://jcsandrix.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-olympics-2012-coverage-in-aus.html -
Jenny M August 8, 2012
Fabulously written Corrine! I agree and feel exactly the same way.
Mitchem Watt the fabulous long jumer said it perfectly the other day about the journalists, most Autralians our proud of all the athletes who work hard day in and day out. The terminology that is used by the media eg. “minor medals” what are they thinking??
I agree John Coates has to go, I lost all respect for the man way back in 2000 when he selected his OWN daughter to carry the first torch from Greece as it began its journey arund the world to get to Sydney, surely some other young Australian child could have been chosen, sure its symbolic but speaks volumes. -
Jenny M August 8, 2012
Fabulously written Corrine! I agree and feel exactly the same way.
Mitchem Watt the fabulous long jumer said it perfectly the other day about the journalists, most Autralians our proud of all the athletes who work hard day in and day out. The terminology that is used by the media eg. “minor medals” what are they thinking??
I agree John Coates has to go, I lost all respect for the man way back in 2000 when he selected his OWN daughter to carry the first torch from Greece as it began its journey arund the world to get to Sydney, surely some other young Australian child could have been chosen, sure its symbolic but speaks volumes. -
Brendan August 8, 2012
I’ve had the forgettable pleasure of meeting Mr Coates back in 1987 before we “won” the right to host the Olympics. In my estimation he was amiable if somewhat boring bureaucrat who offered no insight into the project we were organising that would provide equipment to junior athletes (ironically sail boats). Post 2000 announcement Mr Coates has become the behemoth we see today and is a true inspiration for all those thousands of sports administrators that Australia lauds, those who lack any real talent but make up with it in Machaevelian tenacity blaming all and sundry for ‘failure’(which by any standard is anything but) and claiming any success as though they had put in every hard yard next to those athletes. If there was an Olympics for sports maladministration ‘Straylya would medal medal medal!!!
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The Huntress August 8, 2012
I haven’t read all the comments, but Corrine, I really thank you for this article. While all this jumping to attention and pouring of money into elite sports is going on, I’m being given patients to admit to a bed when the previous patient in the bed hasn’t even been discharged! Yep, while I’m frantically hoping that the sick person in a wheelchair in the corridor who is my responsibility doesn’t do anything drastic, trying to discharge another patient, who probably shouldn’t be discharged, these people get handed cash on a plate. Healthcare, homelessness and housing aren’t as sexy as our athletes, but they are no less deserving.
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Liz August 14, 2012
Totally agree with this perspective as I’ve witnessed this situation countless times. The decrease in funding for health and education, police and ambulance is frightening. And the demand for ‘increased productivity’ in extremely busy, understaffed, under resourced hospital wards means …. what….?? Sorry Mr Coates – you need a dose of reality in your life.
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florally August 8, 2012
Gosh I love the idea of us being defined as a great sporting nation the day that we have our grassroots hockey, netball, football, athletics ect clubs filled with willing volunteer coaches and comitte members. Have you ever tried to get a voluteer for Sunday 8.30 sausage sizzle?? Seems everyone is ‘busy’ In my crazy little utopia people would realize that minor sporting moments have to be celebrated and encouraged too.
Agreed a kitty from the govt for “sport”is reasonable, but wouldnt it be wonderful if that cash injection inspired the next generation to see a love of sport os a part of a mentally and physically healthy life and social fabric of a community. -
Ruth August 8, 2012
I so agree with you Corrine. Also I was very annoyed to hear Mr Coates saying the other day that Australia needs to focus on improving our school sporting programs in order to win more medals at the Olympics.
School attendance is compulsory in Australia and for that reason the objectives of schools should only ever focus on serving the interests of all children regardless of their level of interest and ability. The focus on competitive sport is not necessarily in the interest of all children developing confidence in their physical abilities, or developing healthy attitudes about maintaining their physical health and happiness throughout their lives. There are much more important goals for educators than Olympic gold medals, and as far as I’m concerned Mr Coates should go find another captive audience for his hobby horse. School children are off limits. -
anne August 8, 2012
GOLD GOLD GOLD to you Corinne. A great article. If I was PM I’d allocate funds to important and essential services, then the tax payer could decide where they’d like discretionary spending to go. Boofy administrative figures just make so much noise that they get what they want. Look after the welfare of every Australian before funding people with and interest.
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Beth August 8, 2012
absolutely Corinne. And what about the media decision to not allow us to see the para- Olympics for goodness sakes! I am pretty certain the para-olympians will be gracious in victory or defeat – although possibly because they havent been put under the same pressure by Coates and his cronies.
Mind you they might have gone a little too much the other way. Apparently at the swimming trials the swimmers with disabilities were expected to race during the ad breaks.-
speccygirl August 8, 2012
I think the ABC 1 and 2 will be showing the Paralympics as I saw it advertised on there…
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janice August 8, 2012
Please leave them alone!! What horrible parents will these people become for their own children??
Disgusting attitudes and i can see how like Americans ,we are going to be hated people for being obnoxious and arrogant tourists
Ugh
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mary August 8, 2012
I can also see litigation from people that dont win medals they want!!
That would be funny and sad
Sue their arses off !!!
smirk
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Jennie August 8, 2012
A great article.
To really stop the focus on only GOLD medals being good enough, the medal table should be published with countries ranked in terms of total numbers of medals won instead of having only gold medals ranked in order. The current medal table perpetuates the myth that only gold medals are important, because only gold medals contribute to where a country is on the table (unless they have an equal number). If we really consider ALL the medals to be fantastic, then all that matters is the total number, not the colour.
I must say, though, that the medal table is pretty useless anyway as a measure, because some countries are so poor … how ’bout also having a medal table taking GDP or other measures into account?
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Brooke August 8, 2012
I watched the mens four in rowing being interviewed after winning silver & for a minute I thought there had been a tragedy because it was sooo depressing. I was appalled to think that even though they have qualified for the olympics, which is awesome, have made it to the finals, also awesome, and won a medal, BONUS, they could be so down on themselves and the guy interviewing them should have been saying good on you, well done. I think all of the athletes are amazing and Corrine you are so correct, we need to learn how to lose gracefully.
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Katie August 8, 2012
A letter in Hobart’s local paper suggested that in addition to the medal tally, each country also be rated for athletes achieving PBs in their chosen fields at the Olympics. Surely the most anyone can ask of our athletes is that they give it their all on the day, and treat one another with respect regardless of their placings?
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Shannon August 8, 2012
Thanks for this, Corinne! I wondered where honour, integrity and respect had gone in these Olympics. I’m so very proud of our athletes – but not of the way they’re being portrayed. Don’t know where this sense of arrogant entitlement has come from some quarters, seems the media is out of step with the rest of Australia on that point – losing gracefully says more for character than winning disgracefully.
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SandsOfTime August 8, 2012
That’s a lovely piece of perspective Corinne, thank you. It put me in mind of the reaction in the UK to their local girl Becky Adlington’s Bronze in the pool – no whining that it wasn’t gold, just joy in the bronze and comments to the media straight afterwards that she had given her all so couldn’t be happier. True grace. The reaction in her home town was rather lovely too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guNfE6r6nmI&feature=related
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Jackie August 8, 2012
I will never watch Channel 9′s coverage of the Olympics again and if I hear “We only got silver” one more time I may have a conniption fit!
I found it heartbreaking to see Emily Seebohm crying her heart because she “only got Silver” She thought she had disappointed us….This is the pressure the MEDIA put on our athletes to win. Not by the public…we are happy to see our country represented.
I’m especially pleased for Great Britain who’s athletes rose to the home ground advantage just like we did in 2000. Perhaps if there was LESS money in sport the Olympics can turn to what is was…..a series of games for Amateurs to show their prowess in the sport of their choosing.
My personal hero of these games is Steven Solomon a 19yr old young man who ran in the Men’s 400m…He was absolutely wrapped he qualified for the final and when he noticed he came last he said “Well someone has to..this time it was me…..See you in Rio” Just a positive message to send and he was just so happy to be there and to represent his country.
I’m totally over our Tall Poppy Syndrome and I think we need to appreciate our athletes train hard and sometimes they will get Gold and sometimes they won’t…..as long as they represent our nation with honour and do their absolute best that’s all we should ask.
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cbailey.optus@gmail.com August 8, 2012
I must admit I found the some of the swimming teams’s comments a little disturbing….”I’m really just as happy to soak up the atmosphere”.and “Don’t care where I came I just love the atmosphere”…or along those lines. What the F….! I won’t say who those two swimmers where but needless to say they did not do as expected…no wonder me thinks!!!
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Benison O'Reilly August 8, 2012
Hmm, as I wrote a Hoopla piece lamenting our poor performance only the other day maybe I should keep quiet up. In my defence, my tongue was firmly in cheek.
I admit I like us winning gold medals, but not at the expense of spending on health and education.
For several years we saw the effects of extra investment in sport so that we would perform well at our home (Sydney) Olympics, just as we are seeing happen with the Brits now. There were flow-on effects to Athens & to a lesser extent Beijing, too.
Now we are coming back to where we logically should be in the world – around Atlanta Olympics level. That should be enough. We are now 11th in the medal count, which is a brilliant effort for a tinpot country such as Oz!
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Loz August 8, 2012
Completely agree Corinne. A bit of humble pie is in order. And a focus away from the pool can’t hurt either.
I awoke early on Sunday to watch the men’s 10,000m final. What I saw was the long jumpers standing about waiting for their final to resume while the channel 9 commentators complained whined about the interruption. Nevermind that Australia had it’s first competitor since 12 years in the race, or that he’s the current Australian record holder.
I wonder if the large sponsors of the more popular athletes have some influence in what events the network chooses to broadcast.
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Anne August 8, 2012
I think the Aussies have got a bit over-confident re past experiences – especially in the swimming – and not helped by media hype. It’s all come about from a bit of an inferiority/superiority complex where we have all gone overboard in our thinking. Meanwhile, other countries and contestants have been pulling out all the stops – and it shows! Good luck to them – and to our Australian contestants! I agree, we (all of us, including contestants, media and the Australian people) should be glad of any medals we get and should exercise some humility in the whole process. Thank you to all the contestants for giving us a great show and an example of what they are capable of. That’s what the Olympics is all about. Congratulations to every man and woman who is there – you have got there by hard work, talent and sheer tenacity. Woo-hoo, whatever your nationality – you should be proud!
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Rhoda August 8, 2012
Well said and I agree with every word. I have long thought that members of the media in this country need to go back to being reporters rather than commentators and that Olympic officialdom has lost sight of the proper spirit of the Games.
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Anne August 8, 2012
Well said Rhoda!
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moiby August 8, 2012
Amen Corinne!
As far as losing gracefully – the comments from the women who won silver at the hands of Meares and Pearson were truly inspiring.
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Rosie August 9, 2012
Thank god for Corinne Grant. Please Hoopla – don’t ever let her go. Good to see so many supportive comments.
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Miranda Muer August 9, 2012
the Australian Olympic officials are terrified they will lose their mega-$$$$ paychecks. FFS……Mr Coates’ paycheck is more than our Prime Ministers’…….how the f–k can that be ???????
and yes……wonderfully pertinent article Corinne……..you are always spot on.
The AOC should spend some of their millions on lessons of “grace” and “dignity” for sooky lah-lah olympic competitors representing our country…….
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Chele August 9, 2012
And now with the swimming finished we get to watch some of the swim team either party on in London or attend other events instead of us getting coverage of events still in progress.
I wonder who will be whinging on the way home because they weren’t given upgrades on their flights?
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Annie Also August 9, 2012
Thanks Corinne. It used to be ‘the friendly games’ fielded by amateur sports people, now it is all about the money and the adverstising and the sponsorship.
Can’t watch the Olympics since before Sydney because of the disgusting media hoopla ( pardon the term). I catch a catchup now and again through the news or articles like this. Tis enough. Had enough of sport sport sport…I agree..where are our priorities now? We are pathetic and sad. Let the elite atheletes do their thing and earn their money but it has nothing to do with me,mine and my sense of compassion. -
robert August 9, 2012
USA – 1 medal for every 3.9 milion people; GB – 1 medal for 1.3 million; Oz – 1 medal for 0.9 million. What’s the problem?
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Sally August 10, 2012
Hear Hear Corinne. About time “sporting achievement” was put into perspective.So many more important issues facing our world
Always amazes me how little coverage the heroes of the para-olympics get. No doubt it will be the same this time.
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Matt August 10, 2012
Fact: The bulk of our swimmers didn’t perform to expectations. No surprises really, it happens from time to time.
The rub is, the really amazing achievements get lost in all that. Like the young 16 year old diver who came from nowhere to claim silver in the 10m platform.
The men in the K4 who claimed an unpredicted Gold medal. They were wonderful moments and there have been others.
But there really is no getting away from the fact that a country like ours with an AIS, loads of funding, the world’s best coaches and technologies….we should be doing better in places like the pool, the cycling, the rowing etc. The athletes don’t mind getting their heads into TV commercials, talk shows, Sydney Confidential etc so they can’t expect no comment when they don’t deliver either.
Personally I like it when Australia does well in Sports, Olympic or otherwise. And if you think that when Australia doesn’t perform it only effects us for 2 secs, well clearly you don’t have any pommy mates. This will last for years. -
Melissa August 10, 2012
This is exactly how I have been feeling. Why the obessession with gold? Why are athletes who have just won silver, told minutes later by tv interviewers that they must be “so disappointed”? I agree with a former comment, why are the Paralympics not given any attention? I am not sure about Oz as i am currently on the London side if the world and they are playing Paralympic ads non stop…alluding to the fact that paralympians are much tougher, hardcore and legendary than all of the regular athletes. Also, in terms of your comments on ‘sportsmanship’, it is with noting that Tiki from Ethiopia was running a few steps behind her teammate for most of the race, only about 15 minutes before the finish line she ran to the side to get a drink…but also got one for her teammate-even though they were in competition with each other. I was so impressed by this I was hoping she would win and was thrilled when she did. That’s what sport should be about-giving it your best and supporting others. But you are also right when you say that competative sport in general all over the world gets much more attention than other issues that should be our priorities….
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Declan August 13, 2012
I agree with Corinne wholeheartedly, and also with the person pointing out that the athletes are also complicit in this, crying over their silver medals. It’s not just the media. A lot of the time the media is just broadcasting what the athletes are saying with all their trash talk.
But there were many great moments: Anna Meares, Steve Solomon, Jessica Fox, Brittany Broben… I wouldn’t hate sport so much if events like theirs were at the forefront.
Now bring on the paralympics, I think I’ll end up watching more of them on ABC 1 and 2 than I did the “warm-up” games on stinky Channel 9.
