Fathers Day Wish

Every year I am asked what I would like for Father's day, and every year I give the same response. I just like to be able to spend the day watching sport and hope that the teams I barrack for have a win on the day. The only thing about this request is that it is not much different from any other Sunday afternoon, although I do get to escape from cooking the Sunday meal.

This Sunday I would like to have been able to watch Petro play his final game at Lang Park but as we know Channel 9 have ensured that Brisbane have not been granted a Sunday game as usual. Instead I will be watching the North Queensland Cowboys head into the finals with a thumping win over the Cronulla Sharks and set themselves up as the dangerous team in the eight. Unfortunately the 9 network missed a marketing opportunity here. With Brisbane playing a home game on Sunday, the stadium would have been sold out to send off Petro and the TV audience would have been huge with plenty of southerners tuning in hoping that Brisbane lose and get knocked out of the eight. And with Phil Gould's Panthers the opposition I am surprised that they are not featuring. 

One can't have everything though and all the fathers that support North Queensland will be very happy along with many other Queenslanders when the Sharks get a sound beating. All in all I do hope that all fathers out there enjoy the day with their children as that is what the day is actually about. 

NRL Finals Are Close

With only one round to play it will be soon down to 8 teams battling it out and 8 more dissecting what went wrong.

The top six is decided and all that remains fro them is where they finish. Bulldogs & Storm will be 1 & 2, it is just a matter of whether Bulldogs win their last game and maintain top position. Souths & Manly realistically should finish 3 & 4 but losses to either can see them drop to fifth allowing the Cowboys or the Sharks to grab the vital top four spot.  Sitting in 7th and 8th at the moment are the Raiders & the Broncos and victories are vital for both of the to stay in the eight, losses could still see them make with points differentials coming into play.

Looking at the middle tiered team it is interesting to see the spread. Go back ten rounds and everyone had written off the Raiders and any chance they had and their coach surviving the season. Brisbane on the other hand were looking a certain finals prospect but their chances faded with their ability to find the try line, and any semblance of attacking skill.The Broncos are clearly lacking in attacking flair and more importantly, speed. For a team with so much Origin experience they seem to let in a lot of soft tries. Following on their heals are 4 teams that most had in their top eight predictions at the start of the year, Tigers, Titans, Knights & Dragons. The Dragons are no surprise at missing out and were always going to struggle after Bennett left and didn't leave much of a legacy for them to follow on with. The Knights were always struggling and key signings for them just didn't stand up in the same way that Bennett's coaching style doesn't stand up so well any more either.  The Titans are also in the category of a team that had good signings but no reward from them, whilst Myles has had a good season, a lot more was expected from Idris who definitely looked to be playing injured all season. For me there is no surprise the the Tigers could and will miss out on the eight.  Whilst they may have Marshall and Farrah, there are too many under performing players at the club. This is a club that is too often only playing half a game.

Even with a round to play the Final predictions are already being discussed but I don;t think it is a certainty this year.  In the last 2 weeks, the Broncos had the chance to defeat the Bulldogs and Sea-Eagles and came up short. Storm also ave not been overly convincing but as usual grind their way to wins. Then you have the Cowboys who are the hot/cold team of the year but of late are hot and with Thurston and Bowen in form along with their team this is the team everyone should expect to see in the final. With the new finals format this year, the first round will be crucial. I expect that the teams in the top 4 who lose the opening round finals game will progress no further or if they do will not get to the final with injuries and fatigue playing a part.

Whilst I would love to see a Cowboys v Broncos final, I predict the Cowboys will be playing the Storm in the Final.

Weekend Wrap

After a brief absence the Weekend Wrap is back.  Quite a few things have occurred over the weeks but as usual the topics seem to stay the same. Coaches are being sacked or considered for sacking, the officials are making more and more errors and drug cheats are in the headlines.

Lance Armstrong - Is he a drug cheat?

I have always held a question mark over Lance Armstrong when it comes to being a drug cheat. Now that he has all but admitted to being a cheat by deciding to not defend himself has left open a wide door for anyone to label him a drug cheat. He may have been smart in doing so, as now the evidence will never been shown in a court of law and the speculation will remain. Maybe this was his intention or maybe his lawyers advised him to take this action to avoid the humiliation when all the facts were presented or instead they showed him the bill for their services if he went ahead and fought the charges. 

Which ever side you take in this debate, when you look at the history of Lance Armstrong, the accusations and the record of his team in the Tour de France, then you can understand why so many doubt his ability. With many of his fellow team mates being caught and doctors in his team being caught it is hard to believe that he is innocent of any dealing with drugs. Unfortunately if the evidence is not given to the public then this debate will forever rage on.  Yet again the image of cycling has been dealt a harsh blow.

Wallabies or Wannabes

Watching the wallabies go down in a historic loss to the All-Blacks and now going 10 years without holding the Bledisloe Cup it is easy to blame many things. Whilst I will maintain the official in charge of the game did not have a good concept of free flowing rugby and was farcical in some of his decision making, the result purely comes back to one thing. Australia is just not hungry enough. 

Many things are going wrong with rugby and it has been a gradual slide for years. The coach is the first change that needs to happen. If we want our players to have pride in their jersey then we need an Australian telling them why. Robbie Deans was hired and expected to turn our side into a world class team. Since the start of the World Cup it looks like the team is going backwards and the brakes need to be applied. Also it seems strange that the best two sides in our country, the Reds & Brumbies are out numbered by the Warratahs side. If the Reds were so dominant in the Super Rugby competition it seems amiss that only Higginbotham is in the Scrum and the backline is majority Warratahs as well. In all 7 of the starting 15 are from the Warratahs, a team that only won 4 games all season. Surely with the Reds & Brumbies totally dominating the Australian Conference they should have dominated the Australian side as well.  

 Drew Mitchell is a good player but why rush back a player from injury so quickly? It is no surprise that he is out injured again.  Kurtley Beale was rightfully dropped to the bench but maybe he should be taken to a weight loss clinic as it seems very obvious he is trying to bulk up for the forward pack. many will blame the backs but when the forwards are making no inroads and not having an impact, then the backs will never win a game. One of the most dangerous and explosive backs in the game was sitting on the bench. What do te Fainga'a brothers need to do to get a starting position.

When the decision is finally made to replace the coach, I also think that a few other changes need to be made with the selection and managerial positions as well.

NRL = Nine's Rugby League

The NRL is proudly rejoicing it $1 Billion dollar deal with Channel 9 and Foxtel, but in reality it has completely sold out and acknowledged that the game is controlled by the Nine Network.

Here was a chance for the NRL to not only get a large financial deal with the network rights but to also show that it understands what the teams, players and fans want. When the deal was announced and the news filtered out that the NRL had negotiated a deal for 5 years and $1 Billion dollars there was plenty to be happy about. It didn't take long for the details to be seen and the truth about who is in charge f the game. Channel Nine's boss David Gyngell soon outlined what would happen for the next five years.

What I hope this does is make plenty of people who complain about scheduling put their focus solely on the broadcasters.  Every week for years people have been complaining about the Brisbane Broncos playing predominantly on Friday's but with Gyngell now being quoted as stating:

"Why wouldn't they be on every Friday night in Brisbane? We just bought the game."

surely it is clear to even the ignorant that the teams have no control on when they play. So for those on their soap boxes posting their complaints every week and bashing the Broncos for the schedule need to redirect their focus to the network that shows the games.

Whilst the money is good and the game now has fixed scheduling for the first twenty rounds, the NRL unfortunately has lost a great opportunity to fix a few issues that are important to the people that actually count. The fans.  Personally I know very few people who are happy with the two games on a Friday night. The second game is on too late, littered with ads and it is easier to check the score to see if it is worth watching. Has anyone ever spoken to someone that actually likes the Sunday night Grand Final? What was a well held tradition seems to have long gone and with the addition of Sunday night games during the season, I doubt we will ever see day games in the future. If the NRL wants a game that attracts families it will need to rethink it's strategy. 

Surely the answer was an easy one for Nine to fix. One Friday night game, Live. If they want a second one, then let Fox show that game live and both show the alternative after. Saturdays are working well but maybe Nine should have looked to show one game live. Then there is the big issue of Sunday's. Always a traditional afternoon for watching football, instead has become a lovefest for Phil Gould and Ray Warren to prattle on about how much they love an afternoon game as they watch their favourite few teams player each other every week. Gyngell clearly stated his position:

"We have paid enough money to play games in prime time, don't you think. A lot of people like to be out with their families and get home at 4pm. That games works well for families and viewers."

If Nine still wanted to show this game at 4pm then still do it but show it live. If Nine have that much control then they have the ability to change the kick-off time. If you think they don't then why does the Origin never kick off at 8pm as the official program always states, but instead a good 15-20 minutes later.

The NRL may be a Billion dollars richer but little in the game will change. For 5 more years we will have the debate about stand alone weekends for origin, for 5 years we will hear complaints about the Broncos getting too many Friday night games, for 5 years we will have to listen to the Channel 9 idiots like Gould and Warren, for 5 years we will call for live football, for 5 years we will be subjected to ad riddled football on delay, for 5 years we will ask for a return to Sunday afternoon Grand Finals, for 5 years we will only see Sydney teams on a Sunday afternoon, for 5 years we will wish that another station got the rights and for five years we will wonder what the NRL commission has actually done. After 5 years we will be assured that the NRL stands for Nine's Rugby league.

Sorry but....

Sunday's game between the Bulldogs and the Broncos is one that has many stories to tell. Firstly, the Broncos showed that the Bulldog's are by no means unbackable favourites. If Brisbane converted more of their chances in the first half then the result would have been very different.  And also a few other instances from the first half raised eyebrows and some worrying concerns.  

When Tony Archer decided to penalise Jack Reed for falling into the ruck even though Gavin Badger was yelling that Reed had been pushed by Bulldog Josh Reynolds, you knew Brisbane were in for a tough time for the rest of the game.  What makes it worse for me is the statement from Archer that he couldn't reverse the decision because he had already blown the whistle. This is where I find the refs accountable for controlling the game in a way that is detrimental to the game. If the penalty is given the ref can still change the decision. If as stated by badger that the Bulldog player had interfered with a player returning to the defensive line then he has the ability to penalise that player and could have quit easily reversed the decision. We also see in most games where a player is told to go back to the mark as he was tackled or passed the ball after the call of held is made. If the game can be controlled this way then surely the refs had an out to correct what was a decision that affected the result. Instead we have a situation where the ref has immediately admitted to making a wrong decision, standing by that decision and then thinking it is ok to come out and apologise for that decision at the end of the game. Butvall is ok because it is looking more and more like a Sydney Grand Final which is all the media and NRL want.

All that aside though in the fallout from the game, all credit must be given to Anthony Griffen on how coaches handle such games. Everyone know the ref got it wrong but instead of the standard complaints we see from the likes of Hasler and Toovey, we saw instead a coach who wanted to talk about his team. 

With the way the season is panning out I am picking a final played between Manly and Canterbury and it will come down to whose players get away with the most and the coach that complains the most winning it for their team. That is why I would love to see the NQ Cowboys throw all the predictions out the window.

London 2012: Wrap Up

The London 2012 Olympics are almost over and the final day has begun. All that remains is for the Closing Ceremony to be completed so that those who hold no interest in sport at all will finally have something to talk about since the opening ceremony. Also it will be one final chance for the likes of Eddie McGuire to show why Channel 9 should never be allowed within cooee of an Olympic coverage again.

Over the duration of the Olympics there has been more sport and topics than a TV network can manage to fit within the replays and interviews and pre-recorded footage, so over the next few months expect a complete barrage of replays and highlight packages. 

We all should have known how bad the coverage was going to be from the outset....

All the talk for Australia will now be focused on whether or not enough funding was being provided and what needs to be done to improve for Rio 2016.  I for one agree that funding of our athletes is a good thing but it also needs to be done right. Where the money should mainly be directed though is not at the top but rather in the developmental stage.  Talent identification and honing that talent is where Australia is dropping the ball.  There are many other arguments that can be added to that but personally it is at the junior level that potentially many great athletes are dropping off the radar.  If we want to be a great nation it is not just about providing help to those that already have made it to the top level but ensuring we keep discovering and developing those for generations to come.  Australia is a great sporting nation but have a look in your streets and backyards and ask yourself what it was like when you were a child. How many weekends and afternoons were you outside playing until dark waiting for a call to say "come inside".  Times have changed but it also means they can change again. Maybe if we can get our country to be more focused on participation rather than just solely on watching and commentating then we can solve some other large issues we are facing as a community as well.

London 2012: Day 12-14

The games are almost over and over the last three days there is only one issue I want to raise. I have mentioned it before and I will mention it again. Drug Cheats. No Olympics will ever be clean of drugs and if you think I am wrong then ask yourself one question: "Will society ever be clean of drugs or cheats?"

What is worse than drug cheats are the hypocrites who ave retired from sport and throw accusations at athletes who have not been found to have taken any illegal substances.  In this light I am referring to the one and only, Carl lewis.  I have always thought this man to be  a disgrace to his sport. When a person tests positive 3 times and has those results swept under the carpet by the US Olympic committee before the 1988 Olympics, you know that all credibility has gone. When almost every competitor in the infamous 1988 100m final has been caught, you know that the eventual winner, with a tainted record, could not be clean either. Yet like most things back then, the Olympic Committee was too scared to stand up to the United States.

Usain Bolt's message to Carl Lewis

Ever since that fateful year and after his retirement it seems that Carl Lewis has always thrown negative comments towards anyone in athletics who has gone on to beat his records or hold titles. What is good to see is Usain Bolt respond in a very straight forward manner:

“I’m going to say something controversial right now, Carl Lewis - I have no respect for him,” Bolt said, having cited 1936 quadruple champion Jesse Owens as a man he held in the highest regard.

“The things he (Lewis) says about the track athletes, it’s really downgrading for another athlete to be saying something like that about other athletes.

“I think he is just looking for attention really because nobody really talks much about him. It was really sad for me when I heard the other day what he was saying, it was upsetting.

“So, for me, I’ve lost all respect for him, all respect.

“It was all about drugs, about drugs stuff for me. For an athlete to be out of the sport saying that was really upsetting for me. As far as I am concerned he is just looking for attention.”

But maybe Carl knows what it took him for to compete at the top level and thinks everyone needs to do it as well.

London 2012: Day 10 & 11

Another 2 days have passed an dhow things have changed in the media circles. It's funny what a little bling does to those who like to bask in the glory of others. Australia obviously is now sitting a little higher on the ladder and the commentators suddenly have a fascination in yachting and with another gold expected on day 12, maybe the swimmers will be out of favour at the next Olympics.

For those who find a sense of relief must be those with a short memory and cannot remember or are not old enough to remember Olympics before Atlanta in 1996.  From Atlanta onwards Australia had a very good run and with a home ground advantage in 2000, a lot of funding and effort went into our athletes.  Similar to what we are seeing from Great Britain at the current games. With exception of the Melbourne Olympics (another home ground advantage) Australia never reached double digits in the gold medal tally until 2000. In the history of the games Australia has an average of 5 Gold, 5 Silver & 6 Bronze, so when you consider Australia is an almost certainty to get another medal for the Men's 470 in the sailing and the Kookaburra's are in hot form then the current tally of 4 Gold, 12 Silver & 9 Bronze is above average.  Maybe if the media didn't focus on the swimmers so much we might realise how well some of our athletes are actually doing in the games and the standards of the competitors they are up against.

Another point of debate that is growing more and more is the irritating presence that is Eddie McGuire in commentary. When you listen to this idiot prattle on for two or more hours as they cover the marathon and the triathlon, you have to wonder how in earth this idiot got a gig anywhere in sport. No matter what he talks about there is no real evidence that he actually cares about what he is talking about and the emotion comes across very fake.  Half the time I think the room he is sitting in has been cleared out by all the production crew and he just prattles along talking to the mirror they have set up in front of him.  It is time that Channel Nine kicked him back to Collingwood and told him to never surface again for the sanity of all sports lovers.

Now for some lighter moments

How not to lift the weight....

John Hopoate is now coaching wrestling

Give her heaps because....

London 2012: Day 8 & 9

Seems the Olympics roll on and if you are busy like me doing other things then you miss quite a bit. One thing you don;t miss though is the coverage, countless footage of hosts and replay after replay of action while they wait for things to happen before showing them. Surely if the AOC is going to look into anything it shouldn't be the effort of our athletes and the gold medal tally but rather the inept way in which the Olympics is being showcased by a media organisation that is way out of it's depth and not in touch with what the viewers want. Just take last night for example where viewers were subjected to more than 2 hours of Eddie McGuire dribbling on about anything he could find printed in reports and giving as much emotion, care & heart to the information as Monty Burns does.

This morning saw what could be one of the greatest feats in Olympic's history when Usain Bolt won back to back 100m sprints. Although Carl Lewis won back to back, he wasn't the first across the line in the infamous 1988 Seoul Olympics. All the hype for this race eventuated and Bolt never looked like being headed to show why he is the premier athlete on the track in winning the fastest 100m final in history.  What was disappointing was the thought process that led to a fool in the crowd to throw a bottle on the track just before the race. Whilst it didn't affect anything, the picture clearly shows how dangerous this could ahve been.  Also questions should be raised about spectators having glass bottles. But maybe it was aimed at USA sprinter Justin Gatlin as a protest to a previously banned drug user being allowed to ever compete again.

But attention needs to be thrown at the media who only want to see gold. When you have reporters walking up to our athletes and being very critical and negative it is a shame to say they are Australian. I encourage everyone to go onto Channel 9's face book page and review all the comments being posted. There is a large public outcry against this station.

From 1996 onwards Australia has enjoyed very successful Olympics. When you consider that in 2000 Australia hosted the Olympics and a large amount of money was pumped into our athletic programs to ensure a good home result and adding to that what effect a home Olympics has, there was never any doubt that it wouldn't last forever. This Olympics isn't over yet either and plenty more medals will be won. Maybe this is the wake up call our country needs to get our kids more active in sport and try and identify kids that can compete in the real athletic arena rather than the virtual one on our screens.  Is Australia'a decline in sport proportionate to our rising obesity and declining political willingness to get our country fit?

Cane2Coral 2012: What's Your Story?

On a glorious Bundaberg morning more than 300 volunteers were keen with excitement and anticipation as they went about their many tasks to get the The Friendly Society Private Hospital Cane2Coral for 2012 under way.  With over 2600 entrants registered in the event for the 15km and 8km distances, there was going to be many stories told by the end of the day.

Erwin McRae

Chloe Turner

Last year’s winner Erwin McRae returned to defend his title and blitzed the field for the 15km run to finish in a race record 45:45 ahead of Alan Craigie (49:01) making it a double for the ACT and showcasing the broader appeal of the race.  Chloe Turner (56:42) was the winner of the Female 15km event with Belinda Cooper in 2^nd (1:00:26).  The 8km event was a hotly contested affair and little separated Elliott Hodgson (27:57) from Matthew Hauser at the finish line (28:04). Brooke Willis (34:41) was winner of the Female 8km with 11-12yo contestant Kayla Munson (35:48) hot on her heels.  Glenn Cooper and Belinda Cooper took out the title of local winners and were awarded the Rod Young Memorial award for their efforts.

For the day though there were many stories and every competitor in the event had their own victory. Whether it was to win an event, beat a personal best, beat a mate or simply to cross the finish line with your family cheering you on, much unfolded throughout the day.  This is exactly what a fun run is all about. It is more than just a serious event. It is about fitness, enjoying the outdoors, challenging yourself, experience what the Bundaberg region has to offer and it’s beautiful surrounds, revelling with strangers at the finish line as you congratulate each other on completing the run. There are those who dress up and try to stand out in the crowd taking in the festival feel.

A group from the army not only entered the event as a team, they also donned their army gear, long pants, boots and a 30kg pack on their back for a 15km slog. Many took their child for the run and pushed them in a pram for the whole journey and posting times ahead of many fit competitors. Pacesetters were in place for those who aimed at specific target times and encouraged their runners right to the end in an effort for someone else to get their moment of personal satisfaction of a race well run. Sons found that little bit of extra energy to sprint to the finish to get bragging rights over their father. 

  

Disability was no excuse for many and showed what can be done, it is just a matter of admitting to yourself it can be done. One team united to push Eden Camac, in her wheelchair, finishing in a moment when everyone should have realized it can be done.  Even age is no barrier and Rupert Cruickshank in the 70+ category put many younger athletes to shame.

These are just a few select moments that caught my attention but with 2259 runners officially crossing the line, there are many more stories out there to be told. 

What’s Your Story?

London 2012 Day 6 & 7

Looks like I have some catching up to do as my personal life has meant I have not seen much of these 2 days. With Cane2Coral less than 24 hours away my focus on sport has not been where it normally is. Also this can be attributed to the poor coverage that we in Australia are subjected too.

My theory is that Channel 9 had lots of packages ready to roll on our swimmers, cyclists, rowers etc for when they won gold. But as sport generally goes, the script has not been followed and they are at a loss on what to show. Not used to showing live events they are instead subjecting us to hours of couch talk by hosts that never set foot on a sporting field and seem clueless to what they are talking about.

With no gold since day 1, it seems our commentators are fixating on other countries for some golden glory while hanging out for the Kookaburras to get to the final.  Maybe they should give credit to those athletes putting in their all and recording personal best times, a feat which should always be congratulated.

I also find it surprising that we have a rower, Josh Booth, who has been forced to apologise and then sent home after he decided to be a true "Aussie Abroad" and vandalise a shop after a night on the town. here we have a guy who actually broke the law and was lucky to get off lightly and the media is not saying too much. Yet if a footballer in Australia or Nick Darcy, you could imagine the headlines. This to me is a perfect example of how the media pick and choose who to vilify.

The History of Cane2Coral

On a sunny, quiet afternoon on October 2009 in the front bar of the Bargara Beach Hotel, Kerry Short and Neil Rowland were discussing the future of the Bargara SLSC. They needed a new fundraising event to maintain the future of the club. For 38 years the club had successfully run the Bundaberg Summertime Surf Girl, but due to the change in the modern world this event had run its course.  Whilst sharing a few cold cleansing XXXX’s the pair struck onto an idea that aligned with surf lifesaving but would also appeal to the greater community. Neil, from Sydney, was very aware of the fun runs held in Sydney and knew that here they were in one of the best geographical locations in Australia and the lay of the land also would be perfect for a fun run event. With Neil recently seeing many of his close family affected by cancer and losing his father to cancer he wanted to ensure that any event they held, contributed largely to the Cancer Council. Kerry was happy as long as the Surf Lifesaving Club benefited along with the Cancer Council. Although the idea was not penned famously on a napkin or coaster, the idea itself was imbedded in 2 of the most passionate men in Bundaberg.

Neil Rowland & Kerry Short

Crucial to the success of Cane2Coral was the level of expertise and professionalism brought by Bundaberg’s own Olympian, Anita Palm.  In the first 2 years in her role as the Event Director, Anita “set the bar” in terms of attention to detail, registration processes, computer marketing, professional individual timing and health management procedures. Anita’s continuing consultative role ensures that Cane2Croeal’s processes/procedures continue to be assessed and developed.

A fun run is not created overnight though and lots of ground work needed to be done and most importantly sponsors needed to be sought. Neil himself took it on personally to approach sponsors and since the inception of Cane2Coral many sponsors have come on board and those like The Friendly Society Private Hospital, Bundaberg Sugar and Bundaberg Brewed Drinks have been there since day one and contribute valuable assistance and has seen the addition of McDonalds in 2011 as a major sponsor. 

Major Sponsors - Bundaberg Sugar, Friendly Society Private Hospital and Bundaberg  Brewed Drinks

On Sunday 1^st August 2010 the inaugural Cane2Coral was officially started with 2190 entrants, well over expectation. Former New Zealand Olympian, Dale Warrander, has the honour of being the first winner of the Cane2Coral Fun Run and showcases the widespread appeal that the Cane2Coral attracts.  Brisbane based runner Helen Stanton was the first female competitor to finish the race.

No event on any scale can survive without the addition of the crucial assistance of volunteers. In a true show of community spirit, hundreds of people have offered their time, resources and skills over the years in making this a community driven event. The Cane2Coral recognises this generosity by returning the gesture to all charities that lend their time and resources. Last year a total of $112,250 being donated to various charities including the Cancer Council, Ronald McDonald House, The Bundaberg Surf Life Saving Club and many local schools, sporting and charity organizations since the inception of the Cane2Coral Fun Run.

In 2011 more than 400 competitors travelled further than 400km and has seen visitors from as far as New Zealand and Germany. With over 2000 entrants in the inaugural year exceeding most expectations the event has grown more every year. With the dedicated team working behind the scenes great things are ahead and it won’t be long until the Cane2Coral becomes part of the Australian running calendar. 

London 2012 Day 5

Even though it is yesterdays news the Badminton Controversy is still in the news. In what must be seen as the  biggest "I am taking my ball and going home" move is now also belongs to badminton. It seems that China's Yu Yang has thrown in the towel and quit the sport for good. In a statement on her blog site Yang has said:

"This is my last time competing. Goodbye Badminton World Federation, goodbye my beloved badminton. You have heartlessly shattered our dreams. It is just unforgivable."

What Yang needs to do though is take a good look at herself as this is what the rest of the world is thinking of her and the other 7 badminton players that forever tarnished badminton. Their acts were unforgivable and they only have themselves to blame. But then maybe of the big nations of badminton were not able to control the game for the last 20 years then the athletes would not have thought they could get away with it. 

Now for a totally left field story that comes via my wife. It is an issue that makes her disgusted with the habits in certain sports.  Mention cycling and the men's road race and wait for a blast at the "filthy" habit of a pee with great one handed ability on the road as they ride. Questions then get raised about the women, as obviously they don't have the ability to siphon off to the side like men do.  Now the swimming pool seems to be a place that as a certain tinge to the water as seemingly all swimmers do it. I really feel sorry for the swimmer that swallowed a lot of water the other night now. Then you have the weightlifters who all seem to pee a little in the exertion of lifting those great weights and that is from both men and women. I have even seen footage of marathon runners in full flight not missing a beat as the relief settles in.  All in all, I can say be very careful giving a congratulatory hug to an athlete straight after their event, might be safer to wait until after they have showered.

Don't believe me.....

London 2012 Day 4

Badminton hits the headlines and all for the wrong reasons. What has unfolded in the round robin games is a situation which rares it's head regularly in sport and is one which needs to have a hard line stance to punish those involved.

With the final round robin games occurring in the women's doubles matches the dreaded term "it's a fix" was occurring. With the final standing all but decided for two teams, the final round robin matches decided who they faced in the next stage, the ugly situation occurred. In one match the top seeded team form China decided that the crowd didn't deserve to see a quality game and attepted to throw the match so they wouldn't have to meet fellow Chinese team mates until the final. Their opponents from South Korea responded in kind and a farcical game resulted. The crowd was booing and badminton now has a tarnished record. Once the officials stood in, things turned to normality of sorts and the Chinese team ended up winning, but with part of the game played under farcical standards surely the only result should have been to disqualify both teams.

The same situation then occurred in a game between another South Korean team and an Indonesian team where both were trying to lose. In this case the official stood in and disqualified both teams, only to go weak and reverse the decision.   Surely the officials need to make an investigation in the the actions that occurred and make a stance. The only decision that I can see sense with is automatic disqualification for all four teams in trying to fix the result of the tournament.

What makes it worse is that further investigation into China and badminton shows a long history of manipulation. Maybe a strong message needs to be sent to a country that has everyone scared to offend or upset them.

And for those who think Australia could be going better, think of the poor hosts who are yet to win a gold medal.