I read or heard once that Australia, Great Britain and Greece are the only countries that have competed at every modern Olympics.
A couple of websites claim Switzerland has achieved the same feat.
Wikipedia sheds some light on that: “Switzerland boycotted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, but the equestrian events for those Games were held in [...]
Jamaican sprint champion Usain Bolt surprised international journalists when he said Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden was his sporting hero.
“I am a huge fan of Matty Hayden and he’s a cool customer out in the middle and I like his style,” Bolt said.
Most of the international media listening to Bolt’s interview didn’t know who Hayden was [...]
This is a cute story from The Australian:
Where else would a pair of walkers get married but in Walkerville? Australia’s walking hero Jared Tallent desperately wanted the silver medal in yesterday’s 50km walk to go with his bronze from the 20km to make it a full set. He gets his “gold” when he marries fiancee [...]
Why is beach volleyball an Olympic sport? How many people in the world play it competitively?
Likewise synchronised swimming.
Softball has been dismissed as an Olympic sport and rugby can’t get in, yet these Mickey Mouse sports continue at the games.
Let’s make blogging an Olympic sport. More people do it than beach volleyball.
Stephanie Rice won Australia’s first gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in the 400 metre individual medley.
She defeated Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry. I’m delighted for Stephanie, but admit that I have a soft spot for Kirsty.
She has achieved so much against the odds. Kirsty was Zimbabwe’s first individual Olympic gold medal winner. I think their women’s [...]
I’ve never been a fan of the “budgie smuggler”. I won’t enter discussion about whether that’s because I have a big gut or a small appendage; that’s for others to judge, and a small number regarding the latter. (more…)
Two interesting reports caught my eye tonight: one that Jesus played cricket and the other that William Shakespeare was a Catholic.
Neither comes as a shock. There have long been rumors that Bill was a Mick, but author Joseph Pearce has apparently found new evidence.
Jesus would have been a great opening batsman and handy spin bowler. [...]
A League soccer came to Mount Gambier this afternoon when Perth Glory played Adelaide United in a pre-season cup game.
The crowd was about 4000, slightly lower than expectations, perhaps due to showery weather in the early afternoon.
The game finished in a scoreless draw, which was disappointing for the fans. I think my son Michael was [...]
I started playing hockey at school when I was 15. Now 26 years later I’m watching my 14-year-old daughter have her first experience of the sport.
There is a chasm of difference between our experiences.
Hockey was a novelty for teenagers when I first had a casual hit during a sport session at school (described here). [...]
