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Interstate Domination

September 2nd, 2006 · No Comments · AFL

The Australian Rules Football home-and-away season is over and it looks like it is going to be another finals campaign dominated by the interstate teams. It is an interesting term, ‘interstate teams’, as it is supposed to be a nationwide competition, yet any team that is not based in Victoria is classified as such.

This year, there are only four Victorian teams in the final eight, and after the first week of finals there will only be two left, and they face an uphill battle to reach the Grand Final. In addition, there is only going to be three final matches played in Victoria, with the Grand Final one of them.

It is great for the competition and for the spread of the game, but in the home of football, it is another disappointment for the armies of supporters.

Related Pages: AFL

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More Dopes

August 23rd, 2006 · No Comments · Sports Medicine, Track & Field

Does the drug nightmare for sports ever end? Track and field are having their turn at the moment. World and Olympic 100 meters champion Justin Gatlin admitted failing a drugs test in April, and has just been given an eight-year ban, though this may change over time. The world record for the 100 meters of 9.77 seconds that he shared with Asafa Powell has been taken off him. The harsh penalty follows his previous positive for an amphetamine at the 2001 US Junior Championships.

Also in the news is five-time Olympic medallist Marion Jones, who has been linked to doping in the past, and recently gave a positive result for EPO. Her second sample has yet to be tested, but her reputation must now surely be tainted.

Pills

All this in the wake of the other high profile USA athlete found to be doping, cyclist Floyd Landis, who tested positive for elevated testosterone during the Tour de France. As talked about previously, the answer to this problem of drugs in sport does not seem apparent.

Hopefully, as more high profile athletes are found to be cheating, this will deter others from doing so. What happened to the old adage of just playing fair? Maybe one day that will return. In the meantime, I hope the scientists continue to fight and catch the cheats so I can again truly enjoy watching sport.

Related Pages: Doping in Sports, Track & Field, Marion Jones profile, Floyd Landis profile

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Pakistan Spits Dummy

August 22nd, 2006 · No Comments · Cricket, Umpires & Referees

An interesting thing happened in a Test Match between England and Pakistan the other day. It was unfortunate for controversial Australian umpire Darrell Hair that he happened to be officiating on this day, however it seems like he just followed the rules as they are laid out. Originally, Pakistan were penalized five runs after the umpires noticed that the ball had been tampered with. Whether they did it or not, the Pakis should have just got on with the game. Instead, after the tea break they decided to have a ‘sit in’ and did not retake the field. After giving them adequate time to make it to the pitch, the umpires decided that Pakistan had forfeited the match with victory being awarded to England. As with all sports, the umpires are the sole adjudicators of the rules out on the pitch, and the umpires decisions should be final. It really doesn’t matter that people have paid to see a game – they have paid to watch a fair game of sport, and if the umpires declare that the game is not fair, and a team does not follow the rules and laws of the game, then they (and the supporters) will have to suffer the consequences. I don’t like how so much of the blame went to the umpire Darrell Hair (but not his co-umpire?). The blame should go to the Pakistan Cricket team for spitting the dummy and not playing ball.

Related Pages: Cricket

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Storm brewing over Melbourne

August 20th, 2006 · No Comments · Rugby League

Nearing the business end of the season, the Melbourne Storm are well clear on the Australian Rugby League (ARL) ladder, which must be disappointing to many people from the states north of here (NSW & QLD) where the game is most popular.

I was at the Storm’s game against the Warriors last night. It was the first game I had seen live in Melbourne, and it was a different experience than the Aussie Rules games I have been watching lately.

Melbourne storm

This game had an international flavour as the opposition was from NZ, something that never happens in Aussie Rules. There was also a great atmosphere, dancing girls, fireworks and music. Combined with a vocal crowd and a smaller field it seemed like we were right in amongst the action.

Although the Storm team was beaten, it was a very entertaining evening, and I think that any Victorians who find it hard to see what all the fuss is about with Rugby League should go along and watch a game live.

Related Pages: Rugby League

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Thorpey fat or fit?

August 18th, 2006 · No Comments · Sports Nutrition, Swimming

Is Ian Thorpe fat? In a country where we have a real obesity problem, there are people calling one of the world’s greatest swimmers fat because he may have put on a couple of pounds.

swimming training

If he is out of shape, he has shown by his determination and previous workrate that he could easily get himself back to top form. It is most likely that he was just photographed in a non-flattering pose while eating junk food.

And there is nothing wrong with an elite sportsperson having some junk food every now and then. As part of a balanced diet, there is room for all types of food. As a swimmer, he would burn copious amounts of calories before most of us are even out of bed, and so he would need to eat a large quantity of food to provide his energy needs.

Let’s wait for the next major championship where he puts himself against the world’s best before we criticize him any more.

Related Pages: swimming, Ian Thorpe profile, sports nutrition

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Early Start for Swimmers

August 7th, 2006 · No Comments · Olympic Games, Swimming

It has recently been announced that the Beijing Olympic Committee are considering turning the swimming program on it’s head, so that the swimming finals at the 2008 Olympic Games are in the morning and the heats in the evening.

The reason for this is so the finals are on at prime time in the US. I have no problem with this, and I think the swimmers should welcome it. Although the world’s top swimmers are professional athletes, as with all sports, there are able to be professionals due to sponsors and the public who enjoy watching them perform.

swimming competition

By swimming their finals in the morning they are able to satisfy both of these groups. Physiologically, they should be more than capable of swimming their best in the morning. Look at every swimmer’s training program, and you will see that they are up early every day doing laps in the pool. If the Olympic program is switched around, you will see all the lead up meets also change their program around so they can get used to the new schedule.

I have also always wondered about how fresh the swimmers are after swimming several heats in the morning then coming out later that day to swim in their finals. Having to come to the pool fresh each day to race their finals, we may well see better performances – then we will not be hearing any complaints.

Related Pages: swimming, Olympic Games, Beijing 2008

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Lands In Trouble

July 28th, 2006 · No Comments · Cycling, Tour de France

It would not be a Tour de France without some doping scandal. I thought that when a few of the favorites were pulled out by their teams at the start of the event due to a link with a drug laboratory, then that would be it. However, the day after the end of the Tour finished, we discover that this year’s winner Floyd Landis gave a positive test for elevated testosterone, from a sample given after his big comeback win on one of the final stages.

This whole incident may go on for a long time with appeals etc, but already the damage has been done to his reputation and to the reputation of world cycling, if it could get any worse.

I followed the ups and downs of the Tour for two weeks, and even stayed up late and watched a couple of the stages. Now I feel like what I watched was not real, and I feel cheated. I feel the same disappointment whenever there is a drug scandal.

The doping cloud over Lance Armstrong is never going to go away either. In an era when many of the leading cyclists are being done for drug taking, indicating that many performances are drug-assisted, here is a guy who has won seven of the events in a row. It is hard to believe that someone who is clean can dominate for so long in those conditions.

Related Pages: Tour de France, cycling, Lance Armstrong profile, Floyd Landis profile

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Aussie Team on Tour

July 25th, 2006 · No Comments · Cycling, Major Events, Tour de France

Michael Rogers, one of two Australians who finished in the top ten of the Tour de France this week, suggested it was time for Australia to put a team on the tour.

There is a big financial hurdle to overcome, but other than that there is enough interest in Australia and certainly enough talent to put together a team.

This year was Australia’s best performance – we had two riders in the top ten, Stuart McGee and Michael Rogers, and the winner of the sprint title was Robbie McEwen also of Australia.

Getting a major sponsor must be easier knowing that a competitive team could easily be put together, and the public interest will only grow with any success.

Most Australian sports fans will follow any sport, and a winning team will bring on board everyone else. What is in it for the sponsors? They need to find someone with a lot of spare cash to throw around, or someone looking for worldwide publicity, particularly in Europe.

Related Pages: Tour de France, Robbie McEwen profile, cycling

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No Stopping the Tiger

July 24th, 2006 · No Comments · Golf, Golf Majors

It seems like it has been lean times for Tiger Woods recently, though he has now claimed another Major with his win in the British Open this week – making it his 11th Major in his relatively short golfing career. He must have at least ten more years at the top left in him.

At the end of his career, if he keeps his form, he will most certainly be the most successful golfer in history. It was an emotional win, his first big one since his father died. It was also a vintage Tiger win, leading into the final day as he has done many times before, and holding off all comers to finish solidly two strokes clear at 18 under.

Tiger Woods Sports Illustrated

Despite attempts to de-Tiger the PGA tour by changing the length of courses, he continues to win. What it shows is that a true champion will shine through anyway, no matter what you try to counter his dominance. At a time when the real Tigers of India are facing extinction, golfing’s Tiger can still be spotted on any Major golf course leading the pack.

Related Pages: golf, Golf Majors, British Open, Tiger Woods profile

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Protecting the Umpire

July 19th, 2006 · No Comments · AFL, Umpires & Referees

On the weekend, an AFL player playing down in the VFL, accidentally ran into the field umpire and knocked him over. It looked pretty funny on TV, but in recent years there have been a few of these incidents and the players have been penalized for it.

Last night this player was given a week’s break by the tribunal, which he probably thinks is a little unfair. However, it is important to protect the umpire or referee in any sport. To do their job properly, they have to be close to the play without getting involved in it. The players and umpires alike need to do whatever it takes to keep that barrier.

Long kick

Another AFL umpiring incident this week had the field umpire apparently swearing at a player. Even though the umpire denies it, if swearing at the player was required to get his point across then I have no problems with it. If an umpire does a good job, no one notices.

So I guess that means in both of these incidents some of the blame must go to the umpire.

Related Pages: AFL

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