The 2012 Team Australia News and Hospitality Thread

[Sir Rols]

Welcome to Australia House on The Strand, venue this year for the traditional GamesBids Team Oz supporters' hospitality thread. It's been a little bit of home up north for Aussies for years who've made the trip to Blighty, and one of our more impressive and high profile overseas diplomatic outposts.

Actually, I didn't know till I hunted up the pic, but apparently it was used in the Harry Potter movies to film the scenes for the interiors of Gringott's Bank.

Anyway, I know it's early, but no time like the present to start the Green and Gold preparations for the Games. And seeing this one is an "Ashes" games, I think it's gonna be of more interest than usual for us Down Under.

Anyway, here's the place to discuss our team, to cheer on Mighty Aussie Supermen and Women and brag about our Gold tally during the upcoming festivities (and make jokes about the Poms - or grumble if they beat us to any medals, or in the final tally).

First up discussion - what is it with our women rowers? First we had "Lay Down Sally", and now this. Do they ever get on?

Australia axe Olympic sculler

SYDNEY: Australia axed sculler Pippa Savage from their Olympic women’s quad team yesterday due to “incompatibility issues” among the crew as tensions escalated on the water in the lead-up to London.

Problems came to a head on the eve of last weekend’s World Cup regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland following what reports said was a personality clash that descended into a harsh exchange of words.

Savage was withdrawn from the crew shortly before the start of the race and has now been dumped from the Olympic team.

Reports said the latest flare-up and axing was a result of the history between the pair.

...

Star online

[bomberguy]

Great to see this thread get started. Looking forward to watching the Aussies compete in London. I have tickets to a Boomers match, a Kookaburras match, the Womens Basketball final (hoping the Opals make it!) and some individual events where I hope to see some more Green & Gold. I also know 2 wrestlers and a Synchro Swimmer competing so I am excited for them also.

Don't even want to get started on the rowers. It is one of those sports where it really seems crucial to have harmony in the team.

[Sir Rols]

I've got tix to (hopefully) see Sally Pearson get hurdles gold and Matt Mitcham take on Thomas Daley in the diving. It'd be ironic after never seeing an Aussie gold medal in person in Sydney if I have to go to London to experience my first hand Aussie gold.

[bomberguy]

The diving should be pretty special, if Daley and Mitcham make the final. The atmosphere will be electric if it happens. I also have tickets to see Pearson. Fingers crossed everything goes well.

Hopefully we both get to see an Aussie win gold for the first time that night!

[Chateau Petrus]

Checking in my big data base that I created with all the events and results I saw at differents Games :

For Australia :

Bronze Atlanta 21-juil-96 Natation femmes 100m brasse Riley Samantha AUS Bronze Atlanta 22-juil-96 Natation hommes 200m papillon Goodman Scott AUS Bronze Atlanta 25-juil-96 Cyclisme hommes Poursuite individuelle McGee Bradley AUS Silver Atlanta 27-juil-96 Cyclisme femmes Vitesse Ferris Michelle AUS Silver Atlanta 27-juil-96 Athlétisme femmes Lancer du javelot McPaul Louise AUS Bronze Atlanta 27-juil-96 Cyclisme hommes Poursuite par équipe Australie AUS Silver Atlanta 29-juil-96 Athlétisme femmes 400m Freeman Catherine AUS Gold Beijing 11-août-08 Natation femmes 100m papillon Trickett Lisbeth AUS Bronze Beijing 11-août-08 Natation femmes 100m papillon Schipper Jessicah AUS Bronze Beijing 11-août-08 Natation hommes 4X100 libre relais Australie AUS Bronze Beijing 16-août-08 Natation hommes 100m papillon Lauterstein Andrew AUS Gold Beijing 22-août-08 Athlétisme hommes Saut à la perche Hooker Steve AUS Bronze Beijing 22-août-08 Canoe-Kayak hommes K1 - 1000m Wallace Ken AUS Bronze Beijing 22-août-08 Canoe-Kayak femmes K4 - 500m Australie AUS Gold Vancouver 24-févr-10 Ski acrobatique femmes Sauts Lassila Lydia AUS

[Jonafin]

Hey Sir Rols, I was wondering when a thread would be starting for Team Australia!! GO TEAM!! Unfortunately for me, I can only support our athletes through my television.... would love to be over there! But I wish everyone over there a great time!

Hopefully, this guy above will lead the Aussies in the pool for gold! I'm more than confident that him and Sally Pearson will take gold in their respective events.

Fingerscrossed for Mitcham and Hooker to retain their titles in diving and pole vault.

I found this on the net, it seems like we have a bit of work to do to beat the Brits (according to this "predictor" anyways).

April Medal Predictions and Projections: London 2012

6 April, 2012 by Keith Lyons

The Herald Sun in Australia is using Infostrada data for its Virtual Medal Predictor.

Its predictor is updated at the start of each month.

The April update is:

Do these sort of predictions usually hold out in the real world?

[Sir Rols]

Do these sort of predictions usually hold out in the real world?

Hmmmm. Not sure about this. Like the Sports Illustrated medal predictions (which someone will no doubt start a thread on one they're out) they're based on the results from the past year. They can be a bit hit and miss when they look at the individual sports. I usually respect John Coates' predictions more - he's usually right on the money when it coms to predicting the Aussie medal total - and I think I remember a month or two ago he was quoted as saying he's bit more optimistic and we're possibly a chance for top 5 on the table.

My personal benchmark is usually to hope we get the 13 gold mark (the same we got at home in Melbourne '56), and anything after that is a bonus. It would be nice to beat the Poms, but that might be a tough ask with them on home ground. The cycling should be the big Ashes duel.

And thanks for posting a pic of Magnussen - our first "Hot Bod" of the games (another GamesBid tradition).

[Jonafin]

My personal benchmark is usually to hope we get the 13 gold mark (the same we got at home in Melbourne '56), and anything after that is a bonus. It would be nice to beat the Poms, but that might be a tough ask with them on home ground. The cycling should be the big Ashes duel.

And thanks for posting a pic of Magnussen - our first "Hot Bod" of the games (another GamesBid tradition).

Yeah, nothing like a home games to bring out the best in their Athletes... definately a hard task. Beating our Ashes rivals, would be the icing on the cake.... Top 5 would be Awesome!!

"Hot Bods" eh? The swimmers definately take out a nice size part of that title. Though, Josh Jefferis (Artistic Gymnast) certainly has the goods too! Apparently he is our only representitive in this event. So all the best to him!!

It would be nice to see a few golds coming from events that we are not known to be good at (swimming, cycling, sailing etc).

[Sir Rols]

Well, while we're on bod shots, here's the swim team in San Francisco for a meet en-route to London.

Members of the Australian swim team (from left: Ryan Napolean, Park Tae Hwan, Bronte Barratt, Mitch Larkin, Stephanie Rice, Kenrick Monk, Meaghan Nay and Nick Darcy) at a camp in the US. Herald Sun

Hmmm, I see Nick Darcy's in with the crowd - I thought he was persona non grata with most of them! (and is it me, or is that a rather unfortunate ... ahem... camp pose he's doing?)

And Napoleon with the beard - THAT better get shaved off - we need any thousandth's of a second we can get!

[AlexDS69]

That picture is in Santa Clara, NOT San Francisco. Santa Clara is at least 45 minutes down the road from San Francisco, and borders San Jose. I wish that the City of San Francisco had world-class swimming facilities.

[Shrek201]

That picture is in Santa Clara, NOT San Francisco. Santa Clara is at least 45 minutes down the road from San Francisco, and borders San Jose. I wish that the City of San Francisco had world-class swimming facilities.

San Francisco is NOT an outdoor swimming city. But the Bay serves triathletes very well.

[Jonafin]

Another "Hot Bod" - swimmer Matt Targett

Aussie Water Polo Team!

[bomberguy]

The Aussie Mens Volleyball team qualified for London today! A fantastic effort.

[Rob2012]

Slightly off-topic:

http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2237702390/Home-and-away-Games

[Sir Rols]

Slightly off-topic:

http://video.theaust...-and-away-Games

Yeah, if London does well, I'm sure we'll award ourselves a gold medal for taking credit!

Swimming Australia's and the AOC's copping a serve down here:

An Olympic-sized apology?

The Australian Olympic Committee is standing by its decision to sanction Kenrick Monk and Nick D’Arcy for posing for a photograph with guns despite revelations Swimming Australia organised team bonding sessions at a Canberra rifle range.

Monk and D’Arcy were reprimanded last week after they posted the photo of them in a gun shop in California on Twitter and Facebook.

They have been ordered to return to Australia immediately after completing their events at the London Olympic Games

However, a photo of Libby Trickett firing a vintage pistol at a Swimming Australia camp from 2007 emerged last night.

The entire squad was at the Sporting Shooter Pistol Club in Majura for a bonding session.

Despite the photos of Trickett and her teammates with guns, the Australian Olympic Committee released a statement this morning saying the images have ‘‘absolutely no bearing on the decision’’ it made.

‘‘Kenrick Monk and Nick D’Arcy have been sanctioned by the AOC for breaching their Team Agreement as members of the 2012 Australian Olympic Team,’’ the statement said.

‘‘The Canberra gun range visit was an initiative of Swimming Australia.

‘‘It had nothing to do with the AOC. It was 2007, they were not members of any Olympic Team at that time.

‘‘It has absolutely no bearing on the decision taken by the AOC at the weekend.’’

Officials could be forced into an embarrassing backflip with Swimming Australia to meet today to decide if they will sanction D’Arcy and Monk.

A photo taken by The Canberra Times five years ago shows Trickett, Emily Seebohm and Alice Mills each holding guns while walking on the range.

D'Arcy and Monk copped a barrage of criticism last week after they posted their photos.

Sprint star Eamon Sullivan and breaststroke champion Brenton Rickard believe the pair have been unfairly treated.

In revelations which will cause Swimming Australia headaches, Sullivan and Rickard revealed they also attended bonding sessions at the Sporting Shooters Pistol Club in Majura.

Sullivan - an Olympic silver medallist - jumped to D'Arcy and Monk's defence.

''I think [former Australian head swimming coach] Laurie Lawrence said it best himself - they haven't really done anything wrong, shooting is an Olympic sport,'' Sullivan said on Channel 9's Road to London.

''The shooters don't get in trouble for posing in their Speedos.

''We were on a team camp in Canberra, I can't remember which year but we went to a gun range and had a bit of fun.

''It was a bit of a bonding session. There was nothing wrong with it then so I don't see the difference now.''

D'Arcy and Monk will compete at the London Olympic Games but will be forced to return to Australia immediately after their events.

The Australian Olympic Committee and Swimming Australia refused to comment when contacted by The Canberra Times last night.

Swimming Australia chief Kevin Neil replied with a simple ''no comment''.

Monk and D'Arcy, who have both been plagued by controversy during their careers, apologised for the photo. D'Arcy was booted out of the Beijing Olympic team for assaulting former swimmer Simon Cowley, while Monk lied to police last year about being the victim of a hit-and-run after breaking his elbow from falling off a skateboard.

Rickard, a silver medallist at Beijing and a three-time world champion, said he didn't think the pair had done anything wrong.

''In terms of what's gone on with Kenrick and Nick - to me it's one of those hard ones,'' Rickard said.

''They've done nothing wrong in terms of going to a legitimate place to fire firearms, but at the same time we're taught about the dangers of posting any photos on Facebook or Twitter that could be misconstrued.

''And unfortunately that's what's gone on with them. I think ultimately they look a little silly and stupid posing like tough guys in photos but at the same time, to me, they've just participated in a legitimate pastime and unfortunately they've been portrayed in this harsh light.''

The breaststroker didn't want to be drawn on whether officials were guilty of double standards, but was hopeful the sport could put the controversy behind it.

He twice attended the gun club - once with the Australian Institute of Sport and then again with Swimming Australia - where he learned how to handle a firearm correctly.

''The boys are going to try and do the right thing and just put their heads down now and hopefully we can all get past this and move on to the job of swimming at an Olympics,'' Rickard said.

''I think this is a shame that this has become an issue because ultimately I don't see it as an issue. I just see it as a photo that's become a media sensation. Hopefully we're all prepared and we should be concentrating on preparing for the Olympics.''

SMH

Here's the original Darcy Monk pic.

I dunno, I think the AOC did the right thing in this. Both Darcy and Monk are past bad boys, with pretty serious indiscretions, and both I'm sure were put on the "one more slip and your out notice" by the AOC and Swimming Oz. The fact they're still on the team at shows they recognise this isn't a hanging offence, but in those two's case requires some reprimand.

The Libby Tricket thing's a bit of a furphy. And don't get me wrong, I think the Darcy-Monk pic is trivial as, and the hysteria really over the top. If I found myself in a gun store in the US (which I'm sure I never would) I might pose for the same type of pic. Stupid. But these two guys have bad form and really need not to put a toe out of line.

[Jonafin]

Some of the swimmers!!

[Sir Rols]

Beach volleyballer Cook will make record breaking fifth Olympic appearance at London 2012

July 3 - Beach volleyball star Natalie Cook will be competing at her fifth Olympic Games, an Australian women's record, after qualifying for London 2012.

Cook (pictured above and below, left) has the distinction of being the only woman to have competed in all five Olympics since the sport debuted in 1996, will be hoping to add to her gold medal won on home soil at Sydney 2000 alongside Kerri Pottharst.

Cook and Tamsin Hinchley (née Barnett, pictured below, right) sealed their London spot at the Continental Cup – an Olympic qualifying event – in Fuzhou, China, after missing out on an automatic place.

For the 26 teams competing in Fuzhou, there was only one spot on offer though; which Cook believes will have done her the world of good for London.

"The tears yesterday – I don't think I've sobbed like that ever before, not even when we won in Sydney," Cook said.

"To be a five-time Olympian and be the only female in Australia to do that is pretty special.

"To be able to stay at that level of my game and hold my standard at an international level for so long is great.

"I think the pressure from the last week – we were going through emotions of fear and excitement and anxiety and joy – and I remember feeling all of that in Sydney when we won the gold medal.

"This week was the same pressure if not more because if you lose you do not even get to the Olympics.

"I mean the Olympic Games will be a breeze compared to the stress and the emotional pressure we were under in this last week – it was pretty epic."

Cook and Hinchley played together at Beijing 2008 (pictured above), losing at the quarter-final stage.

London 2012 will be Hinchley's third Games.

Insidethegames

A women's record fifth team appearance, eh? Could make her another strong contender as flagbearer for the OC.

[The Hawk]

I heard from a very reliable source (VERY RELIABLE) that Natalie Cook is the most likely to carry the Australian flag. The only others up for consideration would be Jamie Dwyer or Michael Diamond, but Natalie Cook is as good as home...so I hear.

[Sir Rols]

I heard from a very reliable source (VERY RELIABLE) that Natalie Cook is the most likely to carry the Australian flag. The only others up for consideration would be Jamie Dwyer or Michael Diamond, but Natalie Cook is as good as home...so I hear.

Welcome to the board Hawk!

Yeah, I'm starting to really hope it's Natalie.

Meanwhile:

HG Nelson to present a nightly London Olympic Games report for The Project on Channel Ten

SEASONED sports aficionado HG Nelson is headed to London to give his unique take on his fourth Olympics.

The comedian has given a taste of the brutal honesty to come, saying Paris would have been the better choice for host city.

Nelson, who will present a nightly Games package for The Project on Channel 10, told Confidential yesterday he would have preferred the event to be held in the City of Light as it is more exotic than the English capital.

Paris came closest to toppling London in the 2005 bid, making it to the fourth and final round before being edged out 54-50 votes in a controversial IOC decision.

Madrid, Moscow and New York City also lobbied for 2012 hosting rights.

"Certainly Paris was a more exotic location than London," Nelson told Confidential.

"London has had their diamond jubilee this year and they've had Andy Murray in the final of Wimbledon.

"I don't know if the city has the momentum to maintain its spark through an Olympics.

"I just wonder if Paris was the more interesting location."

The comic also took a tongue-in-cheek dig at some of the events offered up at the Olympics every four years, joking about the relevance of trampolining and BMX racing.

He also made light of the ranks of Australia's athletes, which this year are lacking many of the big names and medal hopes of the past.

"Until the gun goes off we won't know who the stars are ... and I think some that might be unearthed will surprise and amaze us," he joked.

"Those sports that we don't think about ... like shot put.

"All of a sudden we will have an interest. It's all there waiting to be discovered."

Herald Sun

Good to see HG back doing a Games show - but somehow I think it'll be missing something without rampaging Roy ...

... and of course, FATSO!

[zekekelso]

And Napoleon with the beard - THAT better get shaved off - we need any thousandth's of a second we can get!

7 Gold Medals. 7 World Records.

[Sir Rols]

7 Gold Medals. 7 World Records.

Different era, different professionalism.

In those days, they didn't even shave chests. If Spitzy was competing these days, you bet your bottom dollar he'd be shaved hairless!

[micheal_warren]

Welcome to the board Hawk!

Yeah, I'm starting to really hope it's Natalie.

Meanwhile:

Good to see HG back doing a Games show - but somehow I think it'll be missing something without rampaging Roy ...

... and of course, FATSO!

Excellent I have their DVD's from Athens and Sydney! Glad to see them back after a break in Beijing.

[The Hawk]

Cheers Sir Rols...good news about HG!!! Actually, funnily enough, I was in Europe for a few months, got home to Australia last week (sadly, wish I could have stayed on!) - my travels took me to Derbyshire at the end of May. I'm sitting in the gardens of Chatsworth House, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, with my family (aunty/uncle and cousins) who were over for a week or so. My uncle turns to me and goes, is that HG? Turns out, it was. We spoke to him briefly. Thought he was over for the Games, but can't have been because he's been back in Australia since. But good to see he's heading back to London.

[Sir Rols]

Actually, talking about body hair - Missile Magnussen's looking particularly fine before his games shave-down! I'll be posting him for sure in the Gamestime Hot Bods thread!

[Faster]

Shave-down? As if, waxing all the way.