Our beloved Shanghai Sailor has seemingly gone too far….not!
Bitch: What an extraordinarily offensive post by Shanghai Sailor. The Olympics is about winning medals not simply making the final. At the 2012 Olympics Australian sailors won 3 gold medals and one silver to clearly lead the medal tally.
It could very easily have been 4 gold. The 3 medal winners were dominant and have since transferred their winning form to other disciplines of our sport.
Australia was the dominant sailing nation in 2012. Let’s acknowledge that and look forward to Rio 2012. Credit where it is due please.
Reply: Oh dear, it would seem that we have upset someone.
Mr Graham Burrell who as “Executive in charge of Production – Foxtel Olympics at Foxtel” an Australian broadcaster, and has an obvious vested interest in the viewer figures in Australia called our article on who had the bragging rights after the Weymouth Olympic Regatta “extraordinarily offensive”.
To who?
Mr Burrell perhaps? He clearly needs to take a chill pill.
In the first line of his – yes, let’s call it a tirade – he states “The Olympics is about winning medals not simply making the final.” Well I would have thought the executive in charge of production of the Olympics might have had a better knowledge of the basic concept of the event.
Perhaps we are both wrong as, in the view of Pierre de Coubertin, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. Note to Mr. Burrell : Baron de Coubertin founded the Modern Olympics by the way.
What was intended as a somewhat playful challenge to our down under sailors whom we have enormous respect for, the likes of Burling and Tuke in the 49er & Aleh & Powrie in the 470(W) – oops sorry Graham, they are Kiwis, hope that doesn’t upset you too.
But Belcher & Ryan would be very disappointed to come away with anything less shiny than gold.
On the Para-Olympic side there are defending champions, Fitzgibbon and Tesch and let’s not forget Tasmanian Matt Bugg who has been posting some great results in the 2.4m.
On the flip side GBR is taking 3 reigning world champions to Rio along with sailors, who once again, could ALL end up in their medal race – no one left out because “they are not a podium potential” And let’s not forget Helena Lucas who will be a close rival to Bugg in the 2.4m.
Of course with Australia NOT sending all sailors in all classes which qualified to the Games because they stood no chance of winning (Olympic Philosophy?), once again they won’t feature in every medal race. Team GBR may however – just like they have in the last 3 Olympics.
