With my favorite sporting event only a few sleeps away, I thought it would be interesting to review a few thought-provoking points concerning the most prestigious sporting event on our planet.

50 shades of the Olympic Village

They are young, fit and fertile and it’s been reported that most of the athletes have become so self involved and focused on achieving their goals that they have sustained from social and sexual activity for the last 3+ months. Athletes, both male and female have come out and expressed their love for the Olympic Village and the privacy, excitement and intimate environment it provides. Needless to say, it would be an interesting couple of weeks in the Olympic Village and I’m sure many single athletes will be enjoying their down time.

A foxy Hooker?

I find it a bit convenient that Steve Hooker has found form no less than a week out from the games. Wouldn’t it be amazing if he had been foxing all this time? I’m sure many Australians have been fantasising that for the last year, Steve has been secretly hidden away training in his personal pole-vaulting gym consistently jumping at world record standards. My only worry is that winning and losing are habit forming and that without consistent competition form, he may be setting himself up for a 6m fall.  Thorpey has already disappointed on the foxhunt this year but I imagine significant media frenzy will erupt should Hooker win consecutive gold medals.

Every Gold Medal Live

As sports fans, there has never been better coverage of the Olympics. Foxtel has introduced eight new channels dedicated to the games. My personal favorite will be the ‘Every Gold Medal Live’ channel, which will broadcast every disciplines’ gold medal event, meaning that I will be able to watch Canada rake in a record number of medals while gaining some serious locker room ammo.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship dollars make the Olympics possible and all major multinational corporations want their brands associated with the five coloured rings. Sponsorship can typically be a boring subject but I thought it would be interesting to share the tactics of an apparel company during the Vancouver Winter Olympic games. From what I understand, said clothing company was unable to win the sponsorship rights to certain athletes so instead, they sponsored the athletes’ parents. Pretty smart seeing as cameras always flash the athlete and their family support team.

The Big Event

The undisputed, must watch event of every Olympic games is the men’s 100m final. I can remember exactly where I was in 1996 when Canadian Donovan Bailey stormed home to a world record gold medal performance and it seems like just yesterday that Usain Bolt recorded the easiest of victories while annihilating the completion in a breath taking performance that left the world jaw dropped in amazement. However, four years is a long time and it appears as though a new genuine contender is ready to challenge Bolt for his world’s fastest man title. If history is anything to go by, we are in for a doozy.

The Must Win

Being the only Canadian in the locker room, it is fair to say that I cop a healthy dose of banter for my love of maple-syrup, salmon and poutine but all of the abuse will be worth it if Brent Hayden can beat James Magnussen in the 100m freestyle. I would compare it to Steven Bradbury winning gold on the ice rink, minus the fluke. If there is anyone that can dis-arm the missile, it’s a peace keeping Canadian.

Oh Canada,

Mike Pyke

Have you got anything relevant in the football or news world you would like me to discuss? Send your queries to media@sydneyswans.com.au, and include your name and hometown and I’ll try and discuss them in my next blog.