So you want to be an Olympian?
Every 4 years the lucky number of triathletes who race at Olympic level for Australia is 6. That's once athletes from Australia have competed in the appropriate number of ITU races and garnered enough points to be in the elite world group allowed to field the maximum number of competitors (that is, 3 per gender).
But after watching the Winter Olympics, it seems that making it onto a Winter Olympic team could be a little easier than for their Summer games counterparts.
That's not to take away from the efforts of our team, but with the amount of snow Australia gets in comparison to sun, and therefore the numbers competing in Winter Olympic sports, you have a much better shot of making an Olympic team if you snap on the skis, grab a broom (a la curling) or hurtle yourself down a luge track (with or without vehicle).
Self-professed US sports guru, Ed Wyatt takes a stab in a recent blog at your best chances of making it onto a team, counting down the top 15 sports to give a shot. Such as;
13. Nordic Combined ... who even knows what this is?
10. Speed Skating ... Unless you have redwood-sized thighs, you’d better skip this one.
9. Biathlon ... This skiin’ and shootin’ sport is dominated by Europeans, so the odds of an Australian making it are pretty low, especially given our gun control laws. Still, considering how obscure Biathlon is outside Europe, it could be worth a try.
for more on this get onto Ed's site by clicking here.
“I’m Australia’s foremost authority on US sports. Which is kinda like being the best rapper in Switzerland.”
--Ed Wyatt, 2009
Comments (5)
by TB, 27 February 2010Got the joke. It wasn't funny. Ed Wyatt needs to stick to those boring American sports that have ruined One.
by Tony , 24 February 2010It's even funnier when someone doesn't get the joke.
by firstoffthebike, 24 February 2010Hi TB - think that was Ed's ironic point precisely regarding Aussie Rules (ie it's an Australian sport only).
by TB, 24 February 2010Wyatt loses a bit of creditability in the first paragraph of his blog, "there’s no chance you’ll be lining up in green and gold for the big Aussie Rules international with Italy". I wasn't aware Italy was a powerhouse AFL nation. I think Wyatt should stick to those great sports such as Baseball and American Football, which have been so successful world wide.
by TB, 24 February 2010Bit harsh on the poor old Winter Olympians. They bust their gut like triathletes and cyclists. They deserve their moment every 4 years. Sure Australia isn't as strong on the slopes than on the road in cycling or triathlon, however, in my opinion, winter olympians from Australia, have it a lot harder in getting to an Olympics then triathletes or cyclists. Firstly, the Winter Olympians receive little or no commercial support. They rely on a pettance from the government, which as we saw with Ben Mates in the Snowboarding, hardly covered his trip, needing to work as a courier before the Olympics to help get him there. I don't think Robbie McEwen, Cadel Evans, Emma Moffat and Emma Snowsil have any problem getting to an Olympic Games with their abundance of sponsorship dollars. I think we should applaud the Winter Olympians for sacrificing everything just to get there so we have someone to cheer on.