winners or sore losers?

Correct me if im wrong, but it is my personal belief that the Olympic Games is an international event. It is NOT the commonwealth games, and for that matter it is also NOT the Australian Games. It is a free-for-all world event, where athletes come from every corner of the globe to compete.

Why is it then, that I find myself staring down the barrel of covered events in which only Australia competes, and more over, covered events where only Australia WINS or places.

And here come the questions..;

Are Aussies good sports, OR are we just really good a selectively televising?

Are we too proud to show races that we dont place, and too quick to ask 'what went wrong'?

[aah perhaps someone trained harder, was stricter in training and discipline, maybe its not that we "failed" but that someone else was better?]

And furthermore, do we actually shun doing badly?

For this sake i'll name that 'Positive Propaganda at it's Finest'

Did you know that prior to 1980, Australia actually did so terribly at the Olympics, that when the team arrived home from the 1976 Montreal games the government decided to fund billions of our tax paying dollars into what is now known as "The Australian Institute of Sport". Vowing to never be humiliated again. And its worked yes, to some extent, were definitely a "sporting" nation, but at what cost?

Silver place Australian swimmer Cbomb broke down on international television, crying that her second place medal "disappointed her nation and family". Disappointed? Atleast you got televised Hunni. [and also cant help the irony in her last name considering what she was probably calling herself after she "lost"; poor thing]

Where do we draw the line between barracking and bullying? and moreover, who decides where all this "pressure" is coming from? Notably the Australian athletes are feeling the heat. Perhaps it is exactly said "do or die" attitude that is resulting in numerous athletes becoming nervous, sleep deprived, "heartbroken" and somehow surprise, surprise! therefore; not perform!

and at the core, who is to blame?                      ....AIS? [just pointing out the funded obvious]

I dont know about you, but i dont want to spend the Olympics watching Australia compete; I want to see Nigeria smoke the rest in the 100m sprint, and China kill it in Gymnastics, I want to see Russia slice up the competition in fencing, and Croatia absolute ravage the rest in wrestling.

after all, aren't we a multi cultural nation?

*rant end*

with love, M