http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/olympics/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ten-pound-poms-to-charge-olympic-fans-to-breathe/ London Olympic organisers LOCOG are officially loco. They are not, however, low cost. In an unprecedented step, LOCOG will charge people ten pounds to enter the main Olympic stadium precinct and watch events on the big screen. Up to 70,000 such tickets are for sale. They will also charge people to watch the road cycling in the Surrey countryside, as well as charging ten pounds to watch Olympic tennis on the big screen on the famous “Henman Hill” at Wimbledon – the small patch of grass named after the mostly unthreatening Pom who lost four Wimbledon semi finals. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ten-pound-poms-to-charge-olympic-fans-to-breathe/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/ten-pound-poms-to-charge-olympic-fans-to-breathe/#item8453 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-on-open-thread-04-05-20122/ It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-on-open-thread-04-05-20122/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-on-open-thread-04-05-20122/#item8406 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/keep-calm-and-carry-on-its-just-the-olympics/ In one of the world’s most impressive displays of bristling military might, the UK armed forces are creating a £600 million Olympic ‘ring of steel’ that includes installing surface-to-air missiles on apartment building rooves. There’ll be an aircraft carrier with 800 Royal Marines, Navy ships, RAF helicopters, private security, and 13,500 service men and women – more than are deployed in Afghanistan, according to the Daily Mail. The Thames will be filled with laser-equipped sharks. Graeme Garden will be in charge of intelligence. The Ministry of Funny Walks will train a handpicked squad of bobbies. Dad’s Army will be brought out of retirement to shepherd small children across the road. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/keep-calm-and-carry-on-its-just-the-olympics/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/keep-calm-and-carry-on-its-just-the-olympics/#item8378 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-female-of-the-species-is-more-sporting-than-the-male/ At the Beijing Olympics, Australian women took home eight of our 14 gold medals. At the Vancouver Winter Games, women won both our golds. Our last tennis Grand Slam champion was a woman, our last golfing World Number One was a woman, our last cricket world champs were women, our last world surfing champ was a woman and our best horses at the moment are all female too. That last point might seem a trivial addition, but Black Caviar has reminded us all lately that you don’t need dangly wedding tackle to be a sporting superstar. Gai Waterhouse’s mare More Joyous and Mark Kavanagh’s filly Atlantic Jewel both also won emphatically on the weekend, just in case anyone missed the point, Without question, these three lady steeds are easily the best horses currently racing in Australia. And it’s an interesting coincidence that Black Caviar will lead the equine Aussie charge in England this northern summer, just as our females will do likewise at the London Olympics. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-female-of-the-species-is-more-sporting-than-the-male/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-female-of-the-species-is-more-sporting-than-the-male/#item8361 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-uniform-distaste-for-our-daggy-fluoro-olympians/ America got Ralph Lauren. Britain got Stella McCartney. We got… more green and gold. Australia’s 2012 London Olympic competition uniforms have been unveiled, and even though Sally Pearson cartwheeled down the centre of the runway, nothing could save us from yet another dreary Olympic uniform. With the exception of Cathy Freeman’s headsock back in 2000, Australia’s competition outfits have been a wash of crop tops, tight shorts, misfitting t-shirts and the obligatory green and gold for decades. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-uniform-distaste-for-our-daggy-fluoro-olympians/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/our-uniform-distaste-for-our-daggy-fluoro-olympians/#item8131 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Mr-DArcys-pride-should-come-ahead-of-our-prejudice/ It’s time to give Nick D’Arcy a break. The story going around today is that D’Arcy has been cleared by the Australian Olympic Committee to compete for selection at the London Games. It’s a story I chose to run as part of our morning sport package on Sky News, but not discuss in our panel chat this morning on Sportsline. It’s an old topic and it’s time to move on. It’s been almost four years to the day that D’Arcy’s Olympic dream was shattered and his life turned upside down. Up until that point in the bar late on that dreaded night, D’Arcy was on the cusp of realising his dream. All those training sessions, early mornings, long programs, strict diets, missed parties, big sacrifices and endless laps up and down the pool were about to be worth it. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Mr-DArcys-pride-should-come-ahead-of-our-prejudice/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Mr-DArcys-pride-should-come-ahead-of-our-prejudice/#item7831 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-sallys-no-lay-down-shes-a-lay-down-misere/ Back in 2004, all eyes were on an Australian female hurdler as our Olympians readied themselves for Athens. Our strongest ever Olympic team would eventually win 17 gold medals, yet the pre-Games hype was all about Jana Pittman, who would go on to win nothing. So here we are eight years on and again, the focus is on a female hurdler. Only this time it’s different. This time the hurdler is naturally charming, not attention-seeking. This time she’s fit and firing, not half broken down. This time you sense she’s doing it for all of us, not just herself. Sally Pearson was 22 when she won silver in the 100m hurdles at Beijing. The race was thrilling. But it was THAT post-race interview with Seven’s Pat Welsh which really burned her name and face into our minds. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-sallys-no-lay-down-shes-a-lay-down-misere/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/this-sallys-no-lay-down-shes-a-lay-down-misere/#item7802 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/so-much-ground-to-make-up-so-little-time-to-do-it/ Julia Gillard needs time to repair her scarified personal standing in the broad electorate and this year simply will not give it to her. She also needs time to reorient political debate to economic management and other areas of relative Government strength. Again there simply will not be enough days for her in 2012. This is a measure of both the magnitude of the Prime Minister’s plight and the crammed agendas for this year, the crucial positioning period leading up to the scheduled election in 2013. This week Ms Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will bid to impose their own structure on the national debate in major speeches—Mr Abbott tomorrow and Ms Gillard the day after. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/so-much-ground-to-make-up-so-little-time-to-do-it/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/so-much-ground-to-make-up-so-little-time-to-do-it/#item7637 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-reasons-why-thorpe-wont-claim-a-world-record-again/ IAN Thorpe’s comeback to Olympic swimming could be as disastrous as the former champion’s illegal flop into the pool at the 2004 Olympic trials. Thorpe’s freakish ability to carve up the pool and wipe out his opponents has been proven time and time again. But his powers to overcome hurdles to make it back on the Olympic dais are weakening, year by year. Thorpe will make the Australian Olympic team. He is such a perfectionist that he will make it happen. But whether he wins an individual medal – or a world record for that matter – is now a topic of great debate. It’s been almost 10 years since Thorpie smashed a world record – Manchester’s 2002 Commonwealth Games in the 400m freestyle. His world records were broken over a period of five years – when his body was still growing. In 2002, Thorpe was just 19. He never broke a world record after Manchester. After Thorpe stopped growing, we never saw the form he produced as a teenager. Here are 10 reasons why Thorpie won’t set the world on fire in London 2012. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-reasons-why-thorpe-wont-claim-a-world-record-again/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-reasons-why-thorpe-wont-claim-a-world-record-again/#item5298 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning? http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-nothing-wrong-with-the-aussie-bogan-slogan/ Recently News.com.au published an article from Brisbane’s Courier-Mail and a poll calling for the banning of the Aussie sporting war cry “Oi! Oi! Oi!” on grounds that it’s embarrassing. When I last checked, the yeas were outnumbering the nays two to one and I find that distressing. I’m not remotely embarrassed to say I love the Aussie Aussie Aussie warcry. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-nothing-wrong-with-the-aussie-bogan-slogan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/theres-nothing-wrong-with-the-aussie-bogan-slogan/#item4343 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 It’s that time of every four years again. REVEALED: The official Olympic opening ceremony uniforms. What do you think? Stylish? Awful? One question on our mind is why they chose white bottoms, don’t they know how easily they stain? Here’s what our ceremony uniforms looked like in Sydney in 2000, in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. Bit of a mixed bag. What else is on your mind this morning?