Commonwealth Games
I read this article by Michael Johnson the other day: his thoughts on the Commonwealth Games that have just finished in Melbourne.
MJ could only talk of substandard competitors and the requirement of if you're going to prove you're the best, you have to compete against the best. It's a pretty poor attitude: best or nothing. No mention of people turning up and giving their all. Those people who don't get the millions in sponsorship required to be full-time, professional sportsmen or women, but rather have to train after work or at weekends. Real dedication in my eyes.
There's no mention of sportsmanship or the joy of taking part or of pulling on the colours of your country. So what if someone was a second off world-best pace? They trained to the best of their abilities, turned up in Melbourne and said "hey I'm here and this is what I can do." Good on them I say and long may the Commonweath Games continue.
No, the Commonwealth Games are not the World Championships or the Olympics, and some groups of people could do well to remember that - and I believe this was MJ's point overall. But I think his attitude shows a real lack of respect for those who organise and more importantly those who compete in these games.
One interesting little contradiction in what he said: MJ complains that 20.47secs in the 200m and 10.03s in the 100m were not good enough for a proper medal. But the very next paragraph he says that to expect athletes to get their best times in March, when they're used to running in the summer, is not reasonable. So I'm assuming the Olympic and World champs are going to be a little off the pace at this time of year also...
I enjoyed these games immensely and the BBC's interactive coverage on digital telly was excellent.
I for one am really looking forward to the 2010 games in Delhi, and watching Melbourne 2006 has actually got me a little more excited about London 2012. Now there's a thing!
MJ could only talk of substandard competitors and the requirement of if you're going to prove you're the best, you have to compete against the best. It's a pretty poor attitude: best or nothing. No mention of people turning up and giving their all. Those people who don't get the millions in sponsorship required to be full-time, professional sportsmen or women, but rather have to train after work or at weekends. Real dedication in my eyes.
There's no mention of sportsmanship or the joy of taking part or of pulling on the colours of your country. So what if someone was a second off world-best pace? They trained to the best of their abilities, turned up in Melbourne and said "hey I'm here and this is what I can do." Good on them I say and long may the Commonweath Games continue.
No, the Commonwealth Games are not the World Championships or the Olympics, and some groups of people could do well to remember that - and I believe this was MJ's point overall. But I think his attitude shows a real lack of respect for those who organise and more importantly those who compete in these games.
One interesting little contradiction in what he said: MJ complains that 20.47secs in the 200m and 10.03s in the 100m were not good enough for a proper medal. But the very next paragraph he says that to expect athletes to get their best times in March, when they're used to running in the summer, is not reasonable. So I'm assuming the Olympic and World champs are going to be a little off the pace at this time of year also...
I enjoyed these games immensely and the BBC's interactive coverage on digital telly was excellent.
I for one am really looking forward to the 2010 games in Delhi, and watching Melbourne 2006 has actually got me a little more excited about London 2012. Now there's a thing!
Comments
There are Olympics, World Championships, Nationals, Regionals down to local competitions.
I wouldn't expect Olympic champions to compete in a village fair competition - there's no point. But neither do I think that people who compete in a village fair are pointless - they're pushing themselves and competing at the level that's right.
Does that mean their efforts are worthless? No. They should be applauded for trying and pushing themselves.
Lots of the people who competed in the Commonwealth Games, may well be off Olympic pace, but they're competing at the right level, and eventually may compete (and even win) Olympic competitions in the future. They're gaining valuable experience competing at a lower level.
The other thing I really liked about these games was that the "elite athletes with disabilities" (EAD) were competing in the same games as the "able bodied" athletes and their medals counted for just as much in the medal table. That is a real step forward for sport.
I did watch the track & field events, but spent more time watching the more obscure stuff. The badminton was excellent, as was the squash. Really enjoyed the shooting too. So much in fact, that I'm going clay pigeon shooting on sunday. :)