G'Day From Downunder

I suppose it would be enormously disrespectful to start this article without first recognising the amazing performance of Ireland's Katie Taylor - making history winning Gold Medal performance at the Olympics.

By now, everything that can be written about this amazing athlete will have been written many times over before my words reach you.

Nevertheless, it is worth saying it again, what a brillant performance, and a well-deserved win.

By world standards, we Irish might not notch up the multiple medals that the likes of the USA or China, but considering the amount of money those countries pump into their athletes it's a wonder anyone else gets a look in at all.

Here in Australia the country is up in arms over the results of what the Ozzie athletes' have not achieved, considering the multi-millions and the hundreds of athletes' that were sent to London.

In fact, the government have backed an inquiry into what went wrong.

The consensus is that the 7 Gold, 15 Silver, and 10 Bronze won by Australia, was far too little for the amount of money spent.

The Australians are weeping in sorrow of what could have been while on the other hand the Irish are celebrating what they have achieved and, dare I say, with so little money to back them.

No matter how long it has been since we Irish migrants have left our native shores, it brings enormous joy to us to see Ireland do well, particularly when the odds are stacked against us, be it the might of Russia or anyone else who takes us on.

Maybe now we can convince Katie to take on the rogue bankers and give them a knockout blow for the rest of the nation - that's something the government doesn't have the will or ability to be able do.

I think it's about time for the average person on the streets to look at the cost of the Olympics and question what exactly are they getting for their money.

Down here in the Land of Oz, the Australian Government has pumped in well over $600,000million to win Gold and that figure does not include the cost of hosting the games in the year 2,000.

Since 1976, Australia have won 79 gold medals at the cost of $7,594,900 for each Gold medal won or, if you look at all the medals Gold, Silver and Bronze that were won, that amounts to 304 in total, which equates to $1,973,680 for each medal brought home.

The question is what does the Australian average person in the street get for his money?

Not a lot when you work out the figures. Maybe he gets a worm and fussy feeling when he watches the games on TV or sees the results in the morning headlines, but he can also have a warm and fuzzyy feeling if he pees in the bed and that's not going to cost $7,594,900 million is it?

Really is it logical; ask yourself would you pay $7,5 94,9,00 for a Gold medal, when Gold is running at about $1,800 an ounce.

I bet our Katie could only dream of what it would be like to have that sort of money backing her to win her medal.

When you look at the comparisons, you can see how remarkable Katie's achievement has been with much less resources behind her.

One of Australia's most successful medal winners was swimmer Ian Thorp but in all the times I visited Ireland the USA and all the other places around the world I have been to in the last ten years, not one person mentioned his name or knew who he was.

More importantly, I do not know of one person who came to Australia just because this lad won Gold medals.

Yet I know hundreds who went to Ireland to hear the music and that hasn't cost them an arm and a leg and I bet it didn't cost the Irish government a fortune to get them there either.

Ian Thorp, who did not compete in London, won five Gold medals over two Olympics which cost the Australian Tax payers $37,974,500; forget the cost of the three silver and one bronze he won, because the cost of those would have bought a couple of dozen well needed ambulances, or essentials for the needy.

But who cares anyway? It's public money and politicians sometimes like to put money into feel good things rather than necessities.

If you go to university here in Oz you have to pay fees that are quite heavy, if you happen to borrow the money from the government to pay for your university fees you have to pay them back... surprise surprise.

Yet if you are attending the Australian Institute of Sport training to be a soccer player or training for any sport and then go on to make millions in your career you don't have to pay anything, not even a dollar.

In fact, they pay you an allowance while you attend and when you do make your millions you don't have to say thanks to the Australian taxpayer and the best part is you don't have to give anything back.

How good is that you could become super, super rich at someone else's expense; who said life wasn't fair.

The movie Crocodile Dundee cost a fraction of what Australia spent on the games and yet it's credited for bringing in billions in tourist revenue.

Maybe Australia should be doing more movies rather than wasting taxpayers hard earned monies on sports events just for the sake of making us look good in the eyes of the world.

Therefore, you have to ask what are Australia and all the other nations that are ploughing mega bucks into the Olympics doing it for? Is it for the medals, is it for glory?

Alternatively, are the politicians using the games as a political statement or propaganda as Adolf Hitler did before world war two?

Have the games been hijacked by big business? Nike, Adidas and the other brands have turned the games into fashion showrooms, displaying the 'in' things in fashion to be seen in.

Unfortunately, for them and more luck to me I don't think I could get into any of their wares even with the help of a shoehorn.

Looking at the extravagance of the Australian funding for their athletes, I wonder if you agree with me?

Should a greater proportion of the monies be spent on things like health, education and housing?

Things that make a difference to whether people live or die and whether someone should be sleeping on the streets or have shelter over their heads, or adding additional education programs for children with learning difficulties or maybe give our elderly an extra few bob in their pension? After all they were the backbone that this nation was built on.

Don't think I am against the athletes, because I'm not. What I am against is the enormous cost of the games - they have become way too expensive and ridiculous, particularly now when you look at the state of the financial world.

Maybe it is time for the games to go back to Athens where they originated from and have a permanent home there.

There is no doubt the cost would be dramatically reduced by having a permanent home.

This is where the but comes in: but then the IOC wouldn't be able to take home the brown paper bags.

You remember the ones that were so regularly seen in Ireland when things were not transparent and Irish people too trusting.

Not anymore. Oh, what money, and corruption does to some people.

Until I talk to you again soon; be good to those who love you and Slainte from Downunder.

You can catch me on mbowen@afsvic.com.au (note the change of email address)