Well congratulations to Amy Williams who managed against all the odds to achieve gold in skeleton (sledging) at the winter Olympics in Canada. For one of the few nations competing without any kind of winter sport it was a fantastic achievement. She learnt most of her trade running a board on wheels down a road. It is such a shame then that Canada thought it right to complain to officials about her helmet not being the correct regulation, when they knew they didn’t have a leg to stand on.< Canada’s Melissa Hollingsworth finished 5th, nowhere near the medals. Even if they believed they had a case, and Amy had to forfeit her position, their lady would only make it up to forth. Fact is that America complained earlier in the competition and it was thrown out. What it shows is a complete lack of gamesmanship and behaviour I would expect from the Chinese or Russians. Even Germany’s Kerstin Szymkowiak who came second said that she deserved to win. And rightly so when she was a massive 0.5 seconds faster than anyone else – the equivalent to 10 years in the real world.
Canada has been abusing its position of holding the Olympics by only letting its athletes onto the tracks in the build up to the games. And those of the Russians who surprisingly will be holding the next games in four years as they have agreed to return the favour. Sort of leaves GB out in the cold considering we are never really going to be able to hold the winter games.
I am not suggesting that Britian drops to their behaviour when we hold the summer games in a few years time (were too politically correct for that!), but maybe it is an opportunity to help out all the smaller countries, and give the cold shoulder to the larger more successful ones such as Canada?
Leave a Reply