July 22, 2024 • 10 mins
LIVE out of Paris just a couple of days out from the Paris Olympics getting underway. Burg gives us his thoughts on how Team NZ will do and what the feeling is like on the ground.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Official radio broadcast partner of the Olympic Games Paris twenty
twenty four. Go Gold, Gold sport.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah, just a couple of sleeps away now from the
Paris Olympics getting underway, when New Zealand will be represented
by one hundred and eighty five athletes at these Games.
Joining us on the CSP this morning out of Paris.
A man on the ground, friends of me and New
Zealand herald a Monsieur Burgess, Michael Burgess, Bonjo Burge by Joy.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yes, bontoir indeed and great to be talking different Paris.
Fantastic to be here. And I'm actually just wandering down
past the Sane River where the opening ceremony will be held.
That's why it's will be quiet because not many people
can get in here. The locals are all makes you
(00:47):
looking at them now, they're trying to get through and
they gets heavily guarded. They've got to have a code
to preve you live nearby. But if you're a media
you can just have a quick look. So yet, it's
fantastic to see what'll be unfolding Saturday mornings. Heal in
time Friday night here security.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I imagine will be a massive issue over there.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Is it, it is, it is it. It's huge and
you know, who can blame them? In Paris has had
some incidents in the last ten or fifteen years, and
ten tragic incidents, and there's always massive security around the
Olympic Games, and so as a as a key where
you feel a bit you know, you feel a bit
silly or you feel like we just live in this
(01:28):
alternative reality because you know, for example, last night I
was wandering around around an air of Paris and there
were about eight or nine army guys that will pass
probably twenty twenty five years old, all machine guns or
with the fingers on the trigger, you know, and you
see things like that and you're like, okay, here we are.
But it's great, it's it makes you feel safe. There's
(01:50):
place everywhere in this army and they're not taking any chances,
and they're pretty ambitious. I mean, holding the opening ceremona
river is obviously they've been done before and it's a
lot harder to protect the whole river than it is
to protect the stadium. So that's one example. But yeah,
they're certainly not cutting corners. There's been police come from
all over France and even actually I was told today
(02:14):
they've drafted and police forces from other countries as well,
so plenty of plenty of security here, plenty of armies,
but they're all they're all friendly, and it doesn't feel
you certainly feel you certainly feel safe.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
How's the same looking? I mean, would you go for
swimming it?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah, that's been the big debate. I mean I would
definitely see I could sort of do a bombit it
now actually just but no, it would. It would be
very tempting because it's a beautiful piece of river. But
there has been all that talk about how clean it is.
They spent one point five billion euros to try and
(02:53):
clean it up, and of course President Macron promised that
he would have a swim in it. He's yet to
do that, although the mayor and a few others that
have at swims. The issue that has been putting out
to me is it's not the swim, it's what happens
and the tourist three days afterwards, if you've got the
bacteria going into your you know whatever, he is, into
your nose, because it was a pretty dirty piece of river.
(03:17):
But certainly, if I had a chance, I would definitely
definitely take it maybe just lap to the other side
and you know it would be but it's spectacular. It's
definitely spectacular and.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
The opening is going to be spectacular as you mentioned
on the water with all the athletes, I guess on
barges going down the scene.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, yeah, it'll be incredible. The New Zealand team will
have their own barge, possibly a couple of barges, which
will be fantastic to see. There's about catching up with
the New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Team today and the shifter mission. Nigel Avery told me
there's about sixty or seventy athletes now in Paris, so
that contingent is growing. Of course, a lot of them
won't come to Paris in at the moment. Both football
teams are way down south, the canoeing is still outside France,
(04:08):
and the rowing and heavy base a long way away
east of Paris. So there's a lot of the teams
that wanted to make it to Paris, but they're having
your own welcomes.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But there's still I think of the one hundred and
ninety five you mentioned, I think it's something like one
hundred and ten one hundred and fifteen that will be
in Paris at some stage, so that'll be fantastic. It's early,
since the excitement's done the build when we talked to
the sevens players today and also the canoe slalom of course,
(04:39):
with the great Luca Jones at her for the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Been a bit of speculation over here. We had a
bit of an office chat yesterday around the water cooler
as to who we think is going to carry the
New Zealand flag when they're on the barge, so to speak.
So any rumors, any thoughts.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Well, look, I'll tell you pretty obvious because these days
they have two flag bearers, right they have, which has
been a great initiative the last couple of games with
every country as a male and a female flag bearer,
whereas in the past it was just just the one.
I think, you know, it's got to be least famous
Carrington with both flags. That's pretty obvious to me. That's
(05:21):
what I would do in considering everything she's achieved. But no,
that's being serious. No, there's not too much speculation around.
There's some obvious contenders in terms of her. It could be,
but it really depends on who's here. If you take
my point, like it's really about the people that are
(05:41):
in Paris, and there are some names that are not here,
so they won't be on the list, but it will
be a magnificent honor. And I can just imagine, well,
I can't imagine the feeling of being on a barge
drifting through the center of Paris any of your country.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
When does Nigel Avery make that announcement.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
He makes that announcement in a couple of days a
special function at the New Zealand House in central Paris here,
So everyone is looking forward to that because that's sort
of one of the first big major announcements that though
of course before that we've got the men's rugby sevens
getting underway yep. And also that some of the football
(06:30):
games start early because they have to start early because
of the nature of those sports. So there's think excitement
building because of the fact New Zealand's going to be
an action so early.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
When you're wandering around the boulevards of Paris, you get
the feeling that the Olympic Games are just about to
get underway over there from the locals.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah, you're doing your dying. It's kind of like, because
Paris is such a big city, it's not sort of
like New Zealand, where we just you know, completely overtaken
by by big events. Is like there's a lot of
Parisians still living their own lives and they live such
(07:15):
unique lives over here. But yeah, anywhere, Yeah, the center, anywhere,
around the train stations, anywhere, around all the magnificent, iconic
venues that have created. You just can't help but see
the flags, the billboards. The other thing you notice is
just the amount of tourists around. You know, there's a
lot of people that aren't speaking French that have come
(07:37):
to experience this game. So yeah, there's a real there's
a real there's a real buzz building and you know,
I feel like it's going to be a pretty special Olympics. Tokyo,
of course, didn't really happen because of covid Rio was
a bit of a mess because of the location. So this,
I feel like this could be the best since London,
and I actually I think it'd be better than London. So
(07:57):
then you're talking, Okay, this could be the best, the
best of the century. So there you go. There's a
there's an early prediction for you.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, there we go. So in Tokyo we had doubat
seven seven goal at twenty medals in total, how many
do you think this team of one hundred and ninety
five athletes to go to bring home?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Oh, he would go on the spot, on the spot,
without doing my full analysis, I do wonder if Tokyo
will be hard to match. I feel like Rio was
amazing and then Tokyo was another level, and it just
feels like Tokyo there was something special going on. We
(08:37):
had a lot of people inform, a lot of world champions,
not quite so many this time. So I think I
think Tokyo will be will be hard to match, but
there will be New Zealand will again punch way above
its weight in terms of per capita, and you know,
I think they'll be There'll be definitely more than fifteen
(08:59):
sixteen medals, but whether they can get to that sort
of magic twenty or over that. As Nigel Avery was
saying today, he made a really good point. He said
that you know, we've got some amazing athletes, but there's
ten and a half thousand other athletes here that are
also trying to get on those Yeah, get on those podiums.
So it's going to be tough. But there's a lot
(09:21):
of people out there who are very wary of what
some of the key ethids can do. So I think
there's going to be a lot to look forward to.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I mentioned this earlier on the show today, but it
was today in nineteen fifty two that Evett Williams from
Dunedin one gold and set an Olympic record in the
long jump in Helsinki, becoming the first female Olympic medalist
for New Zealand. So quite a historic day to day.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Yeah, it's a brilliant day and it's incredible to think
as well because if you look at Rio and Tokyo,
there were so many outstanding female performers from this country
and so many female medalists. You know, you just you
look at the balance of the team, you look at
it's just it's just wonderful to see. And there's going
(10:06):
to be There's going to be a whole lot more
that continue that tradition that that the fantastic event started.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah, absolutely, Burge, We'll say r Re. I for now
enjoyed Paris and no doubt we'll catch up during the
course of the Games. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I really look forward to it, and it's great to
be able to bring your taste of a flavor of
Paris back to New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Absolutely. Michael Burgess, New Zealand Herald, part of the ands
D Meat team that are covering the games for us
here on gold Sport.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
The
Official radio broadcast partner of the Olympic Games Paris twenty
twenty four. Go Gold, Gold sport.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah, just a couple of sleeps away now from the
Paris Olympics getting underway, when New Zealand will be represented
by one hundred and eighty five athletes at these Games.
Joining us on the CSP this morning out of Paris.
A man on the ground, friends of me and New
Zealand herald a Monsieur Burgess, Michael Burgess, Bonjo Burge by Joy.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yes, bontoir indeed and great to be talking different Paris.
Fantastic to be here. And I'm actually just wandering down
past the Sane River where the opening ceremony will be held.
That's why it's will be quiet because not many people
can get in here. The locals are all makes you
(00:47):
looking at them now, they're trying to get through and
they gets heavily guarded. They've got to have a code
to preve you live nearby. But if you're a media
you can just have a quick look. So yet, it's
fantastic to see what'll be unfolding Saturday mornings. Heal in
time Friday night here security.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I imagine will be a massive issue over there.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Is it, it is, it is it. It's huge and
you know, who can blame them? In Paris has had
some incidents in the last ten or fifteen years, and
ten tragic incidents, and there's always massive security around the
Olympic Games, and so as a as a key where
you feel a bit you know, you feel a bit
silly or you feel like we just live in this
(01:28):
alternative reality because you know, for example, last night I
was wandering around around an air of Paris and there
were about eight or nine army guys that will pass
probably twenty twenty five years old, all machine guns or
with the fingers on the trigger, you know, and you
see things like that and you're like, okay, here we are.
But it's great, it's it makes you feel safe. There's
(01:50):
place everywhere in this army and they're not taking any chances,
and they're pretty ambitious. I mean, holding the opening ceremona
river is obviously they've been done before and it's a
lot harder to protect the whole river than it is
to protect the stadium. So that's one example. But yeah,
they're certainly not cutting corners. There's been police come from
all over France and even actually I was told today
(02:14):
they've drafted and police forces from other countries as well,
so plenty of plenty of security here, plenty of armies,
but they're all they're all friendly, and it doesn't feel
you certainly feel you certainly feel safe.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
How's the same looking? I mean, would you go for
swimming it?
Speaker 1 (02:32):
Yeah, that's been the big debate. I mean I would
definitely see I could sort of do a bombit it
now actually just but no, it would. It would be
very tempting because it's a beautiful piece of river. But
there has been all that talk about how clean it is.
They spent one point five billion euros to try and
(02:53):
clean it up, and of course President Macron promised that
he would have a swim in it. He's yet to
do that, although the mayor and a few others that
have at swims. The issue that has been putting out
to me is it's not the swim, it's what happens
and the tourist three days afterwards, if you've got the
bacteria going into your you know whatever, he is, into
your nose, because it was a pretty dirty piece of river.
(03:17):
But certainly, if I had a chance, I would definitely
definitely take it maybe just lap to the other side
and you know it would be but it's spectacular. It's
definitely spectacular and.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
The opening is going to be spectacular as you mentioned
on the water with all the athletes, I guess on
barges going down the scene.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Yeah, yeah, it'll be incredible. The New Zealand team will
have their own barge, possibly a couple of barges, which
will be fantastic to see. There's about catching up with
the New Zealand.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Team today and the shifter mission. Nigel Avery told me
there's about sixty or seventy athletes now in Paris, so
that contingent is growing. Of course, a lot of them
won't come to Paris in at the moment. Both football
teams are way down south, the canoeing is still outside France,
(04:08):
and the rowing and heavy base a long way away
east of Paris. So there's a lot of the teams
that wanted to make it to Paris, but they're having
your own welcomes.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
But there's still I think of the one hundred and
ninety five you mentioned, I think it's something like one
hundred and ten one hundred and fifteen that will be
in Paris at some stage, so that'll be fantastic. It's early,
since the excitement's done the build when we talked to
the sevens players today and also the canoe slalom of course,
(04:39):
with the great Luca Jones at her for the Olympics.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Been a bit of speculation over here. We had a
bit of an office chat yesterday around the water cooler
as to who we think is going to carry the
New Zealand flag when they're on the barge, so to speak.
So any rumors, any thoughts.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Well, look, I'll tell you pretty obvious because these days
they have two flag bearers, right they have, which has
been a great initiative the last couple of games with
every country as a male and a female flag bearer,
whereas in the past it was just just the one.
I think, you know, it's got to be least famous
Carrington with both flags. That's pretty obvious to me. That's
(05:21):
what I would do in considering everything she's achieved. But no,
that's being serious. No, there's not too much speculation around.
There's some obvious contenders in terms of her. It could be,
but it really depends on who's here. If you take
my point, like it's really about the people that are
(05:41):
in Paris, and there are some names that are not here,
so they won't be on the list, but it will
be a magnificent honor. And I can just imagine, well,
I can't imagine the feeling of being on a barge
drifting through the center of Paris any of your country.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
When does Nigel Avery make that announcement.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
He makes that announcement in a couple of days a
special function at the New Zealand House in central Paris here,
So everyone is looking forward to that because that's sort
of one of the first big major announcements that though
of course before that we've got the men's rugby sevens
getting underway yep. And also that some of the football
(06:30):
games start early because they have to start early because
of the nature of those sports. So there's think excitement
building because of the fact New Zealand's going to be
an action so early.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
When you're wandering around the boulevards of Paris, you get
the feeling that the Olympic Games are just about to
get underway over there from the locals.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Yeah, you're doing your dying. It's kind of like, because
Paris is such a big city, it's not sort of
like New Zealand, where we just you know, completely overtaken
by by big events. Is like there's a lot of
Parisians still living their own lives and they live such
(07:15):
unique lives over here. But yeah, anywhere, Yeah, the center, anywhere,
around the train stations, anywhere, around all the magnificent, iconic
venues that have created. You just can't help but see
the flags, the billboards. The other thing you notice is
just the amount of tourists around. You know, there's a
lot of people that aren't speaking French that have come
(07:37):
to experience this game. So yeah, there's a real there's
a real there's a real buzz building and you know,
I feel like it's going to be a pretty special Olympics. Tokyo,
of course, didn't really happen because of covid Rio was
a bit of a mess because of the location. So this,
I feel like this could be the best since London,
and I actually I think it'd be better than London. So
(07:57):
then you're talking, Okay, this could be the best, the
best of the century. So there you go. There's a
there's an early prediction for you.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Yeah, there we go. So in Tokyo we had doubat
seven seven goal at twenty medals in total, how many
do you think this team of one hundred and ninety
five athletes to go to bring home?
Speaker 1 (08:16):
Oh, he would go on the spot, on the spot,
without doing my full analysis, I do wonder if Tokyo
will be hard to match. I feel like Rio was
amazing and then Tokyo was another level, and it just
feels like Tokyo there was something special going on. We
(08:37):
had a lot of people inform, a lot of world champions,
not quite so many this time. So I think I
think Tokyo will be will be hard to match, but
there will be New Zealand will again punch way above
its weight in terms of per capita, and you know,
I think they'll be There'll be definitely more than fifteen
(08:59):
sixteen medals, but whether they can get to that sort
of magic twenty or over that. As Nigel Avery was
saying today, he made a really good point. He said
that you know, we've got some amazing athletes, but there's
ten and a half thousand other athletes here that are
also trying to get on those Yeah, get on those podiums.
So it's going to be tough. But there's a lot
(09:21):
of people out there who are very wary of what
some of the key ethids can do. So I think
there's going to be a lot to look forward to.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I mentioned this earlier on the show today, but it
was today in nineteen fifty two that Evett Williams from
Dunedin one gold and set an Olympic record in the
long jump in Helsinki, becoming the first female Olympic medalist
for New Zealand. So quite a historic day to day.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Yeah, it's a brilliant day and it's incredible to think
as well because if you look at Rio and Tokyo,
there were so many outstanding female performers from this country
and so many female medalists. You know, you just you
look at the balance of the team, you look at
it's just it's just wonderful to see. And there's going
(10:06):
to be There's going to be a whole lot more
that continue that tradition that that the fantastic event started.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Yeah, absolutely, Burge, We'll say r Re. I for now
enjoyed Paris and no doubt we'll catch up during the
course of the Games. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
I really look forward to it, and it's great to
be able to bring your taste of a flavor of
Paris back to New Zealand.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Absolutely. Michael Burgess, New Zealand Herald, part of the ands
D Meat team that are covering the games for us
here on gold Sport.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
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