September 4, 2023 • 27 mins
It's the biggest Australian sports story that no one is talking about. There's a crisis at Swimming Australia, which could see it expelled as a member of the world governing body. The problems span from a revolving door of leaders to no major sponsor for our national swim team, the Dolphins. And caught up in the turmoil are the athletes, who continue to dominate on the world stage, despite being some of our most underpaid.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Two Good Sports would like to acknowledge the traditional owners
of the land on which we record this podcast that
will run dury people. This land was never seated, always was,
always will be. Hello and welcome to two Good Sports
sports news told differently.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I'm Georgie Tunney and I'm Abbie Jelmy and George. Usually
we say we're going into a deep dive and the
nitty gritty for our big topic. But this week deep
dives a bit of a pun. Intended is we're exploring
swimming Australia and just what is going on? And if
you haven't heard this story, we don't blame you because
it seems to just not be in the headlines. For
how huge the angle is, it's really hard to find.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So grab your goggles, grab your swimming cat because there
are murky waters happening at one of our most prestigious teams,
the Dolphins.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What is going on with them?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And why is our governing body, Swimming Australia potentially going
to be expelled from World Aquatics?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Big question? Huge question. Let's get to the headlines right, Oh,
I'll start NRL and by that I mean Georgie. You
start NRL.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Headline number one and dear listener, Yes, I've brought a
prop with me today. I'm putting it over my headphones
if I can. It's gonna look great.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Let me paint a picture for you. There is a
Broncos beany a top Georgie's head. You look smashing.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Let me tell you the NRL top eight has been decided.
And tell me the Brisbane Broncos.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We're bringing it home.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
We have finished number two, so we may not have
won the minor premiership. That's a small detail. The Penrith
Panthers finish in number one, then it is the Brisbane
Broncos in at number two, Melbourne Storm, the Warriors, the Knights, Sharks, Roosters,
Raiders round out the top eight. But the overall takeaway
is that the Broncos.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Are going to win. Isn't the overall takeaway that the
Panthers are likely to continue the dynasty by winning a
third straight and they have so much young depths that
there's no sign of that stopping.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I mean, it's an alternate reading, isn't it. That's an
alternate reading. But no, no, I think it's I think
it is with the Britain Broncos and Rees Walsh leading
us to a premiership after oh decades.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Never let it be told that impartiality gets in the
way of the news. Here at two Good Sports, we
just keep our cards close to our chest. But George,
I'm gonna make it that you have to keep wearing
that Beaniae during headlines until they win a premiership. Okay,
that's fine, it'll be very short. That's fine for me.
Only a few weeks away. Okay, headline number two. The
(02:38):
AFLW season has begun and this is a massive story
and it's a feel good story because the Swans have
finally had their first win in the league. They were
one of the expansion clubs and in their inaugural twenty
twenty two season, my god, did they get spanked. They's
got absolutely sma. If there was a mercy rule, there
would have been some three quarter games and that's just
(02:59):
what happens when talent gets diluted in the pool. But
they've recruited the one, the only, Chloe Molloy, and she
kicked the goal that saw them get back into the
lead after being twenty five points down in the third term.
Take your cage flow over the side.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Step different colors, same levelous cragical boy.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
You love to see it fifty one until forty nine,
and it's just good for the league.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
It really is good for the league and across the board.
The scorelines that we saw in each of the fixtures
very very very encouraging for the league. This is the
first season that we're going to have eighteen teams, and
I think sky's the limit with this because we are
finally seeing all the teams that you said, Jelmy, that
may have struggled in the past, they are now going
to do really, really well. In twenty three headline number three,
(03:47):
We're taking it across the world.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
We're going international. The US Open.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Australian Rinky Hijakata lost unfortunately to Francis Diafo in the
fourth round at the US Open. He's World one hundred
and ten. He also is just divine. Get on the
Rinky train. He's so lovely, like you just watch him one.
His actual play is great. He's kind of like a
mix between Alex Dumenor and Leyton Hewett in that he
(04:13):
just will chase anything down.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
He's so energetic. We love and never say die.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
We love and never say die. However, there was a
death in the fourth round.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
You mentioned the demon Alex demonor is thirteenth in the
world wild Wild. I just feel like that snuck up
and attached me.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
This morning, he's around the phone.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I was like, I wonder how the Demon's going. Looked
it up my thirteenth lucky number thirteen. Unbelievable, Like good
on him? Headline number four? Is it headline or something
you and I find very funny? Who knows both American
sprinter norl Ales calls out a bizarre tradition in the
US that has grind our gears for so long. Listen
to this clip. This was after he won the two
(04:54):
hundred meters in Budapest.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
You know, the thing that hurts me the most is
that I have to watch the NBA finals and they have.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
World champion on their head, World champion of what.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
The United States it has always a champion of what.
It has always been such a huge point of contention
for me because it's like the NFL when they win, it's.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Like world champions.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I'm like, you are the only ones that play this sport.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
We agree and things that when American says it about
America even funny. I love it.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
That is some self awareness that sometimes Americans really lack.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Australians love swimming. It's only natural. Our home is girt
by sea. But the only thing we Ossies love more
than golden sand is George golden medals. That's sweet, sweet
gold we do. Australia has won one hundred and sixty
seven gold, one hundred and seventy nine silver, and two
hundred and fifteen bronze in our Olympic history. Astonishingly, sixty
(06:07):
two of those gold, seventy silver and sixty eight bronze
have come from the pool. We're good at it. We are,
so it's no wonder we love swimming. We love what
we're good at. And when we think of iconic swimming moments,
quickly come visions for me of Thorpey in his super suit. Yes,
with a slow motion fist pumpe. It's almost poetic, isn't it?
(06:27):
It is? It is.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I remember sitting watching the two thousand Olympics as a
how old were we?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
We would have been like eight, seven or eight or
something in nine different ages, but she'll always go with eight.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
And sitting in my lounge room watching you know, the
Battle of the Pool. There wasn't going to be anything ever,
bigger than this, and it was Thorpe, Peter Van and
Hoogenband and a little known swimmer named Michael Phelps and
Thorpe just out touch Van in hogen Band and I
remember being like, this is he is a king.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
He is a king, and that's what swimming does. There's
also Hackett, Libby lis L Susie Perkins achieving the unthinkable
from Gould, Dawn clim On the air guitar, sticking it
to the US as Kate Bronte, the missile charmers, McEwan
and Arnie. And that's just my short list because I've
missed it, We've discussed it, We've missed a lot there.
But then there's Emma flight st Panilla Blome. She's in front, She's.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Going to do it, out of the shadows and into
the spotlight. The first Australian to win ten Olympic medals,
Emma McKeon in a lane of her own.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
The term goat is thrown around very loosely in sport,
but she is genuinely our most successful athlete of all time,
with eleven Olympic medals, five gold, two silver, four bronze.
In Tokyo, she became the first Australian Olympian ever to
win four gold at a single games. How many time
can one sing the anthem? That's so impressive. She holds
(07:50):
the Australian record for most medals one at a Games
with seven. She won seven medals in tokyoiled like, just
think about that. How do you dream home with that?
How do you carry that?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
But you dream about winning one medal?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Just one? And she won seven at a single games.
The best thing is she's not done yet. She's twenty
nine and has her eyes firmly set on Paris and
the rest of the team is flying to Our Dolphins
dominated the World Champs in Fukuoka, winning fifteen gold and
being the US. That's all we really care about, Let's
be honest, being the US on the medal table, the
headline for the first time in twenty two years. There
were records tumbling. We have the greatest ever still swimming,
(08:25):
and a young team full of immense talent. We haven't
even spoken about Morio kalash She's most excited. I'm obsessed
with her. So you'd think things could be going swimmingly
at Swimming Australia. We're eleven months out from the Games.
We're gonna win everything. You'd be great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
would definitely think that so wrong. To say that swimming
Australia is in crisis is an understatement, and yet for
(08:46):
some reason it doesn't seem to be making the headlines.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
No one is talking about this. If you've got now,
dear listener, Jellmy loves the prop and she has fourteen
different newspapers in front of her right now, just trying
to scour the latest news and what's going on with
swimming Australia.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
How many headlines have you found about it? None? And
I love a newspaper because I think a lot of
people still love having a tangible paper in front of
them as their guide of what's going on in the
world of sport. Nada, Like, I can't stress you there
was nada, which didn't really help us research this. But
when we say crisis, we need to qualify this. As
(09:24):
of the weekend, Swimming Australia are searching for their fifth
president in three years. Yes, and they're still searching for
their fourth CEO in three years. So leadership is a
massive issue. But more importantly, George, we may be expelled. Expelled.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
That's really bad, Like that's worse than death sometimes. According
to Hermione Granger, I thought you'd get that in there.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I really thought you would. But essentially In Leach letters
dated the seventh of August, World Aquatics formerly known as Veena,
called for changes to Swimming Australia's constitution to be presented
within thirty days and implemented within ninety notably, concerned about
the lack of stability in governance will yeah, there's no
one that's staying at the top, and to make our
constitution more representative and inclusive of its athletes. If this
(10:09):
motion was not passed, World Aquatics reserved the rights to
consider further action against Swimming Australia, including expulsion from the
global governing body, which means at world swimming events, not
the Olympics, but world swimming events like.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
The World Championships that we just saw in Japan.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Australia could be competing under a neutral flag.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So if we take just what we saw in the
last month and just how well our dolphins did, you're
telling me that we would have seen a Molly O'Callahan
atop the Dais with a neutral flag behind her, non
an Australian flag, because she can't be necessarily if this
happened and we were expelled from World Aquatics, you can't
represent Australia anymore.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
It's unthinkable and it's actually happening. This is going on
right now. So what is so wrong?
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Why why swimming Australia worse than all the other member countries.
As far as I know in our research, we have
not been able to find any of these other show
causes for other nations. It is just Australia that they've gone.
Hang on a second, this constitution, which you only last
updated in twenty eighteen, that's only five years ago, right,
This constitution of yours is really not in line with
(11:16):
where we hold our expectations for you to retain your
status and a member of World Aquatics.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
And we reached out, George, you and I to different
people that work closely in swimming in Australia, and no
one really wanted to comment. Yeah, and I think it's
because if you open that can of worms, it's really
hard to be anything but critical of the way that
things have been managed, particularly when, let's stress it's a
very successful sport. Yes, you have started the highest funded
(11:43):
sports but doesn't have a naming rights partner. Yeah, wild
We're eleven months out from Olympics and there is no
naming rights partner and athletes understandably, and one of the
big changes to the constitution that World Aquatics is asked
to see is more voice to the athletes and arguably
a more streamlined system to get change implemented, because, as
we can see with the different number of presidents and CEOs,
(12:05):
people have come in full of gumption hoping to make change,
got nowhere and whether because they've had better opportunities. We
know that Michelle Gallon has moved on.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
She's the outgoing president. She stood down last just last week.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yes, like she moved because she had a great opportunity
to be the CEO of the National Sports Tribunal. But
still still though, you're not moving on if you're enjoying
your job exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
And I think that you know, five presidents in three years,
four CEOs in three years, something is going on behind
the seeds at a board level. From what I can
work out, the best way that I can kind of
make sense of it in my own head is that
this is game of thrones, but.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
No one wants the iron throne. No one wants it.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
There's all of these power plays, and there's all of
these secrets happening, and all of these little conversations going on,
and alliance is being made, but no one actually wants
the power. Everyone's just very critical of the person who
has the power.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
In the end, the key for.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Swimming Australia is that it is a fat rated system, right,
it's a federated system, but there's a lot of state players.
Remember the pandemic Jelmy, Remember when we kind of all
learned just how much power the states had yes with lockdowns,
And that's essentially, in my mind, goes some way to
(13:18):
explaining the power dynamics of swimming Australia. They are trying
to have everyone get on the same page, but there's
going to be vested interests because the States have so
much power.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
And understandably one of the main parties in this, the
athletes are saying, we'd like more of a voice.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Can we have a seat at the table please? Maybe
not even a seat, you will stand standing room at
the table. We'll take what we can get because right now,
according to World Aquatics, they have no say there's no power.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
The letter said there appears to be a void in
the role of athletes in decision making. World Aquatics requires
that all twenty members of the National Governing Bodies Athlete
Committee get a vote.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
And so wait, wait, wait, wait, go back. This letter
is that it was, but where's it come from?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
World Aquatics?
Speaker 1 (14:02):
So World Aquatics has written this letter, a leaked letter to.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Australia saying you've got thirty days to present a different
constitution to us and ninety days to make that change
or you risk expulsion.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Dare I say you better shape up?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You do my and my heart is set on anything
else you're going, but I constitute and that I love you.
That plan needs to be in place. There is an
extraordinary meeting on the twentieth of October.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Hang on, So if they don't vote, I think at
the moment it's like, as far as we can tell
from the little that has been reported or that has
been able to be reported on this matter, is that
there might be a verbal agreement that everyone, all the directors,
everyone on the board is thinking, oh yeah, like we'll
agree in terms to this new constitution. But they still
have to vote on it on October twenty.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Otherwise, my own standing from the World Wide Web is
that so being Australia has moved really quickly that there
is a new constitution that has been approved by World Aquatics.
It just now needs to be voted in and implemented.
So they've basically got a slap on the wrist and
they've gone, okay, okay, this is our changes again to
the changes that were made in twenty eighteen. What Aquatics
has gone, Yeah, that looks better. Yeah, and now it's
(15:20):
going to go to a vote and be implemented as
of the twentieth of October and then hopefully we're out
of the clear.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So one of the other biggest constitutional reforms that World
Aquatics is calling for has to do with the number
of board members and just how much power they have
when it comes to making big decisions. Veto powers. So,
for instance, if you were able to have a strong alliance,
because there's only a limited number of board spots, if
(15:47):
you were going to have a strong alliance within that
then you could easily have so much sway. You need
a diversification of that board. Add athletes voices into there,
add some coaching voices into their right now, there's key
number of players that tend to have all the say
last year swiming Australia Cup funding to the States in
(16:09):
terms of their participation funding to be able to be
a part of swimming Australia.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
They didn't like that the States.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
It's naive of us to think as well that oh no,
everyone's looking out for the best when it comes to
swimming at all levels.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Nah.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
If you're Queensland and you have a team called the
Saint Peter's Western Team which has you know Arnie, it
has Mollio Callahouna, he has Dean Boxel at the Helm
and you represent I think like about a third of
the Dolphins actual team, there is a strong argument for
you to be like, no, no, no, we need more
funding because look at the results that we're getting. Yes,
(16:45):
but then what about the team over on the other
side of the country. You know some wa swim squads
that are like, oh no, what we want to We
want to be able to work that as well. In
order to have a super strong team, you kind of
need to build everyone up.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And from what we can see from the turnover at
that executive level, yes, there are a lot of brilliant
administrators that have been at the Helm that have come
in with gumption, excited, about making change, and those gears
have locked and they can't do anything, so they move on. Yes,
So hopefully this constitution unlocks all of that and allows
(17:20):
change that is so desperately needed, so that particularly our
swimmers can feel like that they're supported the way that
they should be. George. They don't get paid very much.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
They get paid nothing. There was a report that came
out just in this last week, so a very very
recent survey of all elite athletes in Australia. Half of them,
almost half of them are living under the poverty line,
so that's less than twenty three thousand dollars per year.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
In twenty twenty two, Emily Sebomb, who's a three time
Olympic gold medalist three times three time, went on, I'm
a celebrity, get me out of here as you do,
and she was having a chat to bo Ryan. Essentially
the conversation went a little bit like this. The top
eight swimmers in Australia, their retainer from swimming Australia is
thirty thousand dollars. Thirty thousand dollars. Just to be very clear,
(18:13):
the minimum wage for full time job in Australia is
thirty six thousand dollars. And the thing is, we know
and we've spoken a lot about potentially AFOW players not
being paid well enough for what they do and things
like that. Their season comes and goes, yes, and they
can hold another job. Swimmers get up at stew Barrows
(18:33):
stupid o'clock and you can't take a break from swimming.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Sometimes they train twice a day in the pool, then
they'll have gym sessions and they'll do that six days
a week for years.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
That is my idea of the Hunger Games. Yeah, and
I would let myself die. Swimming for those that aren't
swimming people is just revolting.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
But we know how important it is to be able
to advocate for yourself right so that you can tell
people who may not know. Like board members, some of
them have experience with being athletes, some of them do not.
They have completely different backgrounds. So why it's important for
athletes to have such a greater voice, and also for
the coaching staff to have a voice, is that you
have hands on a personal experience for what is actually
(19:15):
needed where that funding should go. You should be able
to make that argument because swimming is our most successful sport,
it is one of our most highest funded sports in
this country. So you are getting government funding, you are
getting ideally big sponsorship dollars.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Where does it go have a naming sponsor? And the
bit that blew my mind is that if you win
gold for your country, your bonus is twenty thousand dollars
and that's only only just brought that in and that
was a milestone. Yes, twenty thousand.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
For a gold for all of that work for the
Hunger Games.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
As you say fifteen thousand for silver and ten thousand
for a bronze, you just think. And again I come
back to the fact that this conversation was between between
mc bomb and Bo Ryan, who plays NRL, which is
a national sport, and it blew his mind that the
very and in his own words, he's like, you just
think the best athletes in the country are driving nice
(20:12):
cars to a beautiful home. Yes, and yet as this
report that's come out this week says, a lot of
them are living below the poverty line in terms of
what they're actually earning. And we know we say this
all in the context of there is a cost of
living crisis. A lot of people are doing it hard. Teachers, nurses, yes,
the works, but I think there is a perception, at
(20:34):
least within the public, that athletes are enumerated exceptionally well
for what split see. It looks glamorous, that life right,
and they get one shot in four years to hopefully
get that sponsorship that can carry them through to the next.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
And the only thing that will get them there though,
is success. And the only way you get success is
to have solid programs that are backing you at the
back end, and you need for that in order to
have those be a success. You would think really strong
governing body and a really strong system in place to
make sure that that happens.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And a governing body that has been able to sell
the brand that is the Dolphins that doesn't have a
naming right sponsor, and we are eleven months out from
an Olympics, and also they're so marketable, they're the gods
of our country.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
And we're only nine years out from twenty thirty two.
There's a lot that needs to happen. And just for
a body like World Aquatics, it's like FIFA saying to
Football Australia, get your head in the game.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
To quote high school musical You've Been a song.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
I was not get your head in the game.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
It's like FIFA saying that to Football Australia and then
that's threatening what the Matildas can achieve. It's the same thing,
but no one's talking about it because it is so
hard to decipher. But right now the governing body there
is no there's an interim CEO, so they're still looking.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
They're conducting a.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Worldwide search for a full time CEO and right now
they don't even have a president. You go on the
Swimming Australia website at the time of this recording and
old mate Michelle Gallon still there.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Her picture is still there as president. You hope the
constitutional changes that have been put forward and approved by
World Aquatics will make it easier for the incoming whoever
they are CEO and President to create great change within
Swimming Australia Because it is our beloved sport. We only
wish it well. We hope that everyone within the organization
(22:32):
feels valued. But also this governing body, it's not just
Olympic athletes, it's right down to the little nippers.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, it goes every single level.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Yes, and when it comes to Brisbane, I'm going to
sit back in my armchair and hope for gold damn,
I'm going to expect gold.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I'm going to say when it comes to the Dolphins,
no one's hoping for gold. We are expecting gold when
really narrator says, nothing is together here, nothing is as
what it seems, and something needs to change. That has
been recognized by the ultimate body telling us that it
needs to change. October twenty will it, Georgie, It's time
(23:20):
for another fun factor and we're going into the history
books so much so I feel the need to say,
he ye, hear yee.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Did they say that in the nineteen hundreds. No one knows,
but we're going to stick with it. We're going back
to mister Friedrich Lane. I know that he's someone that
you know intimately in terms of his prowess in Australians
sporting history. He was our first ever gold medalist in
swimming for Australia. I should know him, you should know him.
And what's over the dolphin. The fun fact is that
(23:49):
the event, one of the events that he won was
the two hundred meters obstacle event that's not in the Olympics.
It was competed in the muddy waters of the River
sen No and they had just we're competitors had to
swim and climb over a pole, a pole, what is
this pole? Vault?
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And then swim over two rows of boats, two rows
of boats.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
This was a hang on.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
This was an official Olympic event.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
For one time only. Shock horror that it was the
only time. I'm not confirmed. Is this where hurdles came from?
And yet it still probably doesn't baffle people more than
break dancing in the air as an Olympic sport.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
You know what? I love that Frederick Lane won our
first swimming gold medal, and his name is Lane.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
There wasn't a lane in the obstacle. Lane in the obstacle, couse.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I just think that it's so hard even just to
swim in the river, SAYD. I would assume there would
be lots of natural obstacles in there. Not the cleanest river,
I would say.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
In the nineteen hundreds. It might have been right, might
have been straight from a glacier. Who knows. Anyway, That's
my fun fact. I think you've got a fun faction.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
I do my fun fact, Jeremy actually involves us.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Is this a long bow? I'm going to draw? Maybe?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
But you and I had a world record because we
were in attendance at at one time the largest crowd
at a women's sporting event ever.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
I remember it very clearly, mostly Katy Perry, you know,
dancing cricket bats.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Dancing cricket bats. It was the T twenty World Cup Final,
Australia up against India and we were part of the eighty.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Six thousand, seven hundred and fourteen people. Yep, what a
strong crowd. What a strong crowd it was like honestly,
it was emotional. It really was emotional.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
But unfortunately it's got even more emotional because our world
record doesn't stand. It has been broken before now as well.
But this is the key. It was broken again last
week in Nebraska at a volleyball game, a college volleyball game,
college college volleyball game. Ninety two thousand and three people
(25:48):
rocked up to watch the corn Huskers. That is the
name of the volleyball team, which I think is fantastic,
ninety two thousand and three.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
This could be our d topic next week because I
have so many questions. Was there a statewide campaign? Do
they really care about volleyball? And Nebraska was its beach?
Was it indoor? It can't be indoor, because who has
an indoor venue for ninety three thousand people.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
So there are some caveats and there is a contentious
this is a contentious record.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Was there someone with the clicker like at a nightclub?
Yet just like going a bit nuts and getting the
numbers blown out.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Well, the thing is that the stadium itself, I think
only holds like eighty thousand people. But because it was
a volleyball court in the in a football stadium is
where it was held, so you could have more people
on the ground around the court that they assembled in
the middle of the field. So technically that allowed for
more people than you would usually see at a sporting event. Also,
there was like a concert, everyone had the day off
(26:44):
as well, so look, there were certain parameters and caveats
that made it possible to have ninety two thousand and
three people there.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
So what I heard from that is if you and
I have a thumb more before Taylor Swift, when there's
one hundred thousand people at the MCG, can we then
say that that was a women's sporting event with that
many people. I think I'm not to speak down. I
don't know very much about Nebraska and they're sporting behaviors,
but I just don't believe that volleyball on the world
(27:11):
stage has more fans attending. Was it even a final
a college volleyball game? I don't believe it was. It's
a fun and interesting fact that jelm me.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
George Thumbmore coming to you a stadium near you in
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Thank you for.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Listening to Two Good Sports at iHeart Production. Make sure
if you haven't already, follow us on Instagram at two
Good Sports Podcasts.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
George's going to rank your favorite musicals. No, definitely give
us a follow. Thank you for being involved in this app.
We're Our thoughts and prayers are with those at Swimming
Australia and as always by Good Sport.
Two Good Sports would like to acknowledge the traditional owners
of the land on which we record this podcast that
will run dury people. This land was never seated, always was,
always will be. Hello and welcome to two Good Sports
sports news told differently.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I'm Georgie Tunney and I'm Abbie Jelmy and George. Usually
we say we're going into a deep dive and the
nitty gritty for our big topic. But this week deep
dives a bit of a pun. Intended is we're exploring
swimming Australia and just what is going on? And if
you haven't heard this story, we don't blame you because
it seems to just not be in the headlines. For
how huge the angle is, it's really hard to find.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
So grab your goggles, grab your swimming cat because there
are murky waters happening at one of our most prestigious teams,
the Dolphins.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
What is going on with them?
Speaker 1 (00:49):
And why is our governing body, Swimming Australia potentially going
to be expelled from World Aquatics?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Big question? Huge question. Let's get to the headlines right, Oh,
I'll start NRL and by that I mean Georgie. You
start NRL.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Headline number one and dear listener, Yes, I've brought a
prop with me today. I'm putting it over my headphones
if I can. It's gonna look great.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Let me paint a picture for you. There is a
Broncos beany a top Georgie's head. You look smashing.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Let me tell you the NRL top eight has been decided.
And tell me the Brisbane Broncos.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We're bringing it home.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
We have finished number two, so we may not have
won the minor premiership. That's a small detail. The Penrith
Panthers finish in number one, then it is the Brisbane
Broncos in at number two, Melbourne Storm, the Warriors, the Knights, Sharks, Roosters,
Raiders round out the top eight. But the overall takeaway
is that the Broncos.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Are going to win. Isn't the overall takeaway that the
Panthers are likely to continue the dynasty by winning a
third straight and they have so much young depths that
there's no sign of that stopping.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
I mean, it's an alternate reading, isn't it. That's an
alternate reading. But no, no, I think it's I think
it is with the Britain Broncos and Rees Walsh leading
us to a premiership after oh decades.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Never let it be told that impartiality gets in the
way of the news. Here at two Good Sports, we
just keep our cards close to our chest. But George,
I'm gonna make it that you have to keep wearing
that Beaniae during headlines until they win a premiership. Okay,
that's fine, it'll be very short. That's fine for me.
Only a few weeks away. Okay, headline number two. The
(02:38):
AFLW season has begun and this is a massive story
and it's a feel good story because the Swans have
finally had their first win in the league. They were
one of the expansion clubs and in their inaugural twenty
twenty two season, my god, did they get spanked. They's
got absolutely sma. If there was a mercy rule, there
would have been some three quarter games and that's just
(02:59):
what happens when talent gets diluted in the pool. But
they've recruited the one, the only, Chloe Molloy, and she
kicked the goal that saw them get back into the
lead after being twenty five points down in the third term.
Take your cage flow over the side.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Step different colors, same levelous cragical boy.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
You love to see it fifty one until forty nine,
and it's just good for the league.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
It really is good for the league and across the board.
The scorelines that we saw in each of the fixtures
very very very encouraging for the league. This is the
first season that we're going to have eighteen teams, and
I think sky's the limit with this because we are
finally seeing all the teams that you said, Jelmy, that
may have struggled in the past, they are now going
to do really, really well. In twenty three headline number three,
(03:47):
We're taking it across the world.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
We're going international. The US Open.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Australian Rinky Hijakata lost unfortunately to Francis Diafo in the
fourth round at the US Open. He's World one hundred
and ten. He also is just divine. Get on the
Rinky train. He's so lovely, like you just watch him one.
His actual play is great. He's kind of like a
mix between Alex Dumenor and Leyton Hewett in that he
(04:13):
just will chase anything down.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
He's so energetic. We love and never say die.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
We love and never say die. However, there was a
death in the fourth round.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
You mentioned the demon Alex demonor is thirteenth in the
world wild Wild. I just feel like that snuck up
and attached me.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
This morning, he's around the phone.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
I was like, I wonder how the Demon's going. Looked
it up my thirteenth lucky number thirteen. Unbelievable, Like good
on him? Headline number four? Is it headline or something
you and I find very funny? Who knows both American
sprinter norl Ales calls out a bizarre tradition in the
US that has grind our gears for so long. Listen
to this clip. This was after he won the two
(04:54):
hundred meters in Budapest.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
You know, the thing that hurts me the most is
that I have to watch the NBA finals and they have.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
World champion on their head, World champion of what.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
The United States it has always a champion of what.
It has always been such a huge point of contention
for me because it's like the NFL when they win, it's.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
Like world champions.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I'm like, you are the only ones that play this sport.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
We agree and things that when American says it about
America even funny. I love it.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
That is some self awareness that sometimes Americans really lack.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Australians love swimming. It's only natural. Our home is girt
by sea. But the only thing we Ossies love more
than golden sand is George golden medals. That's sweet, sweet
gold we do. Australia has won one hundred and sixty
seven gold, one hundred and seventy nine silver, and two
hundred and fifteen bronze in our Olympic history. Astonishingly, sixty
(06:07):
two of those gold, seventy silver and sixty eight bronze
have come from the pool. We're good at it. We are,
so it's no wonder we love swimming. We love what
we're good at. And when we think of iconic swimming moments,
quickly come visions for me of Thorpey in his super suit. Yes,
with a slow motion fist pumpe. It's almost poetic, isn't it?
(06:27):
It is? It is.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I remember sitting watching the two thousand Olympics as a
how old were we?
Speaker 2 (06:33):
We would have been like eight, seven or eight or
something in nine different ages, but she'll always go with eight.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
And sitting in my lounge room watching you know, the
Battle of the Pool. There wasn't going to be anything ever,
bigger than this, and it was Thorpe, Peter Van and
Hoogenband and a little known swimmer named Michael Phelps and
Thorpe just out touch Van in hogen Band and I
remember being like, this is he is a king.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
He is a king, and that's what swimming does. There's
also Hackett, Libby lis L Susie Perkins achieving the unthinkable
from Gould, Dawn clim On the air guitar, sticking it
to the US as Kate Bronte, the missile charmers, McEwan
and Arnie. And that's just my short list because I've
missed it, We've discussed it, We've missed a lot there.
But then there's Emma flight st Panilla Blome. She's in front, She's.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Going to do it, out of the shadows and into
the spotlight. The first Australian to win ten Olympic medals,
Emma McKeon in a lane of her own.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
The term goat is thrown around very loosely in sport,
but she is genuinely our most successful athlete of all time,
with eleven Olympic medals, five gold, two silver, four bronze.
In Tokyo, she became the first Australian Olympian ever to
win four gold at a single games. How many time
can one sing the anthem? That's so impressive. She holds
(07:50):
the Australian record for most medals one at a Games
with seven. She won seven medals in tokyoiled like, just
think about that. How do you dream home with that?
How do you carry that?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
But you dream about winning one medal?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Just one? And she won seven at a single games.
The best thing is she's not done yet. She's twenty
nine and has her eyes firmly set on Paris and
the rest of the team is flying to Our Dolphins
dominated the World Champs in Fukuoka, winning fifteen gold and
being the US. That's all we really care about, Let's
be honest, being the US on the medal table, the
headline for the first time in twenty two years. There
were records tumbling. We have the greatest ever still swimming,
(08:25):
and a young team full of immense talent. We haven't
even spoken about Morio kalash She's most excited. I'm obsessed
with her. So you'd think things could be going swimmingly
at Swimming Australia. We're eleven months out from the Games.
We're gonna win everything. You'd be great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
would definitely think that so wrong. To say that swimming
Australia is in crisis is an understatement, and yet for
(08:46):
some reason it doesn't seem to be making the headlines.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
No one is talking about this. If you've got now,
dear listener, Jellmy loves the prop and she has fourteen
different newspapers in front of her right now, just trying
to scour the latest news and what's going on with
swimming Australia.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
How many headlines have you found about it? None? And
I love a newspaper because I think a lot of
people still love having a tangible paper in front of
them as their guide of what's going on in the
world of sport. Nada, Like, I can't stress you there
was nada, which didn't really help us research this. But
when we say crisis, we need to qualify this. As
(09:24):
of the weekend, Swimming Australia are searching for their fifth
president in three years. Yes, and they're still searching for
their fourth CEO in three years. So leadership is a
massive issue. But more importantly, George, we may be expelled. Expelled.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
That's really bad, Like that's worse than death sometimes. According
to Hermione Granger, I thought you'd get that in there.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
I really thought you would. But essentially In Leach letters
dated the seventh of August, World Aquatics formerly known as Veena,
called for changes to Swimming Australia's constitution to be presented
within thirty days and implemented within ninety notably, concerned about
the lack of stability in governance will yeah, there's no
one that's staying at the top, and to make our
constitution more representative and inclusive of its athletes. If this
(10:09):
motion was not passed, World Aquatics reserved the rights to
consider further action against Swimming Australia, including expulsion from the
global governing body, which means at world swimming events, not
the Olympics, but world swimming events like.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
The World Championships that we just saw in Japan.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Australia could be competing under a neutral flag.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
So if we take just what we saw in the
last month and just how well our dolphins did, you're
telling me that we would have seen a Molly O'Callahan
atop the Dais with a neutral flag behind her, non
an Australian flag, because she can't be necessarily if this
happened and we were expelled from World Aquatics, you can't
represent Australia anymore.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
It's unthinkable and it's actually happening. This is going on
right now. So what is so wrong?
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Why why swimming Australia worse than all the other member countries.
As far as I know in our research, we have
not been able to find any of these other show
causes for other nations. It is just Australia that they've gone.
Hang on a second, this constitution, which you only last
updated in twenty eighteen, that's only five years ago, right,
This constitution of yours is really not in line with
(11:16):
where we hold our expectations for you to retain your
status and a member of World Aquatics.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
And we reached out, George, you and I to different
people that work closely in swimming in Australia, and no
one really wanted to comment. Yeah, and I think it's
because if you open that can of worms, it's really
hard to be anything but critical of the way that
things have been managed, particularly when, let's stress it's a
very successful sport. Yes, you have started the highest funded
(11:43):
sports but doesn't have a naming rights partner. Yeah, wild
We're eleven months out from Olympics and there is no
naming rights partner and athletes understandably, and one of the
big changes to the constitution that World Aquatics is asked
to see is more voice to the athletes and arguably
a more streamlined system to get change implemented, because, as
we can see with the different number of presidents and CEOs,
(12:05):
people have come in full of gumption hoping to make change,
got nowhere and whether because they've had better opportunities. We
know that Michelle Gallon has moved on.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
She's the outgoing president. She stood down last just last week.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yes, like she moved because she had a great opportunity
to be the CEO of the National Sports Tribunal. But
still still though, you're not moving on if you're enjoying
your job exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
And I think that you know, five presidents in three years,
four CEOs in three years, something is going on behind
the seeds at a board level. From what I can
work out, the best way that I can kind of
make sense of it in my own head is that
this is game of thrones, but.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
No one wants the iron throne. No one wants it.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
There's all of these power plays, and there's all of
these secrets happening, and all of these little conversations going on,
and alliance is being made, but no one actually wants
the power. Everyone's just very critical of the person who
has the power.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
In the end, the key for.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Swimming Australia is that it is a fat rated system, right,
it's a federated system, but there's a lot of state players.
Remember the pandemic Jelmy, Remember when we kind of all
learned just how much power the states had yes with lockdowns,
And that's essentially, in my mind, goes some way to
(13:18):
explaining the power dynamics of swimming Australia. They are trying
to have everyone get on the same page, but there's
going to be vested interests because the States have so
much power.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
And understandably one of the main parties in this, the
athletes are saying, we'd like more of a voice.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Can we have a seat at the table please? Maybe
not even a seat, you will stand standing room at
the table. We'll take what we can get because right now,
according to World Aquatics, they have no say there's no power.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
The letter said there appears to be a void in
the role of athletes in decision making. World Aquatics requires
that all twenty members of the National Governing Bodies Athlete
Committee get a vote.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
And so wait, wait, wait, wait, go back. This letter
is that it was, but where's it come from?
Speaker 2 (14:01):
World Aquatics?
Speaker 1 (14:02):
So World Aquatics has written this letter, a leaked letter to.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Australia saying you've got thirty days to present a different
constitution to us and ninety days to make that change
or you risk expulsion.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Dare I say you better shape up?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
You do my and my heart is set on anything
else you're going, but I constitute and that I love you.
That plan needs to be in place. There is an
extraordinary meeting on the twentieth of October.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Hang on, So if they don't vote, I think at
the moment it's like, as far as we can tell
from the little that has been reported or that has
been able to be reported on this matter, is that
there might be a verbal agreement that everyone, all the directors,
everyone on the board is thinking, oh yeah, like we'll
agree in terms to this new constitution. But they still
have to vote on it on October twenty.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Otherwise, my own standing from the World Wide Web is
that so being Australia has moved really quickly that there
is a new constitution that has been approved by World Aquatics.
It just now needs to be voted in and implemented.
So they've basically got a slap on the wrist and
they've gone, okay, okay, this is our changes again to
the changes that were made in twenty eighteen. What Aquatics
has gone, Yeah, that looks better. Yeah, and now it's
(15:20):
going to go to a vote and be implemented as
of the twentieth of October and then hopefully we're out
of the clear.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So one of the other biggest constitutional reforms that World
Aquatics is calling for has to do with the number
of board members and just how much power they have
when it comes to making big decisions. Veto powers. So,
for instance, if you were able to have a strong alliance,
because there's only a limited number of board spots, if
(15:47):
you were going to have a strong alliance within that
then you could easily have so much sway. You need
a diversification of that board. Add athletes voices into there,
add some coaching voices into their right now, there's key
number of players that tend to have all the say
last year swiming Australia Cup funding to the States in
(16:09):
terms of their participation funding to be able to be
a part of swimming Australia.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
They didn't like that the States.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
It's naive of us to think as well that oh no,
everyone's looking out for the best when it comes to
swimming at all levels.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Nah.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
If you're Queensland and you have a team called the
Saint Peter's Western Team which has you know Arnie, it
has Mollio Callahouna, he has Dean Boxel at the Helm
and you represent I think like about a third of
the Dolphins actual team, there is a strong argument for
you to be like, no, no, no, we need more
funding because look at the results that we're getting. Yes,
(16:45):
but then what about the team over on the other
side of the country. You know some wa swim squads
that are like, oh no, what we want to We
want to be able to work that as well. In
order to have a super strong team, you kind of
need to build everyone up.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And from what we can see from the turnover at
that executive level, yes, there are a lot of brilliant
administrators that have been at the Helm that have come
in with gumption, excited, about making change, and those gears
have locked and they can't do anything, so they move on. Yes,
So hopefully this constitution unlocks all of that and allows
(17:20):
change that is so desperately needed, so that particularly our
swimmers can feel like that they're supported the way that
they should be. George. They don't get paid very much.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
They get paid nothing. There was a report that came
out just in this last week, so a very very
recent survey of all elite athletes in Australia. Half of them,
almost half of them are living under the poverty line,
so that's less than twenty three thousand dollars per year.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
In twenty twenty two, Emily Sebomb, who's a three time
Olympic gold medalist three times three time, went on, I'm
a celebrity, get me out of here as you do,
and she was having a chat to bo Ryan. Essentially
the conversation went a little bit like this. The top
eight swimmers in Australia, their retainer from swimming Australia is
thirty thousand dollars. Thirty thousand dollars. Just to be very clear,
(18:13):
the minimum wage for full time job in Australia is
thirty six thousand dollars. And the thing is, we know
and we've spoken a lot about potentially AFOW players not
being paid well enough for what they do and things
like that. Their season comes and goes, yes, and they
can hold another job. Swimmers get up at stew Barrows
(18:33):
stupid o'clock and you can't take a break from swimming.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Sometimes they train twice a day in the pool, then
they'll have gym sessions and they'll do that six days
a week for years.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
That is my idea of the Hunger Games. Yeah, and
I would let myself die. Swimming for those that aren't
swimming people is just revolting.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
But we know how important it is to be able
to advocate for yourself right so that you can tell
people who may not know. Like board members, some of
them have experience with being athletes, some of them do not.
They have completely different backgrounds. So why it's important for
athletes to have such a greater voice, and also for
the coaching staff to have a voice, is that you
have hands on a personal experience for what is actually
(19:15):
needed where that funding should go. You should be able
to make that argument because swimming is our most successful sport,
it is one of our most highest funded sports in
this country. So you are getting government funding, you are
getting ideally big sponsorship dollars.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Where does it go have a naming sponsor? And the
bit that blew my mind is that if you win
gold for your country, your bonus is twenty thousand dollars
and that's only only just brought that in and that
was a milestone. Yes, twenty thousand.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
For a gold for all of that work for the
Hunger Games.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
As you say fifteen thousand for silver and ten thousand
for a bronze, you just think. And again I come
back to the fact that this conversation was between between
mc bomb and Bo Ryan, who plays NRL, which is
a national sport, and it blew his mind that the
very and in his own words, he's like, you just
think the best athletes in the country are driving nice
(20:12):
cars to a beautiful home. Yes, and yet as this
report that's come out this week says, a lot of
them are living below the poverty line in terms of
what they're actually earning. And we know we say this
all in the context of there is a cost of
living crisis. A lot of people are doing it hard. Teachers, nurses, yes,
the works, but I think there is a perception, at
(20:34):
least within the public, that athletes are enumerated exceptionally well
for what split see. It looks glamorous, that life right,
and they get one shot in four years to hopefully
get that sponsorship that can carry them through to the next.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
And the only thing that will get them there though,
is success. And the only way you get success is
to have solid programs that are backing you at the
back end, and you need for that in order to
have those be a success. You would think really strong
governing body and a really strong system in place to
make sure that that happens.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And a governing body that has been able to sell
the brand that is the Dolphins that doesn't have a
naming right sponsor, and we are eleven months out from
an Olympics, and also they're so marketable, they're the gods
of our country.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
And we're only nine years out from twenty thirty two.
There's a lot that needs to happen. And just for
a body like World Aquatics, it's like FIFA saying to
Football Australia, get your head in the game.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
To quote high school musical You've Been a song.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
I was not get your head in the game.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
It's like FIFA saying that to Football Australia and then
that's threatening what the Matildas can achieve. It's the same thing,
but no one's talking about it because it is so
hard to decipher. But right now the governing body there
is no there's an interim CEO, so they're still looking.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
They're conducting a.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Worldwide search for a full time CEO and right now
they don't even have a president. You go on the
Swimming Australia website at the time of this recording and
old mate Michelle Gallon still there.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
Her picture is still there as president. You hope the
constitutional changes that have been put forward and approved by
World Aquatics will make it easier for the incoming whoever
they are CEO and President to create great change within
Swimming Australia Because it is our beloved sport. We only
wish it well. We hope that everyone within the organization
(22:32):
feels valued. But also this governing body, it's not just
Olympic athletes, it's right down to the little nippers.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, it goes every single level.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Yes, and when it comes to Brisbane, I'm going to
sit back in my armchair and hope for gold damn,
I'm going to expect gold.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
I'm going to say when it comes to the Dolphins,
no one's hoping for gold. We are expecting gold when
really narrator says, nothing is together here, nothing is as
what it seems, and something needs to change. That has
been recognized by the ultimate body telling us that it
needs to change. October twenty will it, Georgie, It's time
(23:20):
for another fun factor and we're going into the history
books so much so I feel the need to say,
he ye, hear yee.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Did they say that in the nineteen hundreds. No one knows,
but we're going to stick with it. We're going back
to mister Friedrich Lane. I know that he's someone that
you know intimately in terms of his prowess in Australians
sporting history. He was our first ever gold medalist in
swimming for Australia. I should know him, you should know him.
And what's over the dolphin. The fun fact is that
(23:49):
the event, one of the events that he won was
the two hundred meters obstacle event that's not in the Olympics.
It was competed in the muddy waters of the River
sen No and they had just we're competitors had to
swim and climb over a pole, a pole, what is
this pole? Vault?
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And then swim over two rows of boats, two rows
of boats.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
This was a hang on.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
This was an official Olympic event.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
For one time only. Shock horror that it was the
only time. I'm not confirmed. Is this where hurdles came from?
And yet it still probably doesn't baffle people more than
break dancing in the air as an Olympic sport.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
You know what? I love that Frederick Lane won our
first swimming gold medal, and his name is Lane.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
There wasn't a lane in the obstacle. Lane in the obstacle, couse.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I just think that it's so hard even just to
swim in the river, SAYD. I would assume there would
be lots of natural obstacles in there. Not the cleanest river,
I would say.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
In the nineteen hundreds. It might have been right, might
have been straight from a glacier. Who knows. Anyway, That's
my fun fact. I think you've got a fun faction.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
I do my fun fact, Jeremy actually involves us.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Is this a long bow? I'm going to draw? Maybe?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
But you and I had a world record because we
were in attendance at at one time the largest crowd
at a women's sporting event ever.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
I remember it very clearly, mostly Katy Perry, you know,
dancing cricket bats.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
Dancing cricket bats. It was the T twenty World Cup Final,
Australia up against India and we were part of the eighty.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Six thousand, seven hundred and fourteen people. Yep, what a
strong crowd. What a strong crowd it was like honestly,
it was emotional. It really was emotional.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
But unfortunately it's got even more emotional because our world
record doesn't stand. It has been broken before now as well.
But this is the key. It was broken again last
week in Nebraska at a volleyball game, a college volleyball game,
college college volleyball game. Ninety two thousand and three people
(25:48):
rocked up to watch the corn Huskers. That is the
name of the volleyball team, which I think is fantastic,
ninety two thousand and three.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
This could be our d topic next week because I
have so many questions. Was there a statewide campaign? Do
they really care about volleyball? And Nebraska was its beach?
Was it indoor? It can't be indoor, because who has
an indoor venue for ninety three thousand people.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
So there are some caveats and there is a contentious
this is a contentious record.
Speaker 2 (26:16):
Was there someone with the clicker like at a nightclub?
Yet just like going a bit nuts and getting the
numbers blown out.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Well, the thing is that the stadium itself, I think
only holds like eighty thousand people. But because it was
a volleyball court in the in a football stadium is
where it was held, so you could have more people
on the ground around the court that they assembled in
the middle of the field. So technically that allowed for
more people than you would usually see at a sporting event. Also,
there was like a concert, everyone had the day off
(26:44):
as well, so look, there were certain parameters and caveats
that made it possible to have ninety two thousand and
three people there.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
So what I heard from that is if you and
I have a thumb more before Taylor Swift, when there's
one hundred thousand people at the MCG, can we then
say that that was a women's sporting event with that
many people. I think I'm not to speak down. I
don't know very much about Nebraska and they're sporting behaviors,
but I just don't believe that volleyball on the world
(27:11):
stage has more fans attending. Was it even a final
a college volleyball game? I don't believe it was. It's
a fun and interesting fact that jelm me.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
George Thumbmore coming to you a stadium near you in
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Thank you for.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
Listening to Two Good Sports at iHeart Production. Make sure
if you haven't already, follow us on Instagram at two
Good Sports Podcasts.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
George's going to rank your favorite musicals. No, definitely give
us a follow. Thank you for being involved in this app.
We're Our thoughts and prayers are with those at Swimming
Australia and as always by Good Sport.
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