The Olympics In Oz
There is less than 9 weeks to go till one of the biggest events ever to hit Australia kicks off. The whole of the country is counting down the days till the best athletes from every corner of the globe come to just one place at the one time. That's right, it's Olympics time again, and us Aussies can't wait.
One of the reasons Australians are getting so excited is probably because this is our best chance ever to get a lot of medals. With the home crowd and a bunch of great athletes representing Australia, we just might give the USA a run for their money. Our greatest chances for gold are, with out a doubt, in the swimming pool. We have Ian Thorpe, Susie O'Neal, Grant Hacket and Michael Klim, who all have great chances of at least one medal.
Out of the water we also have some other chances, probably the most notable being Cathy Freeman, who is the world champion at the women's 400 metres run. We also have medal possibilities in the hockey, rowing, basketball, shooting, tennis, and the triathlon, which is an Olympic sport for the first time.
The main reason I think we have such good channces of getting gold is that the Olympics are being held in our very own country. It's our chance to show the world that we aren't just that boring country 'down-under'. We can show them we aren't just a great place for TV soapies to be filmed and that we do more than just surf and try to pick up chicks down at the beach. There is more to our country than that, and in September, the world will find out.
The uniforms that Australian competitors will be wearing at the olympics were released this week. They look great. The USA Olympic Team's Uniform was also released during the week. I heard that the US tracksuits have been specially designed, so the look good with medals on them! The top has one red and one blue line going down the middle, and if they get a medal, it is supposed to sit right in the middle of the two lines. I hope they don't mind when they don't get as many medals as they are expecting, because Australia will win them all
Yesterday the Olympic torch entered my state, Victoria. It has already visited every state and territory of Australia, except Tasmania, the ACT, and of course New South Wales, which includes it's famous underwater leg, through the Great Barrier Reef, the first time the flame has ever gone underwater. Soon it will be visiting my town where it will re-enter Victoria after coming by a ferry from Tasmania. It will then travel up to Melbourne where it will be carried round the Melbourne Cricket Ground where it will be lit in a special cauldron just like in 1956.
So there you have it, that's how us Aussies feel about the Olympics. Keep reading this section for news on the Olympics from an Australian's perspective!
