080808 Compete - Don’t Cheat!
080808. Today the Olympic Games start in Beijing. The Chinese lucky number 8 on the date: August 8, 2008. China finally officially goes on the world map despite it being a founding member of the United Nations in 1945. Hundreds of Millions will be watching the opening ceremony on telly tonight. Forget the politics, racism and all the “stuff” people waffle on about. Let the games begin! Actually, maybe we will indulge in a just little politics and waffle…
Tamsyn Lewis vs The Do Gooders
OK. I’ve got to bring this one up. Tamsyn Lewis made, what I thought was a pretty innocent and obvious statement a few days ago. She believes she will be lining up against athletes who cheat by taking drugs. Well, that upset a few people. Hello! What planet are they on? She only said what everyone in the world already knows. And that really upset the do-gooders and “Don’t Rock The Boat“, “Play It Safe” and “Keep Your Head In The Sand” people out there.
Now, if you see the photoshoot for the swimwear magazine below, you’ll probably understand why the others are really upset. Oh dear! Grow up people. Amazing what a bit of make-up does, by the way 
It’s a Game. Compete - Don’t Cheat!
You have to laugh! Poor Tamsyn. She likes publicity, scrubs up OK when she wants to and the rest don’t like that. Especially in Tall Poppy Australia where you cannot speak up against the grain or YOU WILL be torn down to the same level as the cellar dwellers. Maybe the upset athletes should answer by taking a drugtest and compete on even terms. Now there’s a thought! It would be pretty ignorant to think an Aussie athlete (or many others) wont take drugs if they know it’s unlikely to be detected.
Like all other Aussie athletes, I hope Tamsyn Lewis does alright in the games (hopefully no one spikes her urine samples). She will now have everyone speaking against her for being honest. Speaking your opinion should not be a crime. It may be in China but lets not turn that way here in Australia where we already have a reputable human rights record. Well, at least if we forget about being nominated for appalling breaches of human rights issues. Oops! Did I slip that one in?
Above All - Have Fun
In the spirit of the Olympic Games: It’s supposed to be about participating above all. I’m sure it will be a great Olympic Games and possibly the best one yet. The Chinese culture is older than most western countries and they know how to put on a show. Hopefully they wont have kids competing and men lining up in the womens events like they did a few years back. LOL (sarcasm alert!). I’m sure the only difference between the male and female athletes in their swimming team of the 90’s was the names… Oops! I did it again. Hopefully I didn’t upset anyone. Seriously, some of those women looked very scary… I’m sure their East German coaches had nothing to do with it, at all.
Participation Awards
How funny would it be if they did what they do in Aussie Primary Schools? Give everyone a participartion award and treat them like a winner. No one wins regardless of the end result. It’s a bit like a wet rag in the face, actually. Then later in life, winning seems to more important than doing it fairly, it seems (for some). Anyone who has cheated at Monopoly would have to agree.
Have fun at the games this year. Go The Aussies! Show the world our proud sporting tradition. Now what was I saying in the opening paragraph about waffling on about “Stuff”?
(I removed a joke from this post as it didn’t pass the Do-Gooder code of practice. It was a cracker joke, I think. But the Do Gooder got the better of me. It has been posted in the comments section below)
Have a most Outstanding Olympics
Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 - 2008
Tags: 080808, Chinese Swimmers, Do Gooder, Drug Cheats, Olympics, Tamsyn Lewis
August 8th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Brilliant post. Thx Shaun!!
August 8th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Phew! Thanks Zarin. I was waiting for the upset ones… your response is much better
August 8th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Hey where can I get some of that makeup!?
No, really you are right Sean people should get over it and just listen to the truth of what she has said. I know many people who just ignore the Olympics because it is just too much hype and its as much about the money spent on training as natural talent!
August 8th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Hi John.
I’m wearing some right now. It doesn’t quite work on me… Take my word for it
August 8th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Ahhh yes… I recall the “female” chinese swimmers of the 90’s. I don’t think that even Arnie had shoulders that broad.
Maybe they should have another competition apart from the Olympics where athletes were allowed to dope themselves up as much as they like. This would lead to more research being done on enhancement drugs and possibly be of benefit to medicine overall. Who knows?
Maybe a topic for another blog….
August 8th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
China had a surplus of boys under their one child policy and had a deficit of female swimmers. Hmmm… very suspicious!
August 8th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
Great post Sean, agree fully.
Unfortunately censorship is already here in some forms, good to see someone speaking their mind for a change!
August 8th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Hearing a rep from the Aussie Olympic commity speaking out: “If Tamsyn has got any specific allegations, she should come direct to us”. Honestly! What a knob… it was a bit like listening to the AFL speak in their black mafia uniforms and Illuminati antics. Oops! I did it again
August 8th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
My you have certainly done your homework Sean & if I was marking your paper you would recieve 97 out of 100 . I was going to give you 100 except you left out the joke, other wise mate well done keep up the good work.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN…..
FISHERMAN
August 8th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Cheers Allen. 97 is good. Thanks!
August 8th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Well done Sean. I think that only the Aussie’s reading this will know what a “knob” is… I’m watching the opening ceremony as I type this. Here’s to fair competition!
August 8th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Hmm. Just as well, I think. I’m watching the opening ceremony too. I realised just how reliant we are on the alphabet. The countries are entering the arena all over the shop looking like Japanese tourists with their cameras. Oh look! There’s people on the stands! LOL. I wish the Chinese authorities banned cameras in the stadium like they did to channel 9
August 8th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Hi Sean,
You do realize you are starting to sound an awful lot like Britney Spears, don’t you?
And RE: “I’m wearing some right now.” …..there’s a name for guys like that in the states, you know
@ Simon, re: “Maybe they should have another competition apart from the Olympics where athletes were allowed to dope”
….they do. have you ever watched any powerlifting? Not that steroids are legal, or actually used of course (tongue in cheek); but then why would they need to separate out certain competitions as “raw” or natural? And why would the motto of the Raw Powerlifting Federation be “Where lifters compete, not technology” ?? Maybe weightlifting is just more vaguely honest about it.
But I have to say I agree with you Sean and unfortunately the situation is not much better (if at all) across the pond. These people (worldwide) need to grow up and stop blaming the few honest athletes that are left in competition (can I get an ‘amen’ Marion Jones??? ha, ha).
Anyway great post, all too true. Before I go, though, let me apologize in advance for the tromping the US athletes are about to give you all
August 8th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Oh yeah. And no fair leaving the joke out. Anyone who would be offended hasn’t followed this far, I’m sure.
August 9th, 2008 at 12:20 am
Ah, it’s OK Mary. We don’t take US athletes seriously over here anyway
Actually, I think the Iraqi athletes got a bigger cheers than the US. LOL. OK, I don’t know that because the US haven’t entered yet 
Mm. Maybe I have to be a bit careful about by my humor. re: makeup. Hang on! I’ll go and take it off now.
Could I possibly put the joke in here? Maybe the anticipation is to feirce… What if it’s not funny anymore… the suspense is too intense…
August 9th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Actually, Ange, I get the knob reference (I think–unless knob means something else in Aus, which it could considering some of your other totally ambiguous sayings. I mean, really, can any of you tell me where the Bob’s your uncle thing comes from? The more I think of it, maybe that’s an expression not fit for children? I’ll just stop thinking on that now.)
As for the joke, you are at a bigger risk of all of us not reading anymore. I never could stand that “I know something but I can’t tell you” business.
Come on…I love cracker jokes at other’s expense. It’s how I’ve built my reputation
We promise to go easy, we’ve all been in that position before. I know I have anyway.
As for the rest…I guess the medal count will sort that out. No one ever cheers for the clear favorite, do they?
August 9th, 2008 at 11:07 am
Oh well. It better be funny. Actually, it’s not funny as much as ‘tongue in cheek’
(Please read with Chinese accent)
Confuscious say:
“Chinese athlete that does not win medal in Beijing Olympics, shal have limb surgically removed to perform in Beijing Paralympics”
I figured this will increase the medalcount… it’s all about giving for your country. Maybe taking a kidney would be a noble idea as it will benefit the organ donor scheme in China
August 9th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
yes i agree she have the right to speak out. we need poeple to do the same. thanks for bringing it up Sean.
August 10th, 2008 at 2:23 am
Actually it did turn out to be pretty funny. I had a chuckle! Of course I suffer with that awful American sense of humor, so maybe I don’t really count.
August 10th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Hey Mary,
Considering the U.S Has 20 times the population of Australia and a bigger Olympic contingent the medal count per capita doesn’t get anywhere near to Australia’s.
Nearly every Person in Oz has an Uncle Robert (Bob) somwhe in the family tree therefore the saying. Go Sean
Maybe you could start a Blog Olympics and win Gold for Oz
Mal
August 10th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Thanks Mss1963.
That is handy info about uncle Bob. I think I’m the only one that doesn’t have one. I think mine was Uncle Otto!
August 11th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Lets just wait and see what the medal tally is Mary action are better then words
August 11th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
LOL. Cheers Phil. I think Mary has stirred up a hornets nest here. Now we all know Aussies are much tougher than the US troops, oops, I mean Athletes… right?
August 12th, 2008 at 5:29 am
Guess I should have expected as much. As for the troops comment, I won’t even go there except to say that all those men and women deserve our respect and support, and I think we can all agree on that.
I did enjoy clarification on the Bob’s your Uncle. Now I know, but can’t say that I’d reference most Bob’s I know as expert sources. But just for the record, (and last I checked US was ahead), are we counting Winter Olympics too?
August 12th, 2008 at 10:19 am
LOL. This is good
NO! We cannot count winter olympics… not unless we are counting Two-Up or Kangaroo Bashing as an Olympic sport.
Seriously, the US is always a ‘Force’ to reckon in most sports (Sorry about the force-thing). There has always been a healthy rivalry there, atleast from our vantage point as the US always get the higher medal tally.
On the ‘per capita’ issue. I have calculated that the Aussie olympic squad equals 1 athlete per 52,500 people.
(based on the 400 strong squad per 21,000,000 population)
In comparison, the US olympic squad equals about 1 athlete per 602,000 people.
(based on a 500 strong olympic squad against 301,000,000 population)
So, the US needs to get 12 times more Gold medals compared to Australia to win the ‘Per Capita Olympics’
See! It’s all a matter of perception
August 12th, 2008 at 10:20 am
BTW. Yes, they all deserve our respect
August 12th, 2008 at 10:30 am
I just realised that China are the real big losers of the Olympics as they only mustered up 1 athlete in every 2,250,000 people.
An olympic squad of 600 athletes from a population of 1,350,000,000. That is disgraceful
LOL
August 13th, 2008 at 10:31 am
It’s a shame that the only real world joining, people uniting event in the world still can’t come away without big issues.
I found the US mask wearing athletes a bit funny, not because of what they did but because the US journos were defnding them before anyone really even complained. Silly thing is most US cities suffer from smog too.
Nice piece Sean
August 13th, 2008 at 10:51 am
There’s a Biblical Saying that goes a bit like this:
“You can see the twig in the other persons eye, but not the beam in your own”