Where is the Respect from our Olympians?

Imagine how great it would feel returning home after winning a medal at one of the best Olympics ever and having an event put on for you to be celebrated by the millions of Australian fans. It would be pretty awesome right? Well apparently it’s not good enough for many of our Beijing heroes.

The official Olympians welcome home parade was held in Sydney on Monday September 15. Thousands of Sydneysiders took the day off school or work to cheer on the green and gold athletes but from a team of over 400 athletes only a few over 100 attended.

Ok, I will be honest, most Aussie’s probably wouldn’t care too much if our ping pong team didn’t turn up (which they didn’t) but what about the medallists? The parade in Sydney was originally compulsory for all medal winners in Beijing but the long list of absentees is disgraceful.

Stephanie Rice, Liesel Jones, Eamon Sullivan, Grant Hackett, Matthew Mitcham and Briony Cole were notable absentees. Kristi Harrower and Jenni Screen were the only two members of the Silver medal winning Opals team who turned up and Anna Meares was the only cyclist present.

Of course of the absentees Rice was the one most fans wanted to see. First we were told she had Pneumonia before we found out she just decided a holiday with her friends was more important than showing any form of appreciation to Australia. If she can make time to pose for magazines she should be able to squeeze an event like this in, which only happens once every four years mind you.

What I want to know is where the respect for the Australian public from these athletes is. Let’s not forget it is the tax payers, and hence Aussie fans, which get the 400 strong team over to Beijing. Just as it was the NSW tax payers who payed for the parade in Sydney despite Joan Coates thanking Bank West for putting the event on. I have it on very good authority the sponsor did not put any money toward the parade!