Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2017 i Inside Sport

“Sport is not, and should never be, anyone’s safe space.” ONE OF THE privileges of living in a modern democracy, as the journalist Andrew Sullivan noted, is the freedom to ignore politics. It freed up time to follow things like sport. But with every knee taken during an anthem, or a league announcing a stance on a certain postal vote, it’s become evident sport no longer gets to float above the political fray. It’s right in the muck of the culture wars, trying to dodge the crossfire on Twitter. This is not the first space to note that the current US President – avid golfer, wannabe football team owner – conducts his job in much the same way a sports-radio jock would. Students of political discourse are aghast, but this…

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”Stop the nation? The AFL Grand Final and rugby league’s State of Origin drew more viewers last year.” after 1 beer REASONED ARGUMENTS IF YOU’RE A HORSE PERSON “This is a gem in Australia’s sporting crown. Has been since 1861. Name me another Aussie sporting tradition that has lasted that long. And it’s one of the few things that has bound the nation together over time – any given year can be remembered for who won the Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap won it. Need I say more?” IF YOU’RE REALLY A HORSE PERSON “To be honest, for the racing purist, the first Tuesday in November is the worst day of the year. Too many casuals, too much outside money distorting the odds. Face it, Derby Day is better for…

With another summer of cricket starting to heat up, we begin to salivate like Pavlov’s dogs about the contest that will unfold in the Ashes ... Or shall we say the men’s Ashes. Cricket lovers no longer have to wait until the first session at the Gabba in late November; if you’re craving Australia-versus-England action between wickets, the women’s Ashes begins this month! Australian captain – and no.1 batter in the world – Meg Lanning is out of this series due to shoulder surgery. Rachael Haynes was announced as her replacement and will lead the side in its attempt to retain the Ashes. Haynes will be able to rely on players such as vice-captain Alex Blackwell, all-rounder Ellyse Perry, opening bat Nicole Bolton, swing bowler Megan Schutt and powerful middle-order…

“DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT THAT SLACKER KID WITH THE SKATEBOARD MAY HAVE THE SAME LIFE GOAL AS THE JUNIOR CROSS›COUNTRY COMPETITOR DUTIFULLY CHURNING OUT LAPS AROUND THE OVAL.” One day, outside the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, they will erect a statue of Ross Rebagliati. It will stand ten metres tall, towering over the gaudy gimmicks of physical excellence that otherwise crowd the entrance: a high jump bar set at world-record height, a long jump pit denoting the world record leap, the farthest distance a man and woman have hurled a shotput. For the statue’s plaque, they will steal from Sonny Liston’s tombstone in Las Vegas, tweaking for adjectival effect the greatest epitaph in sport. It will read: “Ross Rebagliati. An Olymp-X man.” Wait, Ross who? Rebagliati is a Canadian who…

Should the Korean Peninsula still exist, South Korea will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games at PyeongChang in February. There will be 102 gold medals decided in what promises to be the coldest Winter Games for some time – PyeongChang regularly dips below minus-5C in February, quite a change from the comparably balmy conditions enjoyed in Sochi and Vancouver. Rain and storms can also prove a climatic problem in February. And that’s before Games organisers worry about the nutty lad and his nuclear missiles across the border in North Korea. PyeongChang marks the start of a six-year period in which Asia is the epicentre of Olympic activity. Tokyo will host the Summer Games in 2020, with Beijing creating history when it hosts the 2022 Winter Games, becoming the first city…

Sydney was inundated by rugby league fans from Melbourne and Townsville as the machine-perfect Storm met the in-form Cowboys in front of 79,722 in the first-ever NRL grand final not to feature either a Sydney or Brisbane team. Ahead 6-0 after 28 minutes thanks to a stunning 75m try to flying winger Josh Addo-Carr, Storm custodian Billy Slater handed the ball to his backrower Felise Kaufusi, who charged over to edge Melbourne two plays ahead of the Cowboys. They remained brave, but the knockout blow for the Cows came just eight minutes later when the North Queenslanders errored on their own tryline. Slater was on the end of one of the final Cameron Smith to Cooper Cronk to Billy Slater Melbourne Storm movements the rugby league world will ever see.…

1 While attention turns to the season of racing, another set of sporting horses gallops into the spotlight this month. The FIP World Polo Championships will be held at the Sydney Polo Club, in the city’s west in the Hawkesbury Valley, from October 21-29. Eight nations will compete at these championships, the 11th since they were founded in 1987. 2 This is the second time Australia has hosted the event, having held the 2001 tournament in Melbourne. It was the site of the best result for the national polo team (which shockingly doesn’t have a catchy nickname), finishing runner-up after a one-goal loss in the final to Brazil. 3 The world’s polo powers: Argentina, Chile, England, the United States, are Sydney-bound. Rounding out the field are Spain, New Zealand and…

Hot Wheels It’s been one of the most exciting Moto GP seasons in memory, with a host of riders staging a multi-way chase for the title as the Australian Motorcycle GP (Oct 20-22) rolls around again at Phillip Island. Those who thought Marc Marquez (right, 93) would own this class going forward were gravely mistaken – though the Spanish star is there, chasing a fourth championship in five seasons, he’s faced a real challenge from the likes of the late-blooming Italian Andrea Dovizioso (right, 04) and Marquez Mk II, Maverick Vinales. The only big letdown this season was the injury that halted Valentino Rossi’s shot at title no.8 – the Italian legend suffered a broken leg. Curiously, it was suffered on a bike, but not racing; Rossi broke it riding…

TELL US WHY RUGBY LEAGUE CAN’T BE “THE GREATEST GAME OF ALL” OR THAT AUSTRALIAN RULES IS LESSER FOR BOOING A BLACK MAN. THEY’LL POUR OVER THE PARAPETS LIKE BEER›GARGLING VISIGOTHS. IN THESE increasingly interconnected, yet insular, modern times in which many of us wander about heads-down “consuming” whatever imperative has just pinged up into our telephones, the way you know a thing is a “thing” is if it has a hashtag. If something has a hashtag, that makes it a thing, makes it part of our cultural zeitgeist. Australian sport has one. It’s called “#codewars” and it’s what happens whenever someone bags or supports a sport, or says anything about a sport at all. And like the damnable squawking bloody phones, it’s become a pain in the bloody arse.…

Mention those three words to Graham Arnold, and the veteran boss has a problem ... The seasoned A-League campaigner is looking for something bigger and better. ‘I don’t like using the words back to back.' On a crystal-clear night in May, 41,546 fans at Allianz Stadium held their collective breath as Milos Ninkovic prepared to take the penalty that would secure the 2016-17 A-League Championship for Sydney FC. Earlier, Sydney and the Melbourne Victory had fought out one of the most physical, foul-riddled and intense title-deciders in recent memory. After 120 mins of energy-sapping football, the lottery of penalties would decide the grand final. The Victory missed two penalties and with the shoot-out poised at 3-2, Ninkovic was standing 11m from goal and had the crowd up on its feet,…

The Australian women’s cricket team (don’t call us the Southern Stars anymore) could set the tone for a huge Ashes summer. The women’s version of the old rivalry is played over all three formats: three ODIs, the first in Brisbane on October 22, the one day-night Test to be held at North Sydney Oval, and three T20s, finishing up in Canberra on November 21. A lot has changed since the last series in 2015, when the Aussies were victorious. England beat Australia in the recent World Cup for the first time since 1993, and then went on to win the World Cup in front of a packed home crowd at Lord's. To retain the Ashes, Australia is going to have to change the momentum that the English players have recently…

The expanded program for Tokyo 2020 will feature 33 sports and 321 events – twin records for the Games. (Actually, there will be 34 sports contested – the IOC in its wisdom has bracketed baseball and softball together to curb any gender-related grumbles.) Here are the new sports and events approved by the International Olympic Committee for the Tokyo 2020 Games. The IOC has announced its aim with the changes is to be “more youthful, more urban and include more women”. FIVE NEW SPORTS Karate: four men’s and four women’s events Skateboarding: two men’s and two women’s events Sport climbing: men’s and women’s events Surfing: men’s and women’s events Baseball/Softball (each was last played at the Games in 2004. Men play baseball, women play softball) PLUS 15 NEW EVENTS ACROSS…

1 The International Olympic Committee confirmed its widely expected split-decision: the Games will head to Paris in 2024, and Los Angeles in 2028. It’s the IOC effectively saying that it doesn’t have bid cities lining up at its door anymore; Games-goers who prefer big cities to, say, built-up resort towns on the Black Sea will rejoice (that’s sports journalists that you hear). It also means we’ll have three established Olympic cities in a row – do you hear us, Melbourne? 2 Favourite non-sport sporting tangent of the month: WAxit, the potential secession of Western Australia from the Commonwealth. We know what we started thinking: international AFL! 3 Canterbury NRL player Josh Morris stopped to field serious questions at a press conference ... while dressed up as Thor for the club’s…

AUSTRALIA’S RETIREMENT PARTY How do you replace some of the greatest players of all time? That’s Mal Meninga’s dilemma. The Australian coach knows their “big three” of Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk, and Billy Slater are taking part in their World Cup swansong, so the Kangaroos will be motivated to reward them with a tournament victory. Smith is the game’s most valuable player. Consider the following: he’s played 50 consecutive Tests; has an 86 percent success rate over 11 years and should become Australia’s most capped player next year. Throw in 358 NRL games and 42 State of Origin matches, and you’re talking records that won’t get beaten. Meninga paid his captain the ultimate accolade ahead of the World Cup: Smith’s the greatest ever. “I’ve had a lot to do with…

EYES  Perhaps Simmons’ standout quality – his court vision is superb, and he might already be one of the best passers in the game. He’s so good in this regard that he’s been likened to the greatest oversized floor general of them all, Magic Johnson. Simmons’ coach at Philadelphia (and former NBL and Boomers coach), Brett Brown, certainly buys into the comparison. He’s committed to the idea that he’s going to start Simmons at point guard ... just like Magic. RIGHT HAND  Here’s the oddity: he shoots lefty, but watching him, Simmons looks like a right-handed player. One of the reasons his drives are so hard to stop is his ability to dribble left and finish at the rim with his right, a move that defenders aren’t used to seeing.…

All Olympic gold medals are equal. Or are they? In the spirit of Orwellian farm animals, some successes seem more golden than others. Cathy Freeman’s 400m gold medal from Sydney, for example, still shines brighter than just about every medal awarded since. With the Summer Olympic program being remodelled to welcome more youth-oriented events, what should be the high and low standards of what merits Olympic glory? Here is one man’s opinion. High: Abebe Bikila, Rome 1960 By my marker, all great Olympic gold medals are measured beside Abebe Bikila’s achievement in running barefoot through the streets of Rome to win the 1960 men’s marathon. This was when the marathon was still the pinnacle event of the Games, rather than the too-long-for-TV afterthought it is in danger of becoming now.…

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Want muscle? You need an Accredited Practising Dietitian on your side. Along with parties, presents and warm weather, hangovers can be a common feature of the festive season. So what popular hangover “cures” really work to speed up the recovery process? The big breakfast: Ah, the greasy bacon-and-egg roll. Who hasn’t tried this one? Surprisingly, there is some evidence to suggest that eggs might not be such a bad choice the morning after – the yolks are rich in cysteine, a component of protein that scientists believe can break down one of the major end-products of alcohol metabolism, acetaldehyde, which is believed to “cause” hangovers. But it’s wise to hold off on the greasy fry-up if you are nauseous. Light fare, such as toast, stewed fruit, flat lemonade, black tea…