AlliF

Is anyone else fed up with the commentators in the adverts on channel 10 for the upcoming commonwealth games constantly telling Australia c'mon the most important thing is to beat the POMS.
Its like it is the whole meaning in their life resenting people from Britain - forget breaking world records and competing against all the other countries just beat those POMS. It's Depressing. I will now have to ignore the media entirely for the next two weeks.
(and of course making any kind of comment on it just instantly puts you in the whingeing pom category - you aren't allowed to stand up for yourself here).

renth

As far as the Commonwealth Games is concerned the Poms will be the English.

AlliF

Still pretty sad though

renth

You'll be able to join in with the Aussies in cheering against England.

Vash the Stampede

Considering that the UK poured millions of lottery money into their Olympic team with the admitted aim of beating Australia at Beijing (they succeeded; albeit by only two gold medals), I think that's fair enough.

The Sun newspaper celebrated this victory in an unprecedented display of hubris by driving a bunch of vans around Sydney and London, bearing the slogan "Where the bloody hell were you?" Yet you complain about Australians?

I think you're taking this just a bit too seriously.

I'm Australian, and I don't resent Britain at all. I enjoy our friendly rivalry, and I relish the fact that my country of 20 million people regularly beats your country of 60 million people in major international sporting competitions.

It's nothing personal.

AlliF

Nah, wouldn't waste my breath.

Slightly ironically it has taken moving over the other side of the world for me to actually become more of an england supporter - mainly because if they beat them it stops the Aussies beign so smug.

AlliF

If you say so mate. I wasn't in London or Sydney to see that, but in all my life in the UK i don't remember anybody caring that much about the Aussies performance - far less continually stating that the aim of attending the olympics or commonwealth was to 'Beat Australia'.
I have counted just in the last hour 6 adverts on TV where the commentators have mentioned this as their main reason for going.
If it was actually friendly rivalry that would be ok - but a lot of the time it is not, it is just downright nasty making racist insults.

MartinLuther

Maybe. But it is worth bearing in mind that Aus and England usually come in 1st and 2nd in the Commonwealth games.

DunRoaminTheUK

We do "Britain's Next Top Model" respectively better though....

Vash the Stampede

Oh really? I lived in the UK for nearly 6 years, from January 2004 to October 2009. England won the Ashes series in 2005, and the entire country went completely mental for at least the next six weeks. My British workmates were still rubbing it in two months later. So please, don't tell me Poms don't care about Australia's performance.

I didn't say people were "continually stating that the aim of attending the Olympics or Commonwealth was to beat Australia." I said the UK's massive investment of lottery money into their Olympic preparations was partly motivated by a desire to beat Australia. Sports Minister Andy Burnham virtually admitted this at the time, and even promised to wear Australia's sporting colours if we won more medals.

Racist insults? I find that very hard to believe.

Yes, I... er... well, yes. Quite. Getting the name of the winner right is an important part of the business, and you guys seem to have mastered it jolly well. We're still getting to grips with the finer points.

JoeBloggs80

I don't mind it at all, I think its funny.

I actually think the ads on 10 aren't particularly representative of how the country feels. I haven't come across anyone who really cares about the commonwealth games, 10 are just trying to hype it up to get viewers.

The cricket though thats a different story. Thats a proper historical rivalry. I'll be going to a few matches here and I can't wait. Win or lose its a great day out and to have all the fans sitting together and taking the piss out of each other is brilliant.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

But that's direct competition against one another in the biggest event in cricket. You would expect some banter about it.
The difference is that Australian commentators tend to mention England's performance, particularly if that performance was lousy, even if Australia were not competing in the same event.
I understand why it happens, as there is still a bit of rivalry with the old 'Mother country' even after all this time. It doesn't bother me now, but there was a time when it used to piss me off no end.

spartacus

<<snigger>>

BadgeIsBack

Oh here we go again. I'd just got over the Olympics....

It's sport. Watch it or forget it. Noone has even mentioned it at the moment - apart from a guffaw at the preparations which has eclipsed other comments..

Just let me know when those nubile girls are diving.

BadgeIsBack

No! I find that hard to believe? From a Scot?

Apart from Kporte, you're the first!