This weeks dump, the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team.

What a major disappointment!

Just 5 gold medals, in a total of 31, backed up with 33 fourth placings!!

That is down from 45 medals 4 years ago in Manchester, and well down on the 50+ that were predicted by SPARC, and the media, and the man at the corner dairy two streets over from work.

Over the course of the games, we Kiwi’s where left with very little 'feel-good factor'.
The netballers winning at least put a brighter finish to the whole sorry mess.
Our rugby sevens performed above expectation, seeded 3rd or 4th, but putting in, literally, a gold medal performance.

Athletics results where disappointing, sure the 1500m was excellent but needed to be to make up for Beatice’s 'fat old lady crossing the road' effort.
The cyclists where a complete embarrassment, not only for the on track performances but the “nudie take the piss” episode that followed.
The boxing was pathetic!! The kiddy killer should not have been there, not because of his heinous previous crime but simply because he is a crap boxer!
Our Olympic tri-athletes couldn’t back up Greece’s results, and the sadness goes on and on - shooting, hockey, squash, badminton...

So what is the problem?

No more Milk in schools meaning our athletes aren’t as strong as they used to be?

The new age of 'participation' is the key – don’t keep the score – so this generation thinks 4th is ok?  Think kids need to be taught all about winning and losing, and how to do both graciously from an early age.  After all, when 20 people apply for a job, one person wins, and the other 19 lose, they don't all get the position!

Too many Hakas, and not enough training?  Geez, how embarrassing must it have been for the athletes, getting Haka'd for a bronze medal, there are two punters better than you, and your mates start a dance in your honour.  FFS, we'll be haka'ing for the 4th next, and just for 'taking part' too, and then just for getting out of bed...

Not enough funding, sports academies?  It would be interesting to know the cost of each of the Kiwi gold medals, and the cost of the Aussie medals. 

Not mentally tough enough?  Or simply, not good enough.  Someone always has to lose, and it is often the smaller nation that does.  Basically, it is a numbers game, and the numbers of participants in Australia or England and the like is just that much bigger, meaning the peak of their pyramid is generally much higher than ours, unless we have a freak athlete, which we do pull out now and then.  That is when the glory comes along.  The freaks though, just getting too few and far between now (the performing freaks, not the non performing pissing cyclist freaks).