ABSTRACT
Australian cities have now staged two Olympic Games and others have been unsuccessful applicants. In 1956, Melbourne was the first Australian city to host the Olympic Games. Sydney was the next Australian city to host the Olympic Games, in 2000. The nation has been also been more successful in the Olympic medal count than would be expected of a country with a population of only 21 million in 2007. But the nation's Olympic connections run deeper than this: the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long had an overrepresentation of members who ‘still call Australia home’, even though they may have not always been domiciled there. [1] Understandably, then, given its level of successful involvement, the nation prides itself on its Olympic contribution. However, the boundaries between admirable pride and a less commendable hubris can, at times, be blurred, and Australians have at times crossed the line in their Olympic dealings.
