Last month the Olympic cauldron was reignited in Cathy Freeman Park for the 20-year anniversary of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Two young Australian athletes, Tenayah Logan, a basketballer with the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence program, and athletics Paralympian Tamsin Colley, who competed at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, were given the honour of relighting the cauldron.
Joining them were Olympic and Paralympic heroes Ian Thorpe and Louise Sauvage and AOC President John Coates. Golden girl Cathy Freeman also delivered a special video message from Melbourne where she was in isolation.
Passing of a cricket great
Justin Langer, Sachin Tendulkah and Brian Lara were among many to pay tribute to former cricketer Dean Jones after his recent passing. Jones played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia in the 1980s and 90s. The Victorian scored 3,631 runs at an average of 46.55 with 11 centuries in 52 Tests.
Current Australian coach Justin Langer held a press conference to express his sadness at the death of one of the greatest trailblazers in the history of cricket. “My gosh, it’s a real shock,” Langer said. “It was certainly an incredibly sad time when we found out. I was only talking to Jonesy recently. The more I think about it, what probably summed him up is he was so passionate about Australian cricket, he was so passionate about the game of cricket full stop.”
Tokyo Olympics update
Organisers of next year’s delayed Tokyo Olympics will require coronavirus tests of foreign athletes upon arriving in Japan, but may not mandate a two-week quarantine period. Japanese athletes and other participants living in Japan would face similar requirements when travelling to training camps and competition venues under the planned measures, which were released after a meeting between the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the Japanese government and the Tokyo metropolitan authorities.
The pandemic has cast a shadow over the viability of next year’s Games, even as Japan’s new prime minister Yoshihide Suga has emphasised their importance.
Here come the Rabbitohs!
Rugby league reporter John Lanzky was thrilled with Souths’ performance in the final round of the season. The 60-8 annihilation of the Roosters was the Rabbitohs’ biggest ever win against their arch rivals.
Alex Johnston moved to the top of the try-scoring list with five tries, including one where he put Corey Allan over the line, only for the fullback to wait and pass back for the winger to put the ball down. “It was a great performance, it’s a great club to be a part of,” coach Wayne Bennett said.
On October 4 Souths took on Newcastle at ANZ Stadium. Down by 14, the Rabbitohs went on to score 46 unanswered points – eight tries, including two to Alex Johnston. The final result was 46-20. John Lanzky described the performance as gutsy and classy. South Sydney will now face Parramatta in the semi-final at Bankwest Stadium on October 10.
