GREG TINGLE - TALKBACK CALLER COMMENTS ON ANNOUNCEMENTS IN FRENCH DURING THE OLYMPIC CEREMONIES AND OLYMPIC VOLUNTEERS.

Yeah, hi John.

JOHN LAWS – PRESENTER:

Yeah.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

How are you?

LAWS:

Pretty good.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Good.  You're sounding well.

LAWS:

Thank you.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah, interesting call that last one, wasn't it?

LAWS:

Yeah.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

It doesn't give them a great reputation. 

LAWS:

No.  No, it doesn't but we wanted to find out if it's right.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

That's right.

LAWS:

That's the important thing.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah.  John, I'm calling you about the Olympics.  I've got a bit of news, which you might find interesting and also to your listeners.  I find the thing about the French and France very interesting and not for the right reasons.  Do you know where I'm coming from?

LAWS:

No.  Don't tell me you've got some conspiratorial theory about it?

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

No, it's just that … I mean, why is there so much focus on France?  Like, it's the Australian Olympics and didn't the Olympics actually go back to, was it Greece?

LAWS:

Yeah, the ancient Olympics.  The modern Olympics started in … De Coubertin started the modern Olympics in France.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah, and I mean, I just don't understand it.  I’m not going to say anything too negative about it but it just doesn't make sense to me.

LAWS:

Yeah.  Well, it's very difficult for a lot of people to understand but I need to find out whether or not this has been a modern Olympics tradition, and if it has, it might have been a mark of respect to the good baron who founded the modern Olympics.  It might have been a mark of respect to him.  I don't know.

But it does seem to me extraordinary when we're in an English speaking country and the English speaking country is hosting the Games that we're expected to welcome everybody in French before we welcome them in English (laughs).

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

True and, you know, nothing stays the same forever and it might be quite timely to actually do something about it.  A couple of other things John.  I'm actually an official Olympic volunteer and for the most part, I mean, it's absolutely fantastic out there.  A couple of things, some of the volunteers and some people from some of the other areas, some of them are on power trips. 

LAWS:

They're what?

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

On power trips.  Like, they think just because they're involved in the Olympic Games that they're …

LAWS:

Oh, you mean members of committees and things?

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Well, yes.

LAWS:

Oh, I'm sure they are (laughs).

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

It's not about that.  It's about the athletes and just having a good time.  Not about, you know, who can exert authority and, you know.

LAWS:

Well, that's what it should be about but you know, the IOC is a big club, a big club, and big rich club as well.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Don't we know it.

LAWS:

Yeah.  I tell you there's a book that came out.  I talked to the fellow who wrote it last night on the television show, a fellow called Andrew Jennings.  It's called the Great Olympic Swindle and you'd like it.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

I think I would.

LAWS:

Yeah, well, I'm sure you would.  You should have a look at it.  It's a particularly interesting book and he said some quite extraordinary things that simply verify what you're saying.  There is a lot of bullying.  There is a lot of megalomania.  A lot of people do get preoccupied with their own greatness.  And I commend the book to you.  It's called the Great Olympic Swindle written by Andrew Jennings.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah, John, a couple of other things as well.

LAWS:

Okay, be quick.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Okay.  I think it might actually turn out to be the cleanest Olympic Games ever.

LAWS:
I hope so.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

I mean, if they’re getting rid of … I mean, okay, we know that Chinese and others … other countries as well.  I mean, there might only be half a field left but at least they might clean.  You know, what I’m saying.

LAWS:

Yeah, I’m with you there.  I don’t think there’d be much argument about that.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

And by the way, what … did you hear the rumour about the taxi driver that found the … you know, how he find the camera for that bloke the other day.

LAWS:

Yeah.  Well, I don’t know the story because obviously the other day I wasn’t reading the newspapers.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

No, fair enough.  Congratulations.

LAWS:

Thanks.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Oh, you know (laughs).

LAWS:

(Laughs)

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

But I actually heard that the fellow who lost the camera, that journo, he actually re-lost it again after the camera getting handing back to him [sic].

LAWS:

Really.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah, mate.  Fair dinkum.

LAWS:

Well, wouldn’t surprise me.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Well, there you go.

LAWS:

Nor does it distress me (laughs).

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah.  All right, all the best with everything.

LAWS:

He did lose it again.  Thanks for your call.  Good to talk to you.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Yeah, you too, John.

LAWS:

Could I ask you how old are you?

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

I’m twenty-nine. 

LAWS:

Good on you.  And you’re an Olympic volunteer?

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Absolutely.

LAWS:

Good man.

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

All right.  See you later.

LAWS:

Thanks for your call.  Don’t forget that book now, will you?

CALLER (GREG TINGLE):

Okay.  I’ll get it, John.

LAWS:

Okay, written by Andrew Jennings.  I talked to him last night on the television program.  He’s not very popular with the IOC.  Little wonder, I’ve got to tell you.  I don’t know whether you saw the interview or not. 

He’s spent the past ten years or so following the head honchos around the world and then writing about their corruption.  He gave me the inside running on the bid for the IOC presidency that everybody in Australia seemed to think was a lay down misere for Kevin Gosper.

Listen, what he said to me when I said what are the chances of Kevin Gosper for top job.  Listen.

[Excerpt of Andrew Jennings speaking with John Laws]

ANDREW JENNINGS – AUTHOR:

Kevin doesn’t have a constituency.  Australia is having the wool pulled over its eyes if it thinks it’s got any chance of an IOC president.  He’s not on the shortlist and it’s time … if he only realised that he could become a human being.  Instead, he’s walking around with all those vital parts, you know, very tight so he doesn’t do anything wrong.

LAWS:

(Laughs).

JENNINGS:

I mean, what is he doing?  He does something wrong every week.  I think he’s a sad man.  I used to get cross about him but I pity him now.

[End of excerpt]

LAWS:

We talked about drugs as well and I said, even in the wake of all these drug cheats being caught … as my caller from a moment ago, what a nice young fellow he was.  Andrew Jennings told me that we shouldn’t be patting ourselves on the back too soon about all this.

[Excerpt of Andrew Jennings speaking with John Laws]

JENNINGS:

I wouldn’t get too carried away because there’s plenty more drugs as far as we know.  We know there’s some we can’t test for like human growth hormone, (indistinct) the tests should have been legitimised years ago and it’s disgraceful the IOC squandered money on itself over the years and didn’t fund the scientists until this late date.

[End of excerpt]

LAWS:

Yeah, so he does say some interesting things.  I’m not sure whether … we should really replay a bit of that interview closer to the Games because it’s an amazing book and he does make some amazing comments.  The book, incidentally, is called The Great Olympic Swindle, as I said, and it’s released and available now and I commend it to you.  It’s a very, very interesting book.  He’s a fairly outspoken fellow.

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