"It’s Athens 2004 time. I’ve found it really hard to get enthusiastic about these Olympics."
- Rick Eyre, commencing the first of 46 posts about the 2004 Olympics, 13.8.04

It's just wrong holding the Winter Olympics in the alternate even-numbered year. It's just not an Olympiad. Do the maths: 2006 divided by 4 equals 501.5. It just shouldn't be.

And there's too much sport going on elsewhere this year: the Commonwealth Games, the FIFA World Cup, there's even a World Baseball Classic to laugh at next month. Even the opening ceremony of Torino 2006 (which I haven't seen yet and have no real plan to) clashed with the final of the African Cup of Nations in Cairo. Egypt beat Cote d'Ivoire on penalties after a 0-0 draw at the end of ninety minutes (which I haven't see yet and have no real plan to). Now come on, which would you have rather been watching at 4am on a Saturday morning (or, indeed, None Of The Above?)

The real reason, however, why I am having trouble getting motivated about Torino 2006, is that I can no longer find it in myself to back the Australians. The reason being that we lost our Winter Olympics virginity at Utah 2002. Though, admittedly, Steven Bradbury did it in legendary fashion.

So: what could there possibly be to get excited about? Two things:

1. The underdogs;
2. The curling.

Or, of course, a combination of both. That's why I will be cheering for the New Zealand men's curling team.

More in my next post.