Two silvers and a bronze at Pyeongchang were Australia’s highest ever Winter Olympics medal haul. It could have been better, but then again, it could have been worse for a country that has participated in every Winter Olympics since 1936, with the exception of the 1948 games.
Regardless, it’s safe to conclude that winter sports aren’t Australia’s forte. But it shouldn’t stop Australia from hosting the Winter Olympics, potentially in collaboration with New Zealand, making it the first time the Games have been held in the southern hemisphere.
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Hare are The Reasons – Why are Winter Olympics Not Held in the Southern Hemisphere?
Only 12 countries, including the United States (four times), France (three times), Austria (twice), Canada (twice), Japan (twice), Italy (twice), Norway (twice), Switzerland (twice), Germany, Yugoslavia, Russia, and South Korea (currently), have hosted the Winter Olympics, despite the flag’s five interlaced rings representing all seven continents.
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No nation in the southern hemisphere has even submitted a bid to host the Winter Games. That goes against the Olympic ideals upheld all around the world.
Despite its reputation as the sunniest and flattest continent on Earth, Australia could host winter sports like ice hockey, figure skating, curling, and speed skating with no problem. The Southern Alps of New Zealand offer world-class skiing venues, similar to those in Europe’s Alpine regions.
Research has shown that holding the Winter Olympics in Australasia is possible. It’s high time you dusted off the reports and put them back into circulation. It would be economically feasible to host the Games in Australia, and New Zealand is home to some of the best ski and snowboarding in the world. This pairing has shown to be fruitful in the past.
Although most summer and winter Olympic Games have been hosted by a single country, partial hosting has occurred before. Due to quarantine laws, the equestrian events of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics were staged in Stockholm, Sweden, while Antwerp and Ostend in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands hosted the 1920 summer Games.
Hosting the Olympics is an Expensive Deal
Bidding for and hosting the Olympics is an expensive endeavour, but the economic and sporting advantages might be huge. Australia’s winter sports, the country’s unpopular cousins when it comes to athletics, would get a huge boost by hosting the Winter Games.
Australia should carefully consider finding a means to host the Winter Games if it wants to foster the development of additional athletes like snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist Torah Bright.
Aspiring athletes would be given a boost in motivation from the Olympics, and a future fund might be established to help support and prepare them. With better infrastructure, Australian winter sports competitors would have more chances to practise at home, which might lead to an increase in international competition.
While Aussies have always supported their Olympic heroes—from Edwin Flack to Scotty James—no matter where they’ve participated, there’s a special place in their hearts for those who have won gold on their own land. Betty Cuthbert and Cathy Freeman will live on in indelible memory.
Australian winter athletes are just as deserving of a chance to compete in an Olympic Games held in their own country.
Despite having been a while ago, the effects of the Olympic Games in Melbourne and Sydney are still being felt today. There is no reason why winter sports in our nation shouldn’t have the same legacy as other American sports.
While the Winter Olympics are held in February—the height of summer in the southern hemisphere—there is no reason the Games couldn’t be relocated to July if they were held in the southern hemisphere.
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Final Words
The PyeongChang Games have been a ratings success for broadcaster Channel Seven, thanks in large part to the country’s advantageous time zone. The Winter Olympics need to move south, where the Anzac spirit can give the Games a fresh perspective, if they are to become a genuinely global event.