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The Congress started on a high note with Secretary of State (Amateur Sport) Denis Coderre announcing an additional $4.45 million for amateur sport in Canada including $2.65 million annually for coaching support and $1.8 million for Olympic and Paralympic final preparation! Mr. Coderre added that the $1.8 million for Olympic and Paralympic final preparation for Sydney will support such activities as additional preparatory competitive and training opportunities and that a portion will also be set aside for specialized support staff. A welcome news for our Men's Field Hockey Team on the "Road to Sydney"! Merci Mr. Coderre!
The evening ended with a nocturnal visit of the House of Commons led by Mr. Coderre himself. 
While the women's hockey program is arguably surpassed in popularity by only men's hockey and men's sprinting to Canada's officials, Brisson says it's all of the country's athletes who benefit from the COA's involvement with its athletes - which should translate to success in competition. "I think Canada's a leader in becoming more athlete-focussed, involving athletes in the decision-making process," said Brisson, a Montreal native who has been a part of the national team for seven years. She's the women's hockey representative on the COA's Athlete Council. "I would say we're in a good situation (as athletes). I don't think we're where we want to be yet, but we're getting there." For Bird, Sydney marks a sort of homecoming. At just 18, he was named to the men's field hockey team for the Seoul Olympics, but suffered a concussion in a collision with another player. The men's team failed to qualify for both Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996; Bird was forced into semi-retirement following seizures caused by the blow and will make his Olympic return in September. This time around, he has been part of the qualifying process as a member of both the 1998 national team in the World Cup in Utrecht, Holland, and the 1999 Pan Am Games team that captured gold at Winnipeg last summer. After placing 11th at Seoul, Canada is currently ranked No. 7 in the world and has defeated every top-10 team in the past year in play. "It'll be more special (at these Olympics) because I was part of the qualifying team," Bird said. "What we're talking about is stealing a medal. We're not a top-three team, but we've got everybody believing we can win a medal." | |||||||||||||||
As playing in the Olympic games gets closer to becoming a reality, the excitement continues to build for each and every member of our team and our supporters. We use the games as "fuel" to train with renewed energy and enthusiasm and I'm confident that we will accomplish our goals for the tournament. Our team, however, has always been about more that just results and accomplishments. Heart and spirit have never been in short supply and we have even more fun off the field than we do on. Some of my favourite memories include:
With the games around the corner, along with a sense of anticipation, I can't help but feel a little sad because I know that the team will not be the same after Sydney. Many of the guys will focus on other priorities in their lives and will move past hockey. And so, as much as I look forward to the start of the games I'm trying to savor every moment leading up to them because I know that the joy ride that this team has been on for the past couple of years will soon come to an end... We plan to make sure however, that the ride ends with a BANG! | ||||||||||||||||
Both Navim (from New Westminster, British Columbia) and Bob (from High River, Alberta) have been associated with the Team since at least 1996, through the World Cup qualification campaign, at the 1998 World Cup in Holland, at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg and at multiple camps and tours in between. Bob Dunlop already had an Olympic experience in 1998 in Nagano where he was the physiotherapist for the very successful Canadian Speed Skating Team. As for all the Major Games (Olympic, Pan American and Commonwealth Games), the Medical Support Team is selected by the Canadian Olympic Association, is part of the Canadian Mission Staff and is under the authority of the Chief Medical Officer.
Jack was a Medical Officer at multiple World Student Games, Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games and recently won the 1999 Sport Medicine and Science Council of Canada Award. He is of course the father of National Team athlete Kristen Taunton. Another familiar name in the Canadian Medical Team for Sydney: Karen Orlando was the physiotherapist of our Women's Field Hockey Team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. | ||||||||||||||||
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee (IOC) executive board said on Wednesday it would consider an appeal by the South African hockey team that would allow it to compete at the Sydney Games. Although the men's team qualified for Sydney by winning the All Africa Games, the South African Olympic Committee (NOCSA) said it would not send the squad because it did not have enough black players and were expected to place no higher than ninth. South African hockey officials then bypassed NOCSA and went straight to the IOC with their appeal. "The executive board is going to consider this appeal and will take its decision at executive board meetings in Rio in May," said IOC director general François Carrard. "In the meantime it will seek the necessary information from the National Olympic Committee and from the National South African Hockey Federations through the international federation." The Olympic Games charter says that NOCs shall send to the Games only those competitors adequately prepared for high level international competition. But it says that a sport's international federation may appeal to the IOC executive board against a decision by an NOC on the matter of entries. The five page appeal document pointed out that the 30 member national squad contains seven black players. It added that NOCSA's decision not to send a team that had qualified through an IOC agreed qualification procedure to Sydney was prejudicial not only to the national squad players and the men's national team but also to hockey in South Africa. Sam Ramsamy, president of NOCSA, has already indicated they are prepared to challenge the appeal if necessary. | ||||||||||||||||
(By Iain Cameron, The Independent Online) PERTH, Australia - South African men's hockey coach Giles Bonnet strongly believes his side should line up in the Sydney Olympic Games in September. And in appealing to the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (Nocsa) to make the team's fate clear by the end of this month, Bonnet made a firm pledge. "If it is a cost issue, we'll happily find our own way to the Olympics," he said after the team's final match in the Four Nations tournament here on Sunday. "We have a programme to play 14 matches in the lead-up to the Games but have to know where we stand in the next two weeks." Bonnet had welcome support on Sunday when three of the world's leading coaches said they were unanimous that the South African side should take their rightful place in Sydney. Even though the South Africans had not finished top, the coaches praised the way Bonnet's team had performed and they were surprised by Nocsa's decision to withdraw South Africa from the Olympics. "Pulling South Africa out of the Games after they have already qualified is really harsh," said Indian coach Vasudevan Baskaran. "The players have made the sacrifices and earned the right to be in Sydney. Nobody can say for sure where they will finish and it's impossible to claim they won't make the top nine or 10. Remember how Great Britain had failed to qualify in 1984? They were 11th hour inclusions in Los Angeles and as rank outsiders went on to win the Olympic bronze medal!" German coach Paul Lissek holds South Africa in extremely high regard. "They have the makings of a very good side but need to play more international matches before the Olympics," he said. "We always find them difficult to contain and I felt we were lucky to beat them in our first game here. I think withdrawing the team now would make it very difficult to attract youngsters to hockey." Australian coach Terry Walsh remembers well the gut-wrenching disappointment he felt as a player when told that the Aussies had been withdrawn from the 1980 Moscow Olympics. "It was a political decision by our government - not the Olympic committee - to withdraw us and I still have not forgiven them," he said. "I understand the feelings of the South African team. They have tremendous tenacity, are a very tough side and would be worthy opponents in the Olympics." | ||||||||||||||||
Brussels, Belgium - The International Hockey Federation today announced the pools for the men's and women's hockey tournaments at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The competition will be held from 16-30 September at the State Hockey Centre, Sydney Olympic Park.
*: the National Olympic Committee of South Africa has previously stated that it did not intend to include the men's hockey team in South Africa's Olympic contingent. However, negotiations are still underway regarding the possible reversal of this decision. The FIH is waiting until these negotiations are complete before officially announcing a replacement team, if necessary, which would be the first reserve team for the men's hockey tournament. | ||||||||||||||||
It's been 8 months since the Pan Am Final. 5 to go. The first 5 months where kind of a bore. A lot of training but no major competition within grasp. A bit of a reminder to our 14 months wait between the '97 Kuala Lumpur Qualifier and the '98 World Cup. My thoughts during the past 8 months: if you can get the mileage in at this stage, work extremely hard and just focus on your conditioning, Spring and Summer should be a lot of fun! So, I have really just been doing my thing here in Toronto and using Australia (in September) and KL (in February) as checkpoints and excuses to increase work rate and simply work as hard as ever. As the only player actively participating in the Corporate World - outside of "multijob part-timer Milkovich" and "I am still unsure how full-time he is Bird" - I should probably create some awareness around the difficulties of meeting both hockey and work demands and explain how it's possible to work as hard as ever on the hockey portion. The reality is that I don't see a choice. When you move into the 30s, somehow the bills keep piling up and the necessity for building some security around your life becomes increasingly important. Therefore, a serious job is what you need and I have one and all the nightmares that come with it. Working as hard as ever on your training is easy, all the other boys are doing it. I have been lucky in my ability to commit to both, National Team and employer. My employer has been fantastic and very supportive of the Team's activities. Still, it doesn't allow you to do any less work. Four factors that have helped me meet these commitments during the past 8 months for both hockey and employer, come to mind:
In Summary: I keep it simple, have a routine, appear to work too much, train a lot and look to have a lot of fun by winning in Sydney! | ||||||||||||||||
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If you're figuring on being a triathlete at the Sydney Olympics this summer, you'd better pick c), because it looks as if there are going to be more sharks around Sydney Harbor than at the Greater Los Angeles Divorce Lawyers convention. In the last six weeks there were at least nine shark-related incidents in and near Sydney Harbor, the site of the swimming segment of the triathlon. Three sharks were caught just outside the harbor in two days -- one bull, one silky and one 17-foot great hammerhead, which is the kind of shark that flosses triathletes from between its teeth. Good thing the Olympics aren't being held on the West Coast of South Australia, where last month an Aussie surfer had to repeatedly jam his fingers into the eyes of an 11-foot bronze shark before it would let go of his buddy. How's a triathlete supposed to practice something like that? Lifeguards on the beaches around Sydney are warning people not to swim near seals, as sharks enjoy seals for between-meal snacks. Unfortunately, the swimmers in the Olympic triathlon will wear wet suits, probably black, which means they'll look exactly like... seals! Plus, ever since Sydney started cleaning up the harbor water for the Olympics, more sharks have been coming around. Let's see: clear view, easy access, seal disguises. To a shark the Sydney Olympic triathlon will be ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SUSHI NIGHT. True, Sydney officials say the chance of an attack during the Olympics is "virtually nil" because shark attacks rarely occur there in September. That's fine, but what about the World Cup triathlon there on April 16? Well, officials say they're planning to have lots of motor boats flanking the athletes during their 1,500-meter swim. That's good, because what's safer than swimming in close proximity to spinning propellers? | ||||||||||||||||
The regular readers of the Men's National Team Diary have certainly noticed that the players often mention the superb suits they wear in the official functions they attend (Sultan Azlan Shah banquet, Canadian Sport Awards banquet, etc...). These suits, with a terribly trendy gold lining, have been kindly provided by A.WEAR, a Canadian Clothing Company devoted to creating affordable garments where style and quality are never compromised, a company devoted to making individuals of all ages more awear. The A.WEAR stores are located in Vancouver, Richmond and Victoria (British Columbia) but you can check their line and purchase items on their web site @ http://www.awear.com. You will notice a familiar face on their e-catalog: A.WEAR has asked Ronnie Jagday to model some of their garments. Ronnie says "I definitely had an interesting experience with A.Wear. I got to the studio at about 2:30 pm and worked through an entire rack of clothing. I would put on an outfit that was pre-selected, the photographer would take about 8-12 pictures in each outfit, then I would change and move on to the next outfit. It was lots of fun. It's pretty cool seeing your own pictures all over another web site!"
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For most Olympic sports, the squads from which the final teams will be selected have been nominated. Now the internal struggle for positions within the final teams have intensified. For the Australian men's hockey team, perhaps the greatest battle is among those vying for one of the four strikers' positions in the final squad of 16. Assessing the form of goal-scorers in any sport can be notoriously difficult. One player can score occasionally, but create few chances. Another can fail to put the ball away, but look like he is about to do so at any time. "But one thing we don't do is just assess our forwards on goal-scoring," says national coach Terry Walsh who, as one of the finest strikers Australia has produced, knows something about the subject. "We are looking at players who get involved in a game, not just on the score-sheet." As it stands, there is a seven-way fight between forwards Stephen Davies, Troy Elder, James Elmer, Jeremy Hiskins, Lachlan Vivian-Taylor, Craig Victory and Matthew Smith for the four spots. All will get a chance in the next two weeks to press their claims during a four-nation series against Germany, India and South Africa in Sydney (April 6-9) and Perth (April 11-16). With the team for May's Champions Trophy in the Netherlands to be chosen two weeks after that, good performances will be essential. "I think it would be fair to say this is a particularly competitive area," Walsh says. "We have a whole variety of players with different abilities that they can bring to the team." On name, reputation and experience, 30-year-old Davies would seem a walk-up start to play in his third Olympics. However, Walsh said "China" Davies, who has fought hard to maintain his fitness during the past three years, would have to continue to perform well to see off the challenges of the younger players. Hiskins, in and out of the national team during the past four years, is one player who may enhance his chances considerably in the next two weeks. Walsh believes the talented, but sometimes erratic 24-year-old, has benefited more than most from the squad's full-time training in Perth. Then there is the youthful enthusiasm of the 19-year-olds, Vivian-Taylor and Victory, the pace of Smith, the versatility of Elmer, who can also play mid-field, and Elder's ability to flick the ball from penalty corners. All of which may leave Walsh with some difficult decisions. While the merits of potential strikers will be assessed during the next fortnight, injury problems have beset the Australian defence. Experienced full-back Jason Duff is now considered only "a fair chance, at best" by Walsh of recovering from a knee injury in time for the Games. With captain Michael York, Duff had become one of the twin pillars in the Kookaburras' defence and his loss would be a considerable blow. Two of the players in contention to take Duff's place, Murray Richards and Matthew Wells, are nursing niggling injuries. Wells had originally been selected to play in Sydney this week, but Bevan George will now play there and Wells will play in Perth. Walsh, though, has been pleased with the response of his players to the move to Perth. "The quality of the training has been very good, I think the benefits are coming through," he says. "We knew there would be certain advantages and certain potential disadvantages. It's just a matter of not bringing the disadvantages into our work environment." A highlight of the four-nation series will be the appearance of the South Africans, who are still fighting a decision by their own Olympic committee to withdraw them from the Games. The South Africans qualified for Sydney as the African champions, however they were withdrawn by the national Olympic committee because they supposedly did not meet racial quotas. | ||||||||||||||||
 Here is a picture of the houses for the athletes in the Olympic Village. Did you know that the first Olympic Village was built in Paris for the 1924 Olympic Games? With 44 countries participating, it was a "frightening flood of 4,000 athletes that needed accommodation". In Sydney, the Village will accommodate... 10,200 athletes and 5,100 officials! The 1924 Olympic Village hosted the British runners Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, later immortalized by the movie "Chariots of Fire". A good example of Olympic friendship: from 1925 until Abrahams' death in 1978, he and Arthur Porritt (the New Zealander who won the Bronze Medal in the 100m to Abrahams' Gold) and their wives had dinner every year at 7:00pm on July 7, the day and hour of their Olympic race. | ||||||||||||||||
The summer is approaching fast and with it comes the excitement of the "big show"! Can't wait!!! It is so hard being here in Holland and experiencing the Olympic build-up the Dutch way. The Olympics to my Dutch international teammates is important but the enthusiasm they show is so different than what I feel. I know they want it as badly as I do, but for them it is every four years that they get the chance to play in the biggest sporting event of the world. They know they will be back and there is always a chance that I may not get another. I think this feeling will help me prepare as best I can for Canada's best showing ever. We are just finishing the regular season and playoffs begin in two weeks. This weekend we have a must win game which would guarantee us the fourth and final playoff spot. It will be an awesome match with both teams leaving everything on the field. As the boys at home, Dave Yule and myself are training hard on and off the field to get ready for the national camp in mid-May. Interesting quotes from Holland:
What more to say? Train hard boys cause WE know we can do it!!! | ||||||||||||||||
New Zealand survived a shocking opening loss to Japan (0-4), followed by a tie with China, to come back and emerge as the top team in this Women' s Olympic Qualifier Tournament. USA lost to China (0-2) the crucial game for the 5th and last qualifying spot... | ||||||||||||||||
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Sydney Daily Telegraph The Olympic torch will travel underwater for the first time as it is carried along part of the Great Barrier Reef en route from Athens to the Sydney Olympics. Successful trials of a solid-fuel flare that stays lit underwater, replacing the gas-fuelled model used on other legs of the relay, were unveiled at the weekend. The torch burns at 2,000 degrees Celsius with a fierce flame too powerful to be put out. It was developed for the Games organization by a Melbourne-based British firm, Pains Wessex Australia Ltd. Wearing scuba-diving gear, Wendy Craig Duncan, a marine biologist, demonstrated Sunday how the Olympic flame will be carried on a four-minute journey through the reef. The breakthrough means a worldwide television audience will see the torch burning brightly as it is taken to the outer edge of the reef near Port Douglas in the far north of Queensland on June 27, a spokesperson for the Sydney Olympics said.
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For more information: fhc@fieldhockey.ca
F.H.C. Menu
Sydney 2000 Menu
The Opening Dinner of the Congress was held in the solemn setting of the Hall
of Honour of Parliament Hill with distinguished guests such as Mr. Denis Coderre (Secretary of State
for Amateur Sport), Mr. Mac Harb (MP for Ottawa), Jim Watson (Mayor of Ottawa)
and Dick Pound (first Vice President of the International Olympic Committee).
They were of course all jealous of Ian Bird's smashing A.WEAR suit with the
gold lining!
Apart from all the meetings with the COA's Athlete Council, Ian Bird
was asked to MC the final event of the Congress with Thalie Tremblay, a local athlete
who represented Canada in fencing at the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games. The event was
a brunch designed as a "send off" for the Sydney Olympic Team,
complete with a fresco of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, player of didgiridoo
(an aboriginal musical instrument) and local school children singing "Waltzing
Mathilda", "O Canada" and the Australian National Anthem which, contrary
to popular belief, is not "Waltzing Mathilda" but "Advance Australia Fair".
The Australian High Commissioner pointed out that the Beware Kangaroo signs
decorating the rooms looked as odd downtown Ottawa as our Beware Moose Crossing
sign would in the Australian outback! He then assured the Canadian Team of the
warmest support from the Australians, the best he could do since the top
of the line golden support is reserved for the Australian athletes. Ian
thanked him on behalf of the Canadian Athletes and added that he was personally
looking forward to meeting the Australian team in the semi final of the Olympic
competition and beating them!
At Kanata's A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, medal hopefuls Dominique Bosshart
(tae kwon do) and Ian Bird (men's field hockey) were joined by weightlifter
Susanne Dandenault and women's ice hockey captain Therese Brisson.
For the Sydney Olympic Team, the Chief
Medical Officer is well known in the field hockey community: Jack Taunton
has been during the longest time the designated physician for the Canadian Field
Hockey Teams (1978 to 1999 for the women - 1985 to 1996 for the men), including
three Olympic Games (1984, 1988 and 1992).
