Australia, With Deflated Ego, Accepts Final 10th Standing in London Olympics 2012 Closing
With seven gold, 16 silver and 12 bronze medals, Australia, with a deflated ego, accepted its final tenth standing on the medal table at the closing of the 2012 London Olympics on Sunday.
The country's performance in this year's particular Olympiad Games was its' worst since the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 when the team brought home 27 medals, including seven gold.
Although Australia and its people are not the only ones that like to compare standings and level of performances with the other nations, they definitely are way affected with their showdown in this year's games, so much so that the returning Aussie athletes and their caretakers and handlers may already be expecting this early a good ribbing from government and other concerned officials.
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, although conceded to the tenth finish, however defended this year's Australian contingent representatives to the 2012 London Olympics.
"There is something there that I don't know what it is," Mr Coates said on Sunday in Rio, when asked what could have been the probable reason for Australia's lackluster performance this year.
"I wouldn't point the finger at our athletes in terms of attitude, I can't do that," he said.
Mr Coates likewise believed money was a non-issue.
"I am absolutely certain that the sports have to look at themselves rather than look for more money," he said.
But Mr Coates opined Australia would need to undertake a review of the entire system to try to answer what happened in the 2012 London Olympics, including coaching and sports management, and most importantly, if the money allotted for the very specific purpose was indeed spent appropriately and accordingly.
This was seconded by Australian Sports Commission chief executive Simon Hollingsworth
"We certainly will be looking with our sports to work out whether the money is being invested in the right way to get the right outcomes," Mr Hollingsworth told The Australian.
Much importance will be given to the development of coaches and identification of future athletes.
"The areas I think you will see a greater focus on is coaching, coach development and a renewed focus on talent identification," Mr Hollingsworth said, stressing "high performance is not just about Olympic medals."
This year's 2012 London Olympics closed and was topped by the United States with 46 gold, 29 silver and 29 bronze medals, while China finished second with 38 gold, 27 silver and 22 bronze medals.
Host nation Great Britain landed on third place with 29 gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze medals.