The nasty side of sport raised its ugly head last weekend at Eden Park.
Drunken behaviour marred a NZ/Oz rugby league test, considered a test-run for the ground and transport services ahead of the *yawn* 2011 Rugby World Cup. The crowd booed during the Aussie national anthem, bottles were thrown onto the pitch, reports say there was not enough stadium security and booze-fueled fights resulted in six arrests.
Eden Park hosts several matches during the Cup, including the opening game, the semifinals and the final. It'll now look at its rules surrounding the sale of alcohol on-site.
Local residents also say traffic management was a shambles, with barriers incorrectly placed and staff directing people the wrong way.
Sport and Recreation NZ says the crowd's behaviour at the league test is a bad look for the country and needs to be sorted out before the World Cup. No shit, Sherlock!
Hey, I'm no wowzer, but someone has to ask:
+ Is excessive alcohol consumption (and associated loutish behaviour) part of the sport psyche of NZ?
+ Is getting pissed at a game, or arriving drunk, now a tolerated aspect of sport?
+ Has the long-running controversy over Auckland's "Party Central" for the *yawn* 2011 Rugby World Cup added fuel to this fire?
+ Will central government admit that far too much emphasis in the Cup preparations has been placed on extracting money from tourists, by way of booze?
And I'll also add, for those fans feeling unjustly 'tarred by the same brush' as the weekend's louts: if you do not condone this behaviour and the growing booze culture of sport, then tell those around you who behave this way...to bloody well grow up and cut it out! These pissheads are doing their country, sport, themselves and true sports supporters no favours whatsoever!!!
In stark contrast, police have praised the 60,000+ spectators at the Rowing World Champs at Lake Karapiro. A senior inspector says in all his years of policing, he can't recall any other event where the crowd behaviour has been so positive and the organisation so thorough. He added that rowing fans were there for the event, not as an alternative venue for drinking...
PS: 11 Nov.2010 - Martin Snedden, CEO of Rugby New Zealand 2011, has a muse.
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Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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