Field Hockey Canada
2000 OLYMPIC GAMES

Olly (as in Olympic), is a kookaburra and he lives in the tallest tree in Millennium Park. His gregarious, honest, enthusiastic, loyal and open-hearted personality reflects the Olympic spirit of universal friendship. Maybe that's why he was chosen as the custodian of the five rings, the symbol of the ethos and history of the Olympic Games.

A bit on the cocky side, Olly doesn't mind mixing it with the athletes at times, as what he lacks in patience, he more than makes up for with speed.

Olly is a fact-finder and a communicator — some might say he's a bit of a gossip — always flying around to find out the latest news, although he sometimes gets things wrong. Syd and Millie, the two other Olympic Mascots, still laugh about the time he told them about an exciting new holiday resort for spiders called the World Wide Web!

Olly is a natural comedian who loves to play practical jokes, but what his friends love most about him is that he can always laugh at himself.

In the two years I have played for this team, Korea has always been an achilles heel if you would. We manage to tie them, or lose by a goal, despite dominating them on the field or providing their coach with copious libations (getting him dieseled at banquets, see Roberts vs. Mr. Kim, Kuala Lumpur, 2000). Today would be different. We were finally getting used to some of the revised techniques and tactics learned earlier in Hell Week (Antwerp mini camp, Antwerpen hellspiel to those of you of the more continental persuasion) and were in possession of a newfound and searing on-field pace consequent to high performance training at secret sites across the country (these sites, like those of Camp X of WWII, will remain unknown until years after the successful Sydney campaign). Devastating corner options, larceny as the defensive mission statement and the left side assassins (LSA) with Korea in the cross-hairs could only spell Victory! Wish someone had told them they were supposed to lose...

Perhaps I am too harsh. The afternoon fixture went well for the lads (except for the second of Mahood's roomates who is also traveling home to the colonies earlier than anticipated; Ken's toe, Giff's pinkie... manly injuries to be sure). The usually devastating pace of the Koreans was not as noticeable as in previous matches (probably because it wasn't 40°C and 100% humidity as in KL) and they were limited to few chances. Further, upon accepting that the left side is a legitimate and relentless offensive force, the gritty lads from North of the 49th provided Kim, Kim and Kim with a migraine the size of the Great Lakes.

However, first blood was drawn by Korea (only a flesh wound though) on an uncommon turnover (boring details, they scored). Soon after, the Red Tide crept into the Korean D. A corner was given... shot off the crossbar... rebound to Bird... CRACK... PENALTY STROKE! Surely the equalizer. Calm, cool, confident, one of the players (identity protected) strode to the line. Unfortunately the stroke was more high than long and handsome and found the upright, continuing the curse of Korea.

As a footnote, the wine festival is in full swing here in Limburg with the streets lined with jovial Germans (of all shapes and sizes) enjoying wine and other delicacies (stalls serving bratwurst, schnitzel, breads, drinks... like canteens at home). One "coffee shop" (the translation to English was difficult but I have tried) worth mentioning (and visiting if in town) is an underground haunt of nosferatuan flavour known affectionately as The Dungeon... everyone made it out alive.

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Pre-Olympic European Tour - Diary by Ravi Kahlon

The day started of by a nice meal in the morning and the highly anticipated showing of Kylie Minogue's video on MTV. Nothing like quality entertainment to start of your day.

A selected few of us headed down to the table tennis court were we prepared for the drama that was unfolding. Crowds gathered, women screamed and babies cried as the two of our finest warriors faced off! Rob Short was wearing the home colors and was the fan favorite. On the other end, Robin wore the away uniform and was the underdog! Thanks for Cheetah Sport for being the sponsor and supporting this event! The match lasted 25 minutes and was a seesaw battle. At the end of it all, Robin sang and cheered with crowd after winning 23-21!

Tomorrow the number 2 ranked player, Ronnie Jagday, will face off for the title of King of the Court.

I believe today is the 25th of july and what a day it was! I have no idea why I'm the guy writing today's journal but here it goes. It was 4:30 in the morning, then it was 5:00, then 6:00, then 6:30, then finally 7:30, time to get up for breakfast... Those that know me realize the problem, I never have a problem sleeping, yet for some reason this tour I haven't slept for more than 4 hours in a row... Birdie, my roommate this tour, has been struggling along with me, but most of the other guys have the jet lag behind them.

Anyways, off to breakfast we go, a nice walk through the Belgian forest with about a thousand slugs on the path, to a quick meal and short training session. Like many of the days so far the sun is but a figment of our imagination. Training went off without a hitch, after all we do have Kenny helping oversee things from the stands!

Next on the agenda was a brief meeting for our game against Malaysia in the evening. After meeting, the guys went in their own directions to prepare for the match. At 4:00pm we were starting our warm up at the pitch for the monumental game. Ravi was pumped as today was his first cap for Canada and the big guy from the island was ready to go.

Before the game, we had another presentation to give, as today was also a milestone for Griff, his 200th cap for Canada! A milestone the team had anticipated he would reach nearly a month ago in Cuba, until he got sick and missed two games in the Americas Cup... Thus his award from the team had travelled many a mile before being presented today! His engraved and signed stool is getting good use already!

On to the game. We played Canadian hockey, generating a number of chances and making key defensive plays. Ronnie made a great save off the goal line and Hari was solid in net the rest of the way. Malaysia scored first, at the mid point of the first half. Pete scored late in the half as we began to control play. Ravi made his entrance into the game at half time; playing superbly, he never left the game! Griff then closed out his 200th game with a blast that moved so fast that we don't believe the video camera was able to pick it up! The final score was 2-1.

After the game ended, Giff arrived fresh off a day of travel and eager to get started. The team knows it is only the first game of eight warm up matches we have in Europe and know we still have things to work on.

The evening slowed down after the game as we showered up and went for dinner. The Belgian Sports Center where we are staying doesn't have any TV's so guys are finding different ways to occupy themselves. Some are getting into deep intellectual conversations with one another, while most are spending some quality time down by the ping pong tables. Shorty seems to be dominating the rest of the field but some vital information was just leeked this evening about Shorty's experience on the table: not only does he have a ping pong table at his parents' on Saltspring Island but he and his girlfriend Fatima built a table in Holland and play almost every night!

So this sums up the day for the team, enjoy and tune in tomorrow for more exciting events of our European tour.

It has probably been on your minds and I should like to begin this series of entries with a closure on our most recent performance in Cuba. We lost! Yes, I know, there are explanations to be given and decision's to be made from those explanations but in the end we lost a game that perhaps we took for granted that we would win. We lacked focus, plus the mental distraction of the Olympics which has occupied everyone's mind for a year now could not be overcome. It is a set back for a program that has been rising for the last few years and it was also a very good reality check for us the team that in less than two months will attempt to push beyond expectation in Sydney.

It is not a nice feeling to lose the first America's Cup... We simply didn't perform in the final and each and every one of us knows it. The question after the match wasn't what went wrong in the game but what are we going to do to get back to who we are. This within two months of the Olympics would for many teams sound like the proverbial shuffling of the deck chairs, however herein lies one of this teams strengths. The rebound! Yep! Phil Esposito made a living off it and we have taken this crisis and used it to get more. More out of each other, for we know we are the ones who are responsible for the final production. Ask Mike Mahood and Hari Kant what they have done to raise the barrier? As for the rest of us: after a couple of weeks of weights, treadmills, mountain ascents and skill workouts, the team has landed here in a small town outside of Antwerp in Belgium ready to sharpen our game for the final ascent.

With a couple of fresh faces and a re–tooling of our game, we have settled in Belgium knowing that this is the tour. Here is where we get that special feeling going. The feeling that we can take on any team in the world with the confidence of knowing that we can win should we play our best. It is also here in Europe where we will clarify our Olympic goal and set the stage for what we believe will be a very special September.

Thus, we head out to each training session looking to improve all areas of our game. The two-a-day sessions have been long but very productive as coach Virjee has added significant value to each session. Equally, I feel we have responded with more determination and quality play than in the past few months. I think the reality of the Olympics is now here and its energy has begun to radiate through each and every one of us. I love it! As an athlete this is what we train for. However, what is better than all the significant surroundings of the Olympics is the fact that we, the Canadian Team, will engage in the battle knowing that we are better prepared than ever before. This in turn provides us the confidence that we need to hit our mark in Sydney!

Among competing nations, canada's legacy in the Summer Olympics has long been a confused one. We aspired to be taken seriously, but we had an image problem. We are, after all, the nation that took the gold in the last ever Olympic golf competition in St. Louis in 1904 - won by George Lyon, who stood out not only as the lone foreign competitor in an otherwise American field, but also as the fellow who walked up a fairway on his hands. We are also the nation that came home with gold from the 1920 Summer Games in, of all sports, ice hockey.

Certainly, many athletes have distinguished themselves: Percy Williams winning double gold on the track, sweeping the 100- and 200-metre sprints in 1928, Bill Crothers breaking the Olympic record in his silver-medal performance in the 800-metre run in 1964, Canadian equestrians taking the gold in Mexico City in 1968. But these moments of grace have more recently been overshadowed by moments of ignominy. In 1976 in Montreal we became the only nation to host a Summer Olympics without coming away with a gold medal. Our best-ever performance came in L.A. in 1984 when the Soviet Bloc stayed home. And then there was Ben Johnson, the man who tore asunder the field and the world record in the 100-metre at the 1988 Olympics and who days later tested positive for drugs, disgracing himself and all of his fellow Canadian competitors by association.

We weren't the legends. We were the good guys who finished last, or at least didn't finish first. We were the bad guys whose first-place finishes raised questions.

Maybe it's due to the fallout from the Ben Johnson incident, or maybe federal funding initiatives for elite amateurs are finally producing results, but in the 1990s the image of Canadians at the Summer Olympics changed dramatically. It isn't simply that Canadians now step up onto the podium more often or that Olympic bands have had to learn our national anthem. It is the face of Canadian Olympians.

As the Olympic torch was crossing from South Australia into Victoria yesterday, its final resting place at Homebush Bay - a key surprise element of the opening ceremony - was being revealed inadvertently.

Workers testing the retractable structure that houses the Olympic cauldron did not realise that the media - gathered at the stadium for an unrelated press conference with the Premier - was watching as the gleaming black structure with a circular lid slowly emerged over the top of the northern stand.

SOCOG's spokesman, Mr Milton Cockburn, stressed that the cauldron was incomplete and would look entirely different come Games time. But the revelation that the cauldron is retractable has renewed speculation that the former gold medallist Betty Cuthbert, now stricken with multiple sclerosis, may be able to light the flame from her wheelchair before the cauldron is raised above the stadium.

The Australian Olympic Committee president, Mr John Coates, and the Olympics Minister, Mr Knight, will discuss who lights the cauldron a month before the September 15 Opening Ceremony but will not make a final decision until a day before to ensure its secrecy.

Note: at the age of 18, Betty Cuthbert won three Gold Medals at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne: 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metre relay! She emerged again as a Gold Medalist in 1964 in Tokyo, this time over 400 metres (the first time this event was on the Olympic program for women). She held 12 world records during her career.

Guessing the identity of the person who will light the flame on September 15 is the hot topic of discussion in Australia. What is your guess? Mine (Yan Huckendubler) is John Landy, the star middle distance runner of the sixties.

E-mail us if you have an interesting suggestion!

Robert J. Dunlop
Canadian Team Physiotherapist

Robert Dunlop, Bob as he is known to his friends, has reached the pinnacle of his profession. A Physiotherapist specializing in sports injuries and rehabilitation, he has contributed his expertise to Canada’s mission at two Olympic Games already, the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics. He is currently preparing for his role on the Canadian medical staff for the Sydney Olympics in September, where he will be a key member of Canada’s field hockey group. Bob also runs a private practice in High River, Alberta.
Off The Crossbar talked to him on Team Canada's recent tour to Cuba.

- Event Preparation -
Let’s talk about preparation for a big event, or an intense phase of an athlete’s season. You want to go in healthy to an event. This encompasses a number of things. First, the medical resources within the team. The coach, along with the doctor, physio, trainer, etc... should counsel athletes to report problems promptly, and make it part of the commitment to the team, taking care of injuries. There should also be a steep taper in your training heading into a major event.

How about the NCAA or CIAU leagues, or any season where you are competing right through until the major event? The difficulty for coaches coming into the important part of the season is that there is so much they have to get in. So the important decision is to give the skills and strategy information, and allow a fresh body to execute those. In practical terms, in the two weeks leading up to the event if the training volume is higher than it was early in the season, you’re working people too hard, or there is the potential of working people too hard. Use the studying analogy. So much depends on your preparation throughout the season, and you can’t just stay up the two nights before an exam to read up on stuff.

What preparation do you suggest for a healthy player or team as they approach an important event? Focus on low volume, high quality practice and preparation. Structure practices, have a clear goal for everything you do. Ask yourself "How can I do what I need to do in a minimal amount of time?" Don’t be worried about shorter practices – quality over quantity.

Because it is more likely you will get injured? It could reduce performance and predispose you to injury.

Can you give us some ideas for injury avoidance specifically for field hockey athletes during a competition? The first thing is to make sure your do an adequate warm up and cool down every workout. Pay attention to changes in flexibility as the event goes on. You know you will get sore and tight, and you must have the skills to know how to deal with that. Treat small injuries right away, for example if you get dinged with the ball, do the appropriate things right away. Also get good rest between matches, even if that means not going to a tournament banquet for example. And before any on-pitch training, start with some low-key hitting and trapping to establish warm, flexible muscles. Take a few runs with the ball from a slow pace to high intensity – this uses a very specific posture, so ease into it. For defenders, run through a few one-on-ones against ball carriers, working from low to high speed.

- Injury Management -
Can you give me an example of an athlete managing an injury badly? An example of a common pitfall would be Kurt Browning in figure skating. He’s a 3-time world champion, and he was injured close to a major event. There was a delay in getting him into treatment – part of this was because he didn’t have a good relationship with caregivers, so all those advising him were new to him. Also, a number of things interfered with his rehab and preparation – endorsement issues, family issues, the media in general, and social things. In the end, all that adversely affected his performance in a major event.

How about an athlete who managed an injury well? Coming back from the World Cup, Alan (note: Alan Brahmst, Team Canada center back) starts getting back pain – a disc herniation - a serious potential career-threatening injury. The first step was to get a variety of opinions on how to treat the injury and the implications for future competition, and his athletic career. The next step is to make a plan for his return to sport. At that time Alan took a full 9 months away from hockey and did his rehabilitation. Once you arrive at an opinion you have confidence in, then take the hard advice. The key is that once you get an opinion that says 9 months, don’t say that for me that means six or four months.

- Player/Coach Issues -
How do you deal with injury issues between a player and a coach? (As a physio), first and foremost you’re working for the player. I have to get an athlete’s permission to talk to the coach about an injury. A player has to understand their commitment has to be first to the team. So for example, if you say, "Bob, I don’t want to tell the coach about this groin injury because he won’t pick me," I’ll say, "Do you feel confident you can go and contribute the way you should".

Is this a function of our culture, and our sporting culture? In Canada, that’s a law, a provincial regulation. In sport sometimes we play fast and loose with that rule – we’re all part of a team. But bottom line, you’re working for the athlete. If there’s a conflict between being a team physio and a physio for the athlete, you’re the physio for the athlete.

What would happen if a coach asked about a player’s status and the player had asked you not to tell the coach? I’ll assess the athlete again. Then I’ll talk to the athlete if they’ll sit down and have a frank 3-way discussion.

- A Final Word -
Is there any general advice you would give to athletes? I would teach them how to pay attention to their bodies. One of the main differences in dealing with Olympic athletes and other athletes is that usually the Olympic athlete has a much better awareness of their body and what it can do. I always wonder if all athletes had a similar respect and understanding of their bodies, if they wouldn’t be able to achieve better results.

Off The Crossbar was created by three players of the Canadian National Team, Alan Brahmst, Andrew Griffiths and Hari Kant, with the mission "to bring the latest in international field hockey to young players and coaches in North America".

While results are always important, this training tour is more focused on preparation for the Olympics. It will be the last opportunity to fine tune Canada's play and to evaluate the players in different field positions.

The Team comes back on August 7 and Coach Shiaz Virjee will name the final Olympic Team shortly after.

Games    Tuesday July 25 in Brussels (Belgium) vs. Malaysia Wednesday July 26 in Brussels (Belgium) vs. Belgium Friday July 28 in Brussels (Belgium) vs. Belgium Sunday July 30 in Limburg (Germany) vs. Korea Tuesday August 1 in Limburg (Germany) vs. Korea Thursday August 3 in Terrassa (Spain) vs. Spain Friday August 4 in Terrassa (Spain) vs. Spain Sunday August 6 in Terrassa (Spain) vs. Spain

Check our Special Page for detail on the games.

Ahmed Alam retained as captain for Sydney Olympics Balanced 17-member hockey squad named (By Khalid Hussain, The News International)

Three players from the previous squad - Haider Hussain, Amir Saleem and Naveed Iqbal - were, however, dropped from the side because of lack of form. The five-member national selection committee after witnessing two days of trials kept faith in goalie Ahmed Alam who is now set to take part in his first-ever Olympic Games. Ahmed took over from half-back Mohammed Usman as skipper earlier this year and since then has been very impressive in both of Pakistan's international outings in 2000. Usman was one of the 23 "outsiders" who joined the 34 camp probables in the trials but the veteran failed to get the selectors' nod.

Ahmed is joined by veteran goalkeeper M. Qasim who was chosen ahead of rookie M. Suleiman mainly because of his vast experience and exposure.

The deep defence trio includes Pakistan's ace short corner specialist Sohail Abbas, Ali Raza and Tariq Imran while brothers Imran and Irfan Yousuf, M. Wasim and veteran Malik Shafqat form the mid-field. The deep-defence and half-line has been Pakistan's achilles heals in the past few events but this time team officials are hopeful that the Pakistanis will do better in all the areas.

"It's a very balanced squad," says team manager Islahuddin Siddiqui. "The boys have been working hard since early this year and will hopefully form a match-winning team," he adds. Islah who was a part of the selection committee led by Zafarullah Khan Jamali points out that one extra forward has been included in the squad keeping in view the long and tough tour Down Under which starts early next month.

Pakistan team is scheduled to leave for Perth on August 5 to play around 12 test and practice matches in Australia and New Zealand before reaching the Olympic Village in Sydney in the first week of September. The Games start from September 15. The selectors have decided to include a pair of centre-forwards and left-wingers each in the squad but since only a 16-member team can take part in the Games, one of the forwards will return home after the practice matches in Australia and New Zealand.

Karachi youngsters Kashif Jawwad (centre-forward) and Sameer Hussain (right-out) - the two members of the Pakistan juniors who were selected for the Asian Junior All-star team - are part of the forward-line which is a blend of youth and experience. Former skipper Atif Bashir, battle-hardened Mohammed Sarwar (left-in), 1994 World Cup's highest scorer Kamran Ashraf, Nadeem ND, Mohammed Anis and M. Shabbir complete the Pakistani attack.

"All in all, its the best possible team from the available pool of players," comments Iftikhar Syed, who took over from Hanif Khan as the team coach earlier this month. "The boys are very motivated and in good shape and should be ready for the Australian assignment within the next couple of weeks." The selectors also picked 11 standbys who will join the final squad in two weeks of training as the national camp resumes in Wah from July 18. Olympic Squad:

Eight years of waiting is almost over for New Zealand women's hockey captain Anna Lawrence as the Sydney Olympics loom. Lawrence was a member of the New Zealand team that finished sixth and last at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. It was a team that left with some medal expectations, but was torn apart by internal problems.

"I'm sure that won't happen again" she said. "Jan (Borren, the New Zealand coach) won't let it happen. It's a very different situation. We have a completely different team. It is nice that a few of us have got some experience in an Olympic Games. We just know what to expect."

Lawrence, 28, made her debut for the national side two years before the Barcelona Games. During the Sydney Olympics she will play her 140th international!

The players who were in Barcelona - Mandy Smith, Tina Bell Kake, Kate Trolove and Lawrence - have been sharing their Olympic experiences with the other players. "We have been telling a few stories" she said. "We've just been saying how amazing it is to be a part of an Olympic team and how you are in the village which is just packed with other athletes from so many teams."

One of Lawrence's Barcelona experiences saw her sitting next to Namibia sprinter Frankie Fredericks on a bus. At the time she didn't know who he was. "I remember sitting in a bus going to the main stadium and struck up a conversation with an athlete next to me. A couple of hours later his name flashed up on the scoreboard. It was Frankie Fredericks. I read his name tag but I didn't realise who he was," Lawrence said.

"The village is an amazing place but it is also important that you do not get distracted by it. We have talked to the girls about that. It's an amazing thing to be a part of. Our experience is though that you do not just want to go and be there and be a competitor; you also want to go there and perform."

Last week the side was in Sydney for a tri-series involving Germany and host Australia. It beat Australia 3-0, with Lawrence scoring all three goals, to record its first win over the Olympic and world champion since 1985 and ended a 36 consecutive transtasman winning run.

"It was fantastic to finally beat them" Lawrence said. "It has been a long time. It was important but it is really important as well that we keep it in perspective. While it was a win and it was a good psychological boost for the team, we certainly did not play our best hockey on that day and they didn't either."

Coming back from that trip and continuing in the New Zealand uniform was a different experience for Lawrence and her team-mates. "Normally you come back from tours and you think you'll have a bit of a rest" she said. This time the side returned to its Wellington base and back to its twice-a-day training at the National Hockey Stadium in Newtown.

"The Australia tour proved to us how much work we have to do" Lawrence said. "We can not afford to sit back."

SYDNEY - Michael York was named on Tuesday as captain of Australia's 16-man hockey squad for the Sydney Olympic Games.

Australia's men's hockey teams have won three silver and two bronze medals at Olympic level but never a gold. "It's something we desperately want to achieve," said York, who will be taking part in his fourth Olympic Games.

Squad: Michael York (captain), Lachlan Dreher, Damon Diletti, Jason Duff, Matthew Wells, Daniel Sproule, Brent Livermore, Stephen Holt, Paul Gaudoin, Michael Brennan, Jay Stacy, Adam Commens, Jimmy Elmer, Craig Victory, Stephen Davies, Troy Elder.

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Some Kookaburras can still laugh out loud
(By Liz Hannan, Sydney Morning Herald)

They are feeling like the luckiest 16 men in the country today, although in terms of Olympic mountains they're about to try to climb Everest.

Since Melbourne in 1956, a succession of gifted Australian men's hockey teams have played at 10 Olympic Games without winning gold, gaining a reputation as chokers.

National coach Terry Walsh yesterday spoke personally with the 16 players he has chosen for the Kookaburras as they seek the Olympic gold which has twice eluded him - and tried to explain to the eight national-squad discards why they would not be going to Sydney.

Walsh said last night that he was pleased with the balance of the team. "Everyone will have difference of opinion in one or two players but in the end I believe that the balance is the most appropriate to give us the best chance to challenge Holland and Spain," he said. "And make no mistake, we face one heck of a challenge!"

Melbourne forward James Elmer looks to have been the key to selection. He is likely to make his Olympic debut, at age 29, as a striker, despite having played at inside forward at the Champions Trophy in the Netherlands in May. Elmer's ability to play both positions has probably opened the way for hardworking Adam Commens, from Wagga Wagga, to come into the team as inside forward but shut the door on Tamworth striker Matthew Smith. Smith, 26, shapes as the big selection casualty, having troubled defences at the Champions Trophy with his speed.

Halfbacks Daniel Sproule and Paul Gaudoin - both of whom missed the Champions Trophy team due to injury - return. Striker Lachlan-Vivian Taylor and giant defender Bevan George miss out. Australia's most capped player, Jay Stacy, and young gun Craig Victory, make the cut, and so, Stacy - at 32, the reigning international player of the year - will be bound for his fourth Olympics, while for Victory, 20, it will be his first.

Baeden Choppy, 24, the brilliant but uncoachable striker who rushed into the Australian team three months before the Atlanta Games, does not make it this time, despite being named player of the National Hockey League final last Sunday.

Today is Ken Pereira's birthday!

For those of you who don’t know, Canada lost 2-1 in the final of the Americas Cup, to the hosts, Cuba. Along with the trophy, Cuba won a berth in the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was a big upset as far as world rankings are concerned, and it was also a disappointing loss for Team Canada.

This kind of tournament is always difficult to play because we encounter teams of very different skill levels. On one hand, no one enjoys a game which ends up 21-0 (Argentina beat Peru by this score...). On the other hand, there were a handful of excellent competitive games such as Canada’s semi-final against Argentina, which Canada won on penalty strokes after extra-time ended 2-2.

Cuba has a new turf at their old hockey stadium – not a bad surface - and the atmosphere was lively, plenty of local hockey fans filling the stands with colour and enthusiasm. But it was hot out there, around 40 degrees centigrade for afternoon games, so it was always a relief to get back to the air conditioning on the bus or at the hotel.

The semi-final was a tough game for us – another close battle with our old rivals the Argies, which we finally won on the strength of solid penalty stroke execution. So we faced Cuba in the final. And we lost, making the home crowd and the Cuban players far too happy in the process.

Since the tournament, people have told me that they expected us to win the final easily after coming through the tough semi against Argentina. I have also been asked if we were overconfident going into the final.

I don’t think we took anything for granted. We prepared. We knew Cuba was a tough team to play (they had beaten Argentina 3-1); they were at home in front of a strong, loud crowd; they were used to the heat and obviously very fit. But we were confident that we could beat them if we played well. For some reason, though, we didn’t play our “A” game...

It is always tough to objectively evaluate a game you have played in until you have watched the tapes. I haven’t done that yet, so I won’t try to give any insight into exactly why we lost. It was 0-0 at half-time. We only got three shots on goal the entire game. Canada was 1-0 up with 13 minutes to play. The Cuban players were fit and some were extremely skilful. The winning goal was an excellent individual effort. The final whistle was painful...

The game, and the result, shocked our team. And while it means a more difficult road to the 2002 World Cup, it has had a benefit. There are plenty of things we need to work on before we go to Sydney to play in that Olympic tournament. The final of the Americas Cup showed us how much work we still have to do in the next two months!

German coach Berti Rauth and Hockeyroo fullback Jenny Morris have joined Australian women's coach Ric Charlesworth in condemning the hockey pitch for the Sydney Olympics. There is apparently a pronounced grain on the artificial turf and the ball bobbles most, rather than running smoothly, at the northern end.

"Look at this," said Rauth as he rubbed his hand back and forth across the turf yesterday. "There are floors which don't have this, and this is a mistake. The extra bounce makes it more difficult, you have to concentrate too much on stopping and don't have time to look where you are passing. It's always politics with the pitch and this is not the best floor for hockey."

Rauth noted the Australians had started practising taking penalty corners from the opposite side of the circle to see if the ball ran smoother.

Australia play Germany today in the final of the three-nation series at Homebush Bay on the warm-up pitch next to the Olympic field. They are supposedly identical, but during last week's men's National Hockey League titles many players felt the No 1 pitch played better than the Olympic field!

Last year, Charlesworth said the Olympic pitch was B-grade quality and for $100,000 more the Games organisers could have had the best.

Morris, one of the Hockeyroos' penalty corner hitters, struggled for most of this week before hitting two goals in Thursday's 4-0 win over New Zealand. "It's certainly bobbly," she said. The Germans have also had lots of trouble on corners, barely able to stop the push out cleanly.

Transport planning for the Olympics has been made on the understanding that something is bound to go wrong. Rather than ignoring the probability of chaos and failures, officials have revealed that contingency plans are well in hand.

The general manager of the Olympic Roads and Transport Authority, Geoff Amos, has warned that transport problems are inevitable. "It is simply not possible to mount a transport operation of this size without incident," Amos said. "No matter how good planning might be, we have to assume accidents will happen and breakdowns will occur. It is also possible that non-transport incidents could impact on the transport system - for example, a burst water main, problems caused by weather, power failure and matters of a security nature."

So what happens when the system grinds to a halt because a train has broken down?

The two areas of the CityRail network considered most at risk are the single line of track running into Olympic Park railway station and the City Circle line and stations: if there is an extended problem with the Olympic Park railway station and line, an emergency bus operation will be implemented to take people away from the area. With large numbers of buses likely to be already using the two spectator bus terminals, the operation would be staged from Parramatta Road.

Special crowd management plans are being developed for each city station, including provisions for overcrowded and disrupted services, or when passengers need to be diverted to alternate stations.

With athletes travelling primarily by bus, major road accidents or delays could be catastrophic for the most important group of people involved in the Games. A range of measures is being put in place to minimise the likelihood of problems on the roads and the impact of congestion and/or accidents:

A helicopter will assist in the management of roads, as well as providing incident and traffic-flow information.

Did you know?.. On the busiest days, up to 500,000 people (spectators, workers, athletes and officials) will travel to Olympic Park and 100,000 to Darling Harbour. CityRail network is expected to carry 31 millions passengers between September 15 and October 1, two-and-a-half time the normal traffic. Up to 3,800 extra buses and 5,000 extra drivers will be required. 13 bus routes will converge to Olympic Park. There will be no spectator parking at the Olympic venues but cycling will be permitted to and from the venues and bicycle storage facilities will be available.

"It has been a very trying past eight months and I do not feel that I can fully commit myself to the 2000 Olympic programme" Garcia said. "Since returning from the Champions Trophy, I have re-evaluated where hockey fits into my life and I feel I would be letting myself and the squad down if I continued when my heart really wasn’t in it. This has been an incredibly difficult decision but I feel that this it is the right one".

GB Head Coach Barry Dancer said "I regret the situation has come to this. I was optimistic that we had been able to find a pathway that provided for Russell’s successful reintroduction to the programme. However, we both came to the conclusion that, if he couldn’t fully commit himself to his preparation, he was not going to be able to do his best for himself or the squad. Certainly I made it clear that I couldn’t accept any less commitment from him than I expect from any other member of the squad".

Note: Russell Garcia won a Gold Medal with the Great Britain Team at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul when he was not even 18 years old. He then played in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.

It was a good game, Cuba has obviously improved a lot and the home crowd as well as the heat played in their favor. Cuba automatically qualifies for the 2002 World Cup in Malaysia while Canada qualifies for the World Cup Qualification Tournament in 2001, in Scotland.

Check our Special Page for detail on the competition.

In this important game, Robin D'Abreo reached his 150th cap for Canada. CONGRATULATIONS  ROBIN !

This gigantic 18-metre by 9-metre Canadian flag was handmade by the parents of students at Samuel Gilbert Elementary School in Castle Hill, Australia. As part of its bid for the 2000 Games, Australia twinned elementary schools with members of the International Olympic Committee. Carol Anne Letheren, IOC Member in Canada and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Olympic Association, was paired with Samuel Gilbert Elementary School.

In keeping with the Olympic Movement's role in education, the flag is the result of a mathematics project, which saw students determining the dimensions of a giant version of the Canadian flag. These dimensions were then translated into fabric needs and the parents took it upon themselves to bring the flag to life.

Since then, the Samuel Gilbert Maple Leaf has participated in the Closing Ceremonies of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and again in 1998 at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, where it surreptitiously joined the Canadian Teams as a tribute to Sydney. The flag, a tribute to grassroots community efforts, also marched into the Opening Ceremonies of the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg. It will make numerous appearances across Canada in 2000 before heading to Sydney, where it will join the September 13 Canadian Olympic Team Reception at Canada Olympic Place as well as other major events during the Games.