Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Zizi Sparks: Olympics the perfect time to be patriotic

Zizi Sparks
By Zizi Sparks
Multimedia journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
29 Jul, 2021 10:49 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The Olympics are happening whether you like it or not. Photo / INPHO/James Crombie

The Olympics are happening whether you like it or not. Photo / INPHO/James Crombie

OPINION:

Every night this week, I've found myself plonked in front of the television in drastic contrast to the people I'm watching on the screen.

That's because I've been watching the Olympics.

I wouldn't consider myself a huge sports fan. I follow a few Olympic weightlifters on Instagram and have an interest in that, but I don't sit and watch tennis opens, golf or even sevens.

But for two weeks every four years (five in this case) I find myself a sporting expert and hugely invested in every sport and athlete - Kiwi or not. In preparation for the Olympics, I looked up the schedule and noted down the times for key events I wanted to watch.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I joked about calling in sick for two weeks, watched a Black Sticks men's match even though I can't name a single member of the team and watched a handball game I don't know the rules to.

With that being said, many say the Olympics should not even be proceeding in these Covid-19 times.

As of last Saturday

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

there were 127 Covid-19 cases

related to the Olympics.

The estimated cost to Tokyo is now more than US$20 billion and they aren't getting visitor spend.

Discover more

Jo Raphael: Something special missing from Olympics

25 Jul 09:00 PM

Tokyo bound: Who are BOP's Olympic and Paralympic athletes?

23 Jul 10:00 PM

'It's a real job': Gaming lessons launched in schools

16 Jun 10:00 PM

The games bring athletes from all over the world into a potential Covid-19 melting pot and then send them home to potentially spread it to all corners of the globe.

But it is happening now, whether you like it or not, so it's time to be patriotic.

Already in this year's Olympic Games, we've seen Kiwi and Bay of Plenty lad Hayden Wilde win an emotional bronze in the men's triathlon before helping another competitor across the finish line.

We've seen weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz win the Philippines its first-ever gold and records fall in multiple sporting codes.

The Olympics are a chance to see humans at their prime doing things you didn't think were possible.

Women are clean and jerking double their body weight, and people are getting ready to run 1500m in less than four minutes.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They are achieving incredible things.

In the office, we've also found the Olympics a prime opportunity to learn some geography and world knowledge. We've read about Bermuda, can now pinpoint Turkmenistan on a map and have watched sports we'd never seen before.

So whether you love sport or not, think the Olympics should have been cancelled or not, take the time to get patriotic.

If not now, when else can you be?

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Sport

Rotorua Daily Post

Adams signs $65m NBA deal

14 Jun 07:09 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Chiefs beat Brumbies to book spot in Super Rugby Pacific final

14 Jun 09:03 AM
Rotorua Daily Post

Te Puke take hard-fought win, Rotoiti claim Tai Mitchell Shield

09 Jun 11:07 PM

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Adams signs $65m NBA deal

Adams signs $65m NBA deal

14 Jun 07:09 PM

Steven Adams is staying with the Houston Rockets on a three-year deal.

Chiefs beat Brumbies to book spot in Super Rugby Pacific final

Chiefs beat Brumbies to book spot in Super Rugby Pacific final

14 Jun 09:03 AM
Te Puke take hard-fought win, Rotoiti claim Tai Mitchell Shield

Te Puke take hard-fought win, Rotoiti claim Tai Mitchell Shield

09 Jun 11:07 PM
'World-class': Tributes flow for All Blacks captain Stu Wilson

'World-class': Tributes flow for All Blacks captain Stu Wilson

09 Jun 12:57 AM
How one volunteer makes people feel seen
sponsored

How one volunteer makes people feel seen

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP