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Charlen Jonsson
03-13-2004 1:05 pm
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Upset
I do not think South Africa will loose their spot in the olympics and this artical makes it sound as if South Africa played very poor and we did not give it our best!
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Zul (s'pore)
03-13-2004 8:48 pm
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GREAT!
FANTASTICO!! 5 sec left on the clock and drew 2-2 4 a tie breaker!? a lesson to be learn... i m learning.. =) great job guys.. all the teams, ur great!! win or lose, it doesnt matter.. try if u fail, but nvr fail to try.. plus in a game, sum1 muz win and sum1 mz lose... but u all are still a winner!!
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SA fan
03-14-2004 10:10 am
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goal scorers
Iain evans scored SAīs first goal off a short corner rebound. well done SA you guys are kings!
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SA fan
03-14-2004 10:11 am
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well done SA
the SA boys have travelled a long, hard journey. You guys are kings!
By the way Iain evans scored the first of SAīs two goals off a shortie rebound.
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salisu
03-14-2004 12:05 pm
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MOQ
congratulations 4 your qualification
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Hockey lover
03-15-2004 4:30 am
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7th place and all that
Well done RSA! But all the hard work may be for nothing becuase of the forthcoming CAS decision. Seems to me that Greece has not done enough to get the game in order in that country but also why didn't FIH allow a 14 team set-up at Olympics? All teams took the hard road to Athens and didn't have to rely on host status. Now 7th place in the qualifiers may not be enough. RSA deserve to be there. It would be a pity if they lose out. Score line for NED vs Greece or AUS vs Greece? Won't look too good for hockey.
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Jazz
03-15-2004 5:21 am
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Jayyyiii, welldone guys a place at the olympics you dearly deserve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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twoshie
03-15-2004 7:36 am
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well done to revs and all the guys. its funny how the world of sport works. 5 months ago we we felt the other side of the coin.
i think the team have made a huge mental step forward. to come back from the disappointment of nigeria and hold on the way thaey did in madrid says alot for the character of the side.
clarkie, cant teach an old dog new tricks. have you ever scored a more important goal.
it would be absolutely heart breaking if we were left out of the olympics again after the sydney episode !!!!!!
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Lout
03-15-2004 7:48 am
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Well done fellas
Good to see some familiar names mentioned, well done to Symmo and Rosie&the other WP boys. Always knew theyd make it.
Congrats SA, looks like Revs is doing a great job.
One question: Do you let Jabba and Mike Cullen back in the squad for the Olympics or go there with a weakend side? Ure call, what do you recon?
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HVWF
03-15-2004 9:57 am
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Re: Hockey Lover
Fact is that 6-0 defeat vs GB didn't look good for SA. That was a GB side struggling to score all tourno. Think NED v SA or AUS v SA could be equally as bad...
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DareDevil
03-15-2004 12:55 pm
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@Hockey Lover
Just to let u know: the Greek has been preparing for thei home Olympics daily since last summer - i am talking about 4-6 hours practise EVERY DAMN DAY! So please do not start to teach around who deserves a place and who not. I do not want to know the scoreline of Australia - SA and u know what - i donīt give a sh*** because it is not always the score which only counts - and especially hockey players who are amateurs and play because they love the sport and not for money etc. should know this. Anyway...the case is on at CAS and will see if the fairness wins - i am sorry for you SAīs, but u have to admitt that u did not really play a good tournement, so whatīs all the mourning about?
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Capt f Atanda
03-15-2004 1:44 pm
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Athens olympics
Great guts and perfomance,Africa deserves more than one slot in the olympics.It will be a great boost for the game in the continent.
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Karel
03-16-2004 10:48 pm
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DareDevil and some thought.
I agree with "DareDevil"....money and power teams are not what the spirit of amateur sport is all about. However, one does not want to humiliate Greece and make a mockery of the sport of field hockey either?! Get a grip mate, having Greece participate in the Olympic Hockey tournament would be as realistic as asking a Turk to be the mayor of Athens.Do what you do best, stick to sodomy and wrestling and make your country proud at the Olympics!!
-A Belgium supporter who thinks the So African hockey team has guts.
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hockey lover
03-17-2004 1:19 am
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@dare devil
Very emotional stuff. Remind you of CAN vs Greece 7 -1 etc. Have a look at the world rankings to see where Greece lies. RSA played a good enough tornament ot get a qualifying place. In the top 12 - so they are there on ability. Greece did not even get to qualify for the European cup. So why are you so aggro?
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don giovanni
03-17-2004 8:02 am
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gb v greece 4 weeks ago 7-0
gb v sa 1 week ago 6-0
sa v egypt last oct 3-2 to egypt
greece v egypt jan 3-1 to egypt
c what u want 2 frm these results....nuff said
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MASTER YODA
03-17-2004 8:33 am
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GO GREECE GO
ALL YOU ARROGANT peaple look your own stuff and stop reffering to Greeks.Show some respect for them and for all the things they have done throughout History.AS for South Africa wake up and see greek results the past 2 months and not 2 years ago.You blew it in the Pan
african games and noe you are asking fro something you refused 4 years ago!An OLYMPIC PLACE.Learn to respect the traditions and respect Greece.Greece that invented hockey and civilisation and democracy while South Africa invented Racism.That's all
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Bonkers
03-17-2004 9:19 am
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daredevil
spot on hockey lover. Daredevil, maybe you want to talk us all through your country liberally handing out passports to aussies of greek decent to make up your team- great nation building-awesome development.
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Rhino
03-17-2004 1:22 pm
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To DareDevil
You must know "daredevil" that what you describe is the training of everyone who wants to "win" a place in any competition. Note anyway that the players of the greek national team have the chance to have a coach and to be paid or compensated for the time they spend to practice their sport ( which is not the case of the other players in Greece who are waiting for starting a problematic championship ). Don't you think it should be better for the national team to play in a group of their level, instead of going to the court for stealing the place of the 7th of the Madrid Tournament and to be slashed during the games before going back to the desert in 2005 ? Anywy the Greek team has been qualified for tho Olympic games. They lost in the preliminary tournament against Canada
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anonymous
03-17-2004 1:31 pm
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IOC RULES
....??????......
What About them,
Dirty money, dirty lobbying !!!! .... to offently
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DareDevil
03-17-2004 2:57 pm
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@some guys in here...
@Karel: So u agree with but still disagree? That is a bit strange to be honest...how can you one the one hand support the idea behind the olympic movement and one the other hand make exceptions??? Why treat different sports with different measures? Where is the fairness? The Greek team has shown that it can fight also against big teams! Spain and the Netherlands scored up to 9 goals against their oponents - the Greek team has not lost a game that high this year and when Greece played Belgium in November last year it was so close that the Belgian Manager called 2 C-class referees (one of them an alcoholic) to the second test game, to be sure the result will be ok for Belgium...
@hockey lover: so you say it is all about the world rankings? So you agree that Cuba is better than Canada??
Greece played the European Qualifyer 2 years ago - so how can you compare these results with the strength of the team now? Maybe because you think the development is as slow as in your country, but this is exactly the mistake the FIH made: they could not believe that a country can make such a fast progress - and playing 2-4 against Egypt this year in february) which beat SA shows what the Greek team is capable of - and even more. So please get your argument straighst first....
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H
03-18-2004 3:01 am
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Dare Devil
The Greek hockey team is an afterthought they have been training since last summer SO WHAT. Other teams have been training for FOUR YEARS - GREECE DO NOT DESERVE THE PLACE, ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND WILL BRING THE SPORT OF HOCKEY TO A FARCICAL LEVEL IF THEY PLAY!!
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Toad
03-18-2004 11:35 am
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Ahem ...
By-the-by DareDevil & Don Giovanni ...
You keep harping on the fact that Egypt beat SA in Nigeria in October - and that Egypt beat Greece in Egypt in January - but you conveniently forget that SA beat Egypt in India, after the All Africa Games. Now ... when did Greece beat Egypt?
Greece played 2 matches [lost 2] against Canada in Madrid at the end of February [more recently than the Egyptian games] scoring 2 goals and conceding 11 for an average score of 6-1 to Canada [Canada finished 11th in the OQ].
To take this further, SA played against, and defeated, Canada in a 6 match series in January and February.
Another game which could be looked at was the 10-0 loss against an Australian team still suffering from jet-lag prior to the Champ Trophy last year. What would a fully prepared Australian - or for that matter, German, Dutch, Pakistani, Indian or Spanish - side do to the Greek team?
Anyway, the decision to take the FIH to the CAS smacks of pettiness. There was no uproar when the FIH made the original proposal to Greece of either qualify for your continental championship or play the bottom ranked team going to Madrid. It was only once Greece had failed on the first option that the "unfairness" of the second was raised. Remember, Greece merely had to prove that it was one of the top 12 nations in Europe - 12, only 4 are going to Athens - which they were unable to do. Suddenly, on the realisation that the Olypmic dreams for a team of ex-pats from other countries wasn't going to be realised, the protests begin.
You refer to the fact that Greece failed in their attempt to go the European Nations Cup two years ago. [They finished 6th in 1 of 3 Q tournaments where only the top 2 were guaranteed of qualifying, effectively placing them around 20th in Europe.] South Korea won their qualifying place 2 months later than those qualifying tournaments, and I don't recall Pakistan or India calling for arbitration because it was too long before Athens.
It has been said that Greece should go to Athens because the USA were allowed to compete in LA and Atlanta. The USA have NEVER failed to qualify for the Pan-American Games [Americas' Olympic Qualifier] even picking up medals on 4 occassions. And in the years prior to '84 and '96 they played in the semi-finals on both occassions. So, on the FIH's criteria of the host playing in their continental Olympic Qualifier, the USA pass with flying colours.
The FIH ranks Greece 50th in their December 03 rankings. Greece have not won a match since then. If we don't believe the FIH rankings, go to another site - www.planethockey.co.za - which also has a set of rankings, as of January Greece wasn't in the Top 25, but the lowest of the qualifiers was: FIH = Egypt [16] & PH = Egypt [17]. Even Pat Rowley's rankings at September, available on this site, don't have Greece in the top 30.
So let's just back off the rhetoric a tad and admit that an Olympic Games including Greece will probabaly cheapen the medals come the end of the tournament, and for the sake of hockey and its global appeal, let's leave SA in.
Oh, and "Master Yoda" [remember, hate, anger and envy lead to the dark side], South Africa didn't "invent" racism it's been around for far longer than that country at the tip of Africa has existed [gee, you could even argue that what happened between the GREEKS and Trojans was a form of racism], SA merely had a bunch of palookas implement it as law - a state of affairs which has happily been rectified.
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tuppence
03-18-2004 12:34 pm
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H
The key word there is 'deserve' i.e. QUALIFY.
However there's plenty of precedence for a 'farcical level' of sport at the Olympics - Eric the Eel, Eddie the Eagle anyone?
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C
03-18-2004 1:35 pm
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Great Joke
Have you heard the one about the Greek Field Hockey team thinking they were Olympic material? Ha ha ha ha ha HA HA HA......
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Hockey Lover
03-19-2004 4:55 am
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@Daredevil
You said look at the recent results. Here they are from January 2004 to just before the madrid tournament:
17.01 South Africa 2 - 1 Belgium Cape Town
18.01 South Africa 1 - 2 Belgium Cape Town
20.01 South Africa 2 - 0 Belgium Cape Town
25.01 South Africa 2 - 8 Netherlands Cape Town
26.01 South Africa 0 - 1 Netherlands Cape Town
30.01 South Africa 0 - 0 Canada Potchefstroom
31.01 South Africa 2 - 2 Canada Potchefstroom
02.02 South Africa 1 - 2 Canada Potchefstroom TS
04.02 South Africa 2 - 3 Germany Potchefstroom
07.02 South Africa 1 - 2 Germany Potchefstroom
09.02 South Africa 1 - 0 Canada Pretoria
11.02 South Africa 1 - 1 Canada Pretoria
12.02 South Africa 2 - 0 Canada Pretoria
21.01 Egypt 3 - 1 Greece Cairo
22.01 Egypt 4 - 2 Greece Cairo
24.01 Egypt 3 - 0 Greece Cairo
04.02 Greece 0 - 5 Belgium Athens
05.02 Greece 0 - 9 Spain Athens
07.02 Greece 0 - 7 Great Britain Athens
08.02 Belgium 5 - 0 Greece Athens
18.02 Greece 1 - 7 Canada Madrid
19.02 Greece 1 - 3 Canada Madrid
For your info RSA beat Egypt in the Afro-Asian tournament as well, lost to them in Nigeria on a golden goal rule but beat Egypt in the pool matches. RSA aslo got the bronze medal in the Champions Challenge before these results. They are obviously in a different class to Greece.
Maybe you should get your facts straight. This is the last time I will post anything because you are getting too abusive and letting your emotions dictate what you are saying.
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Master Yoda
03-19-2004 5:53 am
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@Toad
Please Toad or whatever your name is do not refer to things that you do not know about or your only information is from Hollywood movies.The Troyan war is not for sure that happened but it even if it happened it's not the only proof that Greeks were imperialists.But we are talking about aperiod 3000 years ago and not in modern world.So open your historical books(I doubt you have any)learn your dance steps and come again tomorrow.And of course 2500 we introduced democracy and laws to the world and no one so far has called the Greeks imperialists or racists.Only Greeks can refer to their history like that.But I do not blame you!You grew up like that with arrogance,hate(as you say for me)and jalousy for countries that have contributed something to world civilisation throughout history!
PS.MAY THE FORCE ENLIGHTS YOU!
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Tom
03-19-2004 6:58 am
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racism?
Hmm, should we add that the "racism" laws in South Africa were created by Dutch and British colonialists on a power trip (and theres no point in slagging me off about that, I have both a Dutch and a British passport).
Next, South Africas qualification should stand. However you put it, the top 7 placed team in the qualifiers were promised a place at the olympics. South Africa were 7th, therefore they should be given a place. The debate rests on Greece. If, as appears, the host country is promised a place then they too should be allowed to take part. It looks like then that we have 13 teams. Two options. Expand the competition, allow Belgium to take part and make it 14 teams (16 is also possible), two pools of 7 (or 8) providing the schedule allows it (which it probably won't). The other? Give the Netherlands the gold medal and let the rest play for silver! :-P
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Fa shizzle my nizzle
03-19-2004 7:05 am
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both teams want to go to the olympics i see no problem in that.( damb who would not want to play in the olympics)....Hell if i was greek or safrican i would be so excited that i could possibly go to the olympics...Please stop throwing around that america qualified for the pan - americas....this has nothing to do with greece qualifying for pa europeans.This is a non starter as an arguemnet. Please understand that Fih invented this to exclude a developing team from playing in there own olympics.Hell at on executive board meating they also claimed that america actually quallifed for O.G(quote N.Sturock)- i hope that spelled correctly. Fih should be called Lies r' us.
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Ejay dance compilation:
03-19-2004 8:13 am
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dancing in the mirror with my brush
well said master Yoda. Can someone with slick dance steps make a small coment. The fih has made it its policy to lie....hopefully the cas can rectify this injustice and send the right team to the games by the way nobody ever claimed Gr would beat sa just a counter argument to those who claimed "Gr v Aus and gr v Ned when sa had just had a similar score with gb" Double standards otr what. Also the lie to the other qualifying teams that there are 7 spots. If any justice is done Cas will maintain the host nation competes natually(whatever there standard) invites the 5 continental champions.And then the 6 first teams from the pre olympic tormament...Rhino if you were mature enough to grasp the concept of National Unity you would not be making these player hater coments. Dont get it Twisted son.
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www.jokes.za
03-19-2004 8:19 am
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c - holla at your boy
more for volume 2 of the jokes
sa not going to sydney
sa losing to egypt, the Pharaohs
Hansie cronje shall i go on.
one ur self. Oh by the way im not greek i just hate arrogance and most importantly injustices
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Please...
03-19-2004 8:46 am
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no cheap attacks... Let's talk...
What's that for a post, 'Master Yoda'???
However, what is here the question?
- Does Greece diserve to play the O.G.? or
- Is it normal that the olympic organisator plays the O.G.?
How is it in the other teamsports??? Should an exception be made?
I agree that the fact Greece worked hard since last summer is not a really good argument: think about if they didn't... That's only a good example of their good will to play (well) at the O.G.
Belgium had worked for more than 3 years and (personally) I think they diserve to go, but they lost, that's sport...
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Jamo
03-19-2004 8:52 am
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re: www.jokes.za
firstly i am south african, i really dont understand what the fuss is about...dont want to debate, just a few words;
Greece like the other teams in the pre olympic tournament were given a chance to qualify.South Africa won the 7th and final position to qualify and hence deserve to play.
I find that the whole debate has moved from the qualification to events that are totally unrelated to the actuall event. I mean why bring up racism,Hansie Cornje, and other topics totaly irrelevant to the matter at hand. Why blame south africa in the first place? They came to the tournament in order to qualify, they did that... what do prior results matter?
Like in any sport competition if you perform on the day then and you win then well done, if not better luck next time, its how it goes in sport. And good sportmen understand, appreciate and learn to respect that. And trust me since the last Olympics South Africa is one team that has learnt that, and done it the hard way.
Finally best of luck to the SA side, congrats a awesome result, well done Revs on getting the boys to perform, you are doing a super job!
..To Symo ,from the Pens boys...WHAT A BOY!!!
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Toad
03-19-2004 9:39 am
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Master Yoda, this is not the platform to get into a moral debate.
All I was trying to say is that racism was not "invented" by South Africa - a fact which would be evident to you if you were to look in those history books you recommended to me.
I am fully aware that the myths and legends of the animosity between Greece and Troy are probably more fiction than fact [just like Robin Hood in British legend].
And I fully appreciate, admire [and even studied] the legacies created and left by the ancient civilisations [Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Chinese, etc], to the benefit of the modern ones.
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C
03-19-2004 9:42 am
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Greece Hockey team still a joke.
The Hansie Cronje affair in SA aint a joke, its something sober and serious. South Africa not going to Sydney is sad and political. And, SA loosing to Egypt in Nigeria is simply a reality. (Egypt ain't a bad team, good enough to beat Greece on ALL occasions).etc etc However, Greece thinking it is good enough for Olympic play on the hockey field is still a huge joke mate!!! HA HA HA HA. IT is no different to asking say a country like Morocco to replace Russia or Canada in a World Ice Hockey Tournament and having to face the likes of the USA, Czech Republic and Sweden!? Or for that matter asking Greeece to play countries like England and Australia in rugby. Mis-matches are no good to anyone, particulary a loosing team who gets thrashed and humiliated particulary on home soil. This is not good for any sport! Seems like a reality check is needed for some people before Greece really makes a bigger joke of itself and its inabilities, and that eventually becomes a sad reality. And who said I am a South African?! Please, I am a neutral, married to a Greek,(Thinks highly of Greeks and Greek culture), and knows asking Greece to play Field Hockey in the Olympics is a huge joke. Even most realistic Greeks are laughing and cringing!! :))
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Vijay Kumar Agrawal
03-22-2004 7:59 am
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give greece a chance
I am an Indian. India had already got qualified for the olympics. I thing FIH should greec a chance to compete in the olympics. We can play with 14 teams. In world cup 2002, there were 14 teams. So there is not a problem for that.
As far as this discussion is concerned, it is very unfortunate to read some awesome comments. Hansie cronje and racism should not be discussed.
Best of luck greece, south africa and belgium for the olympics.
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DareDevil
03-22-2004 6:30 pm
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It is really sad how much hatred someone has to face in this Forum: we all love our sport and still we donīt open our eyes or our minds: why donīt you guys think a little bit further than these Olympic Games???? It is not only about Greece and what FIH has done to them, it is about the FIH policy in general, the way they treat weaker or developing countries - the 2 class society the have introduced instead of uniting the hockey world! The fight that has started now will have consequences for ALL following olympic games! Just think about how you would react as South African if you have the OC and want to promote a new sport in your country but the International Federation does everyhting to make sure you will not participate. Can you guys really suppor that? It is clear to everyone that Greece is not among the Top 15 teams in the world - but what is a "decent" level???
I do not even want to comment some of the posts here - and Rhino: I thought u will not post every again on this board anyway? Some people obviously donīt want to be taken serious...
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Master Yoda
03-29-2004 3:02 am
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@Toad
Listen pal,you sound like an alright guy studied and all the things that
I blamed you were under the belt.But to answer you some questions that you posed me I can say that as a true Greek I do not want to be material of manipulation by the international sport(and not only)organisations.I do not want everything bad to start from Greece.Why Greece should be the only hosting country so far that doesn't participate in all soprts in the OGs.I know for sure that Greek hockey is far better than other sports in other countries.May be they are not good enough at the moment to compete against the other eleven teams but they are not the only sport in Greece that is not powerful.Plus they are stronger than other sport teams in other countries,already competed in OGs.If the Greek team doesn't make Greek hockey will be buried in Greece while if the Greeks play in some years I believe they would be of world standard.But you have the right to believe whatever you want,just do not think only hockey or only that Greeks are bad etc.
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Smellslikefish
04-21-2004 4:16 pm
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Swallow your silly greek pride Master Yoda. I can't believe you raised issues such as racism and greek history. Who cares, the issue here is picking the most deserving side to play in the tournament. You are letting your personal feelings cloud your judgement. Before you hastily start typing a reply to this, take a minute to think.
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sick mick
04-28-2004 12:50 pm
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mick sick
EITHER LET ME FLY OR GIVE ME DEPTH. tHINK ABOUT IT AND SEE YOU IN aUGUST. pICTUR ME ROLLING
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x40
