If you were nearly hit by a hurtling washing machine while strolling the grounds of the Commonwealth Games Athletic Village recently, The Australian Commonwealth Games Association would like to officially apologize. Yes, it was, apparently, Australian athletes who celebrated the end of their events by hurling a washing machine out of a top-floor apartment at the Games Village, Letterman stunt style. But the ACGA denies that it was in response to their national team losing a cricket match to India.
From Sify.com:
The Australian Commonwealth Games Association (ACGA) has regretted one of its athlete’s indecent behaviour a few days back and has agreed to pay for the damage caused at the Games Village in a rowdy incident after Games closure, Lalit Bhanot, Commonwealth Games Organising Committee secretary general, said Friday.
In a statement Bhanot said: “The media reports regarding Australian celebrations at the Athletes’ Village and the resultant damage to a washing machine are true. The person in charge of Tower 21 brought it to the notice of the Village authorities. The issue was taken up with the ACGA, who regretted the incident and agreed to pay for the damage as per guidelines.”
After the closing ceremony Thursday night, unidentified athletes dropped a washing machine from a balcony in the Australian section of the Games Village. Meanwhile, the athlete, whose identity has been withheld, was sent back home for bad behaviour some days back.
The Australian high commission in a press release Friday morning termed as “sloppy journalism to a new low” the media report that “enraged by the humiliating loss, some athletes went berserk, destroying electrical fittings and furniture on Tuesday and Wednesday”.
From The Guardian:
The housekeeping staff at the Australian team tower block also reported that the athletes sang insulting chants about the Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who scored a double-century in the second Test.
Insulting chants? Oh my, I do believe I have the vapors!
Meanwhile, Australian Commwealth Games chief Perry Crosswhite had the quote of the day: “At the end of the Games these things happen.”
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Australia will pay for damages at Games Village [Sify.com]
Australians accused of throwing washing machine off tower block [Guardian UK]
Crikey! Aussies Close Out Commonwealth Games By Throwing Washer Off Balcony [Sportress of Blogitude]
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- anonymous - Oct 19, 2010 at 9:50 PM
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Thats not a real photo of the incident. the incident happend at about 3am, not in the middle of the day. those are not the buildings, or even the side of the building it was thrown off, and it happened a couple of days before the end of the comm games.
sheesh, but don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story….
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- Rick Chandler - Oct 20, 2010 at 3:20 AM
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Sheesh, indeed. That photo is from the classic montage opening to SCTV, of people throwing their TVs out open windows. Rick Moranis, Martin Short, Joe Flaherty? Humorous sports blog? “Out of Bounds?” Any of this getting through?
