ANGLING FOR GOLD AT GAMES
I’M calling for fishing to be introduced to the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
It is 40 days until our Commonwealth Games kick off and I can’t wait to see our city showcased to the world and watch our athletes represent us in a range of different sports.
One sport that won’t be on show however is fishing and it is time for that to change.
There is no denying the popularity of some of the sports included in the Comm Games – swimming, cycling, rugby and athletics are all sports most of us would have participated in at some stage of our lives.
But it may surprise you that fishing is more popular than most of these traditional sports.
It is estimated that five million Australians fish annually.
While it is true that fishing for most is a hobby not a sport, the sport of fishing is incredibly popular and not just in our country but around the world.
We have seen with the Winter Olympics the movement is keeping up with the times by accommodating less traditional events like freestyle snowboarding and skiing and as a result record television audiences are watching.
The reason why is maybe because these are events the average person can relate to.
While badminton and lawn bowls are great sports and deserve their place in our Games, how many of us truly know the intricacies of them?
I believe the sleeping giant in world sport is surfing and its inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games will cannonball the sport into mainstream recognition for years to come and rightfully so. Fishing should be treated the same. Any host nation of the Games could choose the target species and location and the world’s best fishermen and women could battle it out for gold.
Here on the Gold Coast I suspect our target would be flathead but if the Games were to be held in New Zealand the target could be trout.
As a television event it would be enormous.
Fishing is a great sport that includes the whole family and a sport you can participate in for your whole life.