Lure of Olympics too great to resist

‘‘The Olympics are the pinnacle of all sporting codes. You don’t want to turn that down.’’ Manawatu badminton line judge Greg Busch

The lure of going to his first Olympic Games was always going to easily outweigh any concerns Manawatu badminton line judge Greg Busch had about travelling to Brazil.

Busch will be going to his first Olympics at the Rio games in August, and even though he was uneasy over the Zika virus and security, he wasn’t going to say no.

He has been to three world championships and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, but turned down the opportunity to go to the Delhi Commonwealth Games in 2010 because of security concerns.

He has spoken to experts about the health risks in Brazil and has also been advised about safety because of armed hold ups and other dangers.

‘‘The Olympics are the pinnacle of all sporting codes,’’ he said. ‘‘You don’t want to turn that down.’’

They have been told to stay in large groups when outside the games village or sightseeing.

Busch has known for more than a year that he will be going to Rio.

The world championships are a massive event, with badminton one of the biggest sports in the world, but they are still trumped by Rio.

‘‘This is the biggest without a doubt. All the players, this is the one they want to win.’’

The badminton tournament at Rio goes for 11 days, with 64 in the draw as well as qualifying, and Busch said the badminton hall will hold about 10,000 people.

Rio will be the first time players can use the video challenge system, so officials will have to be on top of their game.

‘‘We have to get it right. The main thing for us is concentration.’’

Auckland umpire Trish Gubb is the only other Kiwi official going.

Busch has had a few big appointments recently, having just come back from the Sydney Super Series and he also umpired the recent test match between New Zealand and Australia

He will also be officiating at the New Zealand age-group championships in Palmerston North next month.

The world championships are in Scotland next year and Busch hopes to go.

He has been an official since 2002 and hopes to be able to go to the Tokyo Olympics too.