Smiggin Holes 2010 Winter Olympic bid
Encyclopedia
The Smiggin Holes 2010 Winter Olympic bid was a joke campaign initiated by Australia
n comedians Roy and HG
to bring the 2010 Winter Olympics
to the tiny and little-known village of Smiggin Holes
, part of the Perisher Blue ski resort, in New South Wales
, Australia
. The bid was first proposed on the television show The Ice Dream, which aired as part of the Seven Network
's coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City
.
be raised 300 metres (from its current height of 2,228 metres), or that a new mountain be built in Smiggin itself, which would be named Mount Steggall, after Australian Nagano
slalom bronze medalist Zali Steggall
. "We've just got to get the nation to dump all its rubbish on top of Kosciuszko, compact it a bit and voila, Mount Steggall."
In addition, the duo suggested that the caravan park could be used as the athletes' village, and local portable toilet business Dougie Does Dunnies promised the cleanest Olympic Games ever as far as toilets were concerned. The Cooma
KFC would provide catering for the event. The duo also suggested that the Biathlon
would "have live targets, something that will make a noise when it's hit". Roy also said that "we can have a kangaroo cull. God we're going to have fun."
Mottos for the Smiggin Holes 2010 bid included "Unleash the Mighty Mongrel of the Holes", "Winter Wonder Down Under" and "If you've got the poles, we've got the holes." Appearing on The Ice Dream, International Olympic Committee
president Jacques Rogge
described the bid film as "very impressive".
for 2010, HG Nelson stated in a June 2009 podcast that "I think 2014 is not beyond us, and we're still marking it under the slogan, 'If you've got the poles, we've got the holes.'" Sochi
will host the 2014 Winter Games.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedians Roy and HG
Roy and HG
Roy & HG is an Australian comedy duo, comprising Greig Pickhaver in the role of "H [Harry] G Nelson" and John Doyle as "'Rampaging' Roy Slaven". Their act is an affectionate but irreverent parody of Australia's obsession with sport. Their characters based on archetypes in sports journalism: Nelson...
to bring the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
to the tiny and little-known village of Smiggin Holes
Smiggin Holes, New South Wales
God's CountrySmiggin Holes is a ski resort village in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire. It is primarily a winter-only resort village. It is within the Kosciuszko National Park, and is administered by New South Wales Department of Environment and Climate...
, part of the Perisher Blue ski resort, in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The bid was first proposed on the television show The Ice Dream, which aired as part of the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's coverage of the 2002 Winter Olympics
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
.
Overview
During the course of The Ice Dreams broadcast, a number of suggestions were presented by the hosts to the audience in order to make the holding of the Winter Games possible at Smiggin. For example, in order to provide a tall enough mountain for skiing events, Roy and HG proposed that either Mount KosciuszkoMount Kosciuszko
Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...
be raised 300 metres (from its current height of 2,228 metres), or that a new mountain be built in Smiggin itself, which would be named Mount Steggall, after Australian Nagano
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
slalom bronze medalist Zali Steggall
Zali Steggall
Zali Steggall is Australia's most internationally successful alpine skier, winning a bronze medal in slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, and a World Championship gold medal in 1999. Steggall's long Olympic career extended from Albertville in 1992 to Salt Lake City in 2002...
. "We've just got to get the nation to dump all its rubbish on top of Kosciuszko, compact it a bit and voila, Mount Steggall."
In addition, the duo suggested that the caravan park could be used as the athletes' village, and local portable toilet business Dougie Does Dunnies promised the cleanest Olympic Games ever as far as toilets were concerned. The Cooma
Cooma, New South Wales
-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
KFC would provide catering for the event. The duo also suggested that the Biathlon
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
would "have live targets, something that will make a noise when it's hit". Roy also said that "we can have a kangaroo cull. God we're going to have fun."
Mottos for the Smiggin Holes 2010 bid included "Unleash the Mighty Mongrel of the Holes", "Winter Wonder Down Under" and "If you've got the poles, we've got the holes." Appearing on The Ice Dream, International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
president Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
described the bid film as "very impressive".
Smiggin Holes 2014 bid
After the disappointment of being pushed out by VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
for 2010, HG Nelson stated in a June 2009 podcast that "I think 2014 is not beyond us, and we're still marking it under the slogan, 'If you've got the poles, we've got the holes.'" Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
will host the 2014 Winter Games.