Aussie Olympic B'Casters Forget Manners at Home

If you're a broadcaster lucky enough to be sent by your news station to cover the Olympics in person, you probably don't want to come off sounding like an ignoramus. The athletes aren't the only ones representing their countries.

This morning, four Aussies were sitting behind a desk in Beijing doing some morning-session review before handing it over to the next group.

I'm not sure of the blond one's name, because Channel 7 doesn't think regularly flashing them on the screen is beneficial. Nevertheless, I tuned in just in time for the broadcaster to hold up a sheet of paper, shush her colleagues and say, "Can you say [insert two names I didn't catch formed by a complex combination of vowels and consonants that can be difficult for a native English speaker to say.]"

They all shared a commiserating chuckle, decrying the difficulty of reporting the Olympics back to their compatriots here in Australia.  Oh, the poor blond who has to (no!)

such names. The woman next to her suggested that her teammates probably refer to her by this nickname or that.

Then, the unknown blond said something to the effect of, "I seem to have become the weightlifting expert. Just because yesterday I said '45 kilo class.' By the way, I've never seen a person weighing 45 kilos lift weights let alone food.

"Anyway," the bumbler continued, "I have to tell you. Because I'm the weightlifting expert, I'm going to have to say things like 'clean and jerk' and 'snatch.' So I don't want to hear anything out of any of you."

Blond lady, you said another word for

. Snigger, snigger. How old are these people? Unfortunately she won't be embarrassed and no one will call her on her shit, because she's blond and hot. Neither of those, though, excuse her from being a broadcaster with a modicum of respect for others besides herself, as well as cultural awareness.

It's a big ask, I know.