Gordon Campbell On The Threat To The Winter Olympics From Climate Change
This week, Superbowl football and the Winter Olympics have both served to illustrate the massive role that professional sport now plays in modern life. Reportedly, […]
Sport
Gordon Campbell On The Selling Out Of Iran
First Venezuela, then Iran. In its modern versions of gunboat diplomacy, the United States is willing to weaken a terrible regime, but not to replace […]
Gordon Campbell on steps to reduce the racing industry’s cruelty
In the season for humans to be merry, here’s some good news for the animals. In a major animal welfare move, the British Horse Racing […]
Gordon Campbell on Qatar, Joyce Carol Oates and Mimi Parker
The FIFA World Cup has kicked off amid laments about Qatar’s terrible human rights record, and FIFA’s greed in awarding them the Cup hosting rights […]
Gordon Campbell on why rugby may be a health risk
While it is old news that the men who play top level rugby union are a heavier (and taller) lot than they used to be, […]
Gordon Campbell on Games fervour, and the music of S.G. Goodman
Given how the pandemic has disrupted the sporting calendar, no-one would begrudge our elite athletes their chance to compete at international level. What with the […]
Gordon Campbell on good riddance to the America’s Cup
So the America’s Cup defence is off to Barcelona. Supposedly, if you could drill a hole through Auckland to the other side of the world, […]
Gordon Campbell on whether we’re punching above our weight, and should we care?
According to Pierre De Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, the Olympic ideal was not about “winning, but fighting well. Life is not conquering, […]
Gordon Campbell on the Lancet’s stance against the Olympic Games, and on the US culture battles over abortion
Yesterday – barely a month before the opening ceremony – the Lancet medical journal has called for a global conversation on whether the Olympics should […]
Gordon Campbell on the America’s Cup, Critical Race Theory and a new, weekly music playlist
So… Why don’t they just cut to the chase, and call it the Emirates Cup? As this column predicted several months ago, the next America’s […]
Gordon Campbell on the media’s hissy fit over Naomi Osaka
Last Sunday as we all now know, Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open. She had felt that the compulsory after-match press […]
Gordon Campbell on how the animals fare within a racing industry in decline
Somehow, the office sweepstake on the Melbourne Cup is still likely to be a thing, even in the year 2021. Probably though, most non-punters would […]
Gordon Campbell on why Emirates Team New Zealand is a really, really bad look
Now that the patriotic frenzy has died down, maybe we should all look in the mirror and reconsider the implications of our America’s Cup victory […]
Gordon Campbell on the demise of the Tokyo Olympics
As the Covid vaccines roll out around the world, the Tokyo Olympics are looming as a major test of when (and whether) something akin to […]
Gordon Campbell on Kobemania, Palestine, and the infrastructure package
Quick quiz to end the week. What deserves the more attention – the death of a US basketball legend, or the end of Palestinian hopes […]
Gordon Campbell on the John Key smear attack, Russia’s sports doping and Allen Toussaint
The rationale behind Prime Minister John Key’s smear attack against Labour yesterday (and the subsequent walkout from Parliament) was obvious enough. When you’re in a […]
Gordon Campbell on Malcolm Turnbull, and rugby mania
When Malcolm Turnbull took over as PM across the Tasman, much was made of him citing the populist touch of Prime Minister John Key – […]
Gordon Campbell on the Sepp Blatter resignation
Any initial elation at Sepp Blatter’s resignation as the overlord of FIFA will be tempered by his declared intention to stay on until at least […]
Gordon Campbell on the FIFA scandal , and similar dirty dealings
Face it, it has been a very, very bad week for anyone who thinks that a) FIFA is a damn fine organisation run by guys […]
Gordon Campbell on the America’s Cup, and Lee Marvin
Like the Commonwealth Games, the America’s Cup is one of those large sporting events that is struggling to find anyone foolish enough to want to […]
On the dubious economic case for the Auckland convention centre
For now, Labour and the Greens are not opposing the convention centre in Auckland per se, but are asking for the tendering process to be […]
On the Prefu, and on the RWC attempts to vilify the French
Update: Audio – Bill English speaks to media at the release of the 2011 pre-election fiscal update. Click a link to play audio (or right-click […]
Gordon Campbell on the Rugby World Cup Victory
Opinion – Gordon Campbell This close, nail biting victory – without the triumphalism that the All Blacks running riot over their opponents would have entailed […]
On youth voting and the RWC’s C-List celebrities
The Greens’ Gareth Hughes has highlighted the apparent lack of interest by the young in this year’s election. Only about 72% of eligible 18-24 year […]
On sports injury; and the West Memphis Three aftermath
[See below for The West Memphis Three aftermath] Imagine if there was a party drug known to kill a number of teenagers around the world […]
On Italy, Politics and the Rugby World Cup
Illustration by Tim Denee – www.timdenee.com Silvio Berlusconi really needs Italy to win the Rugby World Cup, or an equivalent miracle. While he faces prosecution […]
On Russia and the Rugby World Cup
Between early September and late October, New Zealand will be hosting teams from 19 countries for the Rugby World Cup. This column will try to […]
On rebuilding Christchurch – and Rupert Murdoch’s beef with the Rugby World Cup
So the long awaited report on land remediation in Christchurch by the consulting engineers Tonkin and Taylor has been delivered to Prime Minister John Key […]
On the nation’s gift of a plastic waka to Ngati Whatua
Wayne Youle, ‘Often Liked, Occasionally Beaten’, 2004. From the 2006 exhibition Plastic Māori – A Tradition Of Innovation There’s a something wrong with putting the […]
On Pike River, shifting RWC games, Libya
Nearly four months after the Pike River disaster, the mine’s unpaid contractors are still waiting for the promised government support package to be unveiled. The […]