Aussie Olympic hero Harry Garside’s X-rated Paris announcement
Larger than life Aussie boxer Harry Garside may have revealed a bit too much about his plans to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Olympics.
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Should Harry Garside fall short of his gold medal dream at the Paris Olympics it won’t be for lack of commitment.
The Aussie boxer has announced some rather X-rated news for his fans that he will be abstaining from sex until his competition ends in Paris.
It’s going to be a long 98 days for the larger-than-life boxer until the men’s lightweight boxing final, scheduled on August 7.
Garside shared a bit too much on Instagram by hinting he will be going celibate until the end of his Paris competition.
“Tomorrow is the day I cut out shooting my shot if you get what I’m saying until post Olympics,” Garside wrote on Instagram with a post that included a water drops emoji.
The 26-year-old said he employed the same tactic before he made history at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 by winning the bronze medal.
It was Australia’s first boxing medal at the Olympics since 1988.
He said he made a vow of chastity before the Tokyo Games which lasted more than two months.
His efforts this year will be a much bigger challenge.
“I did from the start of June in 2021 and got bronze so need to do more to win,” he wrote.
That vow will be particularly difficult when it comes to moving into the Olympic Village with Paris officials organising for 300,000 condoms to be available to athletes during the event.
The Village has long been a place of sexual liberation for partying athletes that have completed their competitions. Former Olympian Susen Tiedtke in Tokyo spilled the beans about a “crazed sex culture” the Village produces.
American goalkeeper Hope Solo also described the situation she saw at the 2012 London Olympics.
“There’s a lot of sex going on,” she said.
“I’ve seen people having sex right out in the open. On the grass, between buildings, people are getting down and dirty.”
Good luck, Harry.
The popular fighter has been publicly optimistic about the Australian boxing team’s chances of winning medals in Paris.
He qualified for the Olympics in December as one of 12 Aussies to book a ticket to the Games, which begin on July 24.
“I have reached base camp,” Garside wrote on Instagram at the time.
“Now the most important part the journey to the peak. ️
“Going to do everything in my power to change that colour from bronze to gold and become the first ever Australian Olympic gold medallist for boxing. See you all in Paris next July.”
He may just be the most passionate member of the Aussie team — having given up a booming professional career to return to amateur Olympic competition.
The Victorian said he is prepared to go into personal financial debt to return from Paris with the gold medal.
“The reason – and I’ve thought a lot about it since 2021 – is that I went on the Olympic journey to win an Olympic gold medal and not a bronze medal,” he told Code Sports.
“I turned my back on myself because I turned professional thinking the bronze medal was OK.”
Garside first came to prominence when he won gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and then went viral for a classy act returning home from Tokyo three years ago.
Having earned a traditional business class journey home with Qantas for winning a medal, Garside instead gave his seat to his coach Kevin Smith and instead took his seat in cattle class.
He turned professional afterwards, winning his first three fights before splitting with legendary coach Johnny Lewis and deciding to return to the amateurs with an eye to competing in Paris.
Garside appeared on I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! last year, finishing second behind netball legend Liz Ellis.
Garside says he has been training three times a day to win the gold.
Originally published as Aussie Olympic hero Harry Garside’s X-rated Paris announcement
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