Kookaburras to bypass Olympic opening ceremony in Rio

AUSTRALIA’S men’s hockey team will sidestep the Olympic opening ceremony in Rio as the No.1 ranked side in the world chases gold.

Jamie Dwyer lifts the World Cup.

AUSTRALIA’S men’s hockey team will ruthlessly chase Rio gold, sidestepping the opening ceremony.

Kookaburras coach Graham Reid said his No.1-ranked team would not march because of a crowded schedule that now includes quarter-finals after five pool games.

Australia’s women basketball and hockey teams are also extremely unlikely to attend the opening ceremony.

The Kookaburras play their opening pool game against New Zealand on the first day of competition and the Hockeyroos’ first game is against Britain that night.

The Opals face what is likely to be a pivotal game against host Brazil on the first day.

At the London Olympics athletes were housed within walking distance of the main stadium, but getting to and from the opening ceremony at Maracana Stadium from the village at Jacarepagua will require an hour-long bus trip.

“Unfortunately we are not going to march. I have already made that clear to the team and the team has decided we won’t march for the sake of the competition,’’ Reid said.

“Our first game is the day after the opening ceremony, so there was no real decision to make. In London the team marched, but they left at about 2pm and got home at 11pm.

“We have an added game put into the schedule so we start earlier. ‘It is disappointing but we are not in Rio to march, we are in Rio to play and win the gold.”

Jamie Dwyer lifts the World Cup.

Reid described the Zika virus concerns as a “bit of a beat-up”, saying the Kookaburras regularly travelled to countries with mosquito-borne diseases.

“At the end of the day we go to places like India a lot,” he said. ‘Our guys are used to protocols for hygiene and issues like malaria and dengue (fever) are part of what we have to deal with.” Reid has already tried to acclimatise his athletes to Rio.

At last month’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia, players were kept in team buses for 45 minutes on a 15-minute journey to replicate Rio’s traffic jams.

And players were packed into accommodation to simulate the living quarters at the Olympic village.

WA's Kookaburras contingent ahead of Rio.

“Accommodation can often be an issue, so we mucked around with the rooms and crowded people into different rooms to make it as uncomfortable as possible,” Reid said. “All those little things help, so when it comes to Rio we expect them.”

Most of Australia’s star players take part in the Hockey India League and are used to conditions others may see as challenging.

“They are there for six weeks and, while it’s a bit easier with five-star hotels, it’s still very confronting,’’ Reid said. [e-mail]

Originally published as Kookaburras to bypass Olympic opening ceremony in Rio