There were plenty of highlights at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney – the men’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay and Cathy Freeman are right up there – but there is no doubt that the pinnacle of the games was Roy and HG’s The Dream.
The two greatest minds in Australian sport regaled us with tales every single night during the 2000 Olympics and one could argue that The Dream with Roy and HG was the greatest feature the Sydney Games had to offer.
The highlights were endless moments, but we have still managed to find the nine best moments of The Dream in Sydney as well as one very special moment at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Fatso Wins Gold
Nobody cared about Syd, Millie or Ollie – it was all about Fatso The Fat-Arsed Wombat at 2000 Olympics.
The Battler’s Prince managed to capture the hearts of sports fans from right around the world and he secured his dominance over his rivals with his victory in the Bombing competition.
The AOC did their best to ban Fatso, but he continuously popped up on the medal dias to celebrate yet another Australian gold and he remained in pride of place on a pole outside Stadium Australia before he was stolen in 2010.
Go You Good Thing – featuring John Farnham, Roy and HG & The Channel 7 Choir
The Dream gave birth to the unoffical Olympic mascot – the Battlers Prince Fatso but it also gave us the unofficial Olympic Anthem – GO YOU GOOD THING!
As part of an ongoing competition on the show to find a tune for the Sydney Games, it was GO YOU GOOD THING that won and to finish off a magical two weeks, Roy and HG enlisted the help of one John Farnham to belt out an amazing rendition of what is an Australian Sporting anthem.
Put a Gap in ’em!
Roy & HG On Eric The Eel
If Fatso was the biggest star of the Sydney 2000 Olympics than Eric ‘The Eel’ Moussambani was a very close second.
Eric The Eel represented Equatorial Guinea in the 100 metres freestyle and he found himself as the only competitor in his heat after his two rivals were disqualified.
Most commentators elected to poke fun at the swimming style of Eric The Eel, but not Roy and HG who managed to cheer Moussambani to an Equatorial Guinea record! (YouTube)
Roy & HG On Walking
One of the most controversial moments of the Sydney 2000 Olympics occurred when Australian Jane Saville was disqualified from the women’s 20 kilometres walk just before she entered the stadium and Roy and HG did not miss out on an opportunity to have their say on this scandal.
Roy and HG were quick to point out the hypocriscy on show in the walking events at the Olympics and they called on IOC official Dick Pound to open an inquiry into this travesty of justice!
Roy & HG On Gymnastics
The majority of Australian sporting fans only know the names of the majority of Gymnastics moves thanks to the commentary of Roy and HG.
Moves like ‘the battered sav’, ‘electric work’, ‘the double corkscrew’, ‘the crazy date’, ‘the party date’, ‘spinning off the flute’ and ‘the flat bag’ were all as foreign to Australians as the Greco-Roman Wrestling before 2000, but are now household terminology.
Roy & HG On Water Polo
Roy and HG had a number of interesting ideas on how to improve Olympics events, but their feedback to Water Polo officials was their best work.
The introduction of underwater cameras to Water Polo would improve the sport significantly, but officials have not been keen to introduce the revolutionary suggestions that came from The Dream.
Roy & HG On Americans
An influx of Americans headed to Australia for the Sydney Olympics and their presence was not always popular with the locals.
The distaste for the American tourists was a tough one to explain – they are one of our best friends in the world – but Rampaging Roy Slaven managed to diagnose the problem in Australian-American relationships better than any diplomat ever could have.
Roy & HG On Weightlifting
Roy and HG were invested in every single event during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but nothing got them more fired up than the weightlifting.
Their ideas about what footwear should be worn by weightlifters was revolutionary – Dunlop Volley’s were the big winner – and they truly captured the emotion when The Pocket Hercules Naim Suleymanoglu was eliminated from the 62 kilogram event.
Roy And HG On The Vaulting Controversy
The Gymnastics at the Sydney 2000 Olympics was marred by a controversy surrounding the vault as it was discovered midway through the competition that the vault had been set five centre metres lower than it should have been.
HG Nelson was particularly upset that one of his favourite events at the Olympics had been ruined by the incompetence of officials, while Roy called for public accountability and asked for the person responsible to stand at the front of Stadium Australia with a sign saying ‘idiot’ and a further sign saying ‘ask me about it’.
Roy & HG On Steven Bradbury
After the success of The Dream in Sydney, Roy & HG headed to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics and it was truly meant to be when Steven Bradbury won Australia’s first ever Winter Olympics Gold Medal in truly bizarre circumstances.
Only commentators with the insight of Roy and HG were able to explain the genius of Bradbury’s tactics in the final of the 1,000m Short track speed skating event to those who didn’t understand the idiosyncrasies of the event!
