Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport

When I was a kid, the whole family loved Rolf Harris, an Australian who entertained through his clever cartoons, creative murals, songs and storytelling. One of his songs, Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport was a big hit in the 1960s.

Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport tells a sardonic story about an Australian stockman on his deathbed and has become an Australian anthem right up there with Waltzing Matilda.

So, imagine the furor when Team Australia hoisted another of its country's icons on the balcony of their home for the Winter Games in the Olympic Village - the Boxing Kangaroo.

The International Olympic Committee was not impressed and verbally ordered the team to remove the offending banner citing it as "an inappropriate commercial trademark".

The official response from Team Australia was that the kangaroo would stay, at least until a formal letter was received from the IOC.

With the gauntlet dropped, the incident has become a rallying cry with all sorts of people stepping into the fray. Many have offered their opinions, all in favour of the Australian point of view, and some not too polite. As I sipped my morning coffee I found myself bursting into laughter when I heard my favourite retort from an unhappy Australian - "The Kangaroo stays Jacques, put that in your Belgian pipe and smoke it".

Whatever the outcome of the boxing kangaroo debacle, I hope it softens the hearts of those who are indifferent about the Winter Olympics and spurs them on to enjoy the Games, just seven days away.

So tie the kangaroo down, the fight isn't over yet. At half time it was Australia 1, IOC nil.

When the final whistle blew, the Aussies were victorious. The result - a TKO.