30 years ago, Sydney was awarded the right to host the 2000 Olympic Games. In this special two-day celebration on Off The Podium, we are delighted to bring you an interview with a legend of all things Olympic Games, Ric Birch. Rich was the executive producer and main director of ceremonies for both the opening and closing ceremonies for the Sydney Olympics, as well as having played a part in other Olympic ceremonies in Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992, Turin 2006 & Beijing 2008. Ric talks about his involvement in Sydney 2000 and just how he was able to come up with the amazing opening and closing ceremonies that still stand the test of time 23 years later. He also talks about giving us Nikki Webster, THAT cauldron moment with Cathy, his thoughts on modern Olympic ceremonies and whether or not he will be involved in Brisbane 2032. It's an amazing chat that you simply can't miss!

Episode 329 - Ric Birch Interview

Three men who dream of Olympic glory and have as much athletic prowess as a piece of cheese sit down (or stand up) and discuss the Olympics, bringing you daily updates, segments and attempted humour that would make even the most passionate Olympics fan in the world crack a wry smile. Well, at least we hope. If it doesn't then we'll gladly give you your money back.

Sports

It's time to get back to the sport of boxing with an incredible talk with the Australian super heavyweight representative in Paris, Teremoana Jr Teremoana, about his rise through the sport and hopes at the Olympics in July! We learn what unique viewpoint he has of his sport and just why his family is so critical to why he does what he does. We also find out about the world of super heavyweight boxing and all the incredible intricacies that come around how it is done at the highest level. Added to this Teremoana tells about his incredible training regime, just why not only he will create Australian Olympic history in Paris but the entire Australian boxing team, and which other sport just might see him make an appearance after his successful run at the Olympics. It's one of our most insightful and engaging chats ever that will deliver you a knockout of excitement! So get to listening!

Episode 370 - Teremoana Jr Teremoana Interview

It's time to get back on your horse today as we move back to the sport of equestrian and once again learn more about dressage as we chat to one of Australia's best dressage riders Jemma Heran about her amazing career and Paris prospects! He discover just how Jemma got into the sport and what it was about dressage that tickled her fancy. We also learn more about the dressage discipline to try and understand it more and why we should be getting more excited about it for Paris. Added to this Jemma tells us what she hopes to achieve in Paris if she makes it, her excitement about the location of the event at the Olympics and her take on whether the horse should also get a medal at the Olympic Games. It's a great chat that you won't want to miss, so get to listening to get even more excited!

Episode 369 - Jemma Heran Interview

We're back for another NEWSCAST as we bring you all the latest Olympic news you want and need with special guest, Olympic superfan Patrick Riley! We talk about the excitement of the Olympic flame hitting French soil for the first time and the epic ceremony that came with it. We also discuss our thoughts on the new theme for the Olympics and just who might be in line to light the cauldron in a couple of months time. We also bring you the latest qualification news from around the world and find out how it will effect some medal prospects moving forward. Added to this is our latest bunch of sports to preview, as we go over the new kid on the block in breaking as well as previewing sport climbing and skateboarding! It's an epic episode that will get you up to date with all things Olympics! So get to listening!

Episode 368 - OTP Newscast 2

We're pumped to bring back the great sport of artistic swimming through your speakers today as we sit down with two Australian Olympians in Kiera Gazzard & Rayna Buckle to learn about their respective journeys in the sport as well as their Olympic experiences in Tokyo and hopes heading into Paris! We find out from both of them just how they got involved in the sport and their unique journeys that saw them become teammates in 2021 at the Olympics. We also find out just why artistic swimming might be the hardest sport in the world and how they combat that when it comes to training together. Added to this we find out about their experiences at the recent World Championships and why they were such a big deal for the sport in Australia, learn what they can do outside of the pool to help with their routines and discover whether or not Chairy would be good at artistic swimming. It's one hell of an interview you simply can't miss!

Episode 367 - Kiera Gazzard & Rayna Buckle Interview

It's time to get back into the sport of cycling today as we chat with Australian Tokyo Olympian and multiple World Championship medallist Grace Brown about her amazing career and hopes for Paris! We find out from Grace how a promising running career transitioned into an even more promising cycling career and how she was able to adapt to the sport so quick that she went from picking up the sport to representing Australian within three years. We also find out about her narrowly missing out on a medal during the Tokyo Olympics and whether Australian women are cursed in the time trial event. Added to this we find out about her recent success at the Commonwealth Games and World Championships, learn more about her unique degree and find out just why Chairy might help her win a medal at the Olympics later this year. It's a great chat that you simply can't miss!

Episode 329 - Ric Birch Interview

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