The British are getting one over their great sporting rivals - Australia.
The two nations are huge sporting rivals in rugby, cricket and the Olympics, so much so that, in recent Olympics, the repective countries' sports ministers have made bets as to which country they think will finish higher in the medals table and whoever loses will have to perform a humiliating ritual.
Britain is on its way to winning the London 2012 bet and, as a result, the Aussie sports minister will have to be humiliated:
I'll row in Team GB kit, says Australian minister after lost London 2012 bet
Australia's sports minister, Kate Lundy, has said she would row along the Olympic course in Team GB kit after she lost a bet with her British counterpart.
Australia Sports Minister Lundy gets her Team GB kit from Channel 4 News's Krishnan Guru-Murthy. She will have to wear it whilst rowing along Eton Dorney after losing the bet with her British counterpart Hugh Robertson.
Senator Lundy will race along the Eton Dorney course, near Windsor, Berks, in front of thousands of jeering fans after losing the bet with Hugh Robertson.
The pair had made the traditional Olympic bet between Britain and their Antipodean rivals over who would win the most gold medals during the Games.
The wager was made during a meeting in Melbourne earlier this year, with wearing team kit “part of the deal”.
But on Tuesday, Senator Lundy, who represents the Australian Capital Territory in the country’s Parliamentary Upper House, conceded the bet after it was clear her team would not catch Team GB in the medal table.
British rowers have dominated at Eton Dorney near Windsor Castle in Berkshire, qualifying for finals with all 13 boats, winning four golds, two silvers and three bronzes. Kate Lundy will row along this course wearing a Team GB kit in front of thousands of jeering British fans during the Paralympics after losing the bet.
Team GB is currently sitting third on the medal table with 48 medals including 22 gold, 13 silver and 13 bronze, making it the most successful Games since the London Olympics of 1908.
This was compared to Australia, which was languishing in 13th spot with 25 medals including just four gold - including two on Tuesday - 12 silver and nine bronze after a disastrous Olympics campaign.
“There’s a lot people back home wishing we have more gold medals on our ledger,” the 44 year-old told BBC Radio 4’s World at One.
“But my message is let’s not take it away from our athletes who have come so close to gold. We’re very proud of them for achieving their silver medals.
“I’m sure we’ll have our day in the golden sun once again. But in the meantime we will be celebrating our silver.”
Senator Lundy, a former top rower who still rows to keep fit, added: "I cheerfully conceded I will be rowing out at Eton Dorney, we did have our medal bet on in our traditional wager. This time, you guys are on top.”
“Equally if it was the other way round, I’m sure Minister Robertson would have been cheerful enough to put on a Kookaburras' shirt and dribble that hockey ball around Australia House, but that won’t be happening.”
Senator Lundy, who was attending several Olympic events throughout the country, later posted a picture on her Twitter page receiving a Team GB shirt from Krishnan Guru-Murthy, the Channel 4 News presenter.
She told her almost 12,000 followers: "Having cheerfully conceded my bet, he [Guru-Murthy] took the opportunity to present me a GB shirt in anticipation of my row at Eton!"
She told Channel 4 news: "I think we're all celebrating a bag full of silver, and Australians would love to see more gold but it's not taking away for one second the efforts of our athletes and so many of our golds we've conceded to British athletes, just that last millimetre or last millisecond.
"Silver is the new gold. We've got to hand it to you, you're having a great Games."
But she said she did not regret the bet, adding: "You guys are having a brilliant Games, your athletes have really responded to the challenge.
"It's a traditional wager that we have with the UK sports minister so I don't regret it, it was always going to be on, and I've already conceded I know I'm going to be rowing out of Eton."
Australia also lost the bet at the 2008 Beijing Games after it got 15 golds compared to Great Britain's 19. Then, Australian Sports Minister Kate Ellis had to wear a Team GB shirt at a wheelchair basketball match at the Paralympics.
Had British Sports and Olympics Minister Hugh Robertson lost the bet he would have had to dribble a hockey ball near Australia House, central London, wearing a "Kookaburras'" field hockey uniform.
I'll row in Team GB kit, says Australian minister after lost London 2012 bet - Telegraph
