I don't understand what the big deal is. Steve Waugh carried the torch during a similar relay leading up to Sydney 2000. No one said anything about cricket not being an Olympic Sport then. Why now ??
From a foreign perspective this seems to me like a strange problem to have. When the torch relay was here in Sydney, the man who relit the cauldron at the Olympic Stadium this year was Steve Waugh, a choice which caused neither surprise nor disapproval, even though many former Olympians may have missed out on carrying the flame at some stage. I think the difference may be that our sportspeople interact and support each other across their various disciplines. For example, Steve was a guest of the Australian team at the Olympic village in 2000, and has probably addressed almost every other interntaional team we have as they have prepared for major international competitions -- Rugby, Soccer, Swimming, and so on. Similar things could be said of champions in many other fields; they tend to see themselves as part of a larger team, and spend time (it doesn't take much) backing each other. This kind of culture of encouragement, for want of a better word, can be created anywhere.
