When the most exciting moment of the session is changing seats... something is wrong

What a boring session. The women's basketball quarter-finals 1st session with the matches between China and Byelorussia, and Australia and Czech Republic, were painfully boring. Granted that China is playing well and Australia has a great team - although today it really didn't impress me.

Please note that the comments that follow are in no way a criticism of a country, of its athletes in general or a person in particular for that matter. The criticism is on a specific women's basketball team, full stop.

The Czech Republic women's basketball team - and please note this is the second time I watch them - is the worst team I have seen live in any sports event: they lack skill, any stamina and, to top it all, will ... to do basically anything that involves them fighting for the ball, fighting for possession. I watched the match (did I say it was the second one I watched live?) in absolute disbelief. They even managed to - and accidently, I might add - injure one of Australia's top players. The Byelorussian team is just like the Czech Republic but with the positive difference that it fights and therefore provided more excitement.

Some will think I am too harsh and others will defend that the basis for the Olympic vision is precisely that Participation is what matters... BUT I would allege that participation can only materialize if accompanied by true will and if the Byelorussians had some, the Czechs didn't have much and were therefore an extremely poor representation for a truly great country. Some years ago, in my home country, a coach and the team captain in another sport apologized to fans and to their citizens for the lack of focus and will they had demonstrated in a match. I would respectfully propose that the Czech team should do the same.

If I look at Mali, this truly poor - and I mean materially poor - team from Africa that lacked any clear discipline or competitive edge, I saw the absolute manifestation of the Olympic ideal: the fighting even when there is not much more to fight for, the energy to keep going, the "living every moment". My hat off to them for they showed a thing or two to some teams who actually made it to the quarter-finals.