OPINION: Ahead of the Halberg Awards earlier this week, I was having a conversation with my colleagues which slowly ramped up to a full blown debate.
At the heart of the issue was the Olympic Games, its weighting as a pinnacle event, and whether it's possible to top an Olympic Gold medal to win a Halberg Award. It went on. And on. And. On.
What would Joseph Parker have to have done to beat Mahe Drysdale? Is there ANYTHING he could have done to beat Mahe Drysdale?
What if he beat Wladimir Klitchsko or Anthony Joshua to win a world title? Would the quality of the opponent change things? Maybe.
But do we apply the same level of analysis to a gold medalist's competition? A gold medal is a gold medal - end of story. And what exactly is Joseph Parker's pinnacle event?
Could Lydia Ko have beaten Lisa Carrington if she won a host of majors? The Olympics Games are Ko's pinnacle event according to the Halberg judging criteria. It seems no gold in Rio, no Halberg.
What if Danny Lee won the Masters, or the U.S. Open? Would that top an Olympic Gold medal? Again, the judging criteria would suggest the answer is no.
What about Shane Van Gisbergen? How was he not a finalist for sportsman of the year? The first kiwi to win the Supercars series since 1991. 1991!
But is the Supercars Series the pinnacle of motorsport? Comparing apples with apples for drivers is impossible. If only he could drive at the Olympics.
I could go on. And the conversation with my learned colleagues certainly did. The reason it went on, is because there is always a hypothetical situation which challenges the concept of the Olympic Games as a pinnacle event, and the integrity of the Halberg Awards is compromised as a result.
No one wants that.
The purpose of the Halberg Awards is to recognise sporting excellence. To separate our highest achievers - the best performance from a group of world-class performances - their results need to be compared and ranked by independent judges who are working to a criteria that is thorough, considered and fair.
Here's what they work to:
For what it's worth, I think the judges got it right this year. Lisa Carrington's historic achievements in Rio meant she deserved to take home the Supreme Halberg Award.
And Mahe Drysdale, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, Liam Malone, Gordon Walker and Eliza McCartney all deserved their awards too. A Rio clean sweep on High Performance Sport New Zealand appreciation night.
But as things stand, the Halberg Awards criteria is too simplistic and geared too strongly towards Olympic sports. That needs to change.
