I’ve competed in plenty of tournaments at home and abroad when the conditions – either at the venue or away from it – haven’t been what an athlete would expect.
And I’ve also competed at an Olympic Games when there was a lot of pre-event ‘we shouldn’t be going there’ talk.
Sochi was a controversial choice for political reasons and history isn’t exactly making it look like a better decision than many were saying at the time.
Even if you put the politics aside, there was the Russian doping scandal and the fact that most of the snow was artificial.
I can remember sun-bathing there. And, trust me, that hasn’t happened at a Winter Olympics before or since!
But I don’t think there has ever been a more controversial choice of host than the fast-approaching Qatar World Cup.
Nobody needs to be reminded about all the human rights issues.
And, from a sporting point of view, the decision to have a winter World Cup is already proving to be misguided.
My heart goes out to all the footballers who are being ruled out with an injury.
Because it’s mid-season, muscle strains that could have been recovered from if it was a normal summer World Cup are crushing dreams.
Getting injured wasn’t a big fear in my sport but I can remember only too well how stressed I was trying to avoid Covid, knowing that once we got close to the Games there would be no coming back from a positive test.
I genuinely don’t know if I would want to play for my club this week if I was a footballer going to the World Cup or be left out of the team.
Because once you’re on the pitch, all the natural competitive instincts kick-in and you wouldn’t be pulling out of tackles or trying less hard.
It’s a position they should never have been put in.
A winter World Cup is surely going to be consigned to history as a never again, one-off after Qatar.
Bringing my Olympic gold medal to McDiarmid Park was a special afternoon on Sunday.
It was a pretty special game and result too…….I told you I was a good luck charm!
I got a lovely reception when I went on the pitch at half-time – well, apart from a few boos from the Rangers supporters when I lifted my St Johnstone scarf over my head!
Myself and my mum and dad were treated brilliantly in the boardroom.
What a day, what a result! 💙🤍
Thank you @StJohnstone and Pete for the board room hospitality and for the lovely gift 🥃
Really enjoyed being back at #McDiarmidPark to support my local team since a wee girl!
📸 PPA pic.twitter.com/II9TTOb736— Eve Muirhead OBE (@evemuirhead) November 6, 2022
It’s such a friendly and welcoming club.
It’s not just me who thinks that.
I was speaking to some of the Rangers directors after the game and they were saying McDiarmid is by far their favourite boardroom to visit.
That speaks volumes.
These last couple of weeks have felt like the busiest since I announced my retirement.
From meeting the King, to watching Saints beat Rangers, I’ve now had a Christmas dinner at the start of November!
It was part of the A League of Their Own Christmas special.
I can’t give too many spoilers away but it wasn’t in a studio this time, we were on a golf course!
There were lots of laughs and it’s definitely the first time I’ve had a Christmas dinner nearly two months early!
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