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Rick Broadbent and Ashling O'Connor in Beijing A pair of leading political figures have dragged Anglo-Australian hostilities back into the sporting limelight with a bet and a boast in Beijing. Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, and Kate Ellis, his counterpart Down Under, indulged in a spate of sledging that reopened old wounds and led to a string of gibes. The sparring moved from the sporting fields to the corridors of power as the pair agreed that the minister of the country that finishes lower in the Olympic medal table will have to wear its rival’s national colours at the next big sporting event between the two countries. Sutcliffe, a Manchester United season ticket-holder, said: “It might mean me having to wear an Australian rugby league shirt at Old Trafford, which could be dangerous, but it’s all healthy fun.”... [read full story]
