More than that, though, in a year of the Olympics and more recently, the Paralympics, the future of both events, although essentially the former, has become clouded in drugs taken by athletes and bribery and corruption by officials, prompting us to wonder whether the four-yearly ritual can be sustained.

Australia's former Ambassador to Italy and Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone, wrote recently it may be time to hand the Games back to Greece on a permanent basis.

She's got a point, not that it is a new one but it is probably time as she said: "To end the ridiculous competition associated with countries vying to win (fraudulently in most cases) the hearts and minds of the IOC".

Vanstone was one of my favourite politicians; always straight up the middle, called it as she saw and read it – always guaranteed to set an ABC QandA program back on course. She questioned the money spent on the Olympics at the expense of other government priorities.

Of course Britain has offset financing its Olympics program by starting a lottery and after the broad assumption that Australia's Rio bid wasn't up to scratch, every sports official is on that bandwagon for Australia.

Perhaps the Australian Olympic Committee might do a little more soul searching. The use-by date is surely up for its senior officials. ABC Offsiders panellist, Gideon Haigh, posed the question after Rio, "what does the AOC really do?".

For the veteran AOC chief, John Coates, who appeared to blame everyone else for what he (and others of his ilk) believed were sub-standard Australian performances, perhaps they must step down. Haigh said, "Coates has to go".

I'm with Vanstone. Give the Olympics back to Athens. None of this mistaken belief that it is good for business and tourism. It wasn't in Rio, certainly was not in Sydney (it had a negative effect on NSW and Australia, a Monash University report found) and Norway withdrew its bid for 2022 Winter Games; but it would certainly help Greece.

As Vanstone wrote, "The IOC should focus on running a good, clean Olympics, not the side issue of electing a new host every two years".

Which brings us to great US swimmer, Michael Phelps, who said drug cheats should be banned, never to be allowed back in sport. But they are – and multiple times, too. Why? Phelps and the fabulous Usain Bolt have proved otherwise across long careers.

Before the footy season finally disappears a few observations about some sore Australian points.

Our rugby officials' whinges about international referees costing the Wallabies matches is not a valid argument according to greats George Gregan and John Eales – who say you take any doubts out of a referee's hands by winning!

When will rugby league make it a contest for the ball again by bringing back proper scrums, play-the-balls and a time-off rule like AFL that ensures when the ball is out of play the time clock stops. As Roy Masters suggests, rugby has more multiple contest points.

Apart from that banning three and four-player tackles would help.