Gold Fleece

New Zealand would like sheep shearing to be an Olympic sport!

The New Zealand Farmers Federation, a rural lobby group, claims wool shearers should be recognised alongside the world's finest athletes for their "sport".

Jeanette Maxwell, a spokesman for the federation, describes top shearers as "athletes who take it to another level".

"Surely, the time has come to elevate shearing's sporting status to the ultimate world stage. "One way would be to make shearing a demonstration sport at the Commonwealth Games, if not the Olympics itself." She said: "I can testify to the physical effort shearing takes.

From The Daily Telegraph today.