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DRUNK: Sports minister enjoys Olympics "drunk as a skunk"
Belgium’s sports minister Michael Daerden has been criticised for being as “drunk as a skunk” and embarrassing his country after loudly interrupting an Olympics tennis match and appearing in an inebriated state cheering on his country’s hockey team.
ESPN reported the incident:
Not Just Any Drunkard in the Stands
The drunk heckler is a staple of the sporting scene. It’s when he fails to be clever that he becomes intolerable. So it was yesterday at the Olympics, during the men’s double tennis match between Argentina and Belgium, when Argentina’s David Nalbandian stopped play and shouted at the drunk man, “You don’t know the rules of tennis, do you?” Eyes turned to the heckler. And that’s when every Belgian in attendance blinked hard. The heckler was none other than Belgium’s Sports Minister, Michael Daerden, quite ripped. Daerden later showed up at a hockey game, still blotto. The Flemish Sports Minister said Daerden has a drinking problem. “Everyone knows it.”
In the style of Sharon McCrohan, the Victorian Premier’s former media adviser, the Minister’s spokesperson said:
“It is impossible that the minister was in such a state.”
His rivals though weren’t missing the opportunity to give the enthusiastic supporter a kicking while he was down:
“Michel Daerden really has a drinking problem, everyone knows it,” said Flemish Sports Minister Bert Anciaux in a reaction to the incident.
“But he is not the only one. Others keep it under wraps. People in politics drink a lot.”
“It irritates me that the excessive alcohol is seen as normal and is accepted so readily,” said Bert Anciaux to the daily Het Laatste Nieuws.
Discussion
2 comments for “DRUNK: Sports minister enjoys Olympics "drunk as a skunk"”
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I recall more then one Melbourne city Councillor being drunk whilst attending a committee meeting. Problem is there is a free booze tab at the Lord Mayors table and if your not picking up the tab then the temptation is to drink and drink some more.same problem when the booze is free on a flight. All you end up with is a drink passenger and a potential safety risk.
Lesson one Politics and booze no not mix. Just ask what his name,the liberal that lost hid job following a drunkard drive around Albert Park’s pickup joints.
For a minute there I was worried it was going to be a story about James Merlino. Thank God for that!