Melbourne, September 17 : Olympic gold-winning Aussie rower James Tomkins criticised athletes who did not show up at the city parade in Melbourne on Wednesday, including swimmer Stephanie Rice who was relaxing in Thailand on holiday.
"I''m disappointed they''re not here. It would have been nice certainly for all the fans to see them," the Herald Sun quoted him as saying.
"It is a little bit disappointing, but we can''t hold them to ransom over it," he added.
The newspaper report said that Libby Trickett and Eamon Sullivan were other high profile non-attendees.
About 5000 flag-waving fans lined the city streets today to welcome 51 of Australia''s Olympic medallists.
Beijing - It was the biggest Paralympics in the 60-year history of sport for disabled athletes. As with the summer Games, Beijing has set a new benchmark which the London organizers in 2012 will find difficult to beat.
The venues, the first-class support for competitors and the record number of spectators have received much praise from among the more than 4,000 athletes who took part.
German cycling gold medallist Michael Teuber, who also competed in Athens four years ago, spoke of "another dimension" for the Paralympics and a "milestone" for disabled sport, with support and provisions for competitors second to none.
Melbourne: Former renowned Aussie leg spinner, Shane Warne, had criticized ex-teammate Andrew Symonds for showing disrespect to the national side and urged him to come back as a “better person” in the future. The former leggie said that in the absence of senior players like Ponting and Hayden from the squad, Symonds should have come forward to support his one-time best buddy Micheal Clarke.
Australian spinner Shane Warne criticized all-rounder Andrew Symonds for not attending the important team meeting in Darwin. He said that Symond has shown disrespect toward the team with his ‘gone fishing’ episode.
He urged him to mend his ways and serve the Australian team for the national interest. He also repeated his support for his one-time best friend Michael Clarke, as most of the senior members of the team like Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden are not playing in the proposed series.
Mohinder Amarnath has joined the Bengal Ranji federation as a consultant on Monday. He is a former test player who played various national and international matches. He praised the players of West Bengal for their hard work and dedication after assuming the charge of consultancy.
He said that Sourav Ganguly is a competent player for upcoming national and international series. He strongly advocated the entry of Ganguly in the forthcoming home series between India and Australia. He termed him as a hardworking and brilliant player of the country. He stressed that the Indians will have to do a lot of handwork to win the match against Australia.
When the Olympic quarter-finalist Saina Nehwal won at the Chinese Taipei Grand Prix on Sunday, she declared it as the biggest victory of her career. She is now hoping to make into the top 10 riding on her performance at the Asian circuit.
After Saina grabbed the title in Chinese Taipei by defeating unseeded Malaysian Li Ya Lydia Cheah 21-8, 21-19 in the final of the GP Gold event, she became the first Indian woman shuttler with two Grand Prix crowns under her belt.
Andrew Symonds for showing disrespect to the national side and urged him to come back as a “better person” in the future. The former leggie said that in the absence of senior players like Ponting and Hayden from the squad, Symonds should have come forward to support his one-time best buddy Micheal Clarke.
Australian spinner Shane Warne criticized all-rounder Andrew Symonds for not attending the important team meeting in Darwin. He said that Symond has shown disrespect toward the team with his ‘gone fishing’ episode. 
Sunday, she declared it as the biggest victory of her career. She is now hoping to make into the top 10 riding on her performance at the Asian circuit. 
