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11 August 2021

Olympic spirit to carry into Intercol

On Monday, the captains of Blackfriars’ First XI Soccer, First XVIII Football, Senior A…

On Monday, the captains of Blackfriars’ First XI Soccer, First XVIII Football, Senior A Basketball, Senior A Table Tennis, Chess and Debating teams headed to Christian Brothers College to sign the Code of Conduct ahead of next week’s 15th annual Intercol.

Luka Jovanovic (soccer), Adam Grant (basketball), Hy Bao Buu (table tennis), Phong Nguyen (chess) and Joseph Snelling (debating), along with Head Prefect and football captain Lewis Saint, shared lunch with their CBC counterparts before signing the Code.

Speaking at the launch, Blackfriars Principal Simon Cobiac called on the boys from both schools to embrace the Olympic spirit of competition and good sportsmanship throughout the Intercol.

“We have just completed the summer Olympics and we have some magnificent images that speak louder than words,” Mr Cobiac said.

“And what a time to have the understanding that sport can unite the world; in very, very difficult times … we see the Olympic Games uniting people together for a common purpose.”

He singled out the men’s high jumpers, Qatar’s Mutaz-Essa Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi, who agreed to share the gold medal after both clearing 2.37m. Their joyful celebration became one of the highlights of the 2020 Games.

“There we are in our Intercol tradition, the last two years have been three, three (wins apiece),” Mr Cobiac told the gathering at CBC.

“They (the high jumpers) … decided to share the event. We’ve shared Intercol three, three, so that struck me as I was watching that.

“I am looking forward to seeing both teams … have that true sense of sportsmanship, carry on that Olympic tradition that we’ve all been part of, and we’ve all witnessed over the last couple of weeks; carry that on into this event.

“Be proud of who you represent, both CBC and Blackfriars, but make sure that it’s all played in a wonderful spirit, and we can all walk away afterwards knowing it’s great competition … between two wonderful schools.”

Head Prefect and First XVIII Football captain Lewis Saint was proud to be part of the Blackfriars Intercol tradition.

“Obviously it’s a huge rivalry, and it’s something that we all really look forward to throughout the year,” Lewis said.

“It means a lot and hopefully we can get the win this year.”

About 600 students will be involved in 24 Intercol events directly, with many more as spectators and supporters.

2021 Intercol schedule