BIGGEST sports arena in the world

These details extracted from -

ABC Australia Rural News.

It's got to be the – biggest sports arena in the worldt it's a long way from London.

More than 50 students from cattle stations and remote communities across Central Australia are currently competing in the final rounds of the Alice Springs School of the Air Bush Olympics.

The students log in from computers in their schoolrooms hundreds of kilometres apart, to participate in warm-up activities via web cam.

They then head outside, into the dustiest of playgrounds to complete half an hour of whatever Olympic sport is on the London schedule that morning.

So far that's included weightlifting, equestrian events (featuring real hobby horses at some stations), athletics, and hockey.

Their trainer, Jo Black from the YMCA says there's some real talent among the School of the Air’s students, who live in an area covering 1.3 million square kilometres.

Principal Belinda Pearson says the school decided to use the Olympics to motivate their students to work on their fitness.

But it's not all about exercise: Mrs Pearson says the highlight of the Bush Olympics was the opening ceremony."Student and parents logged in from 62 sites across Central Australia.

"It was important for us to light the Olympic flame here in the studio."A flickering flame is made from red and yellow and orange, so we had lots of helium balloons, concealed under a veil and when our student William Weir lit the cauldren, the veil was pulled off and the balloons reached skywards.

"Also, every team from each station or community made their own flag [and] mascot.”

One even had a team chant, written by seven-year old Todd Fogarty of the “Lucy Creek Larakeet” about 350 kilometres north east of Alice Springs.

Here's Todd's chant, inspired by his team mascot Larry the lorikeet:

"Lucy Creek Larakeets!

"We are going to beat all the others in the heats!

"Squark squaaarrrk!

"L-U-C-Y C-R-E-E-K L-A-R-A-K-E-E-T-S!

"Go Lucy Creek Larakeets!"

"I've got my fingers crossed, arms crossed, legs crossed and toes crossed!"

"ONYA"  Team.

Jim.