Golden girls' olive wreaths not coming home

By KEVIN NORQUAY

Biosecurity officials can relax, rowing's golden twins are leaving their olive wreaths in their wake when they depart Athens.

Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindells were adorned with a garland of olive leaves, or kotinos, after winning the Olympic Games double sculls title today.

Any attempt to haul home their spoils of victory could have caused double trouble at the border.

Under biosecurity regulations all plants and plant products are prohibited entry, unless an import health standard has been issued.

"Should prohibited plants or plant products be intercepted by MAF, the importer will be offered the option of reshipment or destruction of the consignment (at their expense)," regulations state.

Potential for an incident of Olympic proportions was averted when the twins opted to do the destruction themselves.

The leafy spoils of victory are now in tatters.

The twins were intent on giving pieces to those who helped them hit the line first, rowing manager James Sheehan told NZPA.

"They are going to share them out amongst the team tonight, amongst the support staff to wear," he said.

"They'll split them up and give everyone a little piece. It's a gesture for their support."

Bringing the wreaths home was never an option, he said.

After months overseas honing their training for Athens, the twins were already over-encumbered with luggage and rowing gear, he said.

"We're quite limited when we leave Athens to the amount which we can take, because we are on a charter flight.

"We're restricted to one bag on the plane and one handbag, so we're lightening the load as much as possible."

Sheehan ruled out the twins extending their sharing-caring philosophy to their gold medals, as well as the wreaths.

"I don't think so," he laughed.

Historically, an olive wreath was the highest honour that could be bestowed on a Greek citizen. Winners at the ancient Olympics were given the kotinos.

Athens 2004 has one eye on the ancient past -- the Games logo is the olive wreath -- so winners get the kotinos, as well as the usual gold, silver and bronze medals.

The twins were not the first New Zealand Olympians to have picked up a piece of flora after winning a gold medal.

In 1936 Jack Lovelock was presented with a potted oak tree seedling by Adolf Hitler when he won the 1500m gold at the Berlin Olympics.

Teammate Cecil Matthews brought it back to New Zealand where it was planted at Timaru Boys High School, where it grows today.

- NZPA