KEY POINTS:
Despite off-field drama at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, New Zealand management won't reinforce the need for athlete discipline at the Beijing Olympics.
Chef de mission Dave Currie believed the "high performance environment" created by the New Zealand team should ensure there is no repeat of the controversy involving three cyclists at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games two years ago.
Tim Gudsell, Marc Ryan and Liz Williams were involved in an alcohol-fuelled incident after their competition had finished at Melbourne, which attracted days of negative attention in New Zealand and Australia.
Gudsell - who will contest the road race here on Saturday - and Ryan were later found to have breached their Cycling New Zealand athlete's agreement and ordered to seek professional help to avoid a repeat.
Currie will be desperate to avoid a similar scenario this month but told NZPA there was no point reminding the record 182-strong team of the importance of post-competition behaviour.
"We only have one rule in the Olympic team, that we respect one another," Currie said.
"It's a high performance environment. If you've got the respect of athletes while you're performing, when you've finished you've then got the respect of others.
"By and large, that's been successful."
Currie said athlete support staff members Sarah Ulmer and Dallas Seymour may have a "quiet chat" with some athletes when they had finished competing.
"But we certainly don't focus or fix on it."
After overseeing the arrival of more than half the New Zealand team to the Olympic Village in recent days, Ulmer was sure there would be no behaviour problems.
A strong culture was already forming, something that athletes wouldn't want to disrupt.
"No one can just sneak in, park in the cheap seats and just not be recognised," she said.
"You have the feeling of belonging to a wider family, which is pretty bloody supportive.
"The need to give people taps on the shoulder, I don't think it's going to happen. People have such respect for the support that's there in the team that you wouldn't do that to your other teammates."
Currie's mantra that a strong team culture lifts performance will be borne out at the team function on Thursday.
New Zealand athletes based outside Beijing for their respective events will all be included via video crosses. That includes the equestrian team in Hong Kong, the sailors in Qingdao and the men's and women's soccer teams in Shenyang and Qinhuangdao respectively.
The cross to the men's team will be a special one, as they will be in their changing room, only minutes away from playing their first match against China.
"So the team's going to wish them well," Currie said.
The New Zealand team flagbearer would also be named at the function.
Currie said he had decided on and informed the flagbearer but would give no clue as to his or her identity.
- NZPA
