KEY POINTS:
SYDNEY - If he'd been an Olympian, Steve Waugh would choose the 100 metres sprint.
"Definitely not the marathon," said Waugh, who found it a challenge to carry the Olympic torch in 2000 and run a kilometre or so with the Commonwealth Games baton last year.
"I'd probably prefer the 10 second events -- the 100m sprint, but I'd be no good at it."
The inspirational former cricket captain will join his rugby counterpart John Eales and swimmer Susie O'Neill as athlete liaison officers in Beijing next year.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Waugh, who got a taste of Games life when cricket was part of the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.
"I just find the Olympics fascinating, the inspirational stories, the underdogs winning."
Waugh's favourite Olympic moment was Debbie Flintoff-King's come-from-behind victory in the 400m hurdles in Seoul in 1988.
"That's the sort of stuff I love. Someone can come from behind against the odds and achieve something special and define themselves."
Waugh believes he may be able to help Australia's anticipated team of more than 500 athletes bring out the best in themselves by allowing them to tap into his own experiences.
"I've seen it from both perspectives. I know what it is like to be down and out, I know what it's like to win and I've been part of that team environment.
"So hopefully I can bring that spirit along with me."
Eales played a similar role in Athens, and used his diplomatic skills to help broker a peace deal in the women's eight following the so-called Lay Down Sally affair, when Sally Robbins upset her crewmates when she stopped rowing before the finish.
"It's just understanding human nature and being able to be there for people," Eales said.
"It's always challenging when you're faced with situations that you're not used to."
- AAP
