As the Australian Olympic team settles in back home after a thrilling few weeks on the world stage which, as we’re all well aware, was not without controversy — think about the bring-your-own-barista policy adopted at the taxpayer’s expense and the inimitable Raygun moment as prime examples — but it seems that the athletes have one more eye-catching trick up their gold-and-green sleeves…

Good Games, Bad Games

Before we get into the unexpected entrepreneurial efforts of the team, it’s worth reflecting on the team’s performance overall… In short, it was a mixed bag of triumphs and disappointments, marked by both record-breaking successes and a few unhappy shortcomings. Securing a national record of 18 gold medals, with standout performances in swimming, athletics, and other key sports, it’s safe to say that they did their country proud.

The swimming team, otherwise known as the Dolphins, was something of a powerhouse, very nearly overtaking the long-dominant United States in the pool, and Kaylee McKeown became the first Australian to win four individual golds in a single Games. Overall, the swimmers brought home 19 medals, including seven golds.

Athletics was another much-hyped highlight, with pole vaulter Nina Kennedy claiming Australia’s first track and field gold since 2012, contributing to a total of seven medals in the main stadium. Cycling and canoeing were also boons, with cyclists earning eight medals and the Fox sisters dominating the canoe slalom events. The youngest star of the Games — 14-year-old Arisa Trew — made history by taking home the gold for skateboarding.

However, not all was sunshine and rainbows. Traditional team sports such as football, rugby sevens, and hockey returned disappointing results, with none of these teams reaching the podium. The Matildas, Boomers, and Kookaburras, all had earlier-than-expected exits, raising questions about preparation, strategy, and funding

While Australia’s athletes managed to excel in many areas, leading to a strong overall medal haul, the mixed results in team events suggest there is significant room for improvement as the nation looks ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. Whether or not this unexpected side hustle they’ve all chosen to take up gives you faith for the next games or not… is up to you.

Going Once, Going Twice

Before we get into the weeds here, we want to make it clear that all of Australia’s Olympic athletes are legends in our eyes and — given how drastically underpaid so many of our sporting greats seem to be — we can’t take issue with them looking to make a little bit of pocket money. This discovery is entirely credited to a dear friend of DMARGE, Geoff Quattromani, who took to X/Twitter this weekend to reveal a pretty hilarious discovery…

Aussie athletes looking to make a buck on their limited edition Olympic Samsung phones. Many new and unopened. pic.twitter.com/Ppc34Ir9i4

— Geoff Quattromani (@GQuattromani) August 18, 2024

It seems that Aussie athletes are selling their limited edition Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6, which the brand generously gifted to all 17,000 athletes attending the games. Going from $1,700AUD up to and beyond $3,500AUD on eBay, the phones not only come in a striking yellow colourway adorned with the Olympic rings and Paralympic ‘agitos’ in gold, but also come pre-loaded with a full suite of exclusive services and useful apps designed to make their time at the games more enjoyable.

Whether or not the new owners of these devices keep those apps on board remains to be seen, but the trend raises a number of questions about athlete pay, and the ever-increasing personalisation of our devices; if I gave you a new phone right now — no matter how cutting edge, as the Flip6 undeniably is — could you be convinced to swap out a device that you already know, love, and have crammed full of all your favourite photos?

Giving people a new phone is not an easy sell, but flipping them on eBay just might be…