Sneesby confirms torch relay ‘was certainly the right thing to do’

August 14, 2024 10:06

Nine’s CEO Mike Sneesby has ended weeks of speculation about whether he should have taken part in the Olympic relay by firmly confirming that it “‘was certainly the right thing to do”. Dr Mumbo is glad that’s cleared up.

Speaking to a Nine newspaper, Sneesby explained that the five-day strike by journalists demanding better conditions at the company he runs happening to clash with his Parisian relay run was unfortunate, but he’d already made a commitment to the IOC to run the relay, and to carry the Olympic flame aloft for the “thousands of people across Nine”, for whom he was a mere avatar.

“I certainly did not know that that would coincide with the industrial action that was taking place,” he said, of the union strike, the likelihood of which only became apparent three or so months ago.

“Certainly, to do the right thing in terms of those commitments to the IOC, to want to represent the thousands of people across Nine who had put in so much hard work, was certainly the right thing to do,” Sneesby confirmed of his gallant actions.

Deigning to acknowledge the pesky strike, Sneesby expressed gratitude to “everyone who contributed to the continuity through that process”, by not striking and doing loads more work.

And, lest you think he was enjoying the fruits of Paris during his Olympic trip, he assured Nine papers that he was actually, at le coalface.

“As much as I wasn’t the public face of those negotiations,” he admits, “I was very much engaged, very much focused on getting the right outcomes for those people who are represented by the union, as I am always, as a chief executive, looking after the interest of our staff whether they’re part of a union or not.”

Thankfully this has been cleared up, and the smear campaign against Nine’s boss can finally end.

In related news: here is where Sneesby and the Nine executives were staying during the Parisian-led negotiations.