Leave it to the pros! Politicians who've disastrously tried their hand at sport

While some might consider politicking a sport, politicians don’t often make great sportspersons. Yet, the need to present as a down-to-earth person is strong and we see politicians trying their hand at all sorts of things on the campaign trail time and time again, often with disastrous results. 

Let’s take a quick look at some interesting times politicians have shown us their sporting prowess, or lack thereof, over the years. 

Let’s start with a bang. Remember when Boris Johnson took a casual game of rugby with some children a little too seriously?

During his time as Mayor of London in 2015, Johnson was taking part in what was billed as an informal game of street rugby with adults and children on the final day of his three-day trade mission to Japan when he took possession of the ball and raced for the line.

There was only one thing preventing him from the try line, a 10-year-old child. Needless to say, this was no match for a fully-grown man and Johnson opted to charge right through, knocking the child to the ground.

He realised almost immediately what he had done, and reportedly exclaimed ‘I’m so sorry’ to the boy, the Guardian reported.  There were apparently no hard feelings as the two later posed for photographs.

Vladamir Putin loves to show off his power and physical prowess. From shirtless horse riding, open lake swimming, and hunting, the Russian president can seemingly do it all.

In fact, he even has a black belt in judo! Though people questioned how proficient he actually was in the sport when images of him getting thrown around like a ragdoll by a Japanese child circulated back in 2000. 

While some suggest he was merely going along with it for a demonstration, others, such as  aikido and taekwondo black belt Benjamin Wittes, have long claimed that Putin’s showings of judo skill are staged, according to the Daily Star.

John Howard loves cricket. In fact, John Howard seemingly loved all sports, and his early morning power walks turned press conferences during his time as the Australian Prime Minister were iconic.

But being active in some disciplines, and being a huge fan of the sport does not necessarily mean you’re going to smash it on the pitch in real life. 

And this was made evident when Howard found himself in Pakistan in 2005 as an impromptu cricket game broke out with some local children and the Australian army.

Thinking it could be a bit of fun, Howard decided to get on the offensive and delivered what many have called one of the worst bowls in cricketing history, releasing his grip far too late and the ball hitting the ground about half a metre from the crease.

The video of this display was widely played in Australia, to the point that it may even be the most-watched bowl in history. To his credit, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that it was a sticky tape-covered ball that caused the issue, but Howard has since spoken about the event and called it one of the biggest regrets of his career, according to ‘The Daily Telegraph’.

In 2012, as Toronto was hosting the Grey Cup, Mayor Rob Ford was really feeling the spirit of event and decided to show off his skills as a QB for a bunch of local reporters.

Looking to make a pass, Ford tips over before rolling on the grass as an aid comes to remove the Mayor from the field.

Image – You Tube @Global News

Ford didn’t seem too bothered by the blunder though and took it all with good humour, probably because it was low down the ranks of his gaffes that week. 

Image – You Tube @Global News

While certainly not a bad display of sporting prowess, George W Bush’s golf drive was a bad look for a different reason entirely.

Delivering a serious speech about the ‘War on Terror’ in 2002 – on the golf course, for some reason – the President talks earnestly about the need to take down ‘terrorist killers’ in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"We must stop the terror. I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers," he said. Then, Either feeling the need to illustrate his point, or lighten the tone he continued "Thank you, now watch this drive," before executing an exquisite swing.

While the swing was good, the delivery was not and undermined the whole war effort to the rest of the world. The footage took on a whole new life in the documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11/.'