Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi", also spelt "Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie, Oy Oy Oy", is a cheer or chant often performed at Australian sport events. It is a variation of the Oggy Oggy Oggy chant used by Soccer fans in Britain during the 1970s. It is usually performed by a crowd, uniting together to cheer for their national sports team or athlete. The alternate is for an individual to chant the line "Aussie, Aussie Aussie!" and the crowd to respond with "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Contents 1 Definition 2 Origins 3 Explanations of meaning 4 Commercial and publicity uses 5 References in popular culture 6 See also 7 References

[edit] Definition

The full version of the chant, as heard prior to a free outdoor concert at the time of the Sydney 2000 Olympics and quoted by Luba Vangelova of CNNSI,^[1] is as follows:-

Man: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Man, again: "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Man: "Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi!"

Man: "Aussie!"

Crowd: "Oi!"

Man (much faster): "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!"

Crowd (equally fast): "Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Although the chant had been used on the Sydney Cricket Ground 'Hill' at international cricket matches since the early 1970s,^{[citation needed]} the chant gained public recognition in Australia from the Sydney Olympics.

The chant was widely used during the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, being heard at many public entertainment venues and also on public transport.

[edit] Origins

A chant of similar form, "Oggy Oggy Oggy", has been used by football crowds in Britain for many years prior to "Aussie Aussie Aussie". In the 1970s, the chant was popularised by the Welsh comedian and football fan, Max Boyce, in the UK.^[1] "Oggy Oggy Oggy" is thought to have its origins in Cornwall or Scotland where the chant was used by women to call men from the mines for meals, the word "Oggy" referring to a pasty.

The chant was likely brought to Australia by Cornish tin miners who came to Victoria and South Australia in the 1860s to build mines for the settlers.^{[citation needed]}

Englishman Ron Knox claims to have used the "Oggy" chant while playing for the Box Hill Rugby Club in Melbourne in the late 1960s. This origin of the Australian version of the chant is occasionally disputed.^[2]

[edit] Explanations of meaning

According to Stephen Alomes, a professor of Australian studies at Deakin University, the chant represents "enthusiasm for the tribe" and a "celebration of ‘us’", but at the extreme may act as a symbol of aggressive nationalism and xenophobia.^[3] For example, during the 2005 Cronulla riots – a series of ethnically motivated mob confrontations in Sydney, New South Wales – mobs of drunken young men waving Australian flags were witnessed yelling the chant and attacking anyone suspected of having a Middle Eastern background.^[4][5] Similarly, in 2007 members of a crowd which had gathered to protest about a proposal to build a Muslim school in Camden in Sydney's far west were reported to have aggressively chanted the phrase in unison as part of an anti-Muslim tirade.^[6][7] On Australia Day in 2008, a riot broke out on a beach in Perth which started when a group of youths began shouting the chant before events rapidly escalated into confrontations involving large groups of people exchanging punches and throwing bottles.^[8] Some time earlier during an Anzac Day ceremony at Villers-Bretonneux in France, some Australians were witnessed to climb a tall tower and loudly yell the chant to those standing below.^[9]

[edit] Commercial and publicity uses

In 2004, a Melbourne couple, inspired by a Dick Smith campaign supporting Australian-made products, registered the phrase as an official trademark in an effort to protect it from overseas exploitation.^[10]

The chant was used frequently at the 2005 World Series of Poker Main Event to cheer on eventual champion Joe Hachem.

[edit] References in popular culture

This phrase was referenced in UK television show, The Office.

[edit] See also

• Oggie Oggie Oggie
• Aussie
• Sydney 2000 Olympics

[edit] References