While the Olympics are ostensibly about sports, ultimately they're about so much more.

From Mitt Romney's never-ending gift for putting his foot in his mouth, to the IOC's dogged attempts to control athletes and the corporate sponsors attempts to control their brands, political fodder is never far out of reach.

One thing the Olympics are not about is oil sands.

Apparently someone in the Premier's office confused pitching Alberta's enthusiasm for our natural resource as a substitute for the pitching the world wouldn't see now that baseball has been voted out of the Games.

At a cost to taxpayers of $83,800, Premier Alison Redford, along with Tourism, Parks and Rec Minister Christine Cusanelli, Minister of Culture Heather Klimchuk and three staff members, travelled to London to promote the province's energy, tourism and culture.

The province is hoping to grab a piece of the spotlight in London through three receptions featuring Alberta artists while Redford and her ministers vie for attention. Part of their mandate is to quell growing concerns about Alberta's environmental record as the European Union debates a proposal to classify oil sands crude as substantially more damaging than other types of fossil fuels.

While it would be naïve to hope the Olympics could focus on the fastest, highest and strongest, is this really the most appropriate time to be selling energy?

Maybe she can get chuck wagon racing on the list of demo sports for the 2016 Games in Rio while she's at it.