# London Olympics 2012



## HKayG (Aug 1, 2012)

Thought i'd post a topic here which is dominating the worlds news at the moment (especially here as it is the London Olympics!). I for one, am enjoying it in the extreme!

I love everything to do with the olympics and I think it's a brilliant thing to do and to see. I hope it does inspire a generation!

Particular support for the rowing and cycling teams for Britain this year! (as well as both hockey teams and womens football - Go! Go!)

Any support/comments anyone would like to share? Thought i'd bring the forum up to date a bit


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 1, 2012)

Our women's soccer team is showing the men's how it should be done. And our women scullers have just taken the gold, so a good start to the day (does that count as 2 golds or just the one?).


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## HKayG (Aug 1, 2012)

Yes women rowers! First one in British History. Women got the first medal for GB, first gold (just the one - but they get one each) and first in womens rowing! We are showing the boys how it's done!!!

C'mon GB! Was listening to it on the radio and couldn't help shouting out, my co-workers think i'm insane.


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## Vlad_M (Aug 1, 2012)

I watch the NBA, and NBC seems to be sabotaging team USA basketball. They have yet to air a single game. And with the tape delay I can just find out the results of the games online, it defeats the purpose of watching.


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## HKayG (Aug 1, 2012)

Oh no, thats awful. I thought there'd be lots of cover in America as you guys are right up there in the medal table. Especially with Phelps - I thought all the news would be crazy over him!


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## ElDavido (Aug 1, 2012)

I heard there was issues with coverage in the US, are they trying to maintain coverage of national tournaments rather than the Olympic basketball? 

The Judo has been excellent, as has the weightlifting and gymnastics. I even watched a bit of singles badminton (I was nervous in case I missed another scandal).

Beach volleyball has also been very entertaining.


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## HKayG (Aug 2, 2012)

And what a scandal it was! Completely horrendous and deservedly disqualified!

Immensely proud to say that I am from the same nation as Bradley Wiggins - the most succesful road cyclist of all time! Yes Team GB!


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 2, 2012)

Vlad_M said:


> I watch the NBA, and NBC seems to be sabotaging team USA basketball. They have yet to air a single game. And with the tape delay I can just find out the results of the games online, it defeats the purpose of watching.



I believe everything's live on here. Absolutely everything as it happens in each sport and at every venue.

BBC Sport - London 2012 Olympics


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 2, 2012)

We have 24 channels showing the Olympics, though only when the events are ongoing, at other times they show a timetable of upcoming events for that particular channel. The extra channels do have a bad habit of just being silent between heats, very annoying. Eurosport also have one channel jumping between events.


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## Writ (Aug 2, 2012)

I usually never watch the Olympics. I don't know... it's like basketball and football for me, I like and appreciate the sports but I don't much get into watching them. Not exactly sure why. I don't mind watching boxing or MMA.

I've never watched a swimming contest although I have respect for swimmers and Olympic swimmers.

I wonder how much money globally is going into people placing bets on the 2012 London Olympics?


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 3, 2012)

It's beginning to grate on me how the British media constantly put the medal table up on screen after we win a medal. Okay, so we won a bronze and now we're ahead of Uzbekistan and Western Samoa, but the competition isn't about that at all, it's a celebration of sport and culture and people. A celebration of and for the host city, too. I don't give a toss where we finish in that table, but it makes me wonder whether or not, if we sneak up behind China and the U.S., we'll get an extra bronze for finishing third. 





Actually, it bothers me greatly that we finish above Australia.



 And France.



Germany, too. 


ig2:


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## Kyle R (Aug 3, 2012)

Yeah, they have it the same way here in the United States. They keep showing the medal scoreboard.

I think it's a bit silly, as well. Who cares how much a country has won overall! It's the athletes that matter, not the countries.


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 3, 2012)

I may have just seen the Eric the eel moment of the 2012 Games. I switched on the BBC red button feed of the rowing and caught the start of the men's single sculling finals. The F final had three competitors, from Cameroon, Tunisia, and Niger; so not the strongest of fields. As they were given the signal to start they all pulled hard on their first strokes, and the rower from Niger, Issaka Djibo, let go of the handle of one of his oars, leaving him floundering to regain his grip. He carried on gamely in the true spirit of the games to finish a full minute behind the others.


For those unfamiliar with Eric the Eel from the Sydney games in 2000, have a look at this. In the first heat of the 100m freestyle, a one swimmer race saw Eric set off at a terrific pace that he couldn't maintain. He trained in a hotel swimming pool and had never swum in lanes before this race. I remember hearing Sharron Davies, working for the BBC, say in all seriousness that the lifeguards were waiting to go in to help him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQbKCHsRIyk


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## wyf (Aug 3, 2012)

Don't forget the gymnasts!


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## HKayG (Aug 3, 2012)

That's amazing - that lovely rower!

I'm afraid that i am one of those people that love watching their country go up the medal table.  I think any of our athletes that wins medals totally deserve the press we put on their medals - but equally i love the people that try so hard and really have a lovely story.

My favourite storry of the games so far, our double trap gold medalist. Amazing boy, amazing!

I will definetely watch that video - buti'm at work atm so can't!

Ennis starts today, c'mon girl!


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 3, 2012)

I'm not against all the press and celebration of our medalists, it's just not supposed to be a league table. It wasn't about that when I first watched the games in 1984, it's something that's crept in with commercialism and media saturation. I doubt it would get much coverage if we were just below Guinea-Bissau.


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## HKayG (Aug 3, 2012)

I think the table will always be there, medals or no.  But because the sporting sytem in britain is getting so much better, i don't think we'll ever have to worry about coming to low down.

It's worth seeing how exceptionally well we do compared to bigger countries considering our population compared to theirs.


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## HKayG (Aug 3, 2012)

Boooo! Austrailians complaining because GB have an advantage due to the crowd. Also it is putting the other countries at a 'disadvantage'.

Didn't complain in Sydney though did they?


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## Writ (Aug 3, 2012)

Bilston Blue said:


> It's beginning to grate on me how the British media constantly put the medal table up on screen after we win a medal. Okay, so we won a bronze and now we're ahead of Uzbekistan and Western Samoa, but the competition isn't about that at all, it's a celebration of sport and culture and people. A celebration of and for the host city, too. I don't give a toss where we finish in that table, but it makes me wonder whether or not, if we sneak up behind China and the U.S., we'll get an extra bronze for finishing third.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





KyleColorado said:


> Yeah, they have it the same way here in the United States. They keep showing the medal scoreboard.
> 
> I think it's a bit silly, as well. Who cares how much a country has won  overall! It's the athletes that matter, not the countries. :grin:



There is a prestige, Kyle and Bilston, that comes with the number - and number of gold - medals a nation wins in the Olympics. And rightly so. 

Between the United States, China, and India the U.S. with the smaller population sports the most impressive athletic programs judging by Olympic medals in 2012 London.

The United Kingdom might arguably be the more impressive of the 3 considering it's population size (actually, I'm presuming the sum of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is much smaller than the U.S. population, am I wrong?).

I have a strong affection for Brazil - largely out of racial terms - so I'm disappointed that it's large population of over 180 million people could not produce more impressive wins in the 2012 London Olympics. But at least it has done much better than the much larger population of India. 

But money is arguably a large factor in how well and how many an athlete is impressively trained and conditioned in any nation. The nations that can afford to better training facilities and grounds, and can afford to take their top athletes and allow them to do nothing but train, will usually produce the greatest abundance of top notch athletes.

But it also comes down to a nations culture and its priorities concerning putting out Olympic champions. China seems to value that - for good or ill - more than the governments and private sectors of India and Brazil. The U.S. and U.K. are so prosperous that talented young people can easily find money to support them as full time athletes. They don't have to drive cabs for 8 hours a day or shovel dirt for 6 hours a day to support themselves as they train a part time through the year. 

Even in soccer I've read... Brazil has little money invested in taking their most talented children and financially supporting them as full time soccer athletes from their youth into young adults before they turn pro. In the United States from football to basketball are most talented children are piped line in from grade school through college into the NFL and NBA.


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 4, 2012)

> Didn't complain in Sydney though did they?



They all sat in reserved silence if I recall correctly.

Australia's first ever taekwondo Olympic gold medal - Lauren Burns - Sydney 2000 - YouTube

CATHY FREEMAN 2000 OLYMPICS - YouTube


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## Jagunco (Aug 4, 2012)

Had a bloke at work grouching that 'If the *Olymic *flame went down his street he wouldn't open the curtains to see it.' 

I myself have alway been a very poor spectator, even when I've taken part in a sport I'm hard tried to sit there and watch it played. I do like to see Britain doing well though and follow the results in the paper.

Also what about the opening ceremony???? I was bracing myself to hate it but it was brilliant!


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 4, 2012)

At the moment I'm enjoying the preliminary round of the men's 100m, where sprinters from some of the more obscure nations of the world are competing to advance to the 1st round proper and possibly line up alongside, Bolt, Gay, Blake and co.

There's just been a runner from the Federated States of Micronesia. I had to look on the map to see where it is. He ran the 100m in 11.05 seconds, which is still about ten seconds faster than I could. Things like this highlight the true Olympic spirit.


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 4, 2012)

GB won 6 of the gold medals up for grabs today, 3 in the athletics stadium in les than an hour - should help our image...


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 4, 2012)

The greatest day in the history of British athletics. We've never won three golds in a single Olympic session before. In the words of David Coleman, quite remarkable.


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 4, 2012)

Bilston Blue said:


> The greatest day in the history of British athletics. We've never won three golds in a single Olympic session before. In the words of David Coleman, quite remarkable.




Yes - We opened our legs and showed the world what we were made of...


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 4, 2012)

But Alberto Juantareno opened his legs and showed his class. I'm only glad Jarmila Kratochvilova didn't follow suit.


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## Dave Watson (Aug 5, 2012)

Not usually so into the Olympics but that was awesome last night. Was shouting at the telly more than once as Mo Farrah and Jess Ennis were storming into their last 100 metres! Well done team GB.


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## Baron (Aug 5, 2012)

If gold medals were being handed out for whinging in these Olympics it'd be neck and neck between the Aussies and the Americans.


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## Sam (Aug 5, 2012)

What a run from Jessica Ennis. I was at a stag night in _Dublin _and the entire place went silent as Jess came onto the home stretch and powered to the gold medal. What an unbelievable athlete. 

I never doubted Mo for a moment. Man is a machine. Not even The Cube could beat him!


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## qwertyman (Aug 5, 2012)

As far as I can calculate GB have won 20 medals... *sitting down*!

Has this ever been equalled?

Here's another one. If Yorkshire were a country it would be seventh in the medal table.


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## Dave Watson (Aug 5, 2012)

BBC Sport - Mo Farah: BBC Olympics experts go crazy for win

This is hilarious. The pundits going tonto watching Mo Farah coming down the home straight! Check out Michael Johnson bouncing in his seat like a big kid!


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## The Backward OX (Aug 5, 2012)

qwertyman said:


> Here's another one. If Yorkshire were a country it would be seventh in the medal table.



Slightly off topic: If Yorkshire were a country, the Poms would prolly never win another Ashes series.


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## Sam (Aug 5, 2012)

Usain Bolt - what else can you say? Will there ever be another 100m runner like him?


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## Patrick (Aug 5, 2012)

The thing that stands out for me was the farce that was the peloton in the men's road race. They allowed a 5 man Gb team to hang themselves on the front for 200 plus k, and contributed nothing to the race, allowing a tried and proven cheat, Vinokourov to win the gold. Teams such as Germany, Australia, etc, contributed nothing hurting their own chances of winning a medal just so Gb wouldn't either.


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## Dave Watson (Aug 5, 2012)

Anyone notice a bottle being thrown on to the track right before the pistol to start the 100 metes final? Unbelievable. 

Apparently the Dutch girl who won a bronze in Judo punched the guy. Justice wears baggy clothing!


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## Arcopitcairn (Aug 5, 2012)

I've been watching women's indoor volleyball all day. The shorts they wear make me feel all funny.


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## The Backward OX (Aug 6, 2012)

Patrick said:


> The thing that stands out for me was the farce that was the peloton in the men's road race. They allowed a 5 man Gb team to hang themselves on the front for 200 plus k, and contributed nothing to the race, allowing a tried and proven cheat, Vinokourov to win the gold. Teams such as Germany, Australia, etc, contributed nothing hurting their own chances of winning a medal just so Gb wouldn't either.


And I thought the rules of cricket were complicated!


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 6, 2012)

Australian doctors have defined a new injury: Olympic finger, RSI from scrolling down to find Australia in the medal table.


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## Bilston Blue (Aug 6, 2012)

Bloggsworth said:


> Australian doctors have defined a new injury: Olympic finger, RSI from scrolling down to find Australia in the medal table.



Breaking with site policy, I'm going to say I ROFLd at that.


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## Bloggsworth (Aug 6, 2012)

And another one - Harry Llewellwyn and Foxhunter are somewhere up there jumping for joy...


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## Jon M (Aug 8, 2012)

... and she gets even more awesome. 

[video=youtube;6BWAZD_ZX3Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BWAZD_ZX3Q[/video]

:love_heart::love_heart::love_heart::love_heart:


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## EasyExpertWriting (Dec 16, 2012)

The Olympics were great!


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