Jeux Olympiques de Londres 2012

[Alpha]

Who's watching the 2012 London Olympics?

I'm surprised there hasn't been a thread sooner than this. I've watched a lot of rowing and swimming, because (up until a few days ago, when we forked out for pay TV), that was about all there was to watch on the one channel that had rights to cover more than 15 minutes a day. I watched Usain Bolt's 9.63 when I got off the train this morning. It was quite comical. Literally as everyone got off the traim, we all took a few steps and stopped at the nearest window to see the TVs in the bars and cafés. Watched for 10 seconds, and then went on. It was like a short moment's silence, it stopped hundreds of people on the platform.

I've also been keeping an eye on Australian media coverage of the Olympics in light of their difficulty of achieving gold medal success so far (they have one). One nightly news show had been showing a daily 'top 10 countries' list, notably missing Australia. But when New Zealand (now with 3 gold medals) hit tenth for a time, they instead changed it to a top 9. A newspaper similarly reported on the success of 'Team Oceania' (another using the portmanteau 'Aus Zealand') to artificially inflate our place to 9th overall.

I'm still holding out for the men's 1500m, where we have a favourite for the gold medal in Nick Willis, the Commonwealth Games champion and 2008 silver medalist. His father was also one of my lecturers last year.

I was really impressed by the opening ceremony, and my dad loved the children singing O Flower of Scotland. Made him all emotional. I loved the celebration of British film and music. Really made me appreciate how many things that I really love have come from such a small area on the other side of the world.

What is your take on these games? What are you looking forward to? Did you like the opening ceremony? Etc.

[Xanatos]

I really missed out on Olympics this year, handball is pretty much the only sport I kept my eye on and Croatia's crushing their opponents there, nothing new really. For some strange reason there's no football coverage on any of the channels here, I was really looking forward to that. So far we have only one golden medal, I think it's in women's discus throw. Hopefully it's not the last one, our handball and waterpolo teams look fierce.

[Joxsjua]

Last I saw was on Thursday, US finally tied with China in golds. I'm not sure if having a country raised on growth hormones and recently condoned cloned-cow meat is anything to brag about gaining a lot of medals. I don't have cable tv and my internet speed at best is 16kb/sec so I can't watch the coverage. Best advice I can give you is don't allow ur children to consume foods exposed to soft plastics 3, 6, and 7, causing genetic mutations known for heightening the chance of, especially for Caucasians, males having a dink penis.
I'm so glad they don't have Americanized football as an Olympic sport. I never want to see Ethiopians vs. Americans in multi-contact sports. Sucks about the Chinese(?) getting disqualified for throwing matches. Other than that I have little knowledge..

[RamesesII]

I am going to be brutally honest right now.....Australia sucks this olympics we aren't even doing well in swimming and if we aren't doing well there then we're f****ed.

I think what the problem is that a lot of our veterans have retired and don't compete anymore and I think maybe the younger athletes fall under pressure or take it for granted, I can say for sure or they just suck.

I watched the K2 or 1 rowing and the sculls there were exciting to watch, love watching the beach volleyball ;p, my favourite events are the archery, the traps shooting, and the martial arts mainly the taekwondo not so much the Judo.

Also I swear the used to have Kendo as well was that taken out.

The opening ceremony was brilliant I loved the metaphoric progression they displayed, I really wasn't keen on the musical and movies throughout the ages of Britain though I could have done without that.

I suspect as with most Olympics America and China and Britain etc will do well, I can only hope Australia might pick up in some of the Athletics and the swimming not that track and field were our strong points, I haven't heard if Steve Hooker our pole vaulter is competing or not but if he is I can't wait to watch that that would have been the best part of the last Olympics watching him.

Our girls usually rock it in the Beach Volleyball so I hope they do well, and I will watch the cycling as well, those events are usually edge of your seat events.

[Martin]

I am going to be brutally honest right now.....Australia sucks this olympics we aren't even doing well in swimming and if we aren't doing well there then we're f****ed.

I think what the problem is that a lot of our veterans have retired and don't compete anymore and I think maybe the younger athletes fall under pressure or take it for granted, I can say for sure or they just suck.

Don't be so hard on your fellow man! I think the competition has just vastly improved, and what used to be a two-horsed race between yourselves and America has somewhat split into five or six.

I can tell you that in the build up to the games no-one I knew back home had any expectation that we would be third with 37 medals, 16 of them gold going into the latter stages. It's been a bit of an unexpected triumph and good on our lot, especially Andy Murray and Laura Robson. I disagree with Tennis being an Olympic sport but still a fantastic effort.

What I despise is the Games being used for political means - I.E. I want to kick Boris' f**king teeth in. I might be a Labour man so I could suffer from a little bias I'm not ashamed to say - but the way the government is lauding and taking the plaudits for this debt-ridden overpriced affair is a global embarrassment. There was a news programme shown on SBS here, which interviewed some of the residents from south-east London estates, like Bromley and Peckham - it stated that because of the influx of tourism and the state of their housing, coupled with a grant from a university whose name escapes me at this time that wanted to build on there most of the residents were to be forcibly evicted into other housing nearby. When they petitioned and argued (one couple in particular had been living in their house for over 40 years and the wife had a heart attack which they blame understandably on the stress of it all) against it, Johnson had the gall and the downright nerve to claim they were 'against the spirit of the Olympics, and unpatriotic'. I've never been so downright incensed at a politician before that nor since.

There's a dark side to these Games.

[RagnaToad]

Belgium has got a few medals already, no gold ones, but still impressive for such a small country I think.

Yesterday the Borlee twins from Belgium both qualified for running in the 400m men's final. I'm really excited about how they'll perform tonight.

[Order]

Well,
Jamaca had a really great women's 40 the other night. Who woulda thought the shortest woman would win a sprint?

Also,
USA.
Chock it up to the growth hormones or whatever you like. It's good to see your countrymen standing head and sholders above the rest.

Also,
How 'bout that mars rover?

[Taco-Calamitous]

The men's beach volleyball and the women's regular volleyball were tearin' it up for USA when I saw them play. That was cool. Although I guess Rogers and Dalhausser ended up losing at some point. Ah well. Also saw that the US basketball team beat someone like 151 to 73 last week. And a search shows that they won their last game 126-97. They are killin'. Also saw Usain Bolt run again. That dude is awesome. Also some gymnastics and some rowing. Kinda catching it every once in a while. Parents watch it a lot. Michael Phelps is da man. Those four badminton players who got themselves disqualified were not, nor was that runner who also got sent home today. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Joxsjua]

Also,
USA.
Chock it up to the growth hormones or whatever you like. It's good to see your countrymen standing head and sholders above the rest.

Also,
How 'bout that mars rover?

Respect. These women and men spend their lives training specifically to be the best at what they do.

Mars rover! Huge win for the U.S.


Also,
Didn't that 14 year old American girl win the award for the best all-round gymnast? Whoa!!

[Kurt Zisa]

New Zealand's coming 15th right now, down one from a few days ago. I thought Valerie Adams would have won us gold at women's shotput but she was off here game. Still, getting sliver at the olypics is nothing to scoff at and she seemed to take it really well. Can't say the same for one of our kayakers though, throwing a tanty and blaming the lack of funding as the reason he didn't make it into the finals. Not really how you want your country to be represented.

[Alpha]

Valerie Adams had it tough; she had every possible international award going into the games, but that Belorussian had been throwing better than Adams' PB this year. Would've been quite an ask. At least we have a silver now. We also have sailors who are definitely going to get a silver tomorrow, despite there being one race left.

With Nick Willis still to come we might move back up the ladder. Besides, we're third on a medals-per-capita basis: Olympics 2012: the alternative medals table | Sport | guardian.co.uk [at 0.69 gold medals per 1 million residents, the United States would need 215 gold medals to match that strike rate. Suck it.]

[Order]

at 0.69 gold medals per 1 million residents, the United States would need 215 gold medals to match that strike rate. Suck it

215, huh?
Does that also mean that, per capita, to match new zealand's space program the US needs to put a rover on Alpha Senturi?

How does that 0.69/1,000,000th gold medal look one your mantle?


Anyway,
To be honest, I haven't watched a lot of the olympics. Normally, I'm all about that USA women's soccer team.
Thing is, I'm not gonna pay for TV in the age of the internet. 'Nuff said.

So, I don't get to chant USA along with the crowd while I sit at the bar. It's just as well, there isn't as much talk, as much motivation about it as there has been in the past.
I will lay the blame solely on the fact that the entire series of events is availible for veiwing only to those who spend the money.

Apparently,
The olypmics doesnt draw enough money from sponsorship, sold out seating at nearly every event, consessions, merchandise, blah blah blah.
I guess billions in worldwide profit isn't enough to keep the organizers enthusiastic about the compition.
So, I close with a giant "meh, as long as other countries get tired of USA winning all the time, I'm happy."

[Unknown Entity]

I definitely watched the Opening Ceremony. I wasn't going to until my best friend's mother (who's volunteering) said she'd seen the rehearsal, and said it was going to be amazing. So I grabbed a chinese take out, had a few beers, and thought it was ****ing epic.

I've been watching as much as I can. I've watched diving, swimming, cycling, handball (the match where we got slaughtered by France), volleyball, basket ball, tennis, and various track activities. Work has been getting in the way of some of it, but at home and when out at my usual hangout spots, it's difficult to avoid it. Had quite the experience in the pub the other night, as everyone cheered our runners on!

The velodrome was by far my favourite sport. The excitement it causes is unbelievable. The pub was PACKED that night we beat the world record and won gold. That said, RIP to Conrad Readman, the man who collapsed while watching it, and died later.

And I must say, were not doing too bad! We're currently third.

[Squall]

I'm only interested in basketball, wrestling, and the track and field. I watch enough sports so I'm only sticking to the ones I actually follow; however, I respect every athlete as there's no greater stage than the olympics sports-wise.

[RagnaToad]

So yeah, no medals for Belgium in the men's 400m.
I enjoy watching the sports on the tracks. It's so much energy and excitement in such little time.

Also, you lot will appreciate this:
What the Olympic ceremony reminded me of
http://i.imgur.com/4Rw1O.jpg

[seanb]

Been watching bits and pieces.... usain bolt is an absolute machine!

yesterday katie taylor got us a gold medal in the womens boxing (felt quite proud watching that, shes come a long way and deserved it, close fight though), and john joe nevin is looking in good shape to do the same for the men after beating a cuban today.

enjoyed watching the clay pigeon shooting, swimming and gymnastics (mmm leotards.....

but lets face it ... paralympics is much more fun to watch

[Xanatos]

Croatia won another gold medal, although to be completely honest this is how I felt watching Olympics these days...



We got brutally beaten by France in handball yesterday, and in semi finals, the only country that had any chance to stop us. France passed Spain literally with referees help so I have even more reason to be angry, nevertheless, we're still in play for bronze medal which I guess it worth something. Our waterpolo team on the other hand reached finals, I count that as another gold medal, yup, I'm confident that much they'll win.

[Martin]

but lets face it ... paralympics is much more fun to watch

Couldn't agree more. They deserve the same admiration if not more so because they have to work so much harder for the same level of respect, it's sad really.

The Brits are getting a bit of a bad press with the locals where I am - all of a sudden a little jealousy perhaps?

More along the lines on why is it GB and not split into the numerous countries that make up Britain. I also noticed this wasn't an issue before Andy Murray won Gold..

[Taco-Calamitous]

So I thought it was pretty awesome to see Madness and Pet Shop Boys in the closing ceremonies. So 80s! Overall, that was a pretty cool ceremony, though. Kinda wish I'd seen the opening, but eh. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Joxsjua]

here's the final four


Big ups to the Saudi Arabian women attending the games for the 1st time ever.. More than love.

[Alpha]

Do they break down US medals by state anywhere? It's be interesting to see how the haul differs by state.

I've only seen the Spice Girls part of the Closing Ceremony so far, will watch the rest later. I actually put it on over the projector for a class I tutor to watch. They enjoyed it, though I got some weird looks.

[Martin]

I haven't seen the medal table like that.. No-one measures the tally in number of medals total, it's golds, then silvers, then bronzes. Where was that from Josh?

Only because we finished third, not fourth that's all.

[Joxsjua]

Where was that from Josh?

[Edit]this was from CBS news on the tele.[/edit]