The Olympics, London 2012 - A time to be proud

[TheFiend 1,181]

Then GB needs to focus harder on swimming. Some of those 30 could have been had.

Swimming is a worthy sport.

 

Team GB has performed poorly in the pool this time around compared to Beijing, perhaps they need to focus a little bit more on the development of swimmers, Cycling have started going into schools looking for kids that have the potential and help them develop.

 

The funding from the National lottery has played it's part in helping TeamGB, They need to continue the funding as it is paying off shown by the results so far.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

If you take the swimming medals out of the equation Team GB would actually be ahead of the USA - 30 of their 54 medals up until now have come from the swimming events.

 

 

Not trying to undermine the achievements of the folk who have competed, but the number of aquatics events is a bit of a joke. Imagine if athletics had the 100m run, 100m hop, 100m backwards and 100m sideways - and repeat for 200m, 400m etc etc. Chuck in the synchronised shit and we could have synchronised long jump, synchronised javelin etc.

 

As an aside, what do folk think of all those "dodgy" records set by the Joyner clan et al in 1985-1996? Should they be scrubbed from the record books, or what?

 

 

 

Oh, and well done to Ms Ennis et al. IIRC, Denise Lewis didn't win the BBC Sports Personality thing in 2000 after winning the Gold medal (not to mention no Dame Denise either). Will the same fate befall Jennifer? Will Mo double up in the 5k?

Edited August 5, 2012 by CheshireTom

[Siam Sam 964]

Haha.

 

If you take sports where you get to sit down (rowing and cycling) out of GBs medals you'd have how many?

 

It's all very nice for you to be proud of GBs position in the medal hunt, but putting these silly conditions on the results is just ... silly.

 

Population of China = 1.3 billion

Population of the USA = 314 million

Population of Great Britain = 62 million

 

Enough said.

 

 

Hi Siam Sam, MM, ...

 

I can share your enthusiasm for these great games, but about medals just a small reminder that not all countries have same medals' chances in Olympics Games. The more athletes you bring in as many sports as possible, and the more you can expect medals.

 

Organizing country always has more athletes than usually. In these London games GBR is the biggest delegation ever (564). USA is not far (539), but China have nearly 200 athletes less than GBR (384) and European countries average around 300 (half of GBR)...

 

Can be fair to look too at some pondered results, such as the following one who can give ranking function of the population or team size of counties:

Olympics 2012: the alternative medals tables : http://www.guardian....ive-medal-table

 

First by Population ponderation : New Zealand

First by Delegation size ponderation : China

 

Absolute rubbish. It doesn't matter if you had a thousand or a hundred athletes representing a country, athletes only get chosen if they are good enough and have a realistic chance of winning or getting to the final of the event. Ultimately, it's only the athletes that are the best that win the medals so there is absolutely no credence to what you have to say. You are just bitter now that we are way ahead of the French and certainly look like we are going to finish third now. I'm sure you would have been saying the same thing had France have done so well at the games.

 

Sounds reasonable going solely by numbers, but, the athletes who win still have to be better than 98% of the field. Given, on occasion it might simply have to be at 'that moment', but simply being there doesn't give an athlete much better odds to medal unless there are only 2 other competitors.

 

Well said that man.

Edited August 5, 2012 by Siam Sam

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

See how few medals Germany win at the moment. Long way from when they dominated so much when East Germany was around. Flo-Jo died young. She paid a high price.

[Siam Sam 964]

Flo-Jo died young. She paid a high price.

 

What do you mean by that?

[MM 6,562]

Population of China = 1.3 billion

Population of the USA = 314 million

Population of Great Britain = 62 million

 

Enough said.

 

That logic doesn't hold for USA vis a vis China.

 

China has 4 times the population, why aren't they ahead of USA by several multiples then?

 

If you want to go on medals per capita, as Idefix pointed out, NZ takes that prize.

 

GB is doing well, no question they have outperformed the rest of the world, except for 2 nations. I should think that would be enough without the additional spin to make it anything more than what it is.

[atlas2 4,329]

Not trying to undermine the achievements of the folk who have competed, but the number of aquatics events is a bit of a joke. Imagine if athletics had the 100m run, 100m hop, 100m backwards and 100m sideways - and repeat for 200m, 400m etc etc. Chuck in the synchronised shit and we could have synchronised long jump, synchronised javelin etc.

 

I sort of get what you're saying......

 

The technical and physical demands of swimming say, front-crawl over 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500m are more or less the same...and this contrivance is multiplied if different strokes are employed........ Butterfly being the same as back-stroke and breast-stroke.... I get it!

 

A bit like the running races on the track......

 

Bolt could just as easily do the 10,000m as the 100m or the marathon.... Or the steeple chase, or the hurdles.

 

And 'If' you're gonna have hurdles why have 110m and 400m it's the same thing right?

 

And those bloody ball games.......tennis balls, table tennis balls, cricket balls, baseball balls, football balls, American football balls.........basketballs, net-balls, squash-balls, handballs, volley balls, hockey-balls, water-polo balls, polo balls.........and what's this bleeding shuttle-cock all about?.......All a load of bollocks. Get shot of 'em all and just choose bloody 'one'

 

The Winter Olympics is another case.....Down-hill skiing, slalom, super-slalom, mogul, trick skiing, speed skiing,extreme-skiing it's just skiing right? no need to specialise it's same thing!! 'Course it is and god bless you Tom for pointing it out.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

I sort of get what you're saying......

 

 

There again, maybe not.

 

I get it!

 

Not quite. I'll give you a 5.8 for artistic performance, but only 4.1 for technical merit.

Edited August 5, 2012 by CheshireTom

[wacmedia 277]

 

 

What do you mean by that?

 

Hi,

 

I think CT mentioned her times. It is generally perceived that she was "chemically enhanced". She died in her thirties I think.Nice looking woman.

Edited August 5, 2012 by wacmedia

[atlas2 4,329]

 

 

There again, maybe not.

 

Yes....maybe!

[Guest Fatboyfat]

Talking of alledged chemical enhancement....That stupid gobshite from the States complaining about the Chinese 16 year old girl has been remarkably silent after the exact same sort of improvement shown by the 15 year old USA swimmer in the 800m freestyle !

[TheFiend 1,181]

2012 just goes to show how much GB has improved since 1996 when we came home with only 1 gold medal..... And yes, Martin, it was in a sitting down sport - Rowing.

Edited August 5, 2012 by TheFiend

[Siam Sam 964]

That logic doesn't hold for USA vis a vis China.

 

China has 4 times the population, why aren't they ahead of USA by several multiples then?

 

If you want to go on medals per capita, as Idefix pointed out, NZ takes that prize.

 

GB is doing well, no question they have outperformed the rest of the world, except for 2 nations. I should think that would be enough without the additional spin to make it anything more than what it is.

 

Fair enough but if the USA only had a population of a hundred million and they still won the most medals are you're telling me that wouldn't be any more impressive or remarkable?

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Talking of alledged chemical enhancement....That stupid gobshite from the States complaining about the Chinese 16 year old girl has been remarkably silent after the exact same sort of improvement shown by the 15 year old USA swimmer in the 800m freestyle

 

Then there's also the 15 year-old bird from Plymouth.

[maahuanao 20]

2012 just goes to show how much GB has improved since 1995 when we came home with only 1 gold medal..... And yes, Martin, it was in a sitting down sport - Rowing.

 

Olympics in 1995?

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Olympics in 1995?

 

Aye. It took our 1992 Olympians 3 years to finish!

[TheFiend 1,181]

Olympics in 1995?

 

Slip of the finger....... corrected it

[MM 6,562]

 

Fair enough but if the USA only had a population of a hundred million and they still won the most medals are you're telling me that wouldn't be any more impressive or remarkable?

 

Your nation is impressive and remarkable. Feel better now?

[wacmedia 277]

Hi,

 

Andy Murray Gold Medal.

[MM 6,562]

Oh, but using your definitions, Sam, will you also acknowledge that New Zealand is even more impressive and remarkable?

[TheFiend 1,181]

Well done to Andy Murray.

 

Gold in the Men's Singles and he still has the Mixed Doubles to come.

[Siam Sam 964]

Your nation is impressive and remarkable. Feel better now?

 

Not really. I already know that.

 

Oh, but using your definitions, Sam, will you also acknowledge that New Zealand is even more impressive and remarkable?

 

Definitely. I take my hat off to them.

 

Well done to Andy Murray.

 

Gold in the Men's Singles and he still has the Mixed Doubles to come.

 

Seeing as this is for Great Britain and not England then it's okay.

[CheshireTom 1,377]

Talking of alledged chemical enhancement....That stupid gobshite from the States complaining about the Chinese 16 year old girl has been remarkably silent after the exact same sort of improvement shown by the 15 year old USA swimmer in the 800m freestyle !

 

Moving on to the odd-one-out round, Fatboy. Have a look at these four pics .... Which is the odd one out?

 

 

[harro1 256]

Not trying to undermine the achievements of the folk who have competed, but the number of aquatics events is a bit of a joke. Imagine if athletics had the 100m run, 100m hop, 100m backwards and 100m sideways - and repeat for 200m, 400m etc etc. Chuck in the synchronised shit and we could have synchronised long jump, synchronised javelin etc.

 

As an aside, what do folk think of all those "dodgy" records set by the Joyner clan et al in 1985-1996? Should they be scrubbed from the record books, or what?

 

 

 

Oh, and well done to Ms Ennis et al. IIRC, Denise Lewis didn't win the BBC Sports Personality thing in 2000 after winning the Gold medal (not to mention no Dame Denise either). Will the same fate befall Jennifer? Will Mo double up in the 5k?

 

I agree. If you want to swim backwards, like a butterfly or like a frog good for you. You won't be the first to the end of the pool though.

 

In a walking event they showed some slow motion footage. You are meant to always have contact with the ground. The first 4 were all cheating, So many crap events need to be culled.

[Guest Fatboyfat]

Moving on to the odd-one-out round, Fatboy. Have a look at these four pics .... Which is the odd one out?

 

 

Well keeping it clean due to the ages involved !.......Is the "Lithuanian Janner", the only one whose coach is in the process of strangling her puppy, whilst the photo is being taken? :-)