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The Official London 2012 Olympics/Paralympics Thread
St_George
Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
What have you liked, loved, loathed, been impressed, disappointed, been dismayed or amused by? Take it away, peeps!
For me, personally, despite GB's brilliant success so far, nothing's topped that opening ceremony - that was truly very, very special in my book. I'll never forget it... :)
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Comments
the best bit of the Olympics - simply stunning.
Nah, I've liked a lot more of it, shame I missed the opening ceremony though (apart from Bond & Her majesty).
<font size=1>(pst, I moved this to General Discussion)</font>
All seeing eye pyramids around the stadium and the mascots with one eye - c'mon don't they want it to be a secret?
http://angelsty.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/london-2012-olympics-start-of-the-new-world-order-ww3-future-humanity-control-pt-3/
And also Jessica Ennis! Not only is she stunningly beautiful? But she clearly has the talent in all the events to become a worthy Olympic champion! :x =D>
But why? Is it because French is still considered to be the language of diplomacy? For centuries, political delegates from around the world learned to speak French.
French is the first language of the Olympic movement - which is based in the French-speaking city of Lausanne - in honour of Frenchman Baron de Coubertin, who developed the modern Games in the 1890s.
Many have argued that English should be the first language. One letter writer to the Daily Express newspaper noted that it was only after Baron de Coubertin saw the revived games at Much Wenlock that he was inspired to bring the Games back to France.
Of course, some say the first language should be Greek.
2. A beach volleyball match where the participants actually wore bikinis.
3. The unique lighting of the Torch
4. Michael Phelps medal record
5. Rowan Atkinson does Chariots of Fire
6. Usain Bolt's run.
7. The Bond snippet from last night
8. The American teeny bopper gymnasts.
9. The opening ceremony featuring the history of England.
10. The US women's soccer team beating Canada.
on the opening night, the highlight for me has been seeing people rise to the occasion and deliver for the nation. Not a thought about money just the glory of taking that gold for themselves and GB with the crowd roaring them on.
Really puts into perspective what a disgrace our footballers are as despite England fans always outnumbering the rest 3 to 1 wherever the world cup is held they have zero interest in straining every sinue and giving that last ounce for the glory of the country.
Look at some of the rowers and cylcists after they have finished - they can hardly stand. When was the last time you saw an England footballer look that knackered having left everything on the pitch for the cause?
And the fact is if you think the patriotic feel good factor of team GB is good its not even 1% of what it would be if we could win the world cup because at the end of the day its nice to be winning all these golds but nobody really cares about rowing, shooting and horse jumping when push comes to shove.
=D> Spot on.
Anyway, highlight for me was the opening ceremony. Don't like the queen but it was cool having Bond there, and I loved the Mr Bean sketch.
Wouldn't make any difference if they did. The reality is the England football team simply can't properly compete against the top teams in the world - unless they defend for their lives. With a central midfield of an over-the-hill Gerrard (who at his best was more a driving runner and shooter-from-distance, less a smart creative force) and Parker, who will die for the cause, but is basically a ball-winner and breaks up attacks, you're not really going to do anything on the world stage. You need creativity in your midfield; Euro 2012 made that patently obvious.
One good thing about the GB Men's team at the Olympics is that it showed maybe Tom Cleverly could fulfil something approaching his ability. England should look to push him and Wilshere into their team as soon as possible. They need to look at how Germany have rebuilt their team around young, creative, hungry midfielders. It's the only way forward. Give up playing the daft 100mph England football league way - as adopted again by Eriksson after Venables' and Hoddle's relatively successful continental-style experiment - and play smarter.
But I couldn't disagree more with this. I think the nation is feeling a hangover when it comes to football ever since the last WC (and, although there was more genuine effort from England at Euro 2012, that tournament hardly dissipated the general feeling). There's a hell of a lot of genuine football fans who'll move straight on to football as soon as the new season begins, but equally as many sport fans who won't and, like so many more in the nation, are rightfully immensely proud of our diverse success across many sports at the Olympics - and our success at holding such a huge, life-affirming event (the brilliant opening ceremony and its artistic awesomeness being a part of that). These Olympics and our all round success at them and in holding them will live long with the nation, I predict. :)
However, for minority sports to spread their wings more through the nation at a lower level - which they absolutely should after the wonderful platform these Olympics have been for so many - it needs investment (more PE facilities and playing fields in schools and coaches etc), something I suspect the Government - especially this Government - has no interest in, despite Britain having the highest levels of obesity in Europe. Something wrong there, surely...?
Agree with all that you say. Even the bit where you say you disagree with me!
I'm still full of disgust from 2010 and Euro 2012 was the most underwhelmed I've ever felt going into a tournament. The last time England gave a performance to be proud of was probably v the Argies in 98 or maybe 01 v the krauts. The last 10 years has seen England reap the mercenary, importing of foreign talent seeds sewn by the premier league to drop from being thought of as a 'big' country to being in the same bracket as the Swedens, Russias and Greeces of the world.
As someone who paid a lot of money to go to every match at the 06 world cup I've reached the point where although I had a ticket for the Ukraine match in the summer I didnt go as it simply wasnt worth all the money the Ukrainians wanted for flights and hotels to see people who have absolutely zero interest in representing the country and are so out of touch with the ordinary fan.
Having seen team GB (the general team I mean not the preditcable QF bottling from the football team) be inspired and making the country proud for practically no financial rewards I have to say I am not looking forward to the impending season with any relish at all. The Olympians have shown what sport should really be about and its painful to realise that this has been missing from the England team for at least the last 10 years. I would be quite happy to field a team of championship players for the next world cup as these guys really would play for the shirt rather than see it all as something of an inconvenience to be endured just so they can get more when they are negotiating their image rights contracts.
The undeniable fact remains though that although we shall remember the London Olympics as one of the high points of British sport in our lifetimes, England beating Germany in a world cup final would have you out of your seat infinitely more than some bird riding round in circles on a bike could ever do. Its a shame because they dont deserve such adulation and the Olympians do but if that bald headed chav Rooney shinned the ball in from a yard to win us the world cup I would forget all I have written above and be dancing in the street with 90% of the population. Rowing or horse dancing is never going to have that effect.
Both teams male and female of the Netherlands will get Silver at least.
The thing for me I think is, over the last few days I've realised that the different competitors we have across different sports genuinely reflect so many of the different demographics of Britain - and their respective achievements therefore make me slowly prouder by the day. I've grown over the last few years neither to be a proud Englishman or Brit - what's there to be proud about right now, seriously? - but I am right now.
Conversely, I haven't felt anything remotely proud connected to football for years - whatever major or minor achievement a British or English team has achieved. I guess it's because of the ever increasing ludicrous domination and strangling by money in the sport. Who the hell do top footballers from practically any major nation represent nowadays? The sport's fast disappearing up its own wazoo. And the success, feelgood factor and genuine patriotic pride the Olympics has engendered (and the failure of the Men's GB football team at the QF stage too ;) ) has, for me, made that starkly clear.
If football doesn't implode because of money, which could well happen at some stage, then I'm actually starting to wonder what lies in its future in several years' time...
Wise words indeed Sir. I agree with you 100% and the disgust I feel for the England team from 2010 still lingers with me and watching the superlative efforts of our Olympic team just serves to increase it.
However (and I'm ashamed to admit it) were we to get to a world cup final you could give every single gold medal to the Yanks or the Aussies if we could just scrape over the line 1-0 with an OG.
I used to take an interest in Olympics, but not so much now, remember being in Los Angeles for the 1984 games and took home a lot of memories but in recent years, just lost some enthusiasm for it. The United States are second in the medal table I think, China out in front, and host nation UK has done very well apparently, much better than anticipated, it has been a successful event thus far, one of the best ever some have even gone as far to say
Thats because you obviously dont know a lot about football mate as proven by your oft repeated assertion that we are one of the best sides in the world. We are only just about the best side in the British Isles (although if the Home Nations cup returned I wouldnt fancy putting my mortgage on us winning it).
However none of this would matter if there was any palpable sense of any of the players actually giving a f**k about playing for the country the way these Olympians do.
These guys work their bollocks off training at 5 in the morning (a lot of them before doing a full days work) for 4 years and what do they get out of it - a bit of metal with a piece of string attached to hang around their neck and if theyre lucky a job as pundit for the beeb at the next Olympics.
In that same 4 years how much has a bog average premier league footballer earned? Even shit players are on about 30k a week so that would be 30k x 52 x 4 = 6.25m. Multiply that by 3 to give an average career of 12 years and youe looking at almost 20m. Out of everyone who won gold for team GB (and thats gold - not silver, bronze or the prize of most of our athletes - absolutely nothing) I can only see Ennis and Wiggins having even the vaguest chance of getting anywhere near this figure.
Ben Ainslie has won gold 4 Olympics running yet he will probably earn the same over his career as Stewart Downing does in a season for delivering one inept performance after another.
Rooneys on 250k a week which using the formula above would equal career earnings of 156m and thats not even counting image rights etc. Now some people more sceptical than me might think that for that money you might be getting a player who could contribute more than one tap in from a yard in his past three tournaments.
Thats why England footballers have zero respect at the moment and the feats of our Olympic team just go to highlight that all the more.
Three highlights though
- The Opening Ceremony
I had a feeling we would bring this off. From the moment that child stood up and sang 'Jerusalem' it was very special. I dont know whether it was to do with particularly British themes or that it was different from the usual martial 'cast of thousands' but it was human and humourous. The Queen parachuting into the stadium with James Bond will always be remembered and I loved the tribute to the nhs which was one in the eye for Mitt Romney sitting in the audience. And that Olympic torch was a thing of beauty.
- Mo Farah/10,000m
My favourite moment. I love the 10,000m anyway but didnt pay any attention to who was running and finally in the final straight the crowd erupted. I peered at the TV not believing that someone with a British shirt was at the front. I found myself screaming at the TV as he shot out in front. I was screaming at the TV for Mo to win and at the finish when his very proud little girl run out onto the track to hug her dad I had tears in my eyes. Mo is so likeable and is my highlight of the games
- Usain Bolt
By Christ, this man is a god. Have you seen the size of him. Have you seen the length of his legs. When he sprints he literally flies. He also has a very big personality and all the mugging for the cameras and the poses. But thats what you need with an Olympics, you need at least one "star". 20 million people in the UK tuned in to watch him win the 100m. He may be a cocky bugger but there is something likeable about him and this may be Jamaicas Olympics just as it is the UKs.
Despite the naysayers it has been a success. Both the domestic and international press have been little baddies before the games. Focusing on the things which went wrong and were probably going to get fixed on the night went too far It was if they wanted the games to fail.
The media and tfl also went too far with the transport warnings. Telling people to stagger their travel and doom and gloom about overcrowding made people keep away from central London which has damaged retail sales. The press and media in this country seem to have the power without the responsibility. We had faith in the games, why didnt they?
But overall it has been a success. London has looked modern and shiny and an entire nation has got its confidence back. Quite frankly, I dont want them to end.
Although it seems you dont quite love it enough to know when its run. Mo goes in the 5000 tonight. What you saw was the 10000.
That will teach me to rely on memory rather the check. Will alter.
We're really not though. Like Wizard said, it'd help if half the players could give a sh*t.
Probably would be - I wouldn't be surprised - if there's enough demand. Sure you'll be able to purchase its highlights in some form on DVD in any case. Lots of bits of it most be floating around on the 'Net (youtube, dailymotion etc) in any case.
You can buy an album of the music too, which given how good its soundtrack was, might actually be half-decent... :)
Speaking of the music, here's the terrific BBC-commissioned Olympics theme by Elbow ('First Steps') in all its awesome fullness. Oh yes... B-)
Looks like my fellow Americans are going to win the overall totals again! USA! USA! Reason to be proud, considering there are so many things that are equally embarrassing the way politicians and lobbyists run things for their rich buddies.
I thought China was still ahead,- and that shows how far behind (or how busy) I've been as lo and behold we now occupy first place, (just had a look at the medal table) Must have happened pretty recent, but Yes, reasons to be proud for sure. Well done to all involved, and all other competing nations
There was talk of some kind of terrorist attack during the games for the UK, but thankfully nothing came to pass, and the event passed off without incident. They (Great Britain) did well getting a third place, but cream always rises to the top and the best nation took the honors this year. It has been a successful event, although a little too brief maybe. I understand there was some soccer events, with men and women, but don't know quite how well they did. They surely must have won a gold medal, especially the British team with their World pedigree, but not all up on these games in my defense
And remember - It's not the winning that's important, but the taking part
A lesson there for all of us
Thanks! I'm currenly watching the closing ceremony.