2012 London Olympics

[auscyclefan94]

2012 London Olympics.

Yes I know it is still 247 days until the XXX Olympiad but I thought it would be fun to discuss everything to do with the London Olympics?

Just some discussion starters:

What events are you looking forward to watching?

Have you got tickets to any events? Which ones?

What are your thoughts on Ian Thorpe's comeback?

General Opinions of the Olympics as an event?

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

What events am I looking forward to? Road cycling as I am hoping to be able to go and watch some of it, swimming as I have a friend who, pending qualification to the GB squad will be competing, hockey, and the lots of the other small sports that you only ever see on tv once every 4 years.

Do I have tickets? No, but as I said, hoping to go to the cycling, which is free out on the route. But I know there is some discussion about viewing on Box Hill which is a bit annoying.

As for the Olympics as a whole, I think they are great. For the vast majority of the sports involved, it is the pinnacle of the sport, and the one time that they can get any recognition for their achievements. I am hopeful that London will be able to do a good job at hosting the whole thing, but I currently have the feeling that it sill 'be all right on the night' rather than a massive popular feeling of enthusiasm and support for the games atm.

A few interesting stories in today's newspaper re Olympics;
Firstly, in the British women's team, Armistead has spoken out to Cycling Weekly about how bad a team mate Cooke is - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ol...ad-Nicole-Cooke-spat-behind-closed-doors.html

And the outfits for Games officials and Volunteers have been released... Apparently, they are designed to "celebrate the best of British sport, history and fashion". Hmmm...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ol...012-Olympics-volunteer-uniforms-revealed.html

 

[Ferminal]

Meh, not a whole lot apart from the TP.

Winter Olympics > Summer Olympics.

That will probably not stop two weeks of my life disappearing watching it all day.

 

[auscyclefan94]

One bad thing for Australians is that the finals for many events such as the Swimming will be on during the early morning due to timezones.

I am also looking forward to the Team Pursuit, Ferminal. Revenge will be sweet.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

What I love about the Olympics is that the German broadcasters send every minute of every competition in every sport. I am an absolute sports junkie, so I am totally glued to the TV the whole time. And thsi time it is even in the right time zone!

I will pass on weight lifting and wrestling, though.

Susan

 

[Dancing On The Pedals]

One bad thing for Australians is that the finals for many events such as the Swimming will be on during the early morning due to timezones.

I am also looking forward to the Team Pursuit, Ferminal. Revenge will be sweet.

It was the same for me when the Olympics were in Sydney and Beijing! Man up

Partly driven by my dislike of Brailsford, there's a small part of me that really wouldn't mind if Britain lost the TP, especially as it's taking GT away from the orad for a year
Didn't NZ go quite fast at the Oceania champs at the weekend? Should be a fantastic contest. Just have to brace myself for Hugh Porter's commentary...

 

[auscyclefan94]

It was the same for me when the Olympics were in Sydney and Beijing! Man up

Partly driven by my dislike of Brailsford, there's a small part of me that really wouldn't mind if Britain lost the TP, especially as it's taking GT away from the orad for a year
Didn't NZ go quite fast at the Oceania champs at the weekend? Should be a fantastic contest. Just have to brace myself for Hugh Porter's commentary...

Well for Sydney you would of had the swimming and athletic finals all during the middle of the day. Beijing would of been annoying for you guys considering the Swimming finals were changed to fit in the ****ing Americans.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Handball, swimming, diving, badminton, rugby, basketball, volleyball(only woman),waterpolo,gymnastic, traknfield and of couse cycling

 

[jamiephillips]

Be interesting to see how GB football team get on.

 

[El Pistolero]

Be interesting to see how GB football team get on.

Real football or?

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Winter Olympics > Summer Olympics.

+1

Really tired of the "Olympic Experience" that it has all become. Just a cash cow of corruption, crass commercialism, and the d-word.

Far cry from the Olympics I enjoyed as a boy.

 

[Greenflame]

I really enjoy the Olympics. While I like the more popular sports as well (football, tennis), I really enjoy watching the less known sports: fencing, handball, volleyball, triathlon, archery, etc.

Don't care about all the drama around it. The grand opening, the medal tables, the commerce.. I just like the sports, and that's what the Olympics (for me anyway) are still about.

 

[Anonymous]

Meh...

The olympic spirit died many many years ago. Couldnt give a monkeys about any of it, even less taxpayers having to pay for it.

I will however watch most of the paralympics on tv. Was a great program on the other night about disabled athletes in Gaza trying to qualify and make it do london. Very inspiring.

 

[jamiephillips]

Real football or?

What other kind is there??

 

[gregod]

the olympics are an abomination. the corruption and destruction that are brought with this advertising event should be an affront to anyone who loves sport and competition.

 

[The Hitch]

Where was all this talk of corruption in the 2010 Fifa world cup thread? At least here people arent being killed to make way for hotels to build 10 star resorts to house millionaires for a few weeks.

Jaques Rogue isnt asking for no nobel peace prize either.

Like this thing of ours - cycling, 99% of the athletes are hard working individuals for whom it is their only shot at glory and no shot at major financial reward so will have to find other work once they finish their careers.

People you can actually cheer for from the bottom of your heart.

The one time in their lives people around the world will watch their sport, watch them compete.

The olympics is a far greater event.

I look forward to watching it on tv and of course watching our thing on the road.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

One bad thing for Australians is that the finals for many events such as the Swimming will be on during the early morning due to timezones.

I am also looking forward to the Team Pursuit, Ferminal. Revenge will be sweet.

Yeah I am looking forward to the Swimming as the USA will dominate Australia! Maybe you will not have the motivation to watch much early morning swimming after the USA rolls!

 

[El Pistolero]

Where was all this talk of corruption in the 2010 Fifa world cup thread? At least here people arent being killed to make way for hotels to build 10 star resorts to house millionaires for a few weeks.

Jaques Rogue isnt asking for no nobel peace prize either.

Like this thing of ours - cycling, 99% of the athletes are hard working individuals for whom it is their only shot at glory and no shot at major financial reward so will have to find other work once they finish their careers.

People you can actually cheer for from the bottom of your heart.

The one time in their lives people around the world will watch their sport, watch them compete.

The olympics is a far greater event.

I look forward to watching it on tv and of course watching our thing on the road.

Jacques Rogge you mean.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Yeah I am looking forward to the Swimming as the USA will dominate Australia! Maybe you will not have the motivation to watch much early morning swimming after the USA rolls!

Probably will. We are certainly not as good as we use to be in the Swimming. The sad thing is that the Swimming will hog all the coverage on the TV even though Australia will do **** all. Our Cyclists will pick up the slack from the lack of swimming success.

 

[jamiephillips]

Really looking forward to the 10k open water swim!!

 

[Carstenbf]

Handball.

Time to get one back on the evul Frenchies.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I agree with the Winter Olympics > Summer Olympics argument. Though there should be multiple calls of corruption and dodginess with the Sochi ones.

Unless the Summer Olympics brings back solo synchronised swimming, town planning and the swimming obstacle race, it is doomed.

On a more serious note, they should bring back pelota. That would be great fun. They had a zesta punta World Cup recently. The semi-finals were Spain vs. France, and Spain vs. France. Very unexpected

 

[greenedge]

I like watching the volleyball, handball, diving, swimming and most of the track/ RR events.

 

[ramjambunath]

If these are the people that sponsor parts of the event, I'm definitely skipping it. Even if India takes part in the Olympics.

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article2656630.ece

http://www.dow.com/olympicpartnership/

Dow chemicals merged with Union Carbide in '99, whose subsidiary Union Carbide India owned the plat in Bhopal which due to acute cost cuts did not practise requisite safety measures and led to a gas leak which resulted in 3000 deaths in the immediate aftermath and around 15000 deaths resulting due to the after effects.