The Olympics

[Butts]

Ah well Daley and Waterfield missed out on the Diving Medals - I am seriously beginning to suspect the media have hyped our athletes expectations out of all proportion with reality.

I am predicting we are going to end up with less medals than in Bejing.

This does not denigrate the efforts of our competitors , but merely that the rest of the world has moved on.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Unlucky tom and pete, one dive let them down big style.

 

[Johnuk123]

The empty seat scandal continues,looking at some of the pictures on SSN some of the places looked empty.

What I really disagree with is the suggestion of giving some of them to teachers.

What qualifies a teacher to get a ticket, I can't think of anybody less deserving than a teacher.

Personally I would give them to anybody who is working at the Olympics for nothing.

 

[DarloRich]

Well, so do I, but I'd still rather finish second than last (although finishing fourth must be really frustrating). It's better to leave with something than nothing. Thinking in terms of motor racing (as usual), one point was a big achievement for Minardi while Ferrari would want a one-two every race.

But you may as well finish last as second. To me, in an individual event, there is no difference.

Cumlative or aggregate points events are different. There being top after the last round is all importnant. To do that you can build up points thorugh steady performance.

 

[Johnuk123]

Ah well Daley and Waterfield missed out on the Diving Medals - I am seriously beginning to suspect the media have hyped our athletes expectations out of all proportion with reality.

I am predicting we are going to end up with less medals than in Bejing.

This does not denigrate the efforts of our competitors , but merely that the rest of the world has moved on.

We have made a poor start and yes I think the media have over-hyped our medal prospects.

It looks like it will be down to cycling and rowing and not much else.

 

[Oswyntail]

But you may as well finish last as second. To me, in an individual event, there is no difference. ...

I can understand that - but I can assure you that the athletes feel very differently (though they would prefer the gold by an infinite amount. Funnily enough, in knockouts it seems they get more satisfaction from winning their last match and taking bronze, than losing their last match and taking silver)
But boy is it a relief to see Larry Godfrey advancing convincingly in the archery!

 

[DarloRich]

But boy is it a relief to see Larry Godfrey advancing convincingly in the archery!

Agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yorksrob]

The thing that shocked me the most about the empty seats scandal was reading interviews of some of the competitors who couldn't even get tickets for their parents - at their own events ! - yet the empty blocks are supposedly for the "Olympic Family". To be fair, I don't know whether this was the fault of their own home committees mis-allocating their quota, but it seems particularly stingy.

Hopefully at the very least the Authorities will find a way of selling these seats to spectators at relatively short notice. It should be possible, given the amount of interest shown by the public.

 

[Johnuk123]

The thing that shocked me the most about the empty seats scandal was reading interviews of some of the competitors who couldn't even get tickets for their parents - at their own events ! - yet the empty blocks are supposedly for the "Olympic Family". To be fair, I don't know whether this was the fault of their own home committees mis-allocating their quota, but it seems particularly stingy.

Hopefully at the very least the Authorities will find a way of selling these seats to spectators at relatively short notice. It should be possible, given the amount of interest shown by the public.

Tom Daleys mother was only allowed 2 so her one son had to stay at home, mind you he didn't miss much.

These people they keep calling the "Olympic Family" include wives of executives.

They will all be down Oxford Street shopping while the husbands prop up some bar while the seats remain empty.

 

[Oswyntail]

I do not know how the allocations are worked out. But, as the tickets are for numbered seats, it must be feasible to work out who has not turned up. There are bound to be some no-shows, but whole blocks suggest that some mass allocations were not distributed by the holders

 

[LE Greys]

I do not know how the allocations are worked out. But, as the tickets are for numbered seats, it must be feasible to work out who has not turned up. There are bound to be some no-shows, but whole blocks suggest that some mass allocations were not distributed by the holders

Sounds like a nice bit of information for someone to leak...

 

[jon0844]

Even when I was taken out to China with Samsung, they made us attend some 'lesser' events in addition to the good ones like athletics and the closing ceremony.

The problem is that people don't all want to go to the lesser events, and especially not the early stages. Later on, as Lord Coe said, the seats will probably be filled (but it was a bit misleading to say it's going to fix itself - as they must have known that early on people wouldn't bother).

There are a lot of factors;

1) As I said, not all events being that exciting so people waking up and going 'meh' if it wasn't an event they would have actually wanted to go to.

2) It was a weekend and many people given free tickets may not be bothered about going in their own time, if they can't actually go during work time. (I for example was taken by Samsung for my work, so didn't have to take leave to attend).

3) As mentioned on the TV tonight, many companies are now finding it hard to be seen to enjoy any perks, especially if they're laying off staff or risk falling foul of new tax laws.

So, with all of the above points and any I've missed, they probably shouldn't have given out so many free tickets for certain events - or had a strict policy where people had to turn up by a certain time or forfeit them, with others allowed in.

 

[Clip]

The issue about the seating was highlighted by someone on LBC this morning.

There are 205 countries competing in these Olympics and they get a seat allocation for EVERY event for whoever in their Olympic family. Obviously these people cannot be at every event that is on at the same time and some people will just be out there using the hospitality anyway. BUT they have to provide seats for these people should they wish to turn up on a whim in between their dinner and teas.

pretty daft situation but thats what it is.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I do not know how the allocations are worked out. But, as the tickets are for numbered seats, it must be feasible to work out who has not turned up.

Maybe the people they were issued to are all busy searching for the keys to Wembley Stadium...

 

[ainsworth74]

Nail biting stuff for the GB Women in the Volleyball final set currently 9 - 6 in GB's favour but the Algerian's are on a run...

 

[ChristopherJ]

Spot the error...

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/londonspy/spot-error-olympic-picture-141136244.html

What dopey halfwit did that? :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[Clip]

Im dead tired so had to read the story to see it!! Good though

 

[starrymarkb]

I must say the Olympic park looked very nice from 28000ft on Sunday night

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Ah well Daley and Waterfield missed out on the Diving Medals - I am seriously beginning to suspect the media have hyped our athletes expectations out of all proportion with reality.

Did you honestly expect anything less from the British media ? All part and parcel of the rubbish they have been hyping for years:-
Will Henman win Wimbledon ?
Will Murray win Wimbledon ?
Will England football teams win the World Cup or the European Championship?
Just a few examples...I am sure that forum members can come up with many more.

I am disgusted about the way the BBC have still continued to push the allegations against the young Chinese female swimmer despite two top British swimmers really defending her. This girl had passed all the required doping tests, which were all found to have been negative. The BBC were constantly going on and on and on about the five second time improvement, even when one of the two British swimmers clearly stated that at the ages of 15 and 16, he had achieved exactly the same five second time improvement and that mid-teen swimmers are capable of such feats. I had the feeling that this response was most certainly NOT what the BBC wanted to hear, as it contradicted their own agenda on the matter, but there was no apology given.

Where did the allegations come from. Some say from an American swimming coach. Still, the media never let the truth spoil a good news story that they want to push ad infinitum.

 

[user15681]

Not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet in the past 26 pages, but I'm loving what's been done with the banner at the top of the Railforums page! Merging the normal picture of a HST with the British flag is a great touch.

On another note, I think we should be proud of our Olympians wherever they come! It's not all about the medals, it's about the Olympic unity that brings our world together and the courage, determination and effort of the athletes.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

OTOH having a lot of pride leads to arrogance, like the BBC that Paul Sidorczuk mentioned above?

 

[SS4]

Did you honestly expect anything less from the British media ? All part and parcel of the rubbish they have been hyping for years:-
Will Henman win Wimbledon ?
Will Murray win Wimbledon ?
Will England football teams win the World Cup or the European Championship?
Just a few examples...I am sure that forum members can come up with many more.

I am disgusted about the way the BBC have still continued to push the allegations against the young Chinese female swimmer despite two top British swimmers really defending her. This girl had passed all the required doping tests, which were all found to have been negative. The BBC were constantly going on and on and on about the five second time improvement, even when one of the two British swimmers clearly stated that at the ages of 15 and 16, he had achieved exactly the same five second time improvement and that mid-teen swimmers are capable of such feats. I had the feeling that this response was most certainly NOT what the BBC wanted to hear, as it contradicted their own agenda on the matter, but there was no apology given.

Where did the allegations come from. Some say from an American swimming coach. Still, the media never let the truth spoil a good news story that they want to push ad infinitum.

I would say they have an agenda they want to push. IMO the term "news story" implies truth which doesn't seem to be the case given what you said before. I interpreted your post (please correct me if I'm wrong) as the BBC drawing a conclusion and trying to gather testimony to support it. I'm guessing there was a straw man nearby
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Not sure if anyone's mentioned it yet in the past 26 pages, but I'm loving what's been done with the banner at the top of the Railforums page! Merging the normal picture of a HST with the British flag is a great touch.

On another note, I think we should be proud of our Olympians wherever they come! It's not all about the medals, it's about the Olympic unity that brings our world together and the courage, determination and effort of the athletes.

Olympic unity? Tell that to shopkeepers who have either been forced out or not allowed to use the event to draw custom. Tell that to residents kicked out of their homes to allow landlords to profiteer.

Last of all it allows Parliament to sneak in bills under the radar and the media get another chance to imply anyone not supporting team GB as scum or deluded

 

[telstarbox]

Tell that to residents kicked out of their homes to allow landlords to profiteer.

This is pretty despicable but you can't blame the Olympics for the fact that some private landlords are the scum of the earth.

 

[SS4]

This is pretty despicable but you can't blame the Olympics for the fact that some private landlords are the scum of the earth.

Agreed. (Funny how that word contains greed lol)

 

[telstarbox]

Michael Phelps is now the joint most decorated Olympian ever after taking the silver medal in the men's 200m butterfly swimming.

 

[Butts]

One heartening aspect of the whole process is the genuine thrill the crowd support seems to be for what may be deemed as the lesser mortals in a lot of the sports representing Great Britain.

Perhaps these competitors display the true ethos of the Olympic Games, they know they are never going to win a medal but are proud to represent their Country and give it their all

 

[telstarbox]

...and the GB women's football team have beaten Brazil to proceed to the quarter-finals!

 

[Butts]

...and the GB women's football team have beaten Brazil to proceed to the quarter-finals!

Well done Girls......

Interesting the two most successful teams in The Olympics are The United States and China....

The former has no State funding of athletes and the latter I would imagine almost total so which is the road for others to emulate.

One huge (by population) Country that does very poorly is India

 

[MidnightFlyer]

To be fair Butts I think India have a lot bigger worries than the Olympics, like sorting out their massively increasing population, poverty, overcrowding, horrific living conditions, ongoing religious conflict. I would hope these get priority over ensuring they do well at the Olympics.

 

[Butts]

To be fair Butts I think India have a lot bigger worries than the Olympics, like sorting out their massively increasing population, poverty, overcrowding, horrific living conditions, ongoing religious conflict. I would hope these get priority over ensuring they do well at the Olympics.

Would the same not also apply to China ?