Re: The Olympics Thread

by eowyn Fri 08 Aug 2008, 17:11

I didn't see any...

by mynah Fri 08 Aug 2008, 17:20

Incredible opening ceremony - by far the best yet. Some dodgy national outfits, though, many of them resembling plagues of disasters, including Canada (communal massive bleeding from head injuries), Luxemburg (diarrhoea on the march), Netherlands (malnutrition in jail), Ireland (exhumed from a mass grave) and, worst all, Hungary (stampede in an ebola emergency ward). The West Africans made up for these sartorial horrors, however.

by mynah Fri 08 Aug 2008, 17:21

Incredible opening ceremony - by far the best yet. Some dodgy national outfits, though, many of them resembling plagues or disasters, including Canada (communal massive bleeding from head injuries), Luxemburg (diarrhoea on the march), Netherlands (malnutrition in jail), Ireland (exhumed from a mass grave) and, worst all, Hungary (stampede in an ebola emergency ward). The West Africans made up for these sartorial horrors, however.

by PeterCS Fri 08 Aug 2008, 17:23

"Noo York, Noo York .."

by embee Fri 08 Aug 2008, 17:25

I didnt think much of the ozzie uniform ...didn't stop our commentators raving about it though

by JKLever Fri 08 Aug 2008, 18:21

embee wrote:I didnt think much of the ozzie uniform ...didn't stop our commentators raving about it though

Were they sledging the other uniforms?

by eowyn Fri 08 Aug 2008, 18:38

Of course they were, they're Aussies....

by Gary 111 Fri 08 Aug 2008, 19:17

eowyn wrote:
Yorkie Jill wrote:it's how many strokes per chinese character it takes to write each country's name, so the fewest strokes were first. It's still odd though. I'm not seeing any patterns with letters, length, anything.

Ahh, interesting. I will endevour to look for patturns now. I take it Australia comes near the end because the chinese for Australia, goes something like, "hot, red country, populated by marsupials, brown men and white ex-criminals".

Australia is 澳大利亞

Which literally means something like "Inlet Big Sharp Second". It doesn't mean much at all really, the characters have been chosen because they sound like Australia (Ao Da Li Ya)

The UK is 英国 (Ying Guo)

Which is literally "Hero Kingdom". Well they've got that one right.

by PeterCS Fri 08 Aug 2008, 20:52

The literal translation of the Australian characters however is:

"God's Own Gift to the Art of Blahddy Sport, Mate"

by PeterCS Fri 08 Aug 2008, 20:57

by mynah Fri 08 Aug 2008, 21:03

PeterCS wrote:The literal translation of the Australian characters however is:

"God's Own Gift to the Art of Blahddy Sport, Mate"

That extra HD must have relegated them to third last spot.

by JKLever Fri 08 Aug 2008, 23:54

So who is watching the dressage then aces

(apart from taily who loves it)

by Big_Bad_Bob Fri 08 Aug 2008, 23:58

What's the big events of the first day then?

Can't decide whether to stay up until stupid o'clock tonight and see the first real action of the games around 2am, or go to bed shortly and try to get up for some of Olympic Breakfast in the morning.

Anyone studied the itinerary?

by JKLever Sat 09 Aug 2008, 00:01

I wouldn't bother, most of our medal chances are next week - we might be stuck on a couple of bronzes for a week.

This is the event schedule
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/event_schedule/default.stm

Our first competitor is due to appear in the next 20 minutes.

Some bint called Daisy Dick

You couldn't make it up.

by Big_Bad_Bob Sat 09 Aug 2008, 00:13

Hmmm . . . see what you mean.

Men's Four heats in the rowing in the morning I see.

Might try to catch that.

Used to be friends with Steve Williams' sister, so will be looking at their progress with interest as he goes for a second successive Gold.

by JKLever Sat 09 Aug 2008, 00:27

Already one of our best Gold hopes has withdrawn - Frankie Gavin in the boxing.

£70,000 of lottery funding spunked away because he couldn't be arsed to make the weight...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/boxing/7549244.stm

by Big_Bad_Bob Sat 09 Aug 2008, 00:38

Pretty harsh.

One of the 'benefits' of lottery funding is that these athletes train like professionals, and one of the effects of Gavin doing this is that he put on a great deal of muscle bulk - something that happens to most athletes in their early-mid 20's. There's not a scrap of fat on the bloke by all accounts.

I'd say his coaching team is more to blame for not foreseeing the bleeding obvious.

by JKLever Sat 09 Aug 2008, 00:41

Big_Bad_Bob wrote:

I'd say his coaching team is more to blame for not foreseeing the bleeding obvious.

Sure, i'm just amazed someone doesn't make the weight - surely he's been monitored daily for such things.

Someone will & should be held accountable. I think the way it works is that the lottery has to see results from the funding or it gets cut for that particular sport and used somewhere else.

by Big_Bad_Bob Sat 09 Aug 2008, 00:45

Certainly someone should be held accountable.

I just don't think it's the young man himself personally.

Sounds like he's been pitched at the wrong weight.

It is doubly unfortunate as I'm pretty sure we haven't got representatives at all weights, but we have in the division immediately above that which Gavin was due to compete in.