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Bronte Barratt. A bronze medal - but her smile is pure gold.
London Olympics
- Thread starter Calliope
- Start date
Julia
In Memoriam
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Imo, those 'punishments' are trifling compared to the damage done to Simon Cowley in terms of pain, disfigurement and loss of work time etc.
The very least d'arcy could have done is pay those quite minimal damages. What a slap in the face for Simon Cowley to go through what he has and will continue to endure to have D'arcy feign bankruptcy. He would know it wasn't real. Daddy's chequebook could have coped with it no problem.
All that was to further his own life. Nothing to atone for the hurt he caused another person.
Easy enough to 'put your head down and never give up' when you see your very own shining star as the prize.
I despise Mr D'arcy absolutely.
Julia, I'm not arguing that those punishments were sufficient for his crime, but like it or not that is the punishment our society hands out, and due to his "profession" he had added punishments that most in our society don't. Do I think that was enough? No probably not.
I agree he should have paid out. Don't agree about his Dad having to foot the bill though.
You can hate people but still admire certain qualities, is all I'm saying.
On another note: What has happened to our swim team? Only 1 gold and no individual gold to date, looks like our golden era in the pool could be over. It is clear other nations have caught and surpassed us.
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What universe are the chinese living in?
1.
LONDON – Chinese diver Wu Minxia's celebrations at winning a third Olympic gold medal were cut short after her family revealed the details of a devastating secret they had kept for several years.
Wu's parents decided to withhold news of both the death of her grandparents and of her mother's long battle with breast cancer until after she won the 3-meter springboard in London so as to not interfere with her diving career.
"It was essential to tell this white lie," said her father Wu Yuming.
The story of Wu's family secret has generated huge discussion in China, where the pursuit of success has been chased by the government-backed sports national sports program with unshakeable zeal over the past two decades.
Now there seems to be a backlash against the win-at-all-costs mentality after the revelations about Wu followed fierce criticism from a national newspaper when a 17-year-old weightlifter failed to medal.
In China, athletes are often taken away from their families at a young age and placed in specialist training schools where they practice for hours every day. Wu began training daily at a diving camp at the age of 6. By the time she was 16, she had left home to be installed in a government aquatic sports institute.
She has become one of her sport's all-time greats, but her father says the success has come at a high price to her personal life.
"We accepted a long time ago that she doesn't belong entirely to us," Wu Yuming told the Shanghai Morning Post. "I don't even dare to think about things like enjoying family happiness."
Wu's mother defended the decision to keep her situation private and admitted she only broached the subject of her breast cancer at this point because she is now in remission. Both of Wu's grandparents died more than a year ago, but the diver knew nothing of their passing until this week.
The Chinese government's attitude towards the performances of its athletes is now coming under greater scrutiny than ever before. Messages of congratulations from the government to athletes through the state news agency have been sent only to gold medalists, not those winning silver or bronze.
"It is too narrow to look at the Olympics purely through the prism of medals," said an editorial in the China Business News publication. "It is also about sweat, tears, hardships … peace, freedom, and justice."
However, while China continues to dominate the medal table it is unlikely there will be any significant shift in a system that is regarded with pride within Chinese political circles.
2.
Eight women badminton players have been disqualified from the London Olympics for not trying their hardest to win.
The women from China, Indonesia and South Korea had been charged with "throwing" group stage contests to secure an easier draw through the Olympic tournament.
The eight were charged by the Badminton World Federation for "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and have been disqualified following a disciplinary hearing.
The fiasco triggered the ire of the London Games organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but no player will be expelled from the Games despite the disqualification.
"This is not acceptable," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
"They (federation) have a clause in their rules that athletes have to make their best efforts.
"They are the ones with the expertise and we support them."
The players involved were China's world champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari and two South Korean pairs - Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, and Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung.
Spectators at the Wembley Arena shouted abuse and jeered at the players as badminton matches descended into farce, with the teams deliberately spraying shots and duffing serves into the net to concede points.
'Depressing'
Games chief Sebastian Coe called the incident "depressing".
"Who wants to sit through something like that?" he said.
"It is unacceptable."
Men's singles champion Lin Dan broke ranks with his Chinese compatriots, saying such tactics were not in the Olympic spirit.
Lin, the world number one and a national hero, also criticised the badminton federation for instituting a system that was ripe for manipulation.
"I think it will definitely bring a negative impact, because all of these fans came to watch this tournament," the 28-year-old said.
"This situation really is not in the Olympic sporting spirit."
3.
Then there's the 16 year old Chinese girl who swims faster than the World's best men swimmers. **** that ****. Cheats.
1.
LONDON – Chinese diver Wu Minxia's celebrations at winning a third Olympic gold medal were cut short after her family revealed the details of a devastating secret they had kept for several years.
Wu's parents decided to withhold news of both the death of her grandparents and of her mother's long battle with breast cancer until after she won the 3-meter springboard in London so as to not interfere with her diving career.
"It was essential to tell this white lie," said her father Wu Yuming.
The story of Wu's family secret has generated huge discussion in China, where the pursuit of success has been chased by the government-backed sports national sports program with unshakeable zeal over the past two decades.
Now there seems to be a backlash against the win-at-all-costs mentality after the revelations about Wu followed fierce criticism from a national newspaper when a 17-year-old weightlifter failed to medal.
In China, athletes are often taken away from their families at a young age and placed in specialist training schools where they practice for hours every day. Wu began training daily at a diving camp at the age of 6. By the time she was 16, she had left home to be installed in a government aquatic sports institute.
She has become one of her sport's all-time greats, but her father says the success has come at a high price to her personal life.
"We accepted a long time ago that she doesn't belong entirely to us," Wu Yuming told the Shanghai Morning Post. "I don't even dare to think about things like enjoying family happiness."
Wu's mother defended the decision to keep her situation private and admitted she only broached the subject of her breast cancer at this point because she is now in remission. Both of Wu's grandparents died more than a year ago, but the diver knew nothing of their passing until this week.
The Chinese government's attitude towards the performances of its athletes is now coming under greater scrutiny than ever before. Messages of congratulations from the government to athletes through the state news agency have been sent only to gold medalists, not those winning silver or bronze.
"It is too narrow to look at the Olympics purely through the prism of medals," said an editorial in the China Business News publication. "It is also about sweat, tears, hardships … peace, freedom, and justice."
However, while China continues to dominate the medal table it is unlikely there will be any significant shift in a system that is regarded with pride within Chinese political circles.
2.
Eight women badminton players have been disqualified from the London Olympics for not trying their hardest to win.
The women from China, Indonesia and South Korea had been charged with "throwing" group stage contests to secure an easier draw through the Olympic tournament.
The eight were charged by the Badminton World Federation for "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and have been disqualified following a disciplinary hearing.
The fiasco triggered the ire of the London Games organisers and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but no player will be expelled from the Games despite the disqualification.
"This is not acceptable," IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
"They (federation) have a clause in their rules that athletes have to make their best efforts.
"They are the ones with the expertise and we support them."
The players involved were China's world champions Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang, Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Meiliana Jauhari and two South Korean pairs - Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na, and Ha Jung-eun and Kim Min-jung.
Spectators at the Wembley Arena shouted abuse and jeered at the players as badminton matches descended into farce, with the teams deliberately spraying shots and duffing serves into the net to concede points.
'Depressing'
Games chief Sebastian Coe called the incident "depressing".
"Who wants to sit through something like that?" he said.
"It is unacceptable."
Men's singles champion Lin Dan broke ranks with his Chinese compatriots, saying such tactics were not in the Olympic spirit.
Lin, the world number one and a national hero, also criticised the badminton federation for instituting a system that was ripe for manipulation.
"I think it will definitely bring a negative impact, because all of these fans came to watch this tournament," the 28-year-old said.
"This situation really is not in the Olympic sporting spirit."
3.
Then there's the 16 year old Chinese girl who swims faster than the World's best men swimmers. **** that ****. Cheats.
Logique
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The Australian media coverage in killing the enjoyment of these games for me.
It's just way over the top, very intrusive and places so much unnecessary pressure on the athletes. Commentators and networks - get off the athletes backs.
It's just way over the top, very intrusive and places so much unnecessary pressure on the athletes. Commentators and networks - get off the athletes backs.
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If they'd been winning it wouldn't have been an issue. It's just that there's been a lot of poor performances in the pool and elsewhere. So it seems intrusive, but really the media just wants to know "what went wrong?". I think that's ok to ask that question. It makes good viewing to see Magnussen the Missile reduced to weeping wimp because he couldn't control his fear - he has learned from that, so it's all good. What's obvious is that the coaches and sports psychs really have not prepared many of the athletes at all well... above the neck, that is. Below the neck all was good. There were no contingency plans. They thought they were going to ride the wave of good vibes all the way to the podium.
Julia
In Memoriam
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I will never be able to comprehend that someone failed because they were one hundredth of a second less fast than another person. I cannot even imagine that tick of time.
The pursuit of excellence in life is imo largely a worthwhile endeavour. But I cannot see how it's psychologically reasonable for people to be so judged on such a tiny difference. Yes, I know someone has to win. I'm questioning the whole concept of competing for such a fractional difference.
I also wonder about the whole philosophy of encouraging competitiveness overall. Obviously it's necessary in the business world, but outside of that, wouldn't we be better pursuing a collaborative approach?
Probably a silly thing to raise on the Olympics thread, but someone might have an idea of what I'm on about?
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North Korea's Key to Olympic Medals: Refrigerators For Winners, Labor Camps for Losers
http://abcnews.go.com/International/north-koreas-key-olympic-medals-rewards-winners-punishment/story?id=16907983#.UBrHa6kSQ5a
http://abcnews.go.com/International/north-koreas-key-olympic-medals-rewards-winners-punishment/story?id=16907983#.UBrHa6kSQ5a
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Is this what Olympic glory is all about? 
R.I.P. Olympic "games"...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...oung-boys-hang-bars.html?ICO=most_read_module
(caution - some may find images in the linked article disturbing)
:frown:
R.I.P. Olympic "games"...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...oung-boys-hang-bars.html?ICO=most_read_module
(caution - some may find images in the linked article disturbing)
:frown: 
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Is this what Olympic glory is all about?
R.I.P. Olympic "games"...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...oung-boys-hang-bars.html?ICO=most_read_module
(caution - some may find images in the linked article disturbing)
+1
The USSR, East Germany, et al used to (still?) use these methods.
Its hard to get enthused about these type of winners. I personally think it detracts from the Olympic spirit and ideals.
One day China might win all the medals and we will all say "boring". Does not even go close to making them superior in fact the complete opposite.
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Not a single source in site.
The coverage of the games suck. You would think the only events were swimming and bloody horses. I want to see the Judo and the Weightlifting.
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Sport could be played purely for the enjoyment, with no score kept. But human nature demands winners and losers. "I" have to be better, faster, richer, better looking, more powerful than "you". That's what life is - "me" versus "you", trying to force other people to revere, admire, ohh-ahh my self. You can't legislate against the insanity of human nature - no point. If you don't think the rat race is worth your participation, you can opt out. I don't mean opt out as in become a bag lady, but just stop trying to impress anyone, and be happy being a nobody. Good to have a map and a plan for that. It's not for wimps.
"You buy furniture. You tell yourself, 'this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life'. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you". ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club, Chapter 5
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I have a go at the Chinese and Koreans, but really, all they are doing is showing us the ugliness that exists dormant in everyone. You can smother that impulse to dominate, and follow all the rules... but that never seems to work. All that happens is you feel repressed. Or you can cheat your way through life, but then you might feel guilty... or worse, maybe there's some sort of karma that may come your way.
The only smart way to do sport is just have as much fun as possible. Phelps gave a clue to that in his interview after winning his first London medal.
The only smart way to do sport is just have as much fun as possible. Phelps gave a clue to that in his interview after winning his first London medal.
Julia
In Memoriam
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Yes, and get trampled on.
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You should be in Bangkok. Heard Zoe Daniel (ABC reporter) on the radio the other day and she is currently based there. All she is able to see is Judo, Weightlifting and Badminton.
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Sounds perfect, Badminton aint that grand but I'm sure it beats the crap out of horses running in circles.
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Well we're being clean up byt the Kiwis now, all our highly paid sports coaches might have to have their positions reviewed.
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Good on them
Golden memories outshine silver for Jones and Coutts
http://www.theage.com.au/olympics/s...lver-for-jones-and-coutts-20120805-23n8l.html
Golden memories outshine silver for Jones and Coutts
http://www.theage.com.au/olympics/s...lver-for-jones-and-coutts-20120805-23n8l.html
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Some of the things Leisel Jones has said over the past few days have not sat well with me. On more than one occasion she has sad that these games were just about having fun with the girls, relaxing and having a good time etc. I didn't expect her to come home with any individual gold medals but she did qualify so deserved her place in the team. I think it's a bit tactless though to keep saying she just there for the fun of it and not worried about medals. She also talked about being a mentor and facilitating the changeover to the next generation. Her focus should have been doing the best she could first and thereby leading by example rather than just being there to have fun and show the younger girls how an Olympic village works.
I think these games are jinxed for us, you would have thought a couple more of our gold meddle chances would have come off and we haven't had any of those surprise gold medals that you sometimes get either. I watched Mitchell Watt last night in the Longjump and he too underperformed (by his own standards) and could easily have taken out the gold medal given the scores the other competitors achieved in the final. The whole thing is quite bizarre
I think these games are jinxed for us, you would have thought a couple more of our gold meddle chances would have come off and we haven't had any of those surprise gold medals that you sometimes get either. I watched Mitchell Watt last night in the Longjump and he too underperformed (by his own standards) and could easily have taken out the gold medal given the scores the other competitors achieved in the final. The whole thing is quite bizarre
There are two articles about our swimmers in the Sunday mail.
One about Ken Woods who opened up his stable to train the Chinese.
Another where Stephanie Rice "urges media blackout".
The media had our swimmers not winning many medals a month out from the games.
In the lead up to the games there was Australian Story on Thorpe, Jones to fat, and Hackett's battle with pills.
Where were the stories on the up and coming swimmers. "NONE".
The media was more interested in talking about "our has been's", rather than the new swimmers
coming through.
It's a sad world all right.
joea
One about Ken Woods who opened up his stable to train the Chinese.
Another where Stephanie Rice "urges media blackout".
The media had our swimmers not winning many medals a month out from the games.
In the lead up to the games there was Australian Story on Thorpe, Jones to fat, and Hackett's battle with pills.
Where were the stories on the up and coming swimmers. "NONE".
The media was more interested in talking about "our has been's", rather than the new swimmers
coming through.
It's a sad world all right.
joea