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London Olympics

Its time to move the Olympics to a once every 3 years format....the world is a smaller place in so many ways.
 
http://library.thinkquest.org/20622/olympic1.htm

First . To understand the Olympics you need to read the above.
Next I hear there is to be an inquiry into the bureaucracy controlling of some of the sports and why
we did not go so well in swimming.

Well this is what I found.
When the Americans do their trials, they simply pick the team(swimming).
One week from the Games the swimmers are selected for their positions and events.

In Australia( where all the smart people control sport), we select our competitors at the trials,
and that's it. So if a swimmer swims him/herself out of form, they still have the spot they were
originally picked for.
HELLO AUSTRALIA. Why try! You have got your swim.
Secondly I find that we have a new beaut intensive training scheme.
We do not do what we used to do to get results.
Australia has come up with a brand new scheme.

Sounds like Fair Work Australia and Williamson are running sports as well.
You just could not stuff up this bad accidentally, it has to be deliberate.

joea

Yes something has gone amiss in Oz sports administration. I remember the schmozzle of the cycling a few years ago... and in the sports I'm interested in (equestrian), it is about as poisonous a scenario as you can imagine with wealth and/or political power being the first order selection criteria.

Hence the appalling results in that group of sports.

Aussies are great sportspeople and great things happen when they are supported properly, but in parallel with wider society, bureaucracy is choking off performance (IMO)

Absolutely. The Brits are usually a dour lot, but this event has been fantastic for the country. People have come together and for the first time that I’ve seen really been proud to be British and proud to put their country on exhibition to the world. The experience has been amazing – Olympic fever has really taken hold!

I have some thoughts on politics on the reason for British dourness (which I'll refrain from posting as it is OT), but what you are seeing is what Brits can be like in a positive environment, and how Britain could be sport-wise, if the over system was a bit different IMO.

Did anyone see the female athlete running in the heats of the 800metre event wearing a burqua and fully clothed?? I think she was the first female track and field athlete from Saudi Arabia to compete in the Olympics.

It was disgusting to watch, not because of her burqua, but because of her s**t poor performance. She ran something like 2 min 45 sec and should not even have been allowed to compete with such a pedestrian time.

Funny, I heard a lady on the radio who said she was reduced to tears with joy at the same spectacle. As for me, I can see some 'potential' positives.
 
'Unacceptable': coach blasts Nine's sailing snub
Date: August 11, 2012

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/news...ailing-snub-20120811-240jy.html#ixzz23BEhVqpT

Australian sailing's coach says it was "unacceptable" for Channel Nine to prematurely switch away from its live Olympic broadcast of the men's 470 class medal race before it was won by Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page..

..Page voiced his disappointment, as did many Twitter users, after learning of Nine's decision to switch away from the sailing in the closing stages of the race and instead show a replay of the finish. And Kovalenko was also quick to make his views public.
 
If Sally does not wave the Australian flag on the closing of the games, I will be not be happy.
That is Australian grit, but Mears is an Australian icon.
But lest get it into perspective and go with the future.
History looks after the past!!

joea
 
Yes 4 years is a long time, but the cost organisation etc etc...........

The world championships integrate with the Olympics.
The Olympics are the "money" medals.
That is modern society.
Sports is media entertainment for billions.
joea
 
I hope the coverage of the Marathon tonight isn't interrupted too much by other (cough) sports such as under 8's marbles.
 
..... and every 12 years it would be on the same year as the World Cup. Too much in one year.
World cup/s should switch to...Soccer, Rugby, Olympics, cricket.

Its not that hard to manage 2 major sporting events in one year.
 
It's worth noting here that Australia's Michael Aylen has been selected to referee the Men's Basketball gold medal game. It probably won't get too many headlines, but it is an absolutely fantastic achievement!

Few appreciate how competitive officiating at the top level is. Well done Michael for reaching the pinnacle of your profession!
 
It's worth noting here that Australia's Michael Aylen has been selected to referee the Men's Basketball gold medal game. It probably won't get too many headlines, but it is an absolutely fantastic achievement!

Few appreciate how competitive officiating at the top level is. Well done Michael for reaching the pinnacle of your profession!

Yes good on him - I was watching the game and that referee with the bald patch was just too over the top - calling every little foul and put the Spainards in real trouble early on.
 
Perhaps I'm a bit of a dreamer, but got goose-bumps when they did Lennon's 'Imagine'.
 
Yes good on him - I was watching the game and that referee with the bald patch was just too over the top - calling every little foul and put the Spainards in real trouble early on.

The Spanish played so well and the atmosphere was the best of the whole tournament. The referees were very soft all tournament sadly, particularly with calling fouls off the ball that no one else on the entire planet could see. A real shame, but at least they allowed the game to flow a little more than the Aus vs USA game on Wednesday which was a farce! Well done to Spain for really pushing the yanks for a full four quarters!!
 
It's worth noting here that Australia's Michael Aylen has been selected to referee the Men's Basketball gold medal game. It probably won't get too many headlines, but it is an absolutely fantastic achievement!

Few appreciate how competitive officiating at the top level is. Well done Michael for reaching the pinnacle of your profession!


Got a mention a few times over here great achievement
 
Yes it is a great achievement, good on him.

Thoroughly enjoyed the opening and closing ceremony, absolutely beautiful, well done to the Brits : )
 
So it's off to Rio. First for the World Cup, mercifully I expect, to be covered by SBS, and afterwards the Olympics, please not Nine again, oh the humanity.

Apparently Usain Bolt was the only track athlete in the program. Rudisha, who?, Felix, who? Farah, who? We'll just have to wait for a British or US sourced highlights package. And our best and most knowledgeable commentator withering away at winter footy grounds, with the flu. I'd be feeling ill too Bruce.

Personally, I never want to see another platform diving or water polo event in my life. It kept interrupting the ads.
 
Was good to see the athletes plane pull into the hanger and them start to emerge to waiting families...........well it was until Gingerella lumbered up the stairs for the photo op.:(
 
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