London Olympics 2012

[Soon]

A thread for all things Olympic related!

Anyone watching the Opening Ceremonies? Danny Boyle, the director of Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting (etc) is the Creative Director.

What do you think?

I think it is pretty cool so far!

[The JD]

OH! Now I get it! I thought the ring they were making was from Lord of the Rings, not the Olympic rings...heh. Well, not a big leap, I thought I saw Frodo and the Shire earlier...

[The_Lady_Snow]

The rings in the air won me over:\

[LaneyDoll]

I am watching & enjoying it. I love that you could see tears in the eyes of the volunteers as the rings joined.

:sparklyheart:

[Soon]

OMG, That Bond/Queen bit was awesome!

hahahaha!

[The_Lady_Snow]

I dislike that Camilla...


Love Kate!

[The_Lady_Snow]

A WAL MART steak commercial!?? WTF is going on!!

[Sparkle]

It's made me a bit weepy.

I miss London. A lot.

[Soon]

I fucking LOVE that they are paying homage to the National Health Service!!

[Sparkle]

Especially since Cameron's government just axed an extraordinary number of jobs from the NHS.

I think the staging is brilliant and I love the cinematic live action style.

[The_Lady_Snow]

Mary Poppins!!!!!

[Soon]

I'm getting goosebumps at this Children's Lit part!

way cool

[sylvie]

i've watched it all, already.. (gotta love time zones)..
but watching it again.. Some parts i found boring and some parts i found moving.. i tend to get emotional with these ceremonies..

Got some giggles from Mr Bean..
really excited for the Olympics though, i follow it all as much as i can.
Of course i'm rooting for Canada AND U.S, *smiles*
They are both home teams for me! ..

[Sparkle]

the baby part was a little weird :|

[The_Lady_Snow]

the baby part was a little weird :|

OHMYGAY, so glad you said it first!!! A :| moment indeed!

[Soon]

OHMYGAY, so glad you said it first!!! A :| moment indeed!

the baby part was a little weird :|


hahahaha! :|

[Sparkle]

I'm curious about what is is like to be watching from inside of the stadium, so much of it is shot in tight, like a film. There must be ginormous screens.

[The JD]

Run, Forrest, run!

[The_Lady_Snow]

LOL!!!

He's hilarious!

[UofMfan]

I'm confused. I watched these at 3:00 p.m. my time.

:confused:

[The JD]

The Jam!!!! Best Olympic opening ceremony EVER!

[Sparkle]

I love this montage!

[Soon]

I love this montage!

I am really really loving it, too! I'm jamming over here!

[The_Lady_Snow]

Great music segment!!!

[Sparkle]

I could do with out the narration from Matt and Meredith though, thats kind of annoying.

[Soon]

I could do with out the narration from Matt and Meredith though, thats kind of annoying.

Not a fan of Matt at all.

[The JD]

yeah, definitely a lot of female atheletes in power skirts.

[Soon]

yeah, definitely a lot of female atheletes in power skirts.



yeah, it seems that there are hardly any countries where all athletes are in pants or shorts. :/

[Soon]

woot! Go Canada and your all pants athletes!

[Lady_Di]

I'm getting goosebumps at this Children's Lit part!

way cool

My sweetie says you should check your thermostat, cause those goosebumps can't be from this!

My mother called to tell me how awful it was and both she and my sweetie are waxing poetical about Bejing's opening ceremonies.

Not everyone's cup of tea, dats for sures. But I do love Mr Bean and looking forward to the musical parts which are just starting here now.

Wish I could have watched it live, streamed it. Oh well, such is life in a back water rural area, no? We are lucky to have electricity! Much less tv...

Run Forrest Run!

[The JD]

Best so far: the Czech Republic and their rubber rain boots!!

[Soon]

The 2012 Summer Olympics are the first Olympic Games in which every participant nation has had at least one female athlete.

*wiki

[The_Lady_Snow]

México!!!!!!!

[Sparkle]

I was 6 during the Winter Olympics that were held in Lake Placid, which is 3-hours north of where I grew up. I saw the bobsled races. It was really cold and really snowy. I stayed outside the better part of the day. I sunk into the snowbank up to my waist. I had to be pulled up and out by my mother. My boots and socks stayed in the snowbank.

/random olympic fact

[The_Lady_Snow]

USA in their Chinese made uniforms.


:|<- hates the beret they are wearing

[Leigh]

Paul McCartney was awesome, I loved that David Beckham rode in the water with the Olympic Torch, the fireworks were amazing & the petals being lit then coming together was just gorgeous :)

[Sparkle]

The golden gusseted underarm & oversized lapel parkas ----> Oh :| dear.

[Sparkle]

Ooooo doves + arctic monkeys! nice.

[The_Lady_Snow]

Great fucking cover!

[Medusa]

WTF is up with the athletes and their phones and cameras? A sign of the times I guess but dang!

[Soon]

Paul McCartney was awesome, I loved that David Beckham rode in the water with the Olympic Torch, the fireworks were amazing & the petals being lit then coming together was just gorgeous :)

spoiler!! :/

All us Eastern Time folks aren't there yet!

[Scuba]

spoiler!! :/

All us Eastern Time folks aren't there yet!

Neither are the Pacific Time folks :| Pretty cool so far though and quite the English history lesson :)

[Soon]

. :| wow :| .

[Soon]

Neither are the Pacific Time folks :| Pretty cool so far though and quite the English history lesson :)

good point! *blush

[QueenofSmirks]

The rings in the air won me over:\

Not trying to be a wiseass, I know it takes a LOT of work to put something like this on, but ... I was like, "ok already, I've seen enough dancing, heard enough pop music, and seen enough random pop culture clips... what else ya got?"

Just for comparison sake, during the Beijing opening ceremonies, I was glued to the television.

[QueenofSmirks]

i've watched it all, already.. (gotta love time zones)..
but watching it again.. Some parts i found boring and some parts i found moving.. i tend to get emotional with these ceremonies..

Got some giggles from Mr Bean..
really excited for the Olympics though, i follow it all as much as i can.
Of course i'm rooting for Canada AND U.S, *smiles*
They are both home teams for me! ..

I actually get emotional too... not sure if it's the idea that people *can* come together, regardless of differences, or if their energy is just so infectious that I feel overwhelmed. Either way, I love watching the Olympics, and I try to watch as much as I can!

[Medusa]

Not trying to be a wiseass, I know it takes a LOT of work to put something like this on, but ... I was like, "ok already, I've seen enough dancing, heard enough pop music, and seen enough random pop culture clips... what else ya got?"

Just for comparison sake, during the Beijing opening ceremonies, I was glued to the television.





I was too! I still remember that animated/lit up runner dude in the air from the Beijing Olympics and literally shrieked out loud a few times while watching it!

[The_Lady_Snow]

I became impatient and dozed off


:|

[Scuba]

I was too! I still remember that animated/lit up runner dude in the air from the Beijing Olympics and literally shrieked out loud a few times while watching it!

I missed the Bejing ceremony...I'll be watching that later. For all interested, you can subscribe to see live streaming of events via NBC if you have a participating cable/satellite provider where you can receive the MSNBC channel.

[QueenofSmirks]

A commercial for "The Voice"? Really?

[Scuba]

Um. Visually it was pretty-ish.

The NBC commentary was ridiculous...it was xenophobic and snarky. Ew.

Agree!! I'm a big fan of British humor and music so loving this aspect :) Bean cracks me up every time.

[*Anya*]

I loved what Danny Boyle created. It was beautiful, touching, fun and clever.

CIJS: please Meridith Viera and Matt Lauer shut the F up.

When Meredith started to sing, I almost lost it. Well, I did yell @ the TV screen, she just couldn't hear me.

[QueenofSmirks]

I'm not a fan of Matt L anyway, and although Meredith seems nice enough, she bores me.

[Martina]

I only saw a half an hour, mostly the sixties and seventies stuff. I agree that the commentators needed to shut up.

But even without that, it was dull, dull, dull.

I think using TV/Film clips is cheating. There was too much close up stuff. The trick of this as theatre is to make it big and original. The parts I saw were neither.

The complicated projections on the audience part of the stadium were impressive. But that was technology. On the ground, it was like dinner theatre with glow in the dark stickies.

I am too tired to continue. Beckham driving that boat was hot. Hell, the boat alone was hot.

[Leigh]

Didn't mean to spoil it for the other time zones

[~ocean]

I adore british humor , esp old Benny Hill shows , Bean . i think they took Benny Hill off the air or quite a few years now .

[Ciaran]

I thought that the Opening Ceremony was rather disjointed and chaotic. I'm sure that's part of what Danny Boyle was intending to create but, for me, it meant that I found myself losing interest in large sequences. Some humourous moments, some parts that I thought worked well and some that didn't.


On the very positive side, I was very pleased to see Northern Ireland feature so strongly in the event, right from the start when the Phil Kids' Choir was featured in a video clip of the Giant's Gauseway singing Danny Boy, through to actor Kenneth Branagh's role as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and concluding with Dame Mary Peters (first Northern Ireland athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in Munich 1972) symbolically passing an Olympic torch to Katie Kirk, a young girl from Belfast who was one of 8 chosen to light the Olympic cauldron.


The mood in London is reasonably upbeat at this stage although it will be the early part of next week when we see if the public transport network holds up (this is the biggest concern of many of us who live and work in London). I met up with a friend for a coffee in Picadilly this morning and there was an air of excitement and anticipation, that after seven years of planning the time has finally come.


The first event I'm going to is UK versus Italy in women's volleyball next Wednesday afternoon. Looking forward to this if the sunny weather continues and the public transport network holds up.

[Rockinonahigh]

I never quits got it about the opening....But...there are countries in this year I never herd of competeing.

[Martina]

Someone on the internet snarked that under the Queen's dour expression, there should be a caption reading, "Let the Hunger Games begin!"

[NJFemmie]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/376305_500235740005884_785469768_n.jpg

[Sparkle]

I only saw a half an hour, mostly the sixties and seventies stuff. I agree that the commentators needed to shut up.

But even without that, it was dull, dull, dull.

I think using TV/Film clips is cheating. There was too much close up stuff. The trick of this as theatre is to make it big and original. The parts I saw were neither.

The complicated projections on the audience part of the stadium were impressive. But that was technology. On the ground, it was like dinner theatre with glow in the dark stickies.

I am too tired to continue. Beckham driving that boat was hot. Hell, the boat alone was hot.

NBC diced and sliced A LOT of the ceremony opting to keep more of the cinematic close ups rather than the large stadium staging. It was a poor choice for many reasons - the production became more disjointed, and it really didn't do justice to the set design and choreography.

But then they think American audiences are dull, easily bored and require constant play-by-play explanations, that they won't sit still and take it in if they don't "get it" immediately.

They think we're an ADD small bite, small screen viewing audience and not capable of grasping and appreciating conceptual art or theatre production values.

[QueenofSmirks]

Someone on the internet snarked that under the Queen's dour expression, there should be a caption reading, "Let the Hunger Games begin!"


Someone posted her pic on facebook with the caption, "Look at all of the countries I used to own."

Edited: oops, I see someone posted it on this thread too!

[Soon]

The Croatia team (last ranked) are really playing a good game against the first ranked USA team. It's the fourth quarter, and I'm pretty sure USA will win, but the close score at times kept my interest up.

Croatia got there by knocking out the Canadians!

[Andrea]

I wish there hadn't been the long commercial breaks during the Parade of Nations. I missed seeing some of the countries.

Loved the colorful attire of many of the nations. Not so happy with the US dress. And what is with the US wearing hats anyway?

I love the pomp and I love the competitions but mostly I watch to learn about the competitors and the countries they come from. Give me info! :flowers:

[*Anya*]

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/376305_500235740005884_785469768_n.jpg

Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales...Still

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/opinion/independence-for-scotland.html?pagewanted=all

http://debatewise.org/debates/346-united-ireland-yes-or-no

http://m.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/01/could-wales-leave-united-kingdom?cat=uk&type=article

[Soon]

Why The Women of North Korea Are The Most Interesting Olympians (http://gawker.com/5929613/why-the-women-of-north-korea-are-the-most-interesting-olympians)

[UofMfan]

Colombian cyclist gets the silver and makes history!

Story in Spanish here (http://www.eltiempo.com/olimpicos-2012/deportes/rigoberto-uran-medalla-de-plata-en-ciclismo-de-ruta-de-londres-2012/12073906).

[Words]

The 2012 Summer Olympics are the first Olympic Games in which every participant nation has had at least one female athlete.

*wiki

Spoilt (for me) by the fact that during the Opening Ceremony the Germans put their male athletes in blue and their female ones in pink.

Really?

[JustJo]

Spoilt (for me) by the fact that during the Opening Ceremony the Germans put their male athletes in blue and their female ones in pink.

Really?

I know....I was sitting here shaking my head.

I totally get (and like to see) native dress from a nation. If there isn't one that makes sense, then what's wrong with nice khaki slacks and a zip up sweatshirt like the Canadians wore?

These are athletes....not executives or models. What the heck is wrong with them looking like athletes???

Our berets looked ridiculous. :(

[Daktari]

Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales...Still

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/27/opinion/independence-for-scotland.html?pagewanted=all

http://debatewise.org/debates/346-united-ireland-yes-or-no

http://m.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/feb/01/could-wales-leave-united-kingdom?cat=uk&type=article

Not quite.. The Queen is just a figurative 'leader', a constitutional monarch; she has no political power. The Queen doesn't 'own' the countries of our fair isles, she owns some of the acreage therein but so do many other folks too.

:chaplin:

[Soon]

Romney in London: Never Mind The Olympics, Here’s the Embarrassment (http://gawker.com/5929513/romney-in-london-never-mind-the-olympics-heres-the-embarrassment?comment=51334354)

:blink:

[lusciouskiwi]

Shock horror. Actually I haven't watched any of it. YOutube, here I come. Meanwhile, this popped up on my fb:

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-kiss-olympic-opening-ceremony-sparks-praise-fury280712

[Ciaran]

A government enquiry is underway due to considerable numbers of empty seats at some of yesterday's events, despite these events being fully sold-out and many people very disappointed that they were unable to secure tickets.

No doubt it's, at least in part, a consequence of the ticketing ballot system that has attracted controversy throughout with many people encouraged to apply for multiple tickets across all events and all days in the hope of getting some tickets but with these being on the "luck of the draw".


Not a great start for the UK team so far - in particular, we had hoped for Gold in the 250km cycling but ended up in 29th position. In addition, Andy Murray and his brother were knocked out in the first round of the Men's Tennis Double's tournament.

Hopeful of some medals for the UK today ....

[Martina]

The British Gymnastics team seems to be doing well. That Louis Smith is something special.

[Gráinne]

Regarding the opening ceremony, obviously, Americans aren't going to get all the humor and references, unless they watch the BBC or are very familiar with British culture. When the orchestra started "Chariots of Fire", I was all ready for one of my favorite songs, and my favorite part of an otherwise long movie, but thought the comedian ruined it :(. I understand it was deliberate, and the conductor was in on it, but I didn't like him. Maybe an acquired taste?

The baby thing was a little strange as well. And the winged people on bicycles, so help me, reminded me of the monkey soldiers on Oz.

But the parade of nations, and everything forward from that except the bicyclists, was amazing. I loved the cauldron. And hey, it's the Olympics; it's allowed to be over the top and all kinds of effects.

[JustJo]

I actually really enjoyed the opening ceremonies (although the giant baby was a little creepy instead of cute to me). It was very British....which is only right. I love to see the host company use that as a chance to celebrate themselves a bit and share who they are and where they come from with the rest of the world.

Of course, I've always loved British humor, and was delighted with all the references to children's literature. :)

[Medusa]

A government enquiry is underway due to considerable numbers of empty seats at some of yesterday's events, despite these events being fully sold-out and many people very disappointed that they were unable to secure tickets.

No doubt it's, at least in part, a consequence of the ticketing ballot system that has attracted controversy throughout with many people encouraged to apply for multiple tickets across all events and all days in the hope of getting some tickets but with these being on the "luck of the draw".


Not a great start for the UK team so far - in particular, we had hoped for Gold in the 250km cycling but ended up in 29th position. In addition, Andy Murray and his brother were knocked out in the first round of the Men's Tennis Double's tournament.

Hopeful of some medals for the UK today ....


Ooh, thank you for posting this! I noticed this morning when watching some of the stuff I recorded last night that there seemed to be a ton of empty seats at several of the events. It made me wonder what had happened because I thought that people would be clamoring to get a seat.

[Medusa]

I LOVED the copper-tubed "Eye of Sauron" thing they did with the torches!

[Ciaran]

Ooh, thank you for posting this! I noticed this morning when watching some of the stuff I recorded last night that there seemed to be a ton of empty seats at several of the events. It made me wonder what had happened because I thought that people would be clamoring to get a seat.

Actual demand for tickets has been very significant with all initial tickets fully allocated in a ballot and almost all further tickets selling out within seconds / minutes of being released on public sale.


It turns out that the vast swathes of empty seats are those in sections that were not available for sale but, rather, are allocated to Olympic dignataries, officials, other athletes and corporate sponsors. Each event has to allocate a minimum of 25% of available tickets for this purpose with the "blue ribbon" events having to allocate 50% of tickets for this (i.e. such events as the Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony and men's 100m final).


Apparently, the morning after the Opening Ceremony (which goes on into the wee small hours in after-parties attended by the various delegations and officials), those who get these free tickets are often not in attendance as they are still in bed. Rather sad given the really strong demand for tickets from the public - especially for events such as swimming and gymnastics where the stadia has limited capacity.

[Martina]

Not only was Louis Smith a joy to watch on the pommel horse, I loved the gratitude on his face when he did well. I was already struck by that, and then he cried. Loved it. I love it when there is gratitude in their reactions. Gymnastics is hard. So many ways to fuck up, so I am sure there is more of that than in other sports where if you have worked your ass off and are an amazing athlete, the odds are with you. Gymnastics, skating, golf, any number of sports, it's all about the day as well as your gifts and preparation.

Anyway, I loved his reaction.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61869000/jpg/_61869883_61869882.jpg

Later, when I saw Sun Yang shout and posture after he won the 400 meter freestyle, I appreciated Smith's reaction even more. Nothing against Sun Yang. It's a common reaction to explode with adrenaline after a win. But it's just so warrier-like (as sports is). It was just lovely to see Louis Smith's GRATITUDE for a good performance.

http://media.mwcradio.com/mimesis/2012-07/28/2012-07-28T221936Z_1_CBRE86R1Q0S00_RTROPTP_3_SPORTS-US-OLY-SWIM-SWM40F-SUN_JPG_475x310_q85.jpg

[Medusa]

Louis Smith is a gorgeous man. He is an amazing athlete and I LOVED his reactions to his score!

[Medusa]

I just saw John Orozco's story and was bawling! His family is so loving and he is just a sweetheart.

I do have to say though, his mother's eyes remind me so much of Arwen!

[*Anya*]

Shock horror. Actually I haven't watched any of it. YOutube, here I come. Meanwhile, this popped up on my fb:

http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/lesbian-kiss-olympic-opening-ceremony-sparks-praise-fury280712

Thanks for this.

I guess at 15 seconds (according to the YouTube guy that timed it frame by frame) if you blinked-you missed it.

I did not see it during the NBC montage.

[Martina]

Orozco looks like he was the weight of the world on his shoulders. It makes me sad. Great story though, I agree. I read that he went pro and gave up his NCAA eligibility. Of course, he could have gotten a free college education at a great gymnastics school. I pray that he does well and has a way to make a living indefinitely -- and can help his family -- because he can't go back where that is concerned. So many kids want to be athletes, but young athletes so often get chewed up and spit out whether they are good or not. It was cool that Orozco's coach when he was young trained him for free. But if mom hadn't been willing and able to do all that driving, . . . .

It was good to see that he made the all around finals. Weird that the US qualified in first but that so few of ours guys are in individual finals. I don't understand the scoring.

[Soon]

2le4tGjUWGE&feature=player_embedded#!

The Dream Team: Jake Dalton, Jonathan Horton, Danell Leyva, Sam Mikulak, John Orozco

[Martina]

That was cool indeed! Thanks.

I got up out of my recliner and yelled and cheered during the final sprint of the women's road race. I startled the cats. Great race.

I didn't care much who won although it would have been great for the Brits if their rider had gotten the gold. It was just exciting.

I like races. Races are my favorite thing in terms of sports. It can be swimming, track, cycling, rowing, speed skating, anything. It gets my blood up.

Probably my least favorite events are team sports: basketball, volleyball, baseball, water polo.

I have always loved tennis. And I like to watch handball, ping pong and badminton. Those are fun. Like duels.

Archery, shooting, equestrian events, judo, wrestling, weightlifting, the non-race track events, and so on -- I do not become very engaged. I used to love boxing, but Mike Tyson ruined it for me. Or got me out of denial that it is a sickening sport.

I like diving and gymnastics, but I cannot always tell why one performance is good and another is not. Things like whether they took a hop or made a splash are obvious. But a lot of the time, especially in diving, I have to wait for the announcer to tell me whether it was a good performance or not. Also, the woman who is the color commentator, the former diver, drives me crazy because she does not speak standard English. I can't remember her name and don't know if she's back this time. She has done it forever though, so probably.

[Mr. Moon]

That was cool indeed! Thanks.

I got up out of my recliner and yelled and cheered during the final sprint of the women's road race. I startled the cats. Great race.



I did too and I'm over here in the US! I was on the phone even, it rang right towards the end...my friend was rattling and I was pinned to this finish! It was well done!

I can watch almost all of the events. Although gymnastics makes me fall asleep...which is what happened last night.

And, btw, I liked the opening ceremony. To me, much better than a flashy mob of people with no purpose other than to send someones ADD into overdrive. So Well done London!!

-Mr. Moon

[Soon]

Jordyn Wieber Out Of Olympic Gymnastics All-Around Final, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman Advance (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/29/jordyn-wieber-olympics-gymnastics-all-around_n_1716111.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular#slide =1297042)


(random: I had a scrapbook of Nadia Comaneci in 1976 and was a bit of a gymnast back in the day before I grew too tall!)

[Soon]

http://deadspin.com/5929921/us-mens-basketball-players-get-hugs-from-michelle-obama-despite-not-beating-france-by-75

[Soon]

NBC Cut Terror Victims Tribute Because It Wasn’t ‘Tailored for the U.S. Audience’ (http://gawker.com/5929930/nbc-cut-terror-victims-tribute-because-it-wasnt-tailored-for-the-us-audience)


/snip/

That may not have been NBC's intention, but without a more thorough explanation, it doesn't look good. USA Today suggests that NBC "didn't see lingering on that as helping its overall marketing effort." That's only slightly less offensive than the conclusion Daily Kos draws, as articulated in this analogy:

Can you imagine the BBC opting to cut out a tribute to 9-11 at a future Olympics held in the States because it wasn't "tailored for a UK audience"? If that happened, suffice to say the switchboards at BBC Broadcasting House would have blown a fuse.

Again, it's unlikely NBC had that much foresight, but the ignorance is just as damning.

[Soon]

While I was on Jezebel reading the comments about the Wieber controversy, a reader mentioned that there is a 37 year old female gymnast (vaulter) from Germany competing in the games! This is her sixth Olympic games!

Oksana Chusovitina (http://www.london2012.com/athlete/chusovitina-oksana-1089045/)

London 2012, Beijing 2008, Athens 2004, Sydney 2000, Atlanta 1996, Barcelona 1992

[Daktari]

Awww poor Tom and his diving partner. :(

[Martina]

Just saw about half of a U.S. women's water polo game and liked it more than I thought I would.

[Martina]

The New York Times article about Michael Phelps' legacy. What I liked about it was there was no archness, no hesitation to be uncool and just be amazed at this guy's achievement. I appreciated that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/sports/olympics/as-most-decorated-olympian-michael-phelps-changed-swimming.html?pagewanted=all

[Ciaran]

I'm glad to say that, to date, my misgivings about London 2012 are being proved wrong.


Public transport has been holding up exceptionally well, with the chaos many predicted not transpiring. In terms of the actual sport, and the stories of individual competitors and their personal journeys, London 2012 has already made its mark.


So far, I've only been to one of the sports events, women's volleyball between the UK and Italy last Wednesday. When I purchased these tickets, I wrongly assumed that this was beach volleyball which, for London 2012, is in a fantastic setting with a beach created in Horse Guards Parade in central London, underlooking Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament etc.


Alas, it turned out to be for "proper" volleyball which I've negligible interest in and, added to that, the UK got comprehensively beaten .... but still an enjoyable evening.


Last week, I was able to secure tickets for track & field next Tuesday from the official Olympic site (additional tickets have been sporadically going on sale over the past week or so). Would very much like to go to the Olympic Stadium for this but 50-50 at the moment due to very pressing work commitments. In any event, I'll be attending the men's soccer final next Saturday which should be good - esp. as it looks like it could be a Mexico versus Brazil final with both teams being in good form.


After a slow start, it's turned into a fantastic tournament for the UK team. We now have 14 gold medals, are third in the medals table and, whilst it's very unlikely that we'll catch either the US or China, the momentum we have and, with some strong events still to come, it's more than likely than we're stay comfortably in third. That's some achievement vis-a-vis the one gold medal we won in Atlanta 1996.

[Martina]

Yeah, Saturday was a tremendous day for the British. And wow re the gold in men's tennis. Congrats.

I am still glowing re the career of Michael Phelps. I am impressed at how he came back from a poor start at this meet. I am impressed with how open he is emotionally. He is not just talented. He worked hard for many years. And he is an ordinary decent guy. I saw him around Ann Arbor a couple of times back in the day. And word was that when kids or others came up to him to shake his hand or say something nice, he was always gracious. He used to eat at this deli I occasionally went to, and his ability to eat large quantities of food was legendary.

Anyway, I wish him the best in his second career, whatever it may be. I certainly have enjoyed watching him swim.

[Soon]

I'm looking forward to the individual events in gymnastics tonight!


So happy for Gabby Douglas!

very unimpressed and disgusted over internet snarking over her hair! wtf. :(

[Martina]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/552758_348278595248071_770551660_n.jpg

[JustJo]

I'm really enjoying watching these Olympics...and keep coming back to the same place (which I'm sure Snack is tired of hearing :) )....and that's how impressed I am with the dedication and heart of each and every one of these athletes.

During the opening ceremonies, during the entrance of the athletes, the commentators remarked that most of the countries sending representatives have never won a single medal. I think we forget that in the U.S. We're so used to the "medal count" and talking about how many gold and silver and bronze our athletes won.

I am almost more impressed with those athletes who train for countless hours, travel to the Olympics and give it everything they've got.....even as they know that they have virtually no chance of medaling. What must it feel like to be swimming against the likes of Phelps and some of these others.....putting your whole heart into it and knowing you will lose before you leave the blocks? But here's the amazing part....they don't let it stop them....and watching them go as hard as they can, I am impressed as hell with their character, dedication and courage.

For me, they are all champions. :rrose:

[Ciaran]

I am almost more impressed with those athletes who train for countless hours, travel to the Olympics and give it everything they've got.....even as they know that they have virtually no chance of medaling. What must it feel like to be swimming against the likes of Phelps and some of these others.....putting your whole heart into it and knowing you will lose before you leave the blocks? But here's the amazing part....they don't let it stop them....and watching them go as hard as they can, I am impressed as hell with their character, dedication and courage.


This is a very important aspect of the Olympics. Okay, so all the competitors are great athletes in their own right and, no doubt, better than 99.99% of people in their sporting field. However, many compete for the love of their sport, make significant personal and financial sacrifices and, of course, many hold down "normal" jobs and lead "normal" lives.

Therefore, to compete in the Olympics, with the best in the world and at the world's second highest profile sporting competition, must be amazing for these folk. Looking at the athletes parade at the Opening Ceremony and seeing many of them capturing the moment with cameras and phones reiterates this ... okay, so you probably won't see the World's best do that but it does bring home just how personal it is for all those involved and how much it means.





This photo, in my view, sums up the best of the Olympics (and there's still a lot of bad):

http://i926.photobucket.com/albums/ad103/ulyssesgq/RubenLimardo.jpg

It shows Ruben Limardo, a fencer, who had just won Venezuela's first Olympic gold medal since Mexico 1968. He's pictured travelling back from the successful tournament to the Olympic Village, travelling on the London underground i.e. public transport, alongside spectators and commuters. He's just won his country's first gold medal in a generation, the delight is infectious and there's no need for a chauffeur or a limousine ... he's using public transport.

[lusciouskiwi]

of the Olympics

OQwD0QCbxaA

[Soon]

I just came across the USA's fencing team's mask. Thoughts?

https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRS8P3alhe4-TS0jIZfVOQUM3tOMJ7CUApqnbALXB2rNSLsr26i

[Soon]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17uxl60frbtxsgif/original.gif

[UofMfan]

Congratulation to my fellow Colombians!

3 silver and 1 bronze!

http://www.eltiempo.com/olimpicos-2012/contenido/deportes/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-12034081-2.png

http://www.eltiempo.com/olimpicos-2012/

[Soon]

Canada's first gold of these games--trampolinist, Rosannagh Maclennan

https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0nkLbf26LLJnP4omATFVyx2qriSA89 MSPuchpL5LxQh9ZF-sLbA

[Julien]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/wood/photos/beach-volleyball/the-women-of-beach-volleyball.html


Here is a link to a slideshow of the women of beach volleyball. Looking through all the pics is it me or are there are a lot of unnecessary butt and crotch shots, without the entire woman's body in the frame. In film theory this would look like objectification of woman through the parts of her body. There is one in particular which is a pelvic shot with the caption reading something like "a close-up of the Olympic volleyball" yeah as if there wasn't some other way of showing the ball. What do you think?

[Soon]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--oeAblp3CAM/UB8CKedzpJI/AAAAAAABjss/ebNBclBbkOI/s400/GabbyDouglasCornFlakes.jpg

[Corkey]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/wood/photos/beach-volleyball/the-women-of-beach-volleyball.html


Here is a link to a slideshow of the women of beach volleyball. Looking through all the pics is it me or are there are a lot of unnecessary butt and crotch shots, without the entire woman's body in the frame. In film theory this would look like objectification of woman through the parts of her body. There is one in particular which is a pelvic shot with the caption reading something like "a close-up of the Olympic volleyball" yeah as if there wasn't some other way of showing the ball. What do you think?

I think that most of the crotch shots are for men with self esteem issues. I blame the IOC for the uniform choices. Most of the IOC are men with self esteem issues. Can't get men to watch unless a crotch shot of women athletes gets their attention. Misogynist to say the least.

[UofMfan]

U.S. Soccer Defeats Canada In Women's Olympic Soccer Semi With Alex Morgan Goal In Extra Time (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/us-soccer-canada-womens-olympics_n_1749131.html)

I did not watch the game but I am hearing reports that the ref may have helped the US with the win. Again, I did not watch it so take that with a grain of salt.

I am cool with either team winning, although I do root for the US :)

[JustJo]

Kudos to Kirani James for winning the first medal ever for Grenada....and making it gold. Bravo!!!

[Leigh]

I did watch the soccer game and no I certainly was not impressed with the referring; we had the U.S. beat a number of times but because of some crappy penalties or what not they tied it and then we lost. Whatever the outcome is, I know that my team is gonna bring home the bronze!

[ruffryder]

LIU XIANG CRASHES OUT OF HURDLES (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18902837)


YOU CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THE STORIES AND EMOTIONS OF THESE OLYMPIANS. MY HEART AND RESPECT GO OUT TO ALL OF THEM. THE OLYMPICS, WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO AN ATHLETE!

CONGRATS TO ALL!

[ruffryder]

OUCH! :|

hzPU4-r_wsA

[Tommi]

I think I'll record water polo and women's beach volleyball

My kitten is fascinated by water polo. She watches that ball toss, her head going side to side.

Then she lunges at the screen.

Me, I dig the Women's Beach Volleyball. USA vs USA

[Tommi]

LIU XIANG CRASHES OUT OF HURDLES (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18902837)


YOU CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL THE STORIES AND EMOTIONS OF THESE OLYMPIANS. MY HEART AND RESPECT GO OUT TO ALL OF THEM. THE OLYMPICS, WHAT AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO AN ATHLETE!

CONGRATS TO ALL!

DITTO. Amazing what they are all about, and we have the ability to see and hear about all the champions of the world, gold or not. I heard a story about a village waiting to see the newspaper story and pictures on their Olympian. :candle:

:olympics::olympics::olympics:

[UofMfan]

Our fifth medal, a bronze, brought to us by Oscar in Taekwondo!

http://www.eltiempo.com/olimpicos-2012/contenido/deportes/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-12108741-2.jpg

[UofMfan]

Now we have eight, including today's GOLD!

I am so proud of our Colombian athletes who have to overcome so much to reach the podium.


http://www.eltiempo.com/deportes/otrosdeportes/IMAGEN/IMAGEN-12115529-2.jpg

[Ciaran]

The games are coming to an end today. I've enjoyed it more and more over the two weeks and think it's really showcased London and the UK in a very positive light. I'm almost sad that it's now coming to an end - a very different reaction from that I expected before the games.


The only sport I love is soccer so most of the actual Olympic sports don't interest me. However, the stories and the competing nations do. Most pleasing for me has not only been the success of the UK team, now guaranteed to be in third medal position, but equally the reception afforded to the Irish competitors from the British crowds.


This was best demonstrated by the reaction to Katie Taylor's success in winning gold for Ireland in one of the women's boxing competitions. She was cheered passionately by 62,000 British and Irish singing and standing together in the Excel arena - something largely unthinkable a generation ago and, once again, helping to strengthen the strong bonds between our two islands.


I was also fortunate to attend yesterday's men's soccer final between Brazil and Mexico at Wembley Stadium. It was my first time at Wembley in almost 27 years, when as a child I'd traveled over from Belfast to London with my dad to watch Northern Ireland play England. Being there yesterday helped to bring back so many memories.


Yesterday's game was fantastic with many thousands having traveled over from both Mexico and Brazil for the game and many thousands more ex-pats in attendance. Truly beautiful atmosphere and certainly the highlight, for me, of the various Olympic events I've been able to attend. Mexico, the underdogs, won what was their first major international tournament - very pleasing as I've had a strong interest in Mexican soccer ever since Mexico hosted the 1986 World Cup Finals.


I partied a bit with a few Mexicans after the game and am meeting a lovely Mexican lady this afternoon - she had traveled over with her family from LA and is leaving London on Tuesday so I've agreed to play tour guide today ..... which is always very dangerous as I have no real knowledge of London and an absolutely terrible sense of direction !!!



Farewell London 2012.

[girl_dee]

Joining the party rather late, we don't even own a TV here at the farm so i've been missing the Olympics, one of my favorite things.

We found out it's been online all this time! UGH!

So i tuned in last night to see the heartbreaking loss of the Canadians in the relay race due to that 1 inch stepping on the line thing, but that's not what bothered me more than the way they handled it.

I feel it sucked to announce them as the medal winners, put their name up on the board then say, let them do the victory dance.. then say *oops you stepped on the line, you are disqualified....*

I heard the same thing happened to an athelete from China during the Hammer Throw.

The judges need to all give the OK before they announce winners!

Also the interviewer I saw made me grit my teeth as the thanked the Canadian athlete for *MAN*ing up and offering an apology. Man up? Really? What phrase would he have used for a woman athlete? Maybe i am sensitive but i have issues around the term "man up".

I truly enjoy competing at things and love watching competition, and for me, i usually pull for the team/athlete whose never won before!

[girl_dee]

i wanted to watch the closing ceremony (since i missed the opener!) and waited all day while the marathon was taking place, only the internet version replayed the whole marathon so i thought those poor guys were running all damn day, then i realized it was a repeat and i missed the closer!

i replayed it and then started doing something else, then something else, and then something else...

was it good?

[Ciaran]

Today marks the final day of London 2012 with the Paralympics 2012 coming to an end this evening.


This year's Paralympic Games are commonly viewed as having been the most successful to date with over 4,000 athletes from across 165 nations and, more importantly, these athletes being accepted / appreciated as world class sportsmen and sportswomen in their own right.


In particular, the UK has a number of new sporting heroes and heroines, including swimmer Ellie Simmonds (only 17 and has won 4 Paralympic golds, including 2 @ Beijing 2008) and 19 year-old Johnnie Peacock who won the 100m sprint in front of over 80,000 at the Olympic Stadium last Thursday - his success was greeted with the most fanfare of any sporting success at London 2012.


There's no doubt that there's more to be done in embracing Paralympic sports and more funding is required but, even before London won the right to stage the 2012 Olympics, the UK and Ireland were both ahead of the curve in terms of support for Paralympic athletes. For most Olympic / Paralympic sports, the UK & Irish Paralympic and Olympic athletes train side-by-side.


This year has been a record year for Team GB, third in the medal table and live TV coverage of almost all the events with up to 7 million watching at times (good viewing figures for a population of less than 60 million). Almost all Paralympic events have sold out, with 80,000 at the main stadium each day and a total of 2.5 million attending the various events in person over the past 10 days.


What's been most uplifting has been the personal stories of many of the athletes, non more so than Martine Wright. She played for the UK in the wheelchair volleyball, having lost both her legs in the July 7th 2005 terrorist bombings, ironically the day after London was awarded the games.


The Paralympics Opening Ceremony, starring a wide range of celebrities including Stephen Hawking, was generally perceived as being more entertaining than either the Opening or Closing Ceremony of the Olympics and am very much looking forward to tonight's Closing Ceremony - a fitting end to 2012 and, as should be the case, setting the bar very high for Rio 2016.