London 2012 Olympics & Paralympics

[gaggle64]

EDIT BY MOKONG

 

 

Weclome to the London 2012 Olympic Forum.

 

We've set up a thread for each Sporting Decipline involved in the Olympics. So whichever sports/events you are following you will have a place here at N-Europe to discuss the ups and downs and goings-ons of that Sport.

 

If you do not see the thread for the event you are looking for remember to check the 2nd page of the forum.

 

Please use this thread for only General Olympic Discussion that does not fit any particular Sport, for the Opening & Closing Ceremonies discussion, and if there is a topic that you feel could do with it's own thread suggest it in a post here and a mod or admin will look into it as only Mods and Admins can create new threads. This is to help keep things tidy and prevent creations of double threads.

 

Thank you and enjoy the London Olympics 2012.

 

(And yes I went with the unofficial logo cause the official one is fugly)

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Yes, it's that time again folks. Several weeks of sport on top of sport next to sport and smothered in more sport and all of it sport you would never even dream of watching at any other time but have become an expert in in the last five minutes.

 

 

From fencing to archery, dressage to synchronised swimming, power walking to that weird cycling event where they have to chase a pizza boy around for a few laps, all your favourite events are present and correct.

 

Things have already kicked off with the opening rounds of the women's football, the men's football tomorrow and then the opening ceremony kicking things off on Friday.

 

In the UK the BBC are covering the Olympics as per their usual level of excellence, with about a billion interactive channels and an exhaustive website prepped and ready.

 

The UK para-Olympics coverage however has this year been awarded to Channel 4 for the first time. If their pre-competition programming & advertising thus far is any indication, this looks like a wise move.

 

 

Pretty good match between GB & New Zealand right now. 1-0 to GB with a stunner of a free kick. C'mon girls!

Edited July 27, 2012 by Mokong

[Mr-Paul]

It's called paralympics, @gaggle64 :p

[Magnus]

I heard the Olympics made Grindr crash.

[bob]

Did anyone here get tickets?

 

My friends and I are off to see the football, some horsing, and a bit of Greco-Roman wrestling. How did we score such high profile tickets, i hear you ask? I know someone on a commitee. Unfortunately it's not the Olympic commitee. They are shit tickets.

[gaggle64]

It's called paralympics, @gaggle64 :p

 

I refuse to kowtow to this amalgamation elitism.

[Cube]

Urghhh. .

[Goafer]

Whilst I do appreciate the participants (especially the paralympians), I stopped giving a shit about the actual event when I read This. On top of all the other sponsorship exclusives and crap, it's just a bit of a joke really.

 

Might watch some of the events, but I won't be going out of my way or anything.

[Tales]

Oh you're so cool Cube.

 

I'm excited for the Olympics. Going to watch as much as possible as I can on two screens. Particulary sports I would never dreamed of watching before.

 

I'm still requesting a forum. You could do it the for football so why not. Even more happens here than in any football tournament. Lesser known sport/sport where Brits participate for lolz could lose out where everything is cramped in one thread. Just my opinion.

 

Oh and congratz to GB. I think they said Kameroon and Brazil was the other ones in the group so QF sounds possible!

[Debug Mode]

I'm looking forwad to watching it.

 

By 'it', I don't mean the sports, but the imminent failings going on across the capital and the possibly chaos that may unfold. The olympics has always been a sore topic with me, it just comes across as a festival for the rich with the majority of funding coming from the poor.

[Sheikah]

I travel in London every day and for 1 month travel will be hell. Screw the Olympics!

[Mokong]

Haha, I was just think I should start a thread for this.

 

I'm looking forward to it. Can't wait for the opening ceremony hope London pull off a good show.

 

I love the Olympics because I love sport.... always a bit of a missed/failed dream of mine to represent Ireland at some sport on such an event so I have great respect for any Athlete who gets to compete even if they might have little hope of a medal. Just to be an Olympian would do me

 

I'll be of course paying to the Track & Field events, the swimming, the football, the boxing (where Ireland seems most likely to get a medal or two... Katie Taylor current Womens World Champ favourite in the Womens Boxing for gold) and to some other sports that I tend to only watch at the Olympics such as Gymnastics, Cycling, Cannoe ah hell I'll likely be keeping an eye on every sport who am I kidding, but the ones mentioned would be the main ones I watch.

 

 

Does anyone have/know of any "Miracle" Athletes or some sort of "feel good" story about how someone might have qualified aggainst the odds.

 

On the Irish team we have one Gymnast (and only our 2nd ever Olympic gymnast) who I think is the pure personification of "never give up" when it comes to achieving your dream.

 

His name is Kieran Behan, and not once but TWICE as a child something happened where doctors told him he has no hope of ever walking again and both times he proved them wrong and is now doing bloody Gymnastics in the Olympics.... if by some chance he can even come away with one bronze medal (or even challenge for one) I can see his life story being made into a movie.

 

When he was I think 10 he had an operation on a tumor in his leg, afterwards the doctors told him he would never walk again due to some nerve damage.

He proved them wrong and not only walked but got back into the gym.

Then I think when he was like 13 (i think) he had an accident in the gym landed on his head and doctors again said there was no chance he would ever walk again.

 

Not only is he walking again but he is a few days away from competing at the Olympics in gymnastics which I think is bloody awesome. And well done to the lad.

 

[Cube]

Oh you're so cool Cube.

 

I'll consider it a viable event when they let Squash into it.

 

---

 

Another thing: How is London going to cope with the influx of people? The notices on the Underground mentioned up to 1 million extra people will use the system per day. It's already packed, and the queues are going to be in time for events and stuff.

 

On top of that: There is a ton of etiquette on the Underground that you don't get told about. Not complying with these unwritten rules can cause delays. So a ton of people who don't know these unwritten rules (and a good amount won't speak English at all/well so they won't even understand if you tried to explain it).

 

And I don't even want to get into the budgeting.

 

However, there is one thing that, if it happened (unlikely), would be absolutely amazing and I would definitely cheer (I'm even tempted to watch it on the minuscule chance it happens: David Tennant (in full Doctor Who costume) does the final stretch of the torch relay and lights the Olympic flame.

 

That would be beyond incredible.

 

(About the torch, it was nice to see Sir Captain Picard with it, makes up for that American dude who had a go)

 

If someone is planning on going to any events, have a careful read of this:

 

http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/25/44/06/Prohibitedandrestricteditemslists_Neutral.pdf

 

Banned items:

– Liquids, aerosols and gels in

quantities greater than 100ml.

– Alcohol

– Tents, placards, spray paint or any other item which could be used to demonstrate within the venue or sabotage property

– Glass bottles larger than 100ml (excluding medication contained

in glass bottles)

– More than one soft-sided bag of 25 litre capacity (you must be able

to fit your bag under your seat)

– Walkie-talkies, phone jammers and radio scanners

– Personal/private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices

such as Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside

venues, but must not be used as wireless access points to connect

multiple devices)

– Laser pointers and strobe lights

– Items too large to be electronically screened

– Bicycles, folding bikes, roller-skates and skateboards

– Pets or animals (excluding service animals)

– All types of knives and bladed items, including pocket knives and

knives carried as part of cultural dress (excluding the Sikh article of faith kirpan/ceremonial dagger)

– Offensive weapons or implements such as bayonets, flick knives,

extendable batons, sharpened combs, modified belt buckles and loose blades modified into weapons

– Personal protection sprays such as CS or pepper sprays

– Firearms and ammunition (including replicas, component parts or any device suspected to be a firearm)

– Fireworks, explosives, flares and smoke canisters

– Hazardous and toxic materials

– Controlled drugs, including substances which look like controlled drugs

– Items that resemble prohibited items such as replica guns or hoax explosive devices

 

Restricted Items:

– Large flags (bigger than 1 metre x 2 metres), banners and poles

– Oversized hats

– Large golf-style umbrellas

– Large photographic and broadcast equipment over 30cm in length, including tripods and monopods. You cannot use photographic or broadcast equipment for commercial purposes unless you hold media accreditation

– Excessive amounts of food

– Balls, rackets, frisbees or similar objects or projectiles

– Noisemakers such as hunting horns, air horns, klaxons, drums, vuvuzelas and whistles

– Any objects or clothing bearing political statements or overt commercial identification intended for ‘ambush marketing’

– Flags of countries not participating in the Games (this excludes the

flags of nations under the umbrella of a participating country such as

England, Scotland and Wales)

 

 

The big one: If you're going to an event, you need to take drinks and stuff like sun cream lotion in bottles of less than 100ml.

[Mokong]

Restricted Items:

– Large flags (bigger than 1 metre x 2 metres), banners and poles

– Oversized hats

 

 

 

So there won't be any giant sized flags like the "This is Russia" and "This is Poland" flags seen at Euro 2012?

[Magnus]

The big one: If you're going to an event, you need to take drinks and stuff like sun cream lotion in bottles of less than 100ml.

Well, they have to make money somehow.

[Cube]

Well, they have to make money somehow.

 

I wonder if McDonalds had anything to do with it.

 

So there won't be any giant sized flags like the "This is Russia" and "This is Poland" flags seen at Euro 2012?

 

One thing I never understood about giant flags at events: What about the people underneath it?

[Mokong]

I wonder if McDonalds had anything to do with it.

 

 

That's something I don't get about the "official sponsors" of sports events.

The Olympics is meant to be like the showcase of the fittest and best trained people in the world in their various events (possible exception of the football event as FIFA didn't want it to overshadow their own World Cup but that's a different discussion)

 

Yet the "official restaurant" of the Olympics is McDonalds?

Yeah I can see all the athletes regularly eating McDonalds in between training and competing

One thing I never understood about giant flags at events: What about the people underneath it?

 

Don't know I never been under one, they do look awesome on TV though

Though yeah if I was at a footy match and one of those appeared over me I guess I might be a bit pissed but they tend to only unfurl them before the match (I think for the anthems) and then put them away. Don't think it's that regular either anyway.

[Cube]

I did find the British Airways (sponsors of the Olympics) adverts funny: "Don't fly away this year, stay and watch the Olympics...hang on a second, have we just paid a fuckton of money just to tell people not to use us?"

[Mokong]

Is the football on the telly somewhere this evening? Or is there a free-view site set up or something?

[Cube]

Is the football on the telly somewhere this evening? Or is there a free-view site set up or something?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results/list/football/20120725'>http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results/list/football/20120725

 

Full Event list/times:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results

Edited July 25, 2012 by Cube

[Happenstance]

Oops

 

The North Korean Women's Football team have walked off the pitch at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

 

The action was apparently in protest at the South Korean flag being mistakenly displayed beside players' names on a screen prior to their Olympic football match.

 

Kick off had been scheduled for 19:45.

 

North Korea are meant to play Colombia in the second of the opening matches being held at the ground.

[Mokong]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results/list/football/20120725'>http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results/list/football/20120725

 

Full Event list/times:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/schedule-results

 

Is there meant to be a video player/live stream on there cause I don't see one? (maybe it for UK only?)

 

Anyway just heard the Columbia vs North Korea Womens match has been delayed cause the N. Korean players apparently protested that the South Korean flag was displayed in the stadium... or that's what I thought at first thinking "but sure aren't all competing nations flags displayed.... they didn't protest at South Africa World Cup 2012... will the protest the Opening Ceremony cuz S. Korea will be there too"

 

But actually they were fully in their right to protest as it wasn't just cause the South Korean flag was "there" it was that it was used INSTEAD of the North Korean flag on the big screen when showing the players

 

 

That has to be one of the biggest balls up in Olympics history.... looks like London off to a great start

[Cube]

We may have just started a war (well, an end to ceasefire, they're technically still at war).

 

Is there meant to be a video player/live stream on there cause I don't see one? (maybe it for UK only?)

 

There's currently three live so far, but it's probably limited to UK. Try a direct link:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/live-video/p00w2qyt

 

It will probably say something like "Not available in your country"

[Mr-Paul]

Well to all the naysayers of the Olympics, screw you!

 

As you may know, I am working for Olympic Broadcasting Services, as a Commentary Systems Operator in the Aquatics Centre. And I am loving it.

There is such a great vibe around the site, everyone has a smile on their face, and the world's greatest athletes are coming to compete in an event that has been in the making for seven years.

 

Yes, it is very very commercial, yes there is going to be a lot of traffic (althought it has been really easy getting to work each morning so far), yes there was all that security fuck-up, but the sun is shining, WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST CELEBRATE AND HAVE FUN! Rather than do what us Brits all do best, moan!

 

Will keep you all update with goings on in the park, pics etc. but I agree with @Tales, we should have a dedicated Olympic forum!

[Shorty]

You're not in charge of flag displays at Hampden are you? Cos if so, I have some bad news....

[Charlie]

Someone else said (sorry - can't remember who!) that they're looking forward to watching sporting events that they never usually watch.

 

This is why I LOVE the Olympics. There are loads of different sports to watch that you never usually get a chance to watch. I'll be watching as much as possible because I love sport. Especially interested in:

• Diving
  
• Swimming
  
• Keirin cycling
  
• General Track Cycling
  
• Triple Jump
  
• Table tennis
  
• Badminton