Olympic Games.. What a shame

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by AdrianF

As far as I am concerned they are all winners by just being selected for the Olympics win or not win

Adrian

I agree To just make the Aussie Olympic team is incredible and something to be proud of.

Mike

[marc4darkskies (Marcus)]

Yeah, I think the half witted media commentators & reporters have a lot to answer for! "Oh what a shame we only got silver/bronze ..." ..."want went wrong" ... sheeze!!!!! And just look at the "medal tally" too ... only gold seems to count!!!? What??!

I've been watching the Foxtel coverage. It's quite good actually - you get to choose what event to watch from 8 channels and you're not restricted to watching only Australians competing. Been watching a lot of weight lifting because I like the fact that it's more a personal battle with the weights and the great thing is the spectators & commentators get behind everybody - even / especially when they try hard and fail.

Cheers, Marcus

PS: Hey RB and H - you're missing a lot of good science documentaries

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

Been watching a lot of weight lifting because I like the fact that it's more a personal battle with the weights and the great thing is the spectators & commentators get behind everybody - even / especially when they try hard and fail.

Cheers, Marcus

I like the individual events most too, especially the weightlifting and field athletics...and I'm jealous, I have no Fox

Mike

[AndrewJ]

Gday Grant

Judging by most of the comments on this thread - people are looking at a few top athletes in a couple of sports and judging all other athletes and sports by them

My comments arent meant to judge the athletes or their achievements, its about the way big business and money now appears to be "actively" running it all.

And yet fencing is one of the few sports to be in every Olympics since 1896. There is still some tradition!

I agree, many "old" sports are still there, but ask yourself this.
If fencing wasnt in the olympics now, do you think it would get admitted as a new sport???

Andrew

And i hear on the radio this morning that even badminton isnt safe from "tanking". What next

[Baddad (Marty)]

I'm not entering into the Olympic Spirit issue. I have Foxtel and am enjoying it for what is presented.

Marcus, you are right. There are several science programs that appear on Foxtel. Very interesting presentations.

Cheers

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Originally Posted by MrB

Events come and go with the generations.

Bring back the tug-of-war I say. Strongmanmike, an event you'd be perfect for as the anchor for Australia, .

Other past events included Power Boating, Rugby, Cricket, and Golf. Just for interests sake, past Olympic sports. Some have even made a comeback, softball and baseball!

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by mental4astro

Bring back the tug-of-war I say. Strongmanmike, an event you'd be perfect for as the anchor for Australia,

Yeh as long as it was held at night and I could still sit at my control desk and drink beer while I image at the same time

[traveller (Bo)]

They also used live pigeons for the shooting in 1900, before someone realised clay targets are more predictable...
http://www.topendsports.com/events/d...onshooting.htm
And, Australia won a Bronze in that event!

[Matt Wastell (Matt)]

The winning at all cost mentality (media and public) has put me off the Olympics.
I heard a sports presenter on Ch 9 refer to Cadel Evens' Tour de France as Tour de Failure.
What hope do we have when such dribble is fed to the public (who seem to believe everything they hear!).

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by marc4darkskies

PS: Hey RB and H - you're missing a lot of good science documentaries

Nah Marcus.... I know all there is to know.

[ausastronomer (John Bambury)]

Originally Posted by iceman

The channel 9 coverage is woeful

.

Thats being very generous to channel 9. They have missed telescasting several major events where Australia was represented, including swimming races. Where it got hilarious is when we then spend 15 minutes watching a beach volleyball game on Australian Television between Germany and Mauritius. Now one of the German Girls was absolutely stunning, but that isn't what the Olympics is about for me. I want to watch Australians competing at the highest level and hopefully winning Gold Medals, not Silver or Bronze.

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

Having competed at international level agaisnt the Worlds best in a very hard demanding sport that required heavy, hard and brutal training, I completely understand some of the reactions from our Olympic competitors, particularly when interviewed straight after the event . The massive comitment that goes into getting to that level can't just be shrugged off as oh well it was a fair fight and I'm happy not winning. Unless you have experienced the total dedication both mentally and physically some of these athelets put themselves through it would be hard to relate to some of the reactions..most don't go to the Olympics to come second, simple.

Having said that, when the dust settles and composure returns, accepting a silver or broze medal becomes a little easier

Mike

I have to agree with Mike and Fred on this. When you put in the time and effort these athletes do and make the sacrifices they and their families have made to compete at this level and get to an Olympic Games and hopefully win GOLD for themselves and their Country, WINNING isn't everything, it's the ONLY THING

Cheers,
John B

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Originally Posted by taminga16

Fred,
Your avatar says it all.
Greg.

Touché

[mental4astro (Alexander)]

Originally Posted by ausastronomer

WINNING isn't everything, it's the ONLY THING

Yeah, couldn't agree more. Should make the qualification rules much tighter, no wildcard entries or sympathy entries so that all IOC member countries can send an athlete. That'll make a big difference to the appeal of the competition. No hope in hell, no ticket to compete.

Why does Australia have a volleyball team in? No hope in hell of gold, and stuff silver or bronze.

Judo, gymnastics, archery, badminton, any sport. If our teams are not ranked in the top 5 of the world we shouldn't send them.

Only exception if they are worthy eye candy and nymphomaniacs, then who cares about their ability.

Hands up if you agree! <written with his hands in his pockets>

Getting silly this thread.

[Miaplacidus (Brian)]

It's not that I can't understand how a sportsperson can be so severely cheesed at not coming first. It's just that I don't see why I'm supposed to care. (Except, of course, for that fact that if I don't care, then I'm not going to buy all the goodies taking up screenspace.)

Humans are so easily manipulated it's embarrassing.

Where's the cake? Someone said there'd be cake.

[iceman (Mike)]

Check out this olympic spirit.

http://www.businessinsider.com/eight...oaMPwA0eH6IcBv

Watch the video, hilarious.

[troypiggo (Troy)]

That's downright disgusting, Mike. Glad they were disqualified.

[Waxing_Gibbous (Peter)]

Originally Posted by blink138

ha ha on a side note.... just turned on to the beach volleyball (female) and besides the fetish value.... what a load of crap!
turned over to the table tennis and what a game and a contrast.... is anybody watching the female ping pong? speed, agility hand eye coordination, absolutely amazing!
pat

Actual, real beach volleyball is fun and splendid exercise.
Any pretense of this being a sport is completeley banished by the ridiculous outfits and leering camera angles.
At best its soft-core porn. Which is like light beer.
Totally agree about the Ping-Pong (an English invention according to Boris Johnson ).
Personally, I would love to see some Fencing or Archery or Weight Lifting instead of endless swimming heats.
Like that's gonna happen.

[Deeno]

On a much lighter note, here is a hilarious account of Australia's first ever Olympian, Gold medal winner and sole Australian representative of the 1896 Olympic Games!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Flack

Now that would have been worth watching...

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

In regards to the reactions we have seen from a few Olympians on tellie lattely when they didn't win, I want to share my story (briefly)

I was not an Olympian and wouldn't put myself in that league but I think my experiences give me an insight into what is going on here...

In 1999-2000 I trained methodically, brutally and with the utmost determination to try and qualify for the Worlds Strongest Man contest. I sacrificed family time and holidays and had a steely one eye view of achieving my goal - it took every fiber of my being to cope both mentally and physically with the demanding build up.

The qualifying competition the Trans Tasman Strongman Challenge was held over 3 days at The Royal Easter Show in Sydney and included athletes from both Australia and New Zealand. With 4 brutally challenging events each day it was a tough contest to say the least. In the end the points table saw a single point separating 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, it was that close. I can tell you that I was VERY dissapointed to finish in 3rd place, as only the top two were invited to compete at the Worlds Strongest Man contest for that year.

At the time I was very dejected and disappointed and I probably showed this....so to rub salt in the wound, you can imagine when about 8 weeks later I was informed by the organisers of the contest that the winner (from New Zealand) had subsequently tested positive for anabolic steroids fuuuu...I didn't even get the opportunity to stand on the silver medal spot on the podium, not to mention missing the holy grail of WSM, sooo once again I was pretty pissed

More than a decade later, I now smile at this story ... all water under the bridge... but at the time I was very disappointed and became rather depressed for a few days, not clinically and many wouldn't have noticed, but I was down .

The point here is that I have personally experienced really trying to win something through incredibly hard and even crazy physical and mental effort..and then not winning and yes, it was hard to take.

So perhaps unless you have experienced a similar sort of position maybe you can not really understand the feelings and emotions invloved when your hard work (and I mean really hard work) doesn't quite get you over the mark

Now, like most on here, I enjoy sitting outside in the cold (or heat) looking up at the universe and I can tell you it is much less strenuous, very relaxing....and probably even more rewarding ...although it can make you a bit fat

...thanks for listening

Mike

[MrB (Simon)]

Mike, thanks for sharing that. I have felt similar but definitely not to the same extent that you would have after so much time and effort.

Originally Posted by ausastronomer

Thats being very generous to channel 9. They have missed telescasting several major events where Australia was represented, including swimming races.

I'm willing to bet Foxhell had something to do with that