Beijing Olympics 2008

[BurroDiablo 222]

Congrats to Nicole Cooke who Won GB's First Gold!

Wait... thats our only medal? lol

Surprised to see China at the top... I know the guys on the BBC said China was gonna win more than any other country but I thought they were just being generously optimistic.

[Za 164]

Gosh, US not off to an optimal start in women's gymnastics. Oh well, we still have a good chance to do well. China sure is a powerhouse, though...

Let's hope our swimmers bring some nice, shiny gold or silver home tonight

Edit: great job to Magnuson on her first Olympics! Just thought I'd say that...

[cheese91 9]

I was sad to see the US Women's gymnastics team do fairly poorly today. Granted, they still did well overall, but they made a few major mistakes (going out of the square during floor routines, which happened twice...falling backwards on the landing of what would have been a flawless performance...etc.).

I do have to say, though, Shawn Johnson's routine on the beam was absolutely incredible.

Ah well, hopefully they'll perform a bit better later on in the games. As Za mentioned, there's still time.

Oh, and I was also impressed with the US Men's basketball team today...they were so sick. (That's a good thing )

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: El Burro

Congrats to Nicole Cooke who Won GB's First Gold!

Wait... thats our only medal? lol

quote>

Well, one of your swimmers just beat one of our swimmers by  8/100th of a second or some such thing.

And the French relay team -- which was going to "smash" the American relay team -- just lost by similar margin.

Trash talk backfires. 

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: SkiGeek

Originally posted by: El Burro

Congrats to Nicole Cooke who Won GB's First Gold!

Wait... thats our only medal? lol

quote>

Well, one of your swimmers just beat one of our swimmers by  8/100th of a second or some such thing.

And the French relay team -- which was going to "smash" the American relay team -- just lost by similar margin.

Trash talk backfires. quote>

That is why I don't trash talk my opponents; if your mouth is bigger than your game, you look stupid.

On a different note, I saw NBC's highlights of the Olympic opening ceremony.  I guess I'm the only one that wasn't impressed by the performance and thinks any nation could do that well.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: hym

That is why I don't trash talk my opponents; if your mouth is bigger than your game, you look stupid.quote>

Very true.   When people start trash talking, it usually winds up posted in the other team's locker room for inspiration.   It's a way to shoot yourself in the foot.  That's what happened here.

On a different note, I saw NBC's highlights of the Olympic opening ceremony.  I guess I'm the

 only one that wasn't impressed by the performance and thinks any nation could do that well.quote>

Well, I have no clue what it takes to impress you.  Maybe just seeing highlights didn't bring the full effect.  That ceremony rocked.

I agree with 91 and Za: the US Women's gymnastics team got off to a very rough start.  There seemed to be four of them instead of six.  Did their alternates not make the trip?   or are the keeping the injured two on the team for specific events?   I missed that part.

I know the third alternate for the US Men's gymnastics team is there.   The first two alternates got on the team when the Hamm brothers withdrew due to injury.  Which means that none of the team has Olympic experience. 

Glad to see my homeboy win another gold medal 

and I was glad to see Oksana Chusovitina do well.  She's 31 years old; her first Olympics was on the "Unified Team".  (After the Soviet Union collapsed, there wasn't enough time to reorganize the teams into the various countries so they competed under the Olympic flag while being called the Unified Team.   I felt kinda bad for them.  I remember Viktor Petrenko winning a gold medal, looking at the flag, listening to Olympic anthem, all with a wth look on his face.)

Anyway, enough with the history lesson . . . this 31 year old.  She was on that team back then but has since become a German citizen (because her son had leukemia but that's another story) but she is competing with these teenagers.  and she made it through the qualifying round.

Dara Torres and Oksana Chusovitina.  Gotta love 'em 

[beebs 129]

Canada's still working on getting its first medal. But the Olympics have been relatively successful for us so far regardless... we've set about 10 new Canadian records in swimming alone and I believe and most of our guys are doing personal bests. Not much more you can ask for, really.

[Za 164]

SkiGeek: The one who broke her ankle first (Memmel) is only doing uneven bars, I believe. The one who broke something at the end of practice yesterday (Peszek) is also only doing the bars as far as I know. (And did a surprisingly steady dismount) Apparently even her mom didn't know that she wasn't competing in the rest of the events until the "performance."

Edit: I was just looking at the site you posted a while back and found a section where they rank all the gymnists based on their scores so far, and was pleasently surprised to see that Johnson and Liukin were 1 and 2.

Edit no.2: For anyone who's interested, the colon after "USA" in my sig. is a link to the official Beijing 2008 site

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: beebs

Canada's still working on getting its first medal. But the Olympics have been relatively successful for us so far regardless... we've set about 10 new Canadian records in swimming alone and I believe and most of our guys are doing personal bests. Not much more you can ask for, really.quote>

True.   In that last relay race the top five finishers beat the previous world record.   That has to be disappointing:  to go the Olympics, beat the world record, and come in fifth.

Originally posted by: Za

SkiGeek: The one who broke her ankle first (Memmel) is only doing uneven bars, I believe. The one who broke something at the end of practice yesterday (Peszek) is also only doing the bars as far as I know. (And did a surprisingly steady dismount) quote>

That seems odd to me, to have two gymnasts that are only doing one event.  I imagine the alternates are not happy with that decision.

Edit: I was just looking at the site you posted a while back and found a section where they rank all the gymnists based on their scores so far, and was pleasently surprised to see that Johnson and Liukin were 1 and 2. quote>

I like that site.  You can look at it by schedule, by medals, by team, by event.  Whoever is maintaining it is doing a good job.

I found another one [link] :

Finland got its first Summer Games gold medal since 2000 when Satu Makela-Nummela, a 36-year-old mother of two, took the women's trap shooting title. quote>

Who says the Games are only for teenagers  

[Za 164]

That seems odd to me, to have two gymnasts that are only doing one event.  I imagine the alternates are not happy with that decision.quote>

I imagine not

I like that site.  You can look at it by schedule, by medals, by team, by event.  Whoever is maintaining it is doing a good job.quote>

Yes, it seems to update within seconds of the event. (yep, I'm nerd enough to sit here waiting to update my sig.   

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Za

I like that site.  You can look at it by schedule, by medals, by team, by event.  Whoever is maintaining it is doing a good job.quote>

Yes, it seems to update within seconds of the event. (yep, I'm nerd enough to sit here waiting to update my sig.   

quote>

A guy after my own heart  .  I'm nerd enough to set a few VCRs to record the prime time action since I'll miss some of it while I'm at the beach.  (The beach trip has been temporarily delayed due to a major crash on the Chesapeake Bay bridge.  We might have to go around the long way.)

[belfastuniguy 18]

The entire result post is not displaying, must be too long. Oh well have to make do then with the medal table

Absolutely fabulous news about Rebecca Adlington in the 400m freestyle, the first Gold for British women's Olympic Swimming in 48 years, and with a very good chance of a second in her strongest event, the 800m freestyle.  GO TEAM GB!!!

BBC RESULTS PAGE

Olympics

Medals table

Monday, 11 August 2008 14:31 UK

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	TOTAL
1	China	9	3	2	14
2	South Korea	4	4	0	8
3	USA	3	4	5	12
4	Italy	3	3	2	8
5	Australia	2	0	3	5
6	Japan	2	0	2	4
7	Great Britain	2	0	1	3
8	Czech Republic	2	0	0	2
9	Netherlands	1	1	1	3
10	Finland	1	0	1	2
11	Spain	1	0	1	2
12	Azerbaijan	1	0	0	1
13	India	1	0	0	1
14	Romania	1	0	0	1
15	Thailand	1	0	0	1
16	Russia	0	4	2	6
17	France	0	3	2	5
18	Dem P Rep Korea	0	1	3	4
19	Cuba	0	1	1	2
20	Germany	0	1	1	2
21	Austria	0	1	0	1
22	Colombia	0	1	0	1
23	Hungary	0	1	0	1
24	Norway	0	1	0	1
25	Slovakia	0	1	0	1
26	Sweden	0	1	0	1
27	Turkey	0	1	0	1
28	Vietnam	0	1	0	1
29	Zimbabwe	0	1	0	1
30	Brazil	0	0	2	2
31	Indonesia	0	0	2	2
32	Algeria	0	0	1	1
33	Argentina	0	0	1	1
34	Belarus	0	0	1	1
35	Chinese Taipei	0	0	1	1
36	Croatia	0	0	1	1
37	Georgia	0	0	1	1
38	Switzerland	0	0	1	1
39	Tajikistan	0	0	1	1
40	Uzbekistan	0	0	1	1

quote>

[zane900 1]

Last night's 100 x 4 relay was fantastic. And now that Michael Phelps has successfully completed his two most precarious events, he has all the momentum necessary to best Spitz's record for most golds in a single Olympiad.

To be perfectly frank with you bunch, I'm excited.

[Za 164]

I'm excited too; tonight should be good. We've got some good swimming events coming up...

[Hampi 54]

Can't say anything other than Michael Phelps is amazing!

And 5 teams beat the old world record, sad for my country Sweden that they didn't got a medal even if they broke the world record :/

[Red1530 1]

Originally posted by: Hampi Can't say anything other than Michael Phelps is amazing!

And 5 teams beat the old world record, sad for my country Sweden that they didn't got a medal even if they broke the world record :/quote>

What a race.  I liked how the US Team made the French team eat their words.

[Sam 163]

Germany has narrowly beaten Australia for gold in the teams equestrian three day event. Australia silver, Great Britain bronze. It went down to the wire. Go Aussies!

[Tia-may 0]

It is worth noting that Britain has been getting a medal rush because of the excitement leading to London 2012.

[belfastuniguy 18]

It is worth noting that Britain has been getting a medal rush because of the excitement leading to London 2012.quote>

Do explain further.

China Olympic ceremony star mimed

By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing

Yang Peiyi (L) had the perfect voice, but Lin Miaoke had the perfect face

A pretty girl who won national fame after singing at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was only miming.

Wearing a red dress and pigtails, Lin Miaoke charmed a worldwide audience with a rendition of "Ode to the Motherland".

But the singer was Yang Peiyi, who was not allowed to appear because she is not as "flawless" as nine-year-old Lin.

The show's musical director said Lin was used because it was in the best interests of the country.

The revelation follows news that a fireworks display used during the opening ceremony was apparently faked.

'Smiling angel'

Speaking on Beijing Radio station, musical director Chen Qigang said the organisers needed a girl with both a good image and a good voice.

Lin Miaoke performs at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games

They faced a dilemma because although Lin was prettier, seven-year-old Yang had the better voice, Mr Chen said.

"After several tests, we decided to put Lin Miaoke on the live picture, while using Yang Peiyi's voice," he told the radio station.

"The reason for this is that we must put our country's interest first," he added.

"The girl appearing on the picture must be flawless in terms of her facial expression and the great feeling she can give to people."

Singer Lin, who is being called the "smiling angel", has already become a media celebrity because of her performance.

She told state-run China Daily that she felt "beautiful" in the red dress she wore during the performance.

Her dad told the newspaper that she already had fans all over the country.

According to Chinese news reports, Yang said she did not regret the decision, saying she was satisfied to have had her voice featured in the opening ceremony.

This is the second "fake" story about the opening ceremony

Viewers around the world saw a display in which 29 firework "footprints" travelled across Beijing from south to north.

But a senior official from the Beijing organising committee (Bocog) confirmed on Tuesday that footage of the display had been produced before the big night.

This was provided to broadcasters for "convenience and theatrical effects", according to Wang Wei, Bocog's executive vice-president.

"Because of poor visibility, some previously recorded footage may have been used," he told a daily press conference.quote>

Empty Olympic seats cause concern

By Michael Bristow BBC News, Beijing

In a number of events, clumps of empty seats have been visible

Chinese officials have admitted that they are concerned about the lack of spectators at some Olympic events.

They have hired volunteers, dressed in yellow shirts, to fill up empty venues and improve the atmosphere inside.

But Wang Wei, a senior official with the Beijing organising committee (Bocog), said other Olympics had experienced similar problems.

The comments came after spectators and journalists noticed that certain venues were far from full, even though all events are sold out.

Weather?

Speaking at a daily press briefing, Mr Wang said: "We are also concerned about this not full stadium [issue]."

There were heaps of empties, it's sickening Judo spectator

He said a number of factors had contributed to this, including the hot and humid weather in Beijing, as well as the rain.

Mr Wang said some spectators were also only turning up for specific events, even though they had tickets for a whole session.

"For competitions like beach volleyball and basketball, [spectators] have one ticket for the whole afternoon, morning, evening," he explained.

"They may choose to go to one of them, but not all them."

Mr Wang, executive vice-president of Bocog, said local authorities were hiring volunteers to fill empty seats.

MIHIR BOSE BLOG The authorities' response appears to have been to bus people to certain events BBC sports editor Mihir Bose

"If they find that there are not enough people, or if they find that there are too many empty seats, they organise some cheerleaders," he said.

These cheer for both sides to "create a good atmosphere", he added.

Although some events are full - such as Sunday's clash between the men's basketball teams from China and the United States - others have been less well attended.

Corporate sponsors

These include sessions of judo, badminton and water polo.

"There were heaps of empties. It's sickening," said one spectator who went to the judo expecting to see a full house.

There were even a number of empty seats at the opening ceremony on Friday.

One reason for less-than-full venues could be that seats allocated to corporate sponsors are not being used.

Many of these tickets are handed out the night before events take place, sometimes too late for those who get them to attend, according to someone with access to these tickets. quote>

Olympics

Medals table

Tuesday, 12 August 2008 16:59 UK

Rank	Country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	TOTAL
1	China	13	3	4	20
2	USA	7	7	8	22
3	South Korea	5	6	1	12
4	Germany	4	1	1	6
5	Italy	3	4	2	9
6	Australia	3	2	5	10
7	Japan	3	1	2	6
8	Russia	2	4	3	9
9	Great Britain	2	1	3	6
10	Czech Republic	2	0	0	2
11	Dem P Rep Korea	1	2	4	7
12	Azerbaijan	1	2	0	3
13	Netherlands	1	1	2	4
14	Slovakia	1	1	0	2
15	Finland	1	0	1	2
16	Romania	1	0	1	2
17	Spain	1	0	1	2
18	India	1	0	0	1
19	Thailand	1	0	0	1
20	France	0	7	2	9
21	Zimbabwe	0	2	0	2
22	Austria	0	1	1	2
23	Cuba	0	1	1	2
24	Kazakhstan	0	1	1	2
25	Colombia	0	1	0	1
26	Hungary	0	1	0	1
27	Norway	0	1	0	1
28	Sweden	0	1	0	1
29	Turkey	0	1	0	1
30	Vietnam	0	1	0	1
31	Brazil	0	0	3	3
32	Armenia	0	0	2	2
33	Chinese Taipei	0	0	2	2
34	Indonesia	0	0	2	2
35	Algeria	0	0	1	1
36	Argentina	0	0	1	1
37	Belarus	0	0	1	1
38	Croatia	0	0	1	1
39	Georgia	0	0	1	1
40	Kyrgyzstan	0	0	1	1
41	Mexico	0	0	1	1
42	Switzerland	0	0	1	1
43	Tajikistan	0	0	1	1
44	Togo	0	0	1	1
45	Ukraine	0	0	1	1
46	Uzbekistan	0	0	1	1

quote>

[hym 358]

So, China has basically cheated on the opening ceremony twice now? Way to treat the Olympics with dignity, China.

And why is that medals table above me not ranked according to earned medals?  The US has more medals than China, but China is in first rank.

[Goldfish4209 9]

Originally posted by: hym

On a different note, I saw NBC's highlights of the Olympic opening ceremony.  I guess I'm the only one that wasn't impressed by the performance and thinks any nation could do that well.quote>

The NBC coverage actually kind of sucked. They cut out alot of stuff (including whole acts, speeches, and a ton of interesting stuff) and replaced it with enough commercials to drown a fish. It was ridiculous.

This is why we have the chinese and korean channels.

And how exactly do you cheat with fireworks? Put up a (yet another) giant screen and show pictures of fireworks?

[Za 164]

And why is that medals table above me not ranked according to earned medals?  The US has more medals than China, but China is in first rank. quote>

 

It's ranked by value of the medals; quality rather than quantity, my friend 

So, who here thinks Phelps is going to break the record tonight? I hope the women's gymnastics team does well too...

[beebs 129]

Originally posted by: hym So, China has basically cheated on the opening ceremony twice now? Way to treat the Olympics with dignity, China.

And why is that medals table above me not ranked according to earned medals?  The US has more medals than China, but China is in first rank. quote>

They're sorted by gold medals won. Which seems to be how most news sites/wikipedia, etc. and the official Beijing 2008 site orders them.

[hym 358]

Originally posted by: beebs

Originally posted by: hym So, China has basically cheated on the opening ceremony twice now? Way to treat the Olympics with dignity, China.

And why is that medals table above me not ranked according to earned medals?  The US has more medals than China, but China is in first rank. quote>

They're sorted by gold medals won. Which seems to be how most news sites/wikipedia, etc. and the official Beijing 2008 site orders them.quote>

Yeah, I noticed that shortly after making the comment.  Seems a bit strange to me, but I don't govern the Olympics either.

[Za 164]

Gosh, not an incredible performance in gymnastics but it seems right now we've got silver... Maybe we'll do better in the individuals

Congrats to Phelps on his 11 medals!

[krbe 193]

Originally posted by: hym And why is that medals table above me not ranked according to earned medals?  The US has more medals than China, but China is in first rank. quote>

Because no one remember second place.

[hym 358]

Which is understandable. It's not the first time I've had a beef with the way people measure stuff. (But then, I value things others don't care about and vice versa.)

[your_adress_here 11]

Canada is still medal-less...

We're gonna have a lot of ass kicking to do in 2010.

[belfastuniguy 18]

We're gonna have a lot of ass kicking to do in 2010.quote>

To be more precise in London 2012 as 2010 are winter games.

[your_adress_here 11]

I meant what I said.