Beijing Olympics 2008

[Meg 368]

That is a great picture, beebs.  The look on his face and his body language says "Yo! My shoe is untied!"    If I had an untied shoe, I'd "coast" too!

I am very happy that Michael Phelps successfully went 8 for 8.      My homeboy did good!

I remember when Mark Spitz got 7 golds.  People thought that would never be equaled or beaten. 

I continue to be happy about how the "old" folks are doing at the games.

The women's marathon was won by a 38  year old.

 At age 41, Dara Torres won two silver medals in less than an hour.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: SkiGeek That is a great picture, beebs.  The look on his face and his body language says "Yo! My shoe is untied!"    If I had an untied shoe, I'd "coast" too!

I am very happy that Michael Phelps successfully went 8 for 8.      My homeboy did good!

I remember when Mark Spitz got 7 golds.  People thought that would never be equaled or beaten. 

I continue to be happy about how the "old" folks are doing at the games.

The women's marathon was won by a 38  year old.

 At age 41, Dara Torres won two silver medals in less than an hour.quote>

 

41 and compeating at that level is incredible

Hopefully Mr Phelps will be a better spokesman for swiming then Mr Spitz was.

[Aontan 0]

Minority ethnic groups used in Games' opening were fake

CLIFFORD COONAN in Beijing

Sat, Aug 16, 2008

FAKE FIREWORKS, fake singers and now fake ethnic minorities. Beijing Olympics organisers have admitted that children from China's dominant Han population were used in the opening ceremony last week, not youngsters from all 56 ethnic groups as previously claimed.

The news brings the issue of China's treatment of the minority ethnic groups within its borders back into sharp relief, following accusations that Beijing has sought to drown out dissenting voices from different ethnic groups during the Games.

The Han ethnic group accounts for more than 90 per cent of China's 1.3 billion people and is the dominant cultural group.

The 56 children who carried out the Chinese flag in a moment intended to showcase national harmony were all Han Chinese, but organisers played down the significance of using Han children to represent China's ethnic diversity.

"It is typical for Chinese performers to wear different apparel from different ethnic groups," said Wang Wei, spokesman for the organisers.

"There is nothing special about it. They will wear different apparel to signify people are friendly and happy together."

Organisers often use Han Chinese instead of the genuine ethnic groups in national displays to avoid any spontaneous outbursts of independence.

Meanwhile, Tibetan rights campaigners yesterday staged a protest in Beijing when they abseiled down one of the capital's iconic landmarks to unfurl a "Free Tibet" banner over the top of an Olympic Games banner.

The Students for a Free Tibet group said that five of their members - three Americans, a Briton and a Canadian - were involved in the action at the CCTV headquarters, which was designed by the famous Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

All five were later expelled from China.

© 2008 The Irish Times

quote>

...I'm starting to wonder if the ceremony was even in Beijing.

[Za 164]

We also gotta remember Jason Lezak, the hero against the French in the first medley relay and the Aussies in the last one.

[Meg 368]

The 56 children who carried out the Chinese flag in a moment intended to showcase national harmony were all Han Chinese, but organisers played down the significance of using Han children to represent China's ethnic diversity. quote>

 

Well, this shows that the Chinese government knows how to spin doctor.   As I recall, the children were said to "represent" the 56 ethnic groups, not that they were actually members of the 56 ethnic groups.    Like a lot of spin doctoring, it's pretty lame.

  

"It is typical for Chinese performers to wear different apparel from different ethnic groups," said Wang Wei, spokesman for the organisers. quote>

I suppose the same could be said of actors in Hollywood.  Naveen Andrews is a Brit of Indian origin who plays an Iraqi on LOST.

Thing is, Naveen Andrews is an actor and everyone knows he is playing a role.   It was implied that the children in the opening ceremony were playing themselves.

"There is nothing special about it. They will wear different apparel to signify people are friendly and happy together."

Organisers often use Han Chinese instead of the genuine ethnic groups in national displays to avoid any spontaneous outbursts of independence.quote>

  

If everyone is so friendly and happy together, why is there the need to avoid any spontaneous outbursts of independence?

 

Originally posted by: Za

We also gotta remember Jason Lezak, the hero against the French in the first medley relay and the Aussies in the last one.quote>

Definitely.    After the 7th and 8th golds, Michael Phelps readily admitted he was at a loss for words.   (He looked pretty stunned to me.)   But he did repeatedly thank his teammates and recognized that it would not have been possible without them.  Have to give him credit for that.

[belfastuniguy 18]

United Kingdom now third in the medal table after a fabulous weekend TEAM GB!!!

This list was last updated after the completion of all day nine events.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China (CHN)	35	13	13	61
2	United States (USA)	19	21	25	65
3	Great Britain (GBR)	11	6	8	25
4	Germany (GER)	9	6	6	21
5	Australia (AUS)	8	10	11	29
6	South Korea (KOR)	8	9	5	22
7	Japan (JPN)	8	5	7	20
8	Russia (RUS)	7	12	12	31
9	Italy (ITA)	6	6	6	18
10	Ukraine (UKR)	5	3	6	14
11	France (FRA)	4	9	12	25
12	Romania (ROU)	4	1	3	8
13	Spain (ESP)	3	2	1	6
14	Slovakia (SVK)	3	1	0	4
15	Netherlands (NED)	2	4	4	10
16	Poland (POL)	2	3	1	6
17	Czech Republic (CZE)	2	3	0	5
18	Jamaica (JAM)	2	2	0	4
19	Canada (CAN)	2	1	4	7
20	North Korea (PRK)	2	1	3	6
21	New Zealand (NZL)	2	1	2	5
22	Ethiopia (ETH)	2	1	0	3
23	Switzerland (SUI)	2	0	3	5
24	Georgia (GEO)	2	0	1	3
25	Cuba (CUB)	1	3	4	8
25	Kazakhstan (KAZ)	1	3	4	8
27	Zimbabwe (ZIM)	1	3	0	4
28	Azerbaijan (AZE)	1	2	2	5
29	Norway (NOR)	1	2	1	4
30	Indonesia (INA)	1	1	3	5
31	Slovenia (SLO)	1	1	2	4
32	Bulgaria (BUL)	1	1	1	3
32	Finland (FIN)	1	1	1	3
34	Mongolia (MGL)	1	1	0	2
35	Brazil (BRA)	1	0	4	5
36	Denmark (DEN)	1	0	3	4
37	Cameroon (CMR)	1	0	0	1
37	India (IND)	1	0	0	1
37	Thailand (THA)	1	0	0	1
37	Tunisia (TUN)	1	0	0	1
41	Hungary (HUN)	0	4	1	5
42	Belarus (BLR)	0	3	7	10
43	Sweden (SWE)	0	3	0	3

quote>

[Za 164]

SkiGeek: I had a feeling I might see that quote by Torres in your sig. soon

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Za

SkiGeek: I had a feeling I might see that quote by Torres in your sig. soon quote>

It's a great quote, don't ya think? 

 

[Easy Bakes 253]

Originally posted by: SkiGeek

Originally posted by: Za

SkiGeek: I had a feeling I might see that quote by Torres in your sig. soon quote>

It's a great quote, don't ya think? 

 quote>

 

So you trying out for 2012 then  Ski? 

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Easy Bakes

So you trying out for 2012 then  Ski? 

quote>

Sure, sign me up.  

[Za 164]

Great job to Johnson and Liukin on silver and bronze...

I kinda felt bad for Pavlova (Russian) on the vault getting that 0 for going too early, and also for Sacramone when that North Korean and Chinese girl beat her out despite them either going out of bounds or falling. Good to hear Korolyi critisize the judging, though.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: hamsterTK

Seriously I've always wanted to see some athletes from a place like Nigeria just come in and kick butt. You know, as the underdogs.quote>

Well, so far . . .

- Jamaica swept the women's 100m.  and took the gold in the men's 100m

- Togo won it's first medal.  a bronze in canoe.

- Tunisia won it's first swimming medal:  a gold in men's 1500m freestyle

- Zimbabwe won 1 gold and 3 silver, all in swimming

- Mongolia won a gold in judo and a silver in shooting

- Cameroon won a gold in women's triple jump

- Indonesia won 1 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze  (weightlifting and badminton)

and, as expected . . .

- Ethiopia did well in the 10,000m:  1 gold for the women; 1 gold, 1 silver for the men

[Za 164]

- Jamaica swept the women's 100m.  and took the gold in the men's 100mquote>

But isn't Jamaica usually good at that? Track is what they focus on...along with bobsledding

[Hampi 54]

Today is the High Jump final!

And I really hope that the Swedish high jumper Stefan Holm takes the gold medal!

[beebs 129]

Originally posted by: Za

- Jamaica swept the women's 100m.  and took the gold in the men's 100mquote>

But isn't Jamaica usually good at that? Track is what they focus on...along with bobsledding quote>

I believe that was their first gold ever in the 100m.

[Za 164]

Really? I suppose I was just thinking short and medium distance in general.

What did you all think about that tie-breaker in women's gym. last night?

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Za

What did you all think about that tie-breaker in women's gym. last night?quote>

My reaction is 

It makes no sense to me.    I know the old scoring system had its flaws, which is one reason we have a new scoring system.  but that tie-breaker makes no sense that I can see.

[Za 164]

Well, a least Johnson got her gold, and Liukin's got more medals than her father. I think we had 8 medals and China *only* had 5 in women's gymnastics, so Bela said, the US is still a power.

Edit: whoa, that was a little scary. Why'd I put a "like" in front of "Bela"?

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Za

Well, a least Johnson got her gold, and Liukin's got more medls than her father. quote>

That was nice to see.    The men's team missed the Hamm brothers but Jonathan Horton got the silver on the high bar, which was cool.

Random thoughts and questions:

-  Trampoline?  Didn’t know that was an Olympic sport.  I guess it’s like diving only they bounce instead of splashing?  It would have been interesting to see it.

-  Why is the Australian team wearing green and yellow?  I keep thinking they are from Brazil.

 -  Why did we start naming baby girls Shawn?    The gymnast isn’t the only one I know of but I don’t know what started the trend. 

-  When did the athletes start carrying backpacks around?  It makes sense; I just don’t remember seeing it before.

   

-  Laser radial?  We won a gold medal in Laser Radial?  I don’t even know what it is.   Apparently it’s some kind of sailing.    That doesn’t help much.

[Za 164]

SkiGeek:

1. Trampoline is a little different: Check this out

3. Apparently around 16 years ago

As for your other queries, I'm not sure...

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: Za

1. Trampoline is a little different: Check this out quote>

Cool    

If people do that off the diving board and the gymnastic equipment (and, to a lesser extent, the half-pipe), no reason that can't do it on a trampoline.  I believe the divers and gymnasts train on trampolines at some point.

3. Apparently around 16 years ago quote>

   That was when.  I'm wondering why.  

When I was a kid, Shawn was strictly a male name.  But then, it used to be that Ashley was strictly a male name.  (see Gone with the Wind, for instance.)

Sometimes name trends can be tied to a specific person.  For instance, there were a lot of Jacquilines born in the early 60s due to the popularity of Jacky Kennedy.  Other times, people just decide to start naming their daughters Madison for no reason. 

Oh well, these things go in cycles and it's off topic to this thread.

Getting back on point, they should show the gymnastic exhibition this evening.  I always enjoy that because they aren't trying to follow strict rules; they just do what they can do for fun, including some moves that aren't allowed in competition.

On the "smaller countries winning medals" front:

-  Bahrain has a gold medal in the men's 1500m

-  Panama has a gold medal in men's long jump

-  Kenya has 8 medals, 2 of them gold, in various track and field events

Did you hear about the suits for the Spanish synchronized swimming team?  The suits have been banned because they have embedded lights.  

I have to admit that is one sport that I don't get.  I guess it makes as much sense as some other things but it always leaves me wondering what the heck they are doing.

[belfastuniguy 18]

In other news, Afghanistan has won it first ever Olympic medal

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news;_ylt=AqenITL1b7Uj57kjJbXrIKkGqZp4?slug=ap-afghanistansmedal&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Easy Bakes 253]

USA Womans Softball loses to Japan 3-1 for Silver.

[krbe 193]

Originally posted by: SkiGeek Why did we start naming baby girls Shawn?    The gymnast isn’t the only one I know of but I don’t know what started the trend. quote>

Ask the Cubans what they think of their athlete's names

[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>

Right now, during the mens 10m platform diving, that site is refreshing itself as the scores come in.

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/CIS/DV/DVM002201.shtml#DVM002201

It only works when it's in "Live Result" mode but it's cool to watch 

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Wow, Cuba.  You're all class.

[toxicpiano 125]

lol Boris Johnson took the flag

[Meg 368]

Well, the Games have closed.   I have to admit that I won’t think of China again the same way.  Which I guess is part of the point.  Most people here don’t remember China being a closed country.  Back then, it was pretty much unknown what was going on in there.  Kind of like how North Korea is now.  Just not a lot of two way communication. 

So it was rather amazing to see so many foreigners wandering around in there and the scenic tours of the area.   Just following one of the marathon races, you could see more of China then we could the first few decades of my life.

I think the coverage we got back here was much better than in years past.   We saw more of what was happening and less useless background.  It’s been impossible to cover it all for a while now.  It’s gotten to the point where is nearly impossible to cover all of the highlights.

Natalie Coughlin won 6 medals:  1 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronzes.  Except for one guy, no one else in any sport won more medals.   She now has 11 career medals.  But she got overshadowed and her name was barely mentioned.  The Lopez siblings -- Mark, Steven, and Diana -- all won a medal.  Probably the first time that’s happened but they hardly got mentioned either.  I hope they got some time on the online streaming video.  I didn’t keep up with everything on there.

Now that it’s over, it’s time to have some fun with statistics.  (yeah, I’m a geek but we all knew that   )

First, here is the top of the official standings in the medals count:

(Full chart is here  I’m trying to save space since these charts are long)

Number Crunching Exercise # 1:  Ever wonder what the medal count would look like if all of the former Soviet states were still counted as one country?  

I took the numbers for the Russian Federation and added those from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.   Would have added any from Turkmenistan but they didn’t win any.  

The top of those results are here:

(Full chart is here.)

I haven't decided if I'm surprised or not.  This is what things used to look like.  But it appears that the "Soviet sports machine" (as we used to call it) is operating in some form.

Number Crunching Exercise # 2:  How did each country do per capita? 

I first saw a chart like this an Olympics or two ago and was reminded of it during a conversation with abcvs, one of our resident Kiwi.  He commented that New Zealand’s medal count didn’t sound all that impressive but it was really pretty good for such a small nation (paraphrasing there).    So I did per capita chart. 

The numbers here look a little funky since medals don’t come in fractions.  What I did was take the medal count for each nation and divide it by the population of that nation, in millions. 

Here is the top of that chart (I don’t think anyone will be surprised who came in first):

(Full chart is here)

As abcvs was saying, New Zealand did very well.

[Deathtoall 28]

Anyone else see the Men's 10M diving? The Australian got 4 10's! Olympic record and prevented a Chinese clean-sweep in Diving! His dive was incredible!

Ski- Australia competes in Green and Gold. We have for over 50 years. I don't know why really. Look at our Rugby teams, Football/Soccer, in fact most teams sports. Except Cricket which is White with a green cap.

[Za 164]

Well the closing "party" (as they were calling it) was quite a show itself, but I'd have to say the opening ceremony was a slightly more extravagent. Apparently no one told Johnson to button his jacket when he went out to recieve the flag. Oh well, only have to wait 18 months for Vancouver