Olympics 2012 - London

[metallicorphan]

first gold medal for Britain in the Women's Rowing 

[metallicorphan]

Okay first off last night(Badminton)

http://www1.skysports.com/olympics/story/21792/7954098

8 players purposely hit the shuttlecock into the net so that they could get easier draws later on

In scenes of farce at Wembley Arena, a pair from China, two from South Korea and another from Indonesia seemed to want to lose in an attempt to manipulate the draw.

Four of the eight players involved were shown the black card of disqualification by the tournament referee at one point, but this was rescinded on protest. All players were booed off court by an irate crowd.

Today

http://www1.skysports.com/olympics/story/15234/7954834

All 8 have now been disqualified

The four women's doubles pairs at the centre of a match-fixing scandal at the London 2012 badminton tournament have been disqualified.

The top seeds from China, two pairs from South Korea and another from Indonesia deliberately conceded points in an apparent attempt to lose their matches and manipulate the quarter-final draw.

All eight players had been charged by the Badminton World Federation/BWF with "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport".

Some people have suggested that they haven't really done anything wrong because it does not state this in the rule book,but i guess it is still throwing the match

[zinckiwi]

Some people have suggested that they haven't really done anything wrong because it does not state this in the rule book,but i guess it is still throwing the match

I put it down to the same stuff as Blizzard's stance on exploits. At some point, explicit rules either existing or not have to give way to common sense, similar to the legal concept of a "reasonable person".

Personally, I'm delighted they're disqualified.

[PeteRock]

The USA women's gymnastics team won gold for the 1st time since 1996, and Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time last night, having now earned 19 medals to date (15 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze).  But, he may not be done just yet.   

[USMC Kato]

The USA women's gymnastics team won gold for the 1st time since 1996, and Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time last night, having now earned 19 medals to date (15 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze).  But, he may not be done just yet.   

Grats to the women's gymnastics team and Michael Phelps! Micheal is now the most decorated Olympian, but does this mean he is the greatest Olympian of all time so far? I'm not even remotely qualified to speculate who is the greatest, but IMHO the Olympians that compete in the decathalon, triathlon, or gymnastics seem to have a much harder events than swimming.

[rickfc]

The USA women's gymnastics team won gold for the 1st time since 1996, and Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time last night, having now earned 19 medals to date (15 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze).  But, he may not be done just yet.   

Grats to the women's gymnastics team and Michael Phelps! Micheal is now the most decorated Olympian, but does this mean he is the greatest Olympian of all time so far? I'm not even remotely qualified to speculate who is the greatest, but IMHO the Olympians that compete in the decathalon, triathlon, or gymnastics seem to have a much harder events than swimming.

While I do agree that there are sports/competitions that may be more difficult than "just" swimming, is there another athlete out there that has dominated their sport so soundly as he has?

[zinckiwi]

The USA women's gymnastics team won gold for the 1st time since 1996, and Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time last night, having now earned 19 medals to date (15 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze).  But, he may not be done just yet.   

Grats to the women's gymnastics team and Michael Phelps! Micheal is now the most decorated Olympian, but does this mean he is the greatest Olympian of all time so far? I'm not even remotely qualified to speculate who is the greatest, but IMHO the Olympians that compete in the decathalon, triathlon, or gymnastics seem to have a much harder events than swimming.

It irritates me that people equate medal count with success. Michael Phelps is "a swimmer". There are dozens of swimming events each Olympics. Valerie Adams is a "shot putter". There is one event per Olympics. There is no way Adams could get more than one medal in her sport. Granted, Phelps is a gifted athlete to be able to contest as many events as he does, with multiple distances and styles, but things like the relays (again, multiple distances and styles) stack the medal counts firmly in some disciplines' favour, most notably swimming.

[PeteRock]

It irritates me that people equate medal count with success. Michael Phelps is "a swimmer".

 

Yes, he is "a swimmer," the most successful swimmer in Olympic history.  I fail to see how medal count does not indicate his success and absolute domination of the sport.  

If you're arguing whether he is the best "athlete" in Olympic history, that of course is a matter of debate.  But in terms of his specialty, he has no equal.  I never suggested that he was the best athlete ever, but he is definitely the most decorated.

[wonderpug]

He's a successful swimmer, sure, but I think what zinckiwi means is that his gloriousness is a bit overblown because he happens to be an awesome athlete in a sport that happens to have a lot of medals for very similar activities. 

[leo8877]

Just watched an intense mens 100m freestyle final.  US wins gold by .01 of a second!

[The Grue]

Let's also not forget that all those medals are not from solo events.  He's lucky he has teammates that also happen to kick ass as well.  Personally, I think they should only count solo medals in this tally.

[zinckiwi]

He's a successful swimmer, sure, but I think what zinckiwi means is that his gloriousness is a bit overblown because he happens to be an awesome athlete in a sport that happens to have a lot of medals for very similar activities. 

Yes, thanks Wonderpug A javelin thrower who won gold in every Olympics for 20 straight years, and thus entirely dominated his sport, would still be sitting on a "mere" half a dozen medals. Just saying that the number won isn't the end-all, be-all of the measure of success.

[metallicorphan]

I watched him swim in team events(4x100m),maybe the day before yesterday and he was awesome,after all the bad stuff people were saying about his solo effort the day before,but USA came second as Lochte was overtaken at the end after Phelps got a decent lead when it was his turn

I know that he has said that this is to be his last Olympics,but has he got anymore events to come in this one?

[PeteRock]

He's a successful swimmer, sure, but I think what zinckiwi means is that his gloriousness is a bit overblown because he happens to be an awesome athlete in a sport that happens to have a lot of medals for very similar activities. 

Yes, thanks Wonderpug A javelin thrower who won gold in every Olympics for 20 straight years, and thus entirely dominated his sport, would still be sitting on a "mere" half a dozen medals. Just saying that the number won isn't the end-all, be-all of the measure of success.

And no one here is claiming that either.  While swimming offers more events, Phelps still had to swim in all of those events and place in them to earn his "most decorated" honor.  No one's claiming that "most decorated" = "best ever."  But to trivialize the achievement or downplay it seems ridiculous given what has been accomplished.  The media, on the other hand, will dramatize or exaggerate almost anything.

Let's also not forget that all those medals are not from solo events.  He's lucky he has teammates that also happen to kick ass as well.  Personally, I think they should only count solo medals in this tally.

Are other medals for team events any less "earned" by the individual and therefore exceptions to overall tally?  Team gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, water polo, etc?  What about track-and-field relays?  Sure, Phelps earned a number of medals as a team, but each participant earns a medal for victory.  "Most medals" does not imply "most individual medals. 

I fail to see how 19 Olympic medals can be downplayed merely because of the event or category.

[Arclight]

I still think egg on spoon races should qualify.

[kronovan]

All I want to know is how the heck does the USA manage to not dominate in the sport of shooting - thought you guys were given rifles to cuddle in your cribs?    2 golds Vs Chinas' 2 gold + 2 slivers + 1 bronze suggests far less than dominance in the sport.

As well how the heck does Great Britain manage to get shut out of Archery!? For crying out loud its your olympics and you're the nation with 1 of the greatest military victories in the histroy of warfare with that weapon. What the heck happened to all those famous Welsh archers - did you take away their bows, or perhaps convince them to trade them for barrels of ale? 

[rant]
I'm at a loss as to how my Canadian country men and women are managing to be shout out of canoeing and kayaking yet again!   With the historical importance of those vessels to our country, and the amount of leisure recreation taking place with them, there's absolutely no excuse for it. Those are sports we should be significant players in and its an embarassment we're not. I put it down mostly to the ineptness of the Canuckistan Olympic committee fro recruitment and promotion. At all of the dragon boat and bonaventure competitions I've partcipated in the past decade, I've never, and I mean NEVAR, seen any olympic offical or team member at any of them. Sheesh, talk about missed opportunities to raise some awareness and potentially recruit. Sure we compete in rowing, but Goddamit it's not enough!  
[/rant]

[wonderpug]

No one's claiming that "most decorated" = "best ever." 

People are, though, and I think they're who zincs and I are in disagreement with more than you. "He's the greatest athlete of all time!!1!!!!eleven!!!!" and all that.

I fail to see how 19 Olympic medals can be downplayed merely because of the event or category.

What about the relay races? He gets medals for those for being exactly as good as he was in other events he got medals for, but now also for being that good along with 3 other great athletes. Add relay events to rowing, and suddenly the world's best rowers have a chance at earning more medals than they would otherwise.

Imagine if there was also Olympic free throw competitions, Olympic H.O.R.S.E., Olympic 1 on 1, and Olympic trick shot competitions. Suddenly an amazing basketball player is 4 times as decorated as he previously would have been.

[GuidoTKP]

I think the people downplaying Phelps' accomplishments because he's just a "swimmer" are freakin' bonkers. While swimmers, gymnasts, and track&field athletes dominate the list of most decorated Olympic athletes, the next closest swimmer to Phelps is Mark Spitz, with 12 medals. Spitz earned his medals about 40 years ago. Two of the athletes in the top 10 earned their medals in canoeing and cross-country skiing. If Phelps was nothing special, I would fully expect the top 10 to be dominated by swimmers and for the gaps between them to be quite small. The data says exactly the opposite. In a sport that emphasizes speed, strength, and endurance, Phelps has qualified for three Olympic games. In terms of the talent and training required for swimming, all you have to do is look at their bodies to see how much training must be required for that sport.

Phelps' achievement is one for the ages. He has six more gold medals than any athlete in any sport from any point in history. Throw stones if you want; I'm just going to clap.

[PeteRock]

No one's claiming that "most decorated" = "best ever." 

People are, though, and I think they're who zincs and I are in disagreement with more than you. "He's the greatest athlete of all time!!1!!!!eleven!!!!" and all that.

I can see disagreeing with calling him the "greatest of all time," but the meh attitude toward his achievement through qualifying his medals based upon relay participation is ridiculous.

Imagine if there was also Olympic free throw competitions, Olympic H.O.R.S.E., Olympic 1 on 1, and Olympic trick shot competitions. Suddenly an amazing basketball player is 4 times as decorated as he previously would have been.

Ridiculous.  No relay event is the Olympic equivalent of H.O.R.S.E.  If you want to extend the argument to that level, substitute a lesser athlete than Phelps into any of his gold medal relay races and the result would be far from the same.  Relay races aren't unskilled events allowing for medal repetition. 

[kronovan]

Phelp's achievement in medals is outstanding and IMO no one should belittle his successes just because it was achived in the sport of swimming.

In terms of greatest Olympian ever, fraid not. That honor goes to Jesse Owens who won 4 gold medals at a single olympics (1936) in an era of far fewer events.  And in the process of winning those he longjumped over Hitler's NAZI arrogance and ran Goebel's racist Aryan supremecy theories into the ground. IMO Phelps' is going to have to do quite a bit more before he tops that. 

[wonderpug]

Ridiculous.  No relay event is the Olympic equivalent of H.O.R.S.E.  If you want to extend the argument to that level, substitute a lesser athlete than Phelps into any of his gold medal relay races and the result would be far from the same.  Relay races aren't unskilled events allowing for medal repetition. 

You're getting too riled up by the tongue in cheek part. My point is that the nature of sports just as easily could have ended up with just one swimming event, the swimming race, in which case Phelps would have an opportunity to win one and only one medal every four years. Phelps is skilled in many varied aspects of swimming, and because the sport evolved to test for each one of those varied aspects he can capitalize on the opportunity.

Someone who is really friggin' crazy good at another sport, just as much as Phelps is at swimming, would not even have a chance to become as decorated, even if there were legitimate varied aspects around that sport that they excelled at.

[leo8877]

What the hell is up with the nikes the us team wears on the podium. The shoes.

[CeeKay]

I still think egg on spoon races should qualify.

when they come up north you guys can have them 

[GuidoTKP]

In terms of greatest Olympian ever, fraid not. That honor goes to Jesse Owens who won 4 gold medals at a single olympics (1936) in an era of far fewer events.  And in the process of winning those he longjumped over Hitler's NAZI arrogance and ran Goebel's racist Aryan supremecy theories into the ground. IMO Phelps' is going to have to do quite a bit more before he tops that. 

While I'm not going to contest Jesse Owens' greatness, I don't think its true that there were far fewer track and field events for him to compete in. Comparing the 1936 Results to the 2008 results, it looks like the number of track and field events were the same (i.e., a lot).

Its also worth noting that Phelps beat Owens' 4 golds in TWO different Olympic games - 6 Golds in Athens and 8 Golds in Beijing. It's also worth noting that in Beijing, in 7 of the 8 races where Phelps won the gold medal, HE SET A WORLD RECORD (he only set an Olympic Record earning gold in the 100m butterfly).

Put in historical context, Jesse Owens is maybe history's most significant athlete. In pure athletic terms, I think Phelps has accomplished more.

[Calavera]

Put in historical context, Jesse Owens is maybe history's most significant athlete. In pure athletic terms, I think Phelps has accomplished more.

If you completely ignore the technological progress that has occurred between then and now, I don't think that argument holds much water. e.g., changing his swimsuit enables him to swim faster...

[metallicorphan]

As well how the heck does Great Britain manage to get shut out of Archery!? For crying out loud its your olympics and you're the nation with 1 of the greatest military victories in the histroy of warfare with that weapon. What the heck happened to all those famous Welsh archers - did you take away their bows, or perhaps convince them to trade them for barrels of ale? 

I dunno about Welsh Archers,but i know we had one guy who came from Nottingham who was supposed to be good

[Soulchilde]

What the hell is up with the nikes the us team wears on the podium. The shoes.

Official Olympic sponsor.  Wear something else and the Olympics will sanction you

[Soulchilde]

As well how the heck does Great Britain manage to get shut out of Archery!? For crying out loud its your olympics and you're the nation with 1 of the greatest military victories in the histroy of warfare with that weapon. What the heck happened to all those famous Welsh archers - did you take away their bows, or perhaps convince them to trade them for barrels of ale? 

I dunno about Welsh Archers,but i know we had one guy who came from Nottingham who was supposed to be good

Spoiler for Hiden:

[metallicorphan]

As well how the heck does Great Britain manage to get shut out of Archery!? For crying out loud its your olympics and you're the nation with 1 of the greatest military victories in the histroy of warfare with that weapon. What the heck happened to all those famous Welsh archers - did you take away their bows, or perhaps convince them to trade them for barrels of ale? 

I dunno about Welsh Archers,but i know we had one guy who came from Nottingham who was supposed to be good

Spoiler for Hiden:

Spoiler for Hiden:

Okay,so he was American!! 

[Soulchilde]

So if you win a medal you are taxed by our government   

[metallicorphan]

I'm really looking forward to the start of the Track and Field events tomorrow

[leo8877]

What the hell is up with the nikes the us team wears on the podium. The shoes.

Official Olympic sponsor.  Wear something else and the Olympics will sanction you

No I mean why are they neon green?

[Calavera]

So if you win a medal you are taxed by our government    

It's income, why wouldn't they be? I don't see outrage that Nobel Prize winners have to pay taxes on their award. I don't see any reason this should be different...

[metallicorphan]

Phelps wins the 200m Individual Medley with Lochte second

[leo8877]

So if you win a medal you are taxed by our government    

It's income, why wouldn't they be? I don't see outrage that Nobel Prize winners have to pay taxes on their award. I don't see any reason this should be different...

Well I read that soldiers in deployment are tax free, and while these athletes aren't fighting any wars, they are representing the US on the grandest sports stage of all.  Seems like it would be reasonable to allow an exemption. 

[metallicorphan]

Phelps wins the 200m Individual Medley with Lochte second

Phelps wins the 100m Butterfly Semi Final 1,LOL

[PeteRock]

Phelps wins the 200m Individual Medley with Lochte second

We won't get to see the race until "primetime" on tape delay.  Not that I need to watch it now.   

[leo8877]

Phelps wins the 200m Individual Medley with Lochte second

We won't get to see the race until "primetime" on tape delay.  Not that I need to watch it now.   

Download the iOS app!

[rickfc]

Phelps wins the 200m Individual Medley with Lochte second

We won't get to see the race until "primetime" on tape delay.  Not that I need to watch it now.   

It's okay, Pete. It's not that big a deal since it's only swimming. 

[metallicorphan]

Phelps wins the 200m Individual Medley with Lochte second

We won't get to see the race until "primetime" on tape delay.  Not that I need to watch it now.   

What?,that's crap....you guys not got any channels showing it LIVE?

I'll keep schtum from now on then