London Olympics 2012

**harrybarracuda** · 27-07-2012, 11:31 AM

A placeholder for Olympic News, stories and chat.

The big Opening ceremony will be televised worldwide start at 3am Saturday in Thailand. Presumably it's on all sorts of TV stations, maybe someone local could post that info.

I like the idea of having sheep at the opening ceremony, this will be a great distraction for any potential suicide bombers, although we might see a pitch invasion from the odd Welshman.

We were discussing medal prospects last night. Obviously the cycling and the odd swimmer are favourites for Golds, but outside that it's a bit thin on the ground.

Anyway, here's a list of Britons to watch out for:

London 2012: 100 Team GB contenders

BBC Sport highlights 100 British Olympians with the ability to shine at London 2012.

Archery

Alison Williamson: The Athens bronze medallist will become only the third Briton to compete in six summer Olympics.
Larry Godfrey: Aerospace engineer Godfrey reached his first World Cup final in June and is a former Olympic semi-finalist.

Athletics

Jessica Ennis: The poster girl for the 2012 Olympics has recovered from a career-threatening injury to become one of the best all-round female athletes on the planet.
Mo Farah: His gutsy 5000m world title last year underlined his emergence as a global force since moving to the USA to work under marathon legend Alberto Salazar.
Other leading athletes: Yamile Aldama, Holly Bleasdale, Robbie Grabarz, Dai Greene, Phillips Idowu, Christine Ohuruogu, Tiffany Porter, Shara Proctor, Paula Radcliffe

Badminton

Chris Adcock: The left-hander has already enjoyed success in London, clinching silver with mixed doubles partner Imogen Bankier at the 2011 World Championships.

Basketball

Luol Deng: The basketball icon's £43m contract with the Chicago Bulls makes him far and away the best-paid British athlete plying his trade abroad.

Boxing

Luke Campbell: England's first European amateur champion in 47 years has spent time in Los Angeles at the gym of the legendary Freddie Roach, who currently trains Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan.
Other leading boxers: Nicola Adams, Fred Evans, Natasha Jonas, Anthony Joshua, Savannah Marshall, Andrew Selby, Tom Stalker

Canoeing

Rachel Cawthorn: She was the first British female canoeist to medal at a World Championship, earning bronze in the 500m.
Other top canoeists: David Florence, Tim Brabants, Liam Heath, Ed McKeever

Cycling

Sir Chris Hoy: The first Briton for a century to win three gold medals at one Olympics, and he now boasts four Olympic and 11 world titles.
Laura Trott: An exciting youngster who has overcome physical problems to become world champion in the six-discipline omnium and team pursuit.
Other leading cyclists: Lizzie Armitstead, Mark Cavendish, Ed Clancy, Nicole Cooke, Victoria Pendleton, Emma Pooley, Shanaze Reade, Geraint Thomas, Jessica Varnish, Bradley Wiggins

Diving

Tom Daley: The Devonian diver became Britain's youngest ever world champion in an Olympic sport when he clinched gold on the 10m platform in 2009 at the age of 15.
Pete Waterfield: He shot to fame by winning silver at the 2004 Olympics and hoping for another podium finish in London after teaming up with Daley at the start of 2011.

Equestrian

Zara Phillips: The Queen's granddaughter and former world champion will follow her parents in competing at the Olympics.
Other leading equestrian competitors: Laura Bechtolsheimer, William Fox-Pitt, Mary King

Fencing

Richard Kruse: A qualified civil engineer, in the build-up to the 2008 Olympics Kruse was employed part-time by a company working on the London 2012 site.

Football

Ryan Giggs: The most decorated player in the history of the English game will be looking to add an Olympic medal to his bulging trophy cabinet.
Other top footballers: Kelly Smith, Ellen White

Gymnastics

Beth Tweddle: The greatest British gymnast of all time, with three world titles and six European gold medals, will have two shots at an elusive Olympic medal.
Other top gymnasts: Kat Driscoll, Daniel Purvis, Louis Smith

Hockey

Ashley Jackson: The first Englishman to pick up the coveted World Young Player of the Year award after helping his country win the European title.
Other top hockey players: Crista Cullen, Barry Middleton

Judo

Euan Burton: Scot Burton says he has wanted to be Olympic champion since he took up the sport as a six-year-old.

Modern Pentathlon

Mhairi Spence: Spence became the first British world champion since Steph Cook in 2001 when she struck gold three months before London 2012.
Samantha Murray: World Championship bronze in May came less than a year after she considered quitting the sport.

Rowing

Katherine Grainger: Britain's most successful female rower, with silver medals at each of the last three Olympics.
Andy Hodge: The 33-year-old has returned to the men's four to defend the Olympic title he won in 2008.
Other top rowers: Alan Campbell, Helen Glover, Mark Hunter, Constantine Louloudis, Zac Purchase, Pete Reed, Greg Searle, Anna Watkins

Sailing

Ben Ainslie: It must be hard for Ainslie to pick a career highlight given that he is the most successful British sailor in history.
Other leading sailors: Saskia Clark, Nick Dempsey, Paul Goodison, Lucy Macgregor, Hannah Mills, Stevie Morrison, Luke Patience, Iain Percy, Bryony Shaw, Andrew Simpson

Shooting

Peter Wilson: The world record holder in the double trap is coached by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai's ruling family.
Richard Faulds: A veteran of four successive Olympic Games, Faulds won gold in the double trap clay shooting in 2000, in a dramatic shoot-off in Sydney.

Swimming

Rebecca Adlington: The pool in Mansfield where Adlington learned to swim was re-named in her honour after her Beijing success, when she won two Olympic titles.
Other top swimmers: Ellen Gandy, James Goddard, Fran Halsall, Joanne Jackson, Hannah Miley, Keri-anne Payne, Lizzie Simmonds, Gemma Spofforth, Liam Tancock

Taekwondo

Sarah Stevenson: The two-time world champion won Great Britain's first ever Olympic taekwondo medal when clinching bronze in Beijing.
Lutalo Muhammad: A controversial selection ahead of world number one Aaron Cook, Muhammad is nonetheless a European champion.

Tennis

Andy Murray: The first player to win a match that started and finished under the Centre Court roof at Wimbledon could clinch Olympic gold at the same venue.

Triathlon

Alistair Brownlee: A world champion for the second time in 2011, the Yorkshireman's superb record marks him out as a leading contender for Olympic gold.
Other top triathletes: Jonny Brownlee, Helen Jenkins

Weightlifting

Zoe Smith: She became the first Englishwoman to win a weightlifting medal in Commonwealth Games history when she clinched bronze in the 58kg weight division in Delhi.

**good2bhappy** · 27-07-2012, 11:34 AM

should be a good thread

**S Landreth** · 27-07-2012, 11:40 AM

http://www.london2012.com/

33 Team USA Athletes to Watch In London - NBC Olympics

**harrybarracuda** · 27-07-2012, 12:07 PM

There is a nice (free) app on Android (and I assume iPhone) called London 2012, which gives you schedules of events, results, news, etc., and it's customisable so you can select the country you want to follow, results, schedules, reminders, etc.

Here's the Android version:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...Jlc3VsdHMiXQ..

**SEA Traveler** · 27-07-2012, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Other leading cyclists: Lizzie Armitstead, Mark Cavendish, Ed Clancy, Nicole Cooke, Victoria Pendleton, Emma Pooley, Shanaze Reade, Geraint Thomas, Jessica Varnish, Bradley Wiggins

[/quote]

and lets not forget Chris Froome as a potential cycling medal winner.

**harrybarracuda** · 27-07-2012, 01:16 PM

Lots of discussion about who should light the flame. The names mentioned:

Seb Coe: Hmmm, Olympian for sure but not our greatest.
Roger Bannister: What?
Sir Steve Redgrave: Obvious choice, the greatest Olympian of modern times.

Any others?

**harrybarracuda** · 27-07-2012, 02:48 PM

Just to make things more interesting.

**Bower** · 27-07-2012, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Lots of discussion about who should light the flame. The names mentioned:

Seb Coe: Hmmm, Olympian for sure but not our greatest.
Roger Bannister: What?
Sir Steve Redgrave: Obvious choice, the greatest Olympian of modern times.

Any others?

Daley Thompson, i think would be a great choice.

**blue** · 27-07-2012, 04:18 PM

I'm scratching my head i cannot think of one event i want to watch .
boxing ? used to like that but the scoring now means a tap scores the same as a real punch and only 2 min rounds.......
Woman's marathon ? maybe but they have those all year round anyway .

so what event cannot you wait for?

who will light the torch ? could not care less
just hope it pisses it down .

**S Landreth** · 27-07-2012, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by blue

so what event cannot you wait for?

Women’s diving

But my favorite (Gou Jingjing) will not be there this year.

The official Olympics YouTube channel will offer fans “across 64 territories in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa” more than 2,200 hours of high-definition coverage, for free – no cable required.: Official Olympic Channel by the IOC - YouTube

**harrybarracuda** · 27-07-2012, 04:28 PM

Sprints, Relays, Women's Beach volleyball, footy for me.

All for the demonstrations of sporting prowess of course.

**blue** · 27-07-2012, 04:33 PM

ok forgot about the woman,s beach volleyball

I hope it wet and cold and they get goose pimples on thier legs and areses ,
thank the lord for HD TV

**rawlins** · 27-07-2012, 09:12 PM

^ Why would you wish it wet and cold?

Do you think Assad will be done in before the Olympic torch is lit?

**rawlins** · 27-07-2012, 10:13 PM

Betting tip - Romneys wife to get booed if she wins.

70 - 30

Romney Puts Horse-Sized Distance Between Himself and Dressage

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(Image Credit: Brian Cahn/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

Much is made during the Olympics of the robust support systems needed to send an Olympian into competition. The parents, families and employers who rally around their athlete to get them to the games. The village it takes to make Olympic dreams come true.
But for Mitt Romney, whose wife Ann’s horse Rafalca will compete in the Olympic event of dressage, he makes it clear it’s really not his thing.
In an interview with NBC News Wednesday night, Romney spoke of the experience of being in the Olympics with the disengaged tone and shrug of a husband who doesn’t quite get his wife’s hobby.
Get more pure politics at ABC News.com/Politics and a lighter take on the news at OTUSNews.com.
“It’s a big, exciting experience for my wife. I have to tell you, this is Ann’s sport,” he said. “I’m not even sure which day the sport goes on. She will get the chance to see it, I will not be watching the event. I hope her horse does well. But just the honor of being here and representing our country and seeing the other Olympians is … something which I’m sure the people that are associated with this are looking forward to.”
But it was just recently that Mitt Romney was one of “the people that are associated” with team Rafalca. During the Dressage World Cup in April, Rafalca performed to music personally chosen by the Republican presidential candidate.
Horses have long been a shared hobby of the Romney couple. Mitt Romney has talked enthusiastically about his interest in riding, telling Fox News in April that, “Me, I have a Missouri Fox Trotter. So mine is like a quarter horse, but just a much better gait.”
So why the waning enthusiasm? Perhaps now, amid attacks on his wealth and financial dealings, he wants to try and distance himself from this rarefied world of “horse ballet,” as dressage is commonly called.
Maybe running for office and making his first big foreign trip as presidential candidate have turned his mind to other things. But perhaps he’ll find time during his meetings with foreign leaders to catch up on how his wife, whom he has called “my rock,” and her horse are doing as they vie for an Olympic medal.

**rawlins** · 28-07-2012, 12:17 AM

Am I the only person in Thailand staying awake for this opening ceremony?

**larvidchr** · 28-07-2012, 01:04 AM

Originally Posted by rawlins

Am I the only person in Thailand staying awake for this opening ceremony?

Don't know raw, but I am hitting the sack and hope for a repeat some time later in the day

**rawlins** · 28-07-2012, 01:18 AM

Greatest show on Earth.

1 hour 45 minutes to go..... Might have a wank.

**rawlins** · 28-07-2012, 01:32 AM

Can I even view it without ubc?

All will be revealed.

**harrybarracuda** · 28-07-2012, 01:34 AM

I doubt you're the only one staying awake, they're always a big blast innit?

I'm hoping for a Blue Peter elephant moment.

**can123** · 28-07-2012, 02:31 AM

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

I doubt you're the only one staying awake, they're always a big blast innit?

I'm hoping for a Blue Peter elephant moment.

I think one of the geese had a shit at about 7.35 pm. Didn't have that in bloody China, did they ?

**Minnie Maugham** · 28-07-2012, 02:42 AM

I will watch men's swimming. Yum.

**Bazzy** · 28-07-2012, 02:50 AM

Some on topic soft porn to get us through the preamble

**rawlins** · 28-07-2012, 02:56 AM

Who is she?

**Bazzy** · 28-07-2012, 03:25 AM

^ Stephanie Rice - Aussie Swimmer

**Bazzy** · 28-07-2012, 03:46 AM

Dunno why why they have to go on about the NHS for so long

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