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The funny thing about Catalans is that it is the region with the big debt in Spain and now they asked the government in Madrid to help them to pay the debt. After all, separated for the party, but united when they have to pay.   

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Indeed, Jamaica is a study case to know why the best runners appear there. Their athletes have a special genetics for running. 

I came across this recently - if you rank medal count on a per capita basis or per GDP, Grenada and Jamaica top the standings. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/datablog/interactive/2012/aug/07/olympics-2012-a...

And fantastic 1-2-3 finish by Jamaica in the Men's 200 m today with Bolt now silencing all doubters for sure.

Uhohspaghettio wrote on 08/08/12 at 01:32:11:

Did they ever support the SU?

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 08/08/12 at 15:16:52:

Probably except for the sports that are invrented by the British lke football and badminton

Personally I think the olympics is a good passtime between the tour and the start of the football, though I must say the hockey is way more interesting to watch than a few years back. They have some improvements that are badly needed in football, like the use of cameras, time punishments, two referees and allowing for a free kick to be "passed to yourself" Oh and the stopping of the clock with an injury really helps as well in combination with a timer. 

Anglo-Saxon isn't just a racial connotation, it's a cultural one. Clearly, USA, Canada, Australia, and even the UK have many races, but they are bound together by a common culture and language.  The language most used in Ireland and Scotland is English. They use the same court system and even have parliaments. Stefan's description is fully apt.

But I suspect the Anglo-Saxon nations as Stefan described them would outscore just about any other cultural group, including China or Slavic nations.

One good joke from a right (or conservative if you prefer) German newspaper: Two neighbours meet each one on his balkony after Italy won the football match. The one takes the German flag from the balkony. The other says: I'll let it hang showing my continuing support for our team. The one answers: I'm not interested in the Olympics.

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Yes, I agree.

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Soviet Union was undemocratic and that is totally obvious to me like West Germany. Why do we need to compare with the worst examples and not the best? Why not comparing EU with US wich have the same democratic values and much more common way of life? If people want today status quo then ok and US and China will keep winning all the time. 
In football the same boring EU national championships that people are tired of seeing without any new refreshing ideas...
The world runs on new ideas        
 

Utter domination is too early to call, but I'll bet the US basketball teams both win Gold. The Women's will win by double figures.

No, you misunderstood. It's impossible to state that Europe would win in a match between the US, China, Russia and Europe  in London 2012 because in order to do that, you would have to preselect the top three athletes from Europe. It would change the dynamic of qualifying, and many other aspects of the Games. Of course it's possible for a continental Games to be organized. I just don't see it as desirable.


I personally prefer the somewhat antiquated notion of nations competing for sporting prizes. It makes sense to me that a people who share a culture, geography, and a language should compete against others of different nations in sports. 

Mortal Games, if you were to play that game, you would also have to pre-select which three individuals from all of Europe would make the team in any given sport.

That's an impossible proposition.

Bolt was incredible, probably would have broken the world record if it wasn't for his poor start, but as he said in the interview (with bbc) he was making sure not to be defaulted again. Really looking forward to the 200m now.

Big surprise of the night for me though was Christine Ohuruogu almost defending her 400m title. Must admit I was screaming "run" at the T.V when she was coming down the home straight from 5th to 4th to 3rd and finally to 2nd position. Have no doubt if it was a 410m race she'd have taken it, real heroic performace. Also hats off to Ben Ainslie, greatest Sailor of all time.

SPOILER ALERT!!


Bolt breaks his own Olympic Record! It was close, especially for the first 50 meters or so,  but he still dominated in the end. 

WOW!

Here in the US, NBC got this whole Olympics powerfully wrong. 

I love the live coverage of events not previously seen in the US, such as fencing, water polo, equestrian, and so on. 

But they don't show the main swimming, gymnastics, or track events live. 

I watched the event on NBC's online live streaming service. But the feed keeps breaking up. NBC says it's our computers, but reporters have tested this by using state-of-the-art new comps with great online service and it still breaks up.

I only watch the team games and the short stuff. The longer distance stuff is more boring to watch than a CK-100 move draw. I did quite enjoy the swimming and cycling as well as the trashing the Americans gave Nigeria in Basketball.

On the other hand there are quite some idiotic sports there, where I am wondering how they got in:
-bowshooting (=darts with help)
-Quick walking (=monty python meets the olympics), where every competitro should get disqualified
-triple jump (=for people who cant win at long jumping)
-trampoline jumping (next time there will be the swing as well)
-BMX (I knew I shouldnt have stopped when they got too small for me)

Just in, for the first time since Philidor's days we have a guy in the 100 meters final
Nice chap as well, judging from the interviews,

For some reason I've been totally uninterested in the Olympic games this time. Maybe it's too close to the Euro football championship... But somehow it just doesn't feel like a real Olympiad to me. 

Not since David Bedford didn't win it in 1972 did I think a Brit would win the 10,000. Very impressive race! Congratulations to Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis!

I'm still a bit torn about seeing Oscar Pistorius running in the 400m. Ok, what he's doing is truly heroic and incredible. But is he really competing on the same level as the other athletes?

ARRGGHH!!!!

Why couldn't Team GB use all Welsh players to take their penalty kicks?

barnaby wrote on 07/20/12 at 20:31:36:

Well, have you ever played for a team?.. 

Hi, 

The Olympics are just around the corner.

Any thoughts or predictions about how individuals or nations will do?