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Ignoring the pointless controversy that some sections of the media are trying to stir up over the selection of Andy Murray as the British flag bearer in the opening ceremony, tomorrow sees the official start of the Rio Olympics. I fully expect to enjoy the “festival of sport” and to thoroughly enjoy watch a whole series of sports the I would otherwise not give the time of day to. QPRSki put me onto handball before the London Olympics four years ago, it is a frenetic but very skilful sport, well worth watching if you have never done so. Outside of the usual diet of athletics, cycling, rowing etc, I’ve found myself watching bowls, yachting, even archery.
However, I will not be watching golf, tennis nor football. I firmly believe that these sports should not be included, the Olympics should only feature sports where winning the Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle of the sportsman’s or sportswoman’s career; that will never be the case with these sports.
Knock yourself out getting excited over sports nobody gives a flying fck about for 206 out of every 208 weeks, as long as 'we' win and it adds to the tally.
But isn't that the nice thing about the Olympics? Some weightlifter from Derby gets his moment of glory after plugging away in the shadows for their whole life. Generally most of the competitors are just there because they love their sport and because they've trained like demons. I think there's something lovely about someone earning a pretty modest amount and dedicating their entire life to the hope of qualifying for the team and then maybe getting a medal.
But isn't that the nice thing about the Olympics? Some weightlifter from Derby gets his moment of glory after plugging away in the shadows for their whole life. Generally most of the competitors are just there because they love their sport and because they've trained like demons. I think there's something lovely about someone earning a pretty modest amount and dedicating their entire life to the hope of qualifying for the team and then maybe getting a medal.
Weightlifting? No chance of winning without a cutting-edge training and/or drug regime.
Derby? There's no way I'm going to hear about some Olympian from Derby unless you mean Derby, Western Australia. Even then I wouldn't be interested.
Id rather watch a re run of 70's Superstars . John Conteh playing perfunctory level tennis with Tony Jacklin and Brian Jacks up against David Hemery in the dojo hammering out squat thrusts under the lascivious gaze of Ron Pickering and David Vine.
Even Fred Truemans indoor Pub league with a couple of Batley Coal Mine trappers tossing skittles about in their tank tops and lord john Cheescloth shirts , appeals more than listening to Gary lineker the high sensei of the ridged crisp and Clare Balding weep with taut emotion and demanding a Knighthood for a female athlete from 'Team GB' everytime she manages to complete the 2oo meter sprint without taking 18 months of for maternity leave or making a case for sexual discrimination.
Having said that, Micheal Johnson is a hero of mine.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2016 15:00]
"...The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn."
Id rather watch a re run of 70's Superstars . John Conteh playing perfunctory level tennis with Tony Jacklin and Brian Jacks up against David Hemery in the dojo hammering out squat thrusts under the lascivious gaze of Ron Pickering and David Vine.
Even Fred Truemans indoor Pub league with a couple of Batley Coal Mine trappers tossing skittles about in their tank tops and lord john Cheescloth shirts , appeals more than listening to Gary lineker the high sensei of the ridged crisp and Clare Balding weep with taut emotion and demanding a Knighthood for a female athlete from 'Team GB' everytime she manages to complete the 2oo meter sprint without taking 18 months of for maternity leave or making a case for sexual discrimination.
Having said that, Micheal Johnson is a hero of mine.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2016 15:00]
If he's such a hero, how come you can't spell his name? As good-a pundit as he was runner though. Superb. Not having you cock a snook at Balding, though. National Treasure. Fantastic woman. Exemplary presenter.
Id rather watch a re run of 70's Superstars . John Conteh playing perfunctory level tennis with Tony Jacklin and Brian Jacks up against David Hemery in the dojo hammering out squat thrusts under the lascivious gaze of Ron Pickering and David Vine.
Even Fred Truemans indoor Pub league with a couple of Batley Coal Mine trappers tossing skittles about in their tank tops and lord john Cheescloth shirts , appeals more than listening to Gary lineker the high sensei of the ridged crisp and Clare Balding weep with taut emotion and demanding a Knighthood for a female athlete from 'Team GB' everytime she manages to complete the 2oo meter sprint without taking 18 months of for maternity leave or making a case for sexual discrimination.
Having said that, Micheal Johnson is a hero of mine.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2016 15:00]
I think Superstars was the forerunner to the modern Olympics.
Brian Jacks absolutely caned the squat thrusts. He was a legend in our house. When my son's old enough, I'm gonna go on youtube and show him the episode with Keegan riding a bike for the first time and stacking it on a corner, wearing nothing but a flimsy vest and tiny silk shorts. Ouch.
If he's such a hero, how come you can't spell his name? As good-a pundit as he was runner though. Superb. Not having you cock a snook at Balding, though. National Treasure. Fantastic woman. Exemplary presenter.
Maybe not Derby, but famously Yorkshire won more medals that Australia last time out, and would have come 11th overall in the medal table!
Whoop-de-fcking-doo.
Do you really give a stuff about most Olympic events? Do you really give stuff about Yorkshire except that it happened to get more medals than any other British county? Do you have any particularly pressing reason for identifying with Yorkshire's Olympic performance over, say, Finland's?
(Not sure about your Yorkshire v Australia claim btw. Even allowing for the naked opportunism of the intended jibe, it doesn't stack up. By all means play the "We're better than you" game, but do it about something that we both care about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_medal_table )
Do you really give a stuff about most Olympic events? Do you really give stuff about Yorkshire except that it happened to get more medals than any other British county? Do you have any particularly pressing reason for identifying with Yorkshire's Olympic performance over, say, Finland's?
(Not sure about your Yorkshire v Australia claim btw. Even allowing for the naked opportunism of the intended jibe, it doesn't stack up. By all means play the "We're better than you" game, but do it about something that we both care about. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Summer_Olympics_medal_table )
meh. it's fun. i enjoy it. so do millions of others. do i desperately care? no. But it's enjoyable, frequently uplifting, sometimes moving, often dramatic and thrilling, and occasionally awe-inspiring. London 2012 was, for me at least, a really fantastic 2 weeks. Can I even remember the name of the judo woman who got a silver and who made me shed a tear when she pointed to the sky and mouthed 'thank you mum' to her deceased mother when she won her semi final? No. but it was still a moment I'll never forget. Same as the joy of watching the brilliant, exuberant Nicola Adams in the boxing. And, I was lucky enough to be there for the 100m final to see the peerless Bolt in action - something I'll never, ever forget. Don't really care if you don't agree, but no need to be so sneery about it mate. Plenty of people think our slavish adoration of QPR is pretty ludicrous too. yorkshire thing was just a bit of fun. think they were ahead of Australia at one stage as the Aussies had a bit of a bad time of it in 2012 and it annoyed some Aussie friends. that's it. Not sure what you're so upset about.
As you say, the opening ceremony was generally fantastic. Opening ceremonies are normally absolute bobbins (Euro 96), so I was amazed and proud that it was actually really good. The closing ceremony though...fu cking dreadful. It was like they got the dullest person in your office who has bought three (sh it) albums in the past twenty years to curate it. Terrible.
My favourite thing about the Olympics is watching everyone get into any sport where there's a sniff of GB medal glory. That young lad with the shooting in 2012 was a brilliant example - everyone in my office disappearing to watch him on the telly, discussing who he had to watch out for, who they fancied as a dark horse etc when a couple of days before they wouldn't have been able to tell you which end of a gun to point at the target.
I got massively into the mixed Badminton at the last Olympics (or was it Athens?) when we did really well - watched some of it in our kitchen at work and even shouted out, "Oh, you fu cking cu nt!" when the bloke cocked-up on a crucial point - which isn't standard behaviour in our office. Obviously I've now forgotten the players names, the rules etc, but for a week or so, Badminton was my life.
Rowing with Steve Redgrave was a great example - I remember the who pub emptying early as people went home to watch him in Sydney(?). Who normally gives a fu ck about rowing? And the greatest example of all, Torville & Dean, Sarajevo '84, when all my mate's hairy arsed Dads suddenly became experts in the field of Ice skating. Magic.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2016 12:31]
I ended up with tickets to see taekwondo to have something to do, ended up being there when Jade Jones won gold. I'm an Ireland supporter but I will never forget it, the place went absolutely bananas.
Sod all the boring farts on here, the olympics is brilliant
Id rather watch a re run of 70's Superstars . John Conteh playing perfunctory level tennis with Tony Jacklin and Brian Jacks up against David Hemery in the dojo hammering out squat thrusts under the lascivious gaze of Ron Pickering and David Vine.
Even Fred Truemans indoor Pub league with a couple of Batley Coal Mine trappers tossing skittles about in their tank tops and lord john Cheescloth shirts , appeals more than listening to Gary lineker the high sensei of the ridged crisp and Clare Balding weep with taut emotion and demanding a Knighthood for a female athlete from 'Team GB' everytime she manages to complete the 2oo meter sprint without taking 18 months of for maternity leave or making a case for sexual discrimination.
Having said that, Micheal Johnson is a hero of mine.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2016 15:00]
Do you remember when Stan was on Superstars? I was so excited at the time, I couldn't wait to tell my mates at school the next day about the great sporting prowesses of my all conquering footballing hero. Alas I was left stunned and devastated as I witnessed Stan, lumber and loll like an out of control traction engine and fail spectacularly in virtually all his events, pissing off the stuck up Hemmery in the process. I made my excuses at school the next day, but they were my excuses, not his. I found out later in his book about his calamitous and hilarious [ though not for me at the time ] reason for his sad performances on that programme. Nice one Stan!
Do you remember when Stan was on Superstars? I was so excited at the time, I couldn't wait to tell my mates at school the next day about the great sporting prowesses of my all conquering footballing hero. Alas I was left stunned and devastated as I witnessed Stan, lumber and loll like an out of control traction engine and fail spectacularly in virtually all his events, pissing off the stuck up Hemmery in the process. I made my excuses at school the next day, but they were my excuses, not his. I found out later in his book about his calamitous and hilarious [ though not for me at the time ] reason for his sad performances on that programme. Nice one Stan!
yes mate, i read in his autobio that don shanks went with him as he had a job lot of these Sheepskin coats to knock out to Stans fellow competitors. I think stan gave up at the end of day one having shot a hole in the table and sunk his Kayak on day one. He got an advance on his superstars fee and went out on the town with Don.
I still think he holds the record on superstars for one point .
I also remember the story of stan selling Dave thomas the greenhouse in his landlords garden. god, i love the man.
"...The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn."
I'd love it if they bought back pistol duelling. Then I might show an interest. But alas they won't, so it's two weeks of competitive or cheating [ you choose ] boredom.
Talking of duelling, there's a brilliant duel in the remake of Roots. Chicken Georges dad blows half this fellas face off. The old boy then blasts Georges dad in the shoulder then they go at it with swords. Yep I'll be watching things like Roots and Peaky Blinders rather than The Games..
Id rather watch a re run of 70's Superstars . John Conteh playing perfunctory level tennis with Tony Jacklin and Brian Jacks up against David Hemery in the dojo hammering out squat thrusts under the lascivious gaze of Ron Pickering and David Vine.
Even Fred Truemans indoor Pub league with a couple of Batley Coal Mine trappers tossing skittles about in their tank tops and lord john Cheescloth shirts , appeals more than listening to Gary lineker the high sensei of the ridged crisp and Clare Balding weep with taut emotion and demanding a Knighthood for a female athlete from 'Team GB' everytime she manages to complete the 2oo meter sprint without taking 18 months of for maternity leave or making a case for sexual discrimination.
Having said that, Micheal Johnson is a hero of mine.
[Post edited 5 Aug 2016 15:00]
just watched a rerun. David Hemery is peter crouch with a tash.
just watched a rerun. David Hemery is peter crouch with a tash.
I also remember he had those funny bumps on his shoulders . strange the things I remember , when i have to go through All the members of earth wind and fire before i get my kids names right.
Kjell Isaksson the sweedish pole vaulter was the main man in superstars.
"...The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn."
I also remember he had those funny bumps on his shoulders . strange the things I remember , when i have to go through All the members of earth wind and fire before i get my kids names right.
Kjell Isaksson the sweedish pole vaulter was the main man in superstars.
everybody remembers Jacks and Keegan. To remember the others is a phenomenal talent Disco.
I'm just watching the highlights of the day so far. Our girls rugby 7s team look pretty impressive, but our male gymnastic team have to be on course for a medal .
I also remember he had those funny bumps on his shoulders . strange the things I remember , when i have to go through All the members of earth wind and fire before i get my kids names right.
Kjell Isaksson the sweedish pole vaulter was the main man in superstars.
Fcuk no, Hemery's in the running for the next Dalai Lama!!!
i was so up for London 2012 I decided id bid/buy up to £1000 worth of tickets logged on to the site picked loads of things to see went to payment page ,,,,,,,,VISA cards ONLY
I only got a mastercard that's all I want or need
so no tickets
instead I bought one of the Olympic torches after the Olympics it had been carried by the young mayor of Lincoln she sold it afterwards to payoff her student fees
as for this Olympics I want to watch it but I don't know if it's the late nights or fact I've got so much else going on but I just cant get into it, will likely just tape the 4 hour catch up on bbc2 and watch bits of that the next day