Beijing Olympics 2008

[Baddar]

I'm almost sure that the GB Women are playing Hockey later on. Anyone know what time? BBC are being slow updating their schedules...

[sahyder1]

I think there are age limits in gymnastics. Not sure about other sports, but in most other sports a child that young wouldn't be able to compete with adult athletes due to strength and such.

Also... AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!

Highly anticipating watching the US Basketball team actually run into some competition.

Minimum age for female gymnasts in the Olympics is officially 16.

16 in the calendar year. So as long as they turn 16 before December 31st 2008 they were eligible for the Olympics.

[Blaze09]

I have never met a 16 year old freshman.

You need to stop by my school then....my freshmen year we had 2 16 year olds as freshmen

[Adam]

Shawn Johnson's been 16 since January even if she doesn't look it. Id love to know how old those Chinese are though, surely theyd be called on it if they HAD cheated?

[sahyder1]

There are supposed documents that put them as being younger.....but their passports have them at 16.

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

That looks sore!

This could take him out of medal contention guys.

As for swimming, I don't care a flying fuck about the Olympics but I love that an American and a Michigan man is dominating. Just let me ask this, if it was not Michael Phelps and a non-American dominating the competition's, would there be any of talk of doing anything to the competition? Hell, maybe they'll just cut swimming from the Olympics like they're doing with Baseball & Softball.

[sahyder1]

That looks sore!

This could take him out of medal contention guys.

As for swimming, I don't care a flying fuck about the Olympics but I love that an American and a Michigan man is dominating. Just let me ask this, if it was not Michael Phelps and a non-American dominating the competition's, would there be any of talk of doing anything to the competition? Hell, maybe they'll just cut swimming from the Olympics like they're doing with Baseball & Softball.

Phelps trains in Michigan......he's from Baltimore. Softball is getting eliminated because it is pointless if the US is winning every game by the mercy rule.

[Blaze09]

That looks sore!

This could take him out of medal contention guys.

As for swimming, I don't care a flying fuck about the Olympics but I love that an American and a Michigan man is dominating. Just let me ask this, if it was not Michael Phelps and a non-American dominating the competition's, would there be any of talk of doing anything to the competition? Hell, maybe they'll just cut swimming from the Olympics like they're doing with Baseball & Softball.

First off I wish our football teams played like Michael Phelps or we would be in good shape as a state. But I doubt if they would ever drop swimming because it is quote, unquote "one of the originals"

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

And it's not really fair to say the Americans are dominating baseball when you didn't even qualify for 2004.

[DeeJam]

I have never met a 16 year old freshman.

You need to stop by my school then....my freshmen year we had 2 16 year olds as freshmen

Huh, interesting. That would be pretty awesome to be a freshman and driving to school.

[Zaz]

Womens 4x100m and Mens Tennis Doubles spoilers

Spoiler: Click here to view

You fuckin' ripper, great swim by the Aussie girls to win the 4x100m. Brings our total medal haul to 16 (3rd highest so far) and 5th in the tally. Also, Hewitt and Guccione managed to beat Nadal and Robredo, which is a great result considering Nadal beat Hewitt earlier in the singles.

[sahyder1]

Womens 4x100m and Mens Tennis Doubles spoilers

Spoiler: Click here to view

You fuckin' ripper, great swim by the Aussie girls to win the 4x100m. Brings our total medal haul to 16 (3rd highest so far) and 5th in the tally. Also, Hewitt and Guccione managed to beat Nadal and Robredo, which is a great result considering Nadal beat Hewitt earlier in the singles.

You mean 4x200 correct?

[sahyder1]

Womens 4x100m and Mens Tennis Doubles spoilers

Spoiler: Click here to view

You fuckin' ripper, great swim by the Aussie girls to win the 4x100m. Brings our total medal haul to 16 (3rd highest so far) and 5th in the tally. Also, Hewitt and Guccione managed to beat Nadal and Robredo, which is a great result considering Nadal beat Hewitt earlier in the singles.

You mean 4x200 correct?

[Zaz]

Ah yeah, that one >_>

[naiwf]

Spoiler: Click here to view

China is now in the medal count lead as they have 32, and the USA has 31. Of more significance, the Chinese have TWENTY golds right now, which is four more medals than # 3 Australia has combined, and ten more gold than the US. Wow.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Medal tables in the UK are always counted as number of golds as the most important. If that's a draw then it goes to number of silvers. If that's a draw, number of bronzes.

If you have two golds it's far better than winning three bronzes.

[Zaz]

Medal tables in the UK are always counted as number of golds as the most important. If that's a draw then it goes to number of silvers. If that's a draw, number of bronzes.

If you have two golds it's far better than winning three bronzes.

What about if one country wins just the one gold and another wins no gold but 30 silvers? >_>

But yeah, I think that's how they're actually counted.

[Blaze09]

That count wont matter by tomorrow when Phelps jump in the pool

[Liam]

As for swimming, I don't care a flying fuck about the Olympics but I love that an American and a Michigan man is dominating. Just let me ask this, if it was not Michael Phelps and a non-American dominating the competition's, would there be any of talk of doing anything to the competition?

The basic problem is in general, that the swimming has so many events, mostly ones which are slight variations on ones you see before. I just don't really get the point. Phelps has done really well to win the medals he has, but the fact that it is (generally) beating the same people over slightly varied circumstances just makes it less impressive.

Basically, when this is finished, irrelevant of his gold medal haul, Phelps won't be thought of as the 'ultimate Olympian', as some people have suggested, as there are people who have done more impressive feats, even if thier medal haul is sufficiently smaller, like Carl Lewis, or Steve Redgrave, or even Daley Thompson.

Edited August 14, 2008 by rvdwannabe

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Carl Lewis and Steve Redgrave are definitely two I'd think about. Redgrave won two medals with one partner on the rowing, two medals with another partner and then came out of retirement and won with another three guys in the four man...He won the one event he could enter every year in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2000. He was the first athlete in history to win five consecutive gold medals in an endurance event.

Matthew Pinsent, who teamed with him in 92, 96 and 2000, won another gold medal in the four man rowing in 2004 to total four gold medals.

Carl Lewis nailed the 100 metres AND the Long Jump - two very different disciplines as well as the 200m and the relay.

Interestingly some guy called Raymond Clarence Ewry in the first few Olympics won ten golds spread between the standing long jump, standing high jump and standing triple jump. Amazingly he was actually paralysed as a boy but refused to accept it and somehow developed powerful legs through exercise.

Edited August 14, 2008 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster