One of the few Olympic events I really enjoy is the boxing. The fact that it's almost impossible to knock anyone out, cos of the headgear, makes the fights appear more tactically intriguing. The 2004 Kindelan-Khan performance was magnificent.

Track and field is OK, especially the middle-distance and relays, but there ain't much else worth watching.

Ultimately, though, it feels like a bit of a con. Politicians and business care more about it than anyone else - there will be no national sense of deflation if we don't meet our arbitrary 'medals target'.

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You don't subscribe to all this "descended from African apes" nonsense, then, I'm glad to see.

I do, but but humankind spread out from Africa and into to cold, inhospitable lands. Why would they leave someplace sunny and warm if not for the chance to do some sledding and skiing? Huh? Answer me that Dr. Genius!!!

Wyatt Earp wrote:
[quote]Purves Grundy wrote:

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yard of gluhwein race.

A what?

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Wyatt Earp wrote:

yard of gluhwein race.

A what?[/quote]

It's wine heated with sugar and spices that they drink in Germany around Christmas time.

I will be watching the 100m, the Gymnastics and most of the other sports where the olympics will be the pinnacle of their sport.
All this stuff about tainted with drugs is a bit silly. Athletes have been on the gear since the olympics began there are accounts cheating in the ancient games. and i reckon drug abuse was much worse (and harmful to athlets) during the cold war.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/boxing/7546521.stm

British boxing medal favourite fails to make the weight and pulls out of the Olympics.
This has a suspicious whiff about it.
The weight in is not til tomorrow and he could have sat in the sauna for 12 hours or something.

Hmmmm.

I just heard the phrase "history in the making". In the first sentence of coverage. I hate it when channel seven cover football. It hurts.

My profile of the flatwater kayakers is now up at:
http://londonist.com/2008/08/olympics_gb_pair_paddle_for_perfect.php

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Why would they leave someplace sunny and warm if not for the chance to do some sledding and skiing? Huh? Answer me that Dr. Genius!!!

To escape the intolerable heat and stinky armpits of the sweaty.

I had planned not to watch a single minute of this wretched thing.

But I'm on TV column duty next week and the week after, and the schedules are dominated by it, and paper never refused ink.

So, do networks in the UK spend extravagant amounts of money to cover the games? Here in the US, NBC paid $1.5 billion to cover the 2006 and 2008 games, and they've bid $2b for the 2010 and 2012 games. I can't imagine anyone else is spending that much, but then since they spent to much, they can get the IOC to bend over and change the schedule of events, like they did this summer with the swimming schedule--having the heats in the evening, and the final races the following morning, all to get Michael Phelps live on primetime TV in the US, so people will be tuning in and not finding out the result on the web while at work.

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All this stuff about tainted with drugs is a bit silly. Athletes have been on the gear since the olympics began there are accounts cheating in the ancient games. and i reckon drug abuse was much worse (and harmful to athlets) during the cold war.

yeah. especially if, while condemning the olympics, we praise euro 2008, and that memorable russian team that so impressed us all.

Russia were probably the scrawniest, most weedy-looking team in the tournament. I could have taken Yurii Zhirkov in a fist-fight.

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And don't get me started on boxing. What a pile of shite that is. There should be three weights in boxing - "Little blokes who it's fun to watch having a scrap", "Blokes your size", and "Fuck me, you wouldn't mess with him".

Well after today's debacle I rest my case.

So much for Britain's lottery money going to fund coaches and athletes to get them to the right level for us to compete.

You've got a little bloke who knows how to box; you're his coach. Your main job is to ensure he's under the, what was it, 9 stone 8, weight lmiit, so he can compete. You see him every day. Jesus, you're training him (and weighing him) every day. At what point, before you fly to Beijing, do you say "Hmm, tell you what, despite my coaching, you could lay off the burgers a bit?".

So the US beat Japan 1-0.

Italy beat Honduras 3-0.

Interesting that the American-born player that scored today plays for Italy (Guiseppe Rossi). The US' goal came from Scotland-born Stuart Holden.

rogin - it happens frequently to young boxers who are still growing. gavin is 22 so he'd still be filling out.