Official Beijing Olympics thread

So some of the teams are being named.

Mark Todd makes his 6th appearance: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4587431a1823.html

Marina Erakovic looks set to also make an appearance as only the 6th tennis player in the field.

I can't wait to be honest. And it's only 3 hours behind here so we will be able to watch all of it!

Who do you think will make the medals for us?

Looking so forward to the Olympics. Gonna be huge. I think NZs best chances of medals are in the rowing and Valerie Adams.

Track and field is where its at, world records have been falling over the last month so it's going to be interesting to see if that sort of form is carried on into the games.

A break-through in supplements or a break-through in training methods?

How far forward are you looking?

Training methods and drugs have been developing heaps over the last decade, so probably a combo of both!

Official thread? Wow, must have cost a bit get the official rites.

Luckily the Olympics are free to air....and legally has to be so the rights were free!

The rights actually cost a fortune to buy.

blah blah blah

they are free to air, ie we do not have to pay for them....

You really, really don't like being corrected do you, TNO

Well it's just pedantic people thats all....and biggie is full of them....

I'm obviously aware that it's not free for broadcasting stations to show the Olympics...

Looking forward to the Basketball myself, see how the US bounces back from it's most recent World Champs and Olympic blow outs.

On an NZ level, definitely be watching out for Nick Willis and that BMX chick...and the Rowing, Shot Put etc of course.

You need a space between that last dot and "and". Your sentence is wrong.




And is there anything more boring than the Olympics? I mean really...

I do? I always tryp like that...you will have to get used to it.

You don't doo sport do you Dalai?

I have a good feeling about the NZ team this time around.

I won't be watching - I don't want to give legitimacy to the butchers of Beijing.

watch out for the nz triathlon team...potential for 4 medals.

men's race will be great.

How noble. Do you drive a hybrid too?

No, not at all.

yeap. nrl.

football?

actually football's in the olympics so i guess it's worse

I can understand the boring sentiment, I often wonder why suddenly I'm really interested in watching a bunch of sports that I normally don't give a flying fuck about and usually bore me to tears. Although having said that, the prevalence of drug cheat makes me less and less interested... I used to care about the Tour d'France but now it's the biggest sporting farce on the face of the Earth as far as I'm concerned, I hope the Olympics don't follow.

i was in france for tour de france last year and caught the stage when vinokourov won going into that alpine village by a lake, when contador and rasmussen were duking it out, also caught the stage with plateau de beille.

yes most of them are on drugs probably, but that doesn't detract from the actual racing imo. the racing last year was awesome. contador and rasmussen duking it out was great.

i've been around/watched various pro/elite sportspeople and i have to say that watching those guys climb those hills (i was in pyrenees watching them) was amazing. they're like robotic machines going up there!!!



believe me, that drug taking is prob as rife at olympics as it is in pro cycling. likewise for pro tennis.

This thread sucks.

Now hopefully you lot have finished correcting each others typos, deciding if you're actually going to watch, and if you like sport at all.

There is a chance this will be our best olympics since L.A. and our best ever fully-contested games. Here's who I think are in line for medals:

ROWING
1. Mahe Drysdale (G)
2. Twaddle & Bridgewater (G)
3. Waddell & Cohen (G)
4. Eru & Taylor (lightweight dbl sculls, GIANT KILLERS, look out!) (G)
5. there are 3 toher teams that might pick up a sliver or bronze.

EQUESTRIAN
1. Mark Todd. Can't count him out, if he gets Gandalf right in the dressage, look the fuck out. Will be one of the greatest comebacks ever if he can pull it off (G) on the dressage proviso.
2. NZ eventing team. Good chance to medal.

TRACK & FIELD
1. Valerie Vili (G)
2. Nick Willis. He'll be lucky to medal, but here's hoping. I pick (B)ronze.
3. Liza Hunter-Galvin. Who? My roughie for the games. Not even selected yet, but she will be, and will pwn all but 2 in the women's marathon. (B)

KAYAKING
1. Fuohy (G). He's been quietly going about his business and with the benefit of Athens behind him, he'll go bloody close this time.

BMX
1. Sarah wotshername. Guessing here, probby a (S)ilver. I really don't know fuck all about the BMX world, but apparently she finished 3rd at the world champs. Go you good thing!

TRIATHALON
1. Docherty to go one better (G)
2. Warriner to get a sneaky (B) in the ladies version.

SWIMMING
1. Burmester (B).
Fuck all else to get excited about there.

HOCKEY
1. Men's team (S) To make the final, but go down in extra time penalties. I can see myself crying over this one.

CYCLING
1. Greg Henderson. With a bit of luck he will win (G) in the points race.
2. Hayden Roulston. Chance of a medal in the madison if he's in it. I pick a fortuitous (S)
3. Mens 4000m teams pursuit. (B)

I've probably missed some out, but this is my semi-optimistic assessment. Feel free to add/rip apart/give constructive comments.

The BMX chick is apparently really good...and should at least take silver I hear....if not Gold.

Agreed.

East coast of China is 4 hours us isn't it? Same as Sing/Malaysia/HK?

(Asia time-zones don't go quite as you'd think)

R

Fuck I forgot about

SAILING

1. Barbara Kendall to win (S). If it was a bit more windy on the course, she'd be favourite to win gold.
2. Sure we're in with a shot in the other classes, but I can't seem to find the team list, let alone the classes being raced.

Sarah Walker is the BMX girl, and is currently the hottest chick in nz sport.

shes current world champ. and fav for gold.

and the guy is also world champ, cant remember his name

What about nicole begg.

BMXing? ppfffft if "BMXing" can be at the Olympics as a sport, then so can Texas No Limit Hold Em

There's no way she's hotter than erakovic.


...

POKER!?! Where's the physical exertion in Poker? Staring down your competitors? Sucking back 24517 bourbons in one tourney. Staying awake for 72 hrs? Going to the toilet in between rounds quickly enough that you don't miss out?

BMX racing is actually quite legitimate, especially if you compare it to some other Olympic sports.

ah. Best I dont pollute this thread with an old debate methinks

That's either the weakest roll-over-and-die response or the most noble thing you've posted in the sports forum. I can't decide.

Something like that...either way it's going to be great to be able to watch it all....unlike the damn cricket!

TRIATHALON
1. Docherty to go one better (G)
2. Warriner to get a sneaky (B) in the ladies version

Docherty is up against some tough competition in Gomez. If Warriner is to get any medal it will likely be bronze...gold will be between emma snowsill and vanessa fernandez.

I didn't think lightweight rowing was in the olympics?

Our best hope for a medal on the track is Kimberly Smith...not Nick Willis.

Glen Snyders could be an outside chance in the mens breaststroke races.

Best chance for a medal in cycling is prob team pursuit.

Me neither but:

*Disclaimer. That was the herald reporting; wouldn't surprise me if they fucked that story up...

no, it is

so the football ferns kicked off the olympics with a 2-2 result against Japan, they looked really good, and were a rad unlucky to end up drawing, after being 2-0 up.

The guys kick off tomorrow night against China, normally id be more than sure they would win, but with a packed stadium in china it will be tough.. another 2-2 result im picking.

against the host would be hard, but should be able to able to give them a match

Northcote Shopping mall will run a 20m(squared) lareg screen during the Olympics, great place to watch some football live

Are they showing this on TV, no Olympics or so it seems on TV1 until Friday??

hmmm, I just hope it doesn't turn in to a disaster...

really, what were they thinking picking Beijing!??

Insanity, are you still looking forward to the Netball?

unsure about tv1 at this stage, but it may be on freeview?

IOC says smog ok but the stats are being used selectively and this photo shows the truth




http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/olympic-committ.html

meh, just have sky... I thought the Olympics had to be shown free to air?

Not being a freeview on top of my sky just for olympics...

ghey

u can stream the game on the tvnz website.

They mentioned on the news just before that a reading had been taken only minutes ago that had the pollution level at 9 TIMES the WHO recommended "healthy" level.

was just looking at tv listings for weekend and looks as if olympics is on tv1 pretty much non stop from 12pm to 2am aside from a break for news...so doesn't look like you'd need freeview and i am sure there would have been a big announcement already if you did. might need freeview if u want to watch the minor sports like u/23 soccer, tennis and amateur boxing

football is a minor sport?

what a shocker

fuk u china

1-1 china scoring in the 88th

boys played for half the game after being down to 10 men.

unlucky not to win.

Brazil next

just saw the game, both goals very well taken.

tough titties to take for Oly-Whites, bring on Ronaldinho and co.!!!

Well it didn't take long... an Italian female cyclist tested positive for EPO and has split the athlete's village this avo.

Wonder what the final positive test tally will be - especially given since a recent test done on historic b-samples (done to test the tests themselves) was returning over 10% false results.

R

Mens 100 Free relay was awesome, a new WR in the opening 100 by Eamon Sullivan in 47.2 and then Lezak with the superhuman last 100 leg for the Americans to claw back a half body length defecit from the world number 1 at 100m free to take it for USA by a fraction of a second. He split a 46.06 which is just insane.

Bit worried about our rowers....

Mahe looked terrible in the last 500....

Hope we get at least 1 gold...

Anyone know of any good sites to stream live from? TVNZ site is shit

lol a gold at last? man we're bad

What is the point of the Keiran race, why spend so many laps following the little bike round for only three laps of racing? Why not just have a three lap race?

I'm clearly missing someone here so can someone who knows about cycling please explain the reason they follow the little bike round for so long?

Lounge thread has more activity go ask there.

China won their first ever gold medal in the Olympic games in...1984!

Reminds me of that joke...Once upon a time there were 2 chinamen. Now look at how many there are...