London Olympics

[zeldabjr]

Anyone excited that the Olympics are starting?...I am...although I like the winter games better...these athletes are amazing to watch...wish them all the best...I'll surely be watching!

[Victim of Love]

Looking forward to the Opening Ceremonies tonight and all of the 'surprises' the Today Show crew have mentioned. Will especially follow gymnastics, esquestrian events and swimming but will most likely watch much more than that as time allows.

[Topkat]

I'm looking forward to seeing Sir Paul performing tonight! :thumbsup:
I also like the diving & the gymnastic competitions Some of the events are boring to me, but I am very interested to see how Ryan Seacrest handles the hosting job. I think he will be fantastic. I do think NBC is trying him out for a spot on the NBC morning show. I'm not so sure that Ryan wants to move to NY though, but I'm sure he will be fun to watch!

[Koala]

Looking forward to see the Opening Ceremonies tonight, I 'm a huge Fan from the Olympia games, I see virtually every sport except synchronized swimming, artistic gymnastics,boxing, rhythmic gymnastics or wrestling, I do not like these sports so much.

[Brooke]

I will be watching anything with Michael Phelps in it if possible. I hope he gets at least 3 medals to make him the most decorated olympian. I think he's got a good contender in Ryan Lochte for some of his races.

The rest of it will be haphazard watching, whenever.

[Freypower]

I just watched the opening ceremony & the majority of it was awesome - a real celebration of British eccentricity & genius. I could have done without my husband asking was there any mention of Isambard Kingdom Brunel & when I said he was played by Sir Ken Branagh reciting Shakespeare 'why don't they celebrate achievement instead of someone who wrote something'. I thought this was grossly unfair, given that it turned out to be the only mention of Shakespeare in the show. I loved the LSO with Sir Simon Rattle & Rowan Atkinson. I was less impressed during the parade of nations when the camera kept cutting to the Australians. Yes, I GOT IT. I knew they were there. I didn't have to keep looking at them over & over again. It was good seeing Usain Bolt & Novak Djokovic as flag bearers though. I also thought Sir Steven Redgrave should have lit the flame rathat than passed it to the young hopefuls. They should have all done it together.

As for Sir Paul there was a sound glitch in the first verse of Hey Jude but it had me in tears (but so did Jerusalem, Bread of Heaven, etc).

Coverage of the Olympics here is so parochial, so obsessed with the Australians, that it will as always be difficult to watch & it will mostly be in the middle of the night for me but I will do my best.

[Midnight_Flyer]

i thought the opening ceremony of the olympics was fantastic, and at times emotional, i love how it depicted different eras of british life and Danny Boyle did an amazing job putting it all together :thumbsup:

[Victim of Love]

I give the opening ceremonies a :thumbsup:! Watching with my hubby -- who is from the UK -- was a little bittersweet because his two older boys are still there (living with their Mum) and we realy miss having them around. But we both thought it was an outstanding tribute to the people of Great Britain. And we both laughed until we cried when the Bond skit played!!! The Queen really does have a terrific sense of humor -- something that is seldom put on display. Just wish Sir Paul had been able to do another song or two. But over all we gave it a "10".

[Freypower]

If you are interested look at the difference in the coverage of the men's 4x100 relay in which Australia was expected by Australia to win gold. Australia came fourth.

Australia's ABC: 'Aussies Bomb'.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-30/aussies-bomb-as-france-claims-relay-upset/4162736

Britain's Guardian: 'France Upset USA'!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/29/london-2012-france-usa-freestyle-relay

The behaviour of Australia's hotshot swimmer James Magnussen after this race was disgraceful. He said he had 'no response' & left his teammates to do the talking. Petulance at its worst. As for any acknowledgment of being beaten by a better team... forget that.

[Troubadour]

I'm so glad most of you enjoyed the opening ceremony. I managed to watch it at work and I thought it was wonderful! I loved the whole industrial revolution idea (LOVE Kenneth Branagh!) and I was in awe most of the time. I have read some comments from some American friends on FB saying that they didn't really get it, so I don't know how it seemed from a foreign perspective, but I thought it was moving, humourous and quintessentially British. The suffragettes, the First World War tribute, the children's literature and the NHS... I thought it was great.

[sodascouts]

I love watching the Olympics but because of my traveling, I've been missing out. I did catch the race FP referenced. It was pretty exciting - down to the last fraction of a second!

I do hate those post-race interviews of those who didn't win, though. Asking people who just lost a crucial race to explain "what happened" or "what are you feeling right now" just seems cruel. Stick to talking to the winners!

I hope to see more gymnastics and swimming, but it's hard to coordinate the times they air.

[Freypower]

I love watching the Olympics but because of my traveling, I've been missing out. I did catch the medley FP referenced. It was pretty exciting - down to the last fraction of a second!

I do hate those post-race interviews of those who didn't win, though. Asking people who just lost a crucial race to explain "what happened" or "what are you feeling right now" just seems cruel. Stick to talking to the winners!

I hope to see more gymnastics and swimming, but it's hard to coordinate the times they air.

I agree it is cruel; but on Australian TV our commentators only talk to Australians, so they were not going to talk to the French. I was somewhat harsh in what I said about Magnussen but I do think these athletes need to learn something about sportsmanship no matter how disappointed they are. Our team didn't even attempt to congratulate the French team.

[Troubadour]

Huge congratulations to Team GB for winning a bronze medal in the men's gymnastics! An amazing accomplishment and so exciting to watch.

[sodascouts]

Yes, congrats to them! They're about to air that soon on this side of the pond, and I'm looking forward to watching it.

Meanwhile, they just aired Missy Franklin winning the gold for 100 meter backstroke! She's adorable!

[Glennsallnighter]

I've been dipping in and out of the Games over the past few days. They sure are exciting and the Irish boxers seem to be doing very well so far. I love watching the swimming even though its unlikely we will get anythere in the medals!

We all watched the opening ceremony on Friday night. It was truly spectacular!

I'm disappointed though about the 'empty seat' controversy that seems to have erupted over the last few days. Like so many others I too tried to ger event tickets and was pipped at the first post. Now there are empty seats all over the place. Apparently according to the BBC these tickets went to sponsors who have not bothered to show up. They will be on sale for £5 for adults and £1 for children on the day of the events, but its a big risk to take. I would gladly have paid more when they were released for the certainty of knowing I had them.

[Henley Honey]

Yes, congrats to them! They're about to air that soon on this side of the pond, and I'm looking forward to watching it.

Meanwhile, they just aired Missy Franklin winning the gold for 100 meter backstroke! She's adorable!


I was so looking forward to watching this race but NBC fixed that. With the time difference the races are obviously on tape delay. About 20 minutes before the race went off they had a promo commercial for the Today Show touting their Monday AM guest as Missy Franklin with her Gold Medal and her parent's reaction to her win. I still watched the race, but knowing the outcome in advance kind of ruined the excitement. Nice spoiler, NBC. :thumbsdown:

[GlennLover]

PVR'd the opening ceremonies, but haven't had a chance to watch them. I have been seeing bits of the competitions here & there.

Troub, I saw the men's gymnatics competition last night. Congrats to the GB team! :yay: I thought they deserved the silver medal. It must have been disappointing for them to think they had won it won it & then to see the results changed to place them in 3rd place, but they appeared to be just as delighted with the bronze.

[Lisa]

Hi--um, the relays you've referred to--to this date--are Freestyle Relays--the only stroke swum in the event--for each of the four relay team competitors--is freestyle (front crawl).\

The Medley Relay(s) will be each of the four competitive swimming strokes within the same event--also a four-person relay;--the first competitor will swim backstroke (back crawl), the second wil swim breaststroke, the third will swim butterfly, and the fourth will swim freestyle. The Medley Relays will be on Saturday, at the end of the Olympic swimming events.

[Freypower]

Hi--um, the relays you've referred to--to this date--are Freestyle Relays--the only stroke swum in the event--for each of the four relay team competitors--is freestyle (front crawl).\

The Medley Relay(s) will be each of the four competitive swimming strokes within the same event--also a four-person relay;--the first competitor will swim backstroke (back crawl), the second wil swim breaststroke, the third will swim butterfly, and the fourth will swim freestyle. The Medley Relays will be on Saturday, at the end of the Olympic swimming events.

I edited my original post.

[Brooke]

I do hate those post-race interviews of those who didn't win, though. Asking people who just lost a crucial race to explain "what happened" or "what are you feeling right now" just seems cruel. Stick to talking to the winners!


Amen! Why in the world do they ask them that stuff. They have worked for these moments all their lives and to ask them this when they've lost is just terrible. Of course they feel awful, are disappointed, and are near tears. Talk to the winners, please! And at least let them catch their breath! Poor Missy F could hardly talk right after she won, but the media insisted! Good grief! :roll:

I'm so happy for Michael Phelps! What a man! :thumbsup:

[Topkat]

Very happy for the US ladies gymnastic team last night for winning the gold metal. I thought they turned in some beautiful performances. I am just in awe of these girls being so young & under so much pressure on an International stage!! Congratulations to the FAB5:partytime:

I also enjoyed watching the diving competitions. They just fascinate me.

[Lisa]

I'm sorry that I didn't describe the relays earlier; I didn't want to embarass anyone.
Then, I was thinking that there'll be a few more freestyle relays televised--(they are in two different distances--100 meters each swimmer--freestyle stroke; 4 swimmers on each relay team// and 200 meters each swimmer--freestyle stroke// with 4 swimmers per relay team), and there'll be people who might want to watch the strokes-inclusive medley relays (100 meters per swimmer, sequenced in 100 meters per competitive stroke, each entry a 4 person team--one competitive stroke per swimmer for 100 meters each swimmer--in the order swiimer 1 =backstroke, swimmer 2 = breaststroke, swimmer 3 = butterfly, swimmer 4 = freestyle) at the end--so, I decided to run the post.

I hope no one feels put out.

[Freypower]

Given that in Australia the coverage is about 80% swimming, it's hard to avoid.

Congratulations to Great Britain on winning their first two gold medals. After all the juvenile carping by the Australian press, they are now ahead of us.

[Troubadour]

Very proud of Team GB today! Even the male gymnasts did exceptionally well, despite missing out on medals.

[Freypower]

Just watched Usain Bolt win the 100 metres! What a superstar he is!

[Troubadour]

Bolt is one of a kind! An exceptional athlete and a natural showman. He's very exciting to watch.

I am thrilled for Team GB gymnast, Beth Tweddle, who got a bronze today - her first Olympic medal. I also can't believe how well we are doing in the cycling... Incredible! I must also mention Jess Ennis and Mo Farah. What a night of athletics that was!

[sodascouts]

Yes, congrats to the Brits for such a fabulous showing this week! The home team is really pullin' it out!

[Topkat]

So proud of Aly Raisman for winning the GOLD medal for her flawless floor routine & a Bronze for the Balance Beam performance!
All the glory has been given to Gabby Douglas, but Gabby did not fair too well in the individual medal round. Aly rose to the challenge & won 2 more medals for the US team! Congratulations Aly!:thumbsup:

[Brooke]

Yes, Aly's floor routine was awesome! So happy for her!

And how about the US Women's Beach Volleyball teams? 2 US teams playing for the Gold! We can't lose now! Fabulous! :thumbsup:

[Glennsallnighter]

We did incredibly well (Compard to our usual forays into the Olympics). Katie Taylor won a Gold in the inaugural female Boxing competition, while JohnJo Nevin won silver in his boxing category. Similarly in boxing, Michael Conlon and Paddy Barnes scooped Silver in their Boxing categories. Meanwhile in the equestrian section, Cian O'Connor won a bronze medal.

But well done to all the participants from every country. The time they have put in, and the sacrifices they have made in order to represent their countries must never be underestimated, and regardless of the results, they should all be proud of the effort and contribution they have made. The vibe coming across the water from London was extremely positive, and the organisers and volunteers also deserve great credit for the wonderful job they did.

The paralympics follow in a few weeks and lets hope they emulate the success we have seen this month.