The Gold, Silver and Bronze pro-Olympics Thread

[Anna]

Looking at the Games from a female perspective - yesterday the 3 GB golds were won by women. Their medal tally of 9 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze means so far it's the most successful Olympics ever for British women. To think that even in 1986 women were barred from competing in rowing! I believe women make up 40% of the team, the highest ever, so I suppose one would expect a bigger haul than in the past. However, another thing to cheer is the first female from Saudi competing in a track event, and although she came last she received a standing ovation. So it really is Games for the Girls.

[amateur51]

Looking at the Games from a female perspective - yesterday the 3 GB golds were won by women. Their medal tally of 9 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze means so far it's the most successful Olympics ever for British women. To think that even in 1986 women were barred from competing in rowing! I believe women make up 40% of the team, the highest ever, so I suppose one would expect a bigger haul than in the past. However, another thing to cheer is the first female from Saudi competing in a track event, and although she came last she received a standing ovation. So it really is Games for the Girls.

And three cheers for Jade Jones from North Wales who won the women's 57kg Taekwondo gold medal!

I thought Nicola Adams, the 29 yo boxer from Leeds, who won the women's flyweight gold was brilliant too - well done all those women

[handsomefortune]

well done all those women

thirded!

[johncorrigan]

well done all those women

thirded!

....and 4thed - just out of the medals. Loved Nicola Adams - smile of the games for me. I think she benefited from the wonderful Irish contingent in the crowd who'd come to cheer on their lass, Katie Taylor. Terrific stuff.

[Flosshilde]

However, another thing to cheer is the first female from Saudi competing in a track event, and although she came last she received a standing ovation.

It's difficult to imagine the obstacles she must have had to overcome to be there. If there is a record of great Olympians somewhere she has to be on it.

It really is an historic event, & she deserved the ovation, & the Games organisers deserve to be congratulated for insisting she should be there.

[amateur51]

It's difficult to imagine the obstacles she must have had to overcome to be there. If there is a record of great Olympians somewhere she has to be on it.

It really is an historic event, & she deserved the ovation, & the Games organisers deserve to be congratulated for insisting she should be there.

Her name is Sarah Attar.

I've deliberately chosen the Daily Mail's coverage

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2185402/Olympics-2012-Standing-ovation-hijab-wearing-Saudi-woman-athlete-finished-800m-lap-behind.html?ITO=1490

[Old Grumpy]

"It's not exactly Wagner, is it !"

Thank goodness for that - it would never have been over in 10 seconds if that was the case!

[amateur51]

Well, if they are on lycra as well as in lycra, that could explain a hell of a lot.

I think that's stretching things, Lats ..

[johncorrigan]

I think that's stretching things, Lats ..

[Lateralthinking1]

I think that's stretching things, Lats ..

I just wondered whether they were mixing the macroglycol and the diisocyanate monomer in a different ratio in the reaction vessel. It could be though that something dodgy is going on when the prepolymer is reacted with the diamine or the solution interacts with the solvent. We can probably rule out the spinnaret but that magnesium stearate finishing agent is a very different matter. Perhaps they put it in the chlorine in China. It wouldn't surprise me.



Well done to the Saudi runner for a brave stand against a bad system. Some have said that the Saudis chose poor performers to discourage others but I think that must be wrong and it sounds unfair. I fear that I am a conservative when it comes to women's judo and boxing, particularly the former. I don't like men's judo and probably only tolerate men's boxing because it can be argued convincingly that it is a discipline. Generally, I feel that any two people fighting is a step backwards, rather than forwards.



Anyhow, can't wait until we reach Gold on the other thread and can play Spandex Ballet.

[ahinton]

I'm sure an enterprising director could come up with a Ring set during the Olympics. Rheingold, scene 1 - synchronised swimming; Alberich steals the gold medal from Flosshilde (of course ) on the podium. Gotterdammerung, last scene - Brunhilde loses the dressage.


Right, I've done the first & last scenes - any suggestions for the intervening ones?

Well, I suppose there's Siegfried's Journey down the Thames (rowing, that is), for all that this is rather too obvious - and let's not make the hardly less obvious connection between a certain Immolation Scene and the lighting of the torch...

[ahinton]

I don't like men's judo and probably only tolerate men's boxing because it can be argued convincingly that it is a discipline.

Can it? What kind of "discipline"? Who is such argument likely to "convince"?

[MrGongGong]

Can it? What kind of "discipline"? Who is such argument likely to "convince"?

is it like this "discipline" ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtv4JoulD4

[Lateralthinking1]

Can it? What kind of "discipline"? Who is such argument likely to "convince"?

Well, it certainly is a discipline ahinton. That is very well recognised by all involved. I was expecting other questions that I couldn't answer as easily like "why make a distinction between boxing and judo or between men's and women's boxing?".

My answer to those doesn't convince on logical grounds but I will give it anyway. I have a lot of autographs from famous boxers who trained or were trainers at the Manor Place Baths in South London many years ago - Downes, Conteh, many others. They were good enough to do that for me and so I have never opposed it - it also has a positive side but then in an ideal world etc etc.

Basically, it is here and I fully accept that - at times I have even watched it occasionally - but I am not sure that I welcome it being broadened in scope, whether in terms of gender or anything else. And I don't have any connection of that kind with judo.

[Lateralthinking1]

is it like this "discipline" ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtv4JoulD4

Errrrrrrrm..........not sure what to say.

How about "Fripp's with Toyah Willcox, isn't he".

Otherwise, oddly stunned into silence.