Official Olympics 2012 thread
- Thread starter skel
- Start date
skel said:You still would on three of the five spices.
I'd have said 4 of the 5 still.
Fatboy Slim should be ashamed, made a right tit himself....it's been pretty weak overall, Lennon appearing was great but no doubt he was spinning in his grave shortly after when Russell Brand mimed his ass off to his own version of I Am the Walrus
I'd have said 4 of the 5 still.
Fatboy Slim should be ashamed, made a right tit himself....it's been pretty weak overall, Lennon appearing was great but no doubt he was spinning in his grave shortly after when Russell Brand mimed his ass off to his own version of I Am the Walrus
Some appalling tribute nonsense, the Ed Sheeran with Floyd/Genesis with the dismal, baffling hipgnosis highwire thing. A lot was dismal & baffling, especially the weird build ups to sort of nothing happening.
Jessie J was on a lot. Fatboy Slim thing was weak. Tiny Tempah's Bentley driver nearly knocked a dancer over reversing up to that octopus. Queen were embarassing.
Tonight was what we all thought the opening ceremony would be like, so fuck on, Danny Boyle.
Mind you, I've had two bottles of wine, and have shouted at the tv for 3 hours, so not knocking the entertainment, and its a sunday, so good night, sweet dreams. Oooof.
Jessie J was on a lot. Fatboy Slim thing was weak. Tiny Tempah's Bentley driver nearly knocked a dancer over reversing up to that octopus. Queen were embarassing.
Tonight was what we all thought the opening ceremony would be like, so fuck on, Danny Boyle.
Mind you, I've had two bottles of wine, and have shouted at the tv for 3 hours, so not knocking the entertainment, and its a sunday, so good night, sweet dreams. Oooof.
bennyboy said:Some appalling tribute nonsense, the Ed Sheeran with Floyd/Genesis with the dismal, baffling hipgnosis highwire thing. A lot was dismal & baffling, especially the weird build ups to sort of nothing happening.
Jessie J was on a lot. Fatboy Slim thing was weak. Tiny Tempah's Bentley driver nearly knocked a dancer over reversing up to that octopus. Queen were embarassing.
Tonight was what we all thought the opening ceremony would be like, so fuck on, Danny Boyle.
Mind you, I've had two bottles of wine, and have shouted at the tv for 3 hours, so not knocking the entertainment, and its a sunday, so good night, sweet dreams. Oooof.
It wasn't just the wine, man. Holy shit that was one hell of an expensive train wreck. The ONLY thing that ALMOST got me amped was the Freddy Mercury archive footage intro...I thought that it would just be him singing (kinda like hologram tupac) but that was quickly squashed by hella' fake guitar playing and some chick with a skin toned one piece doing an AWFUL cover of Queen.
Jessie J was on a lot. Fatboy Slim thing was weak. Tiny Tempah's Bentley driver nearly knocked a dancer over reversing up to that octopus. Queen were embarassing.
Tonight was what we all thought the opening ceremony would be like, so fuck on, Danny Boyle.
Mind you, I've had two bottles of wine, and have shouted at the tv for 3 hours, so not knocking the entertainment, and its a sunday, so good night, sweet dreams. Oooof.
It wasn't just the wine, man. Holy shit that was one hell of an expensive train wreck. The ONLY thing that ALMOST got me amped was the Freddy Mercury archive footage intro...I thought that it would just be him singing (kinda like hologram tupac) but that was quickly squashed by hella' fake guitar playing and some chick with a skin toned one piece doing an AWFUL cover of Queen.
mannybolone said
B_Cooper said:*SPOILER ALERT*
America wins more medals than anyone else. 'MERICA!
I think you meant "China," no?
Yeah that happened. Mr Bologna Man or Manny Bolone, whatever you call yourself. No surprise here to any informed person. This post won't be a gloating or boasting wallow in the obvious dominance and success of the USA Olympic team. That would be tacky. It is, however, lonely at the top. And some facts supporting the advantages of a democratic society that values both genders and gives them equal rights and the control of their reproduction unlike other states that join them too often on the medal podium is in order here. The USA sent more female athletes than male at this Olympics and the women were quite successful. So such, that if you took away the men's medals, the USA would still rank 3rd overall in medal count. Top in Golds, top in Medal count. A few less than Beijing, but a considerable decline for the former host city. China lost the bump that was given in hosting the Olympics. Great Britain, though, used that advantage to have it's best Olympic showing in a century. Awesome. Love the British, our closest Ally. The hope of the London Games was to inspire the youth of GB toward greatness now and in future Olympics.
I want to close this post by quoting an article from the NY Times about China and it's Olympic Program:
Heavy Burden on Athletes Takes Joy Away From China???s Olympic Success
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: August 7, 2012
BEIJING ??? When Liu Xiang, China???s track and field superstar, crashed to the ground at the London Olympic Games on Tuesday after stumbling over the first hurdle in his 110-meter men???s hurdles heat, an announcer on the state broadcaster openly wept and subway riders thronging platform television screens gasped in horror.
But instead of the scorn and anger that met Mr. Liu four years ago when a similar injury to his Achilles??? tendon forced him from the Olympic stadium in Beijing just before the race began, the overwhelming majority of those using the nation???s most popular microblog site reacted with magnanimity and grace.
???I believe, I steadfastly believe that Liu Xiang is our hero,??? wrote one user on Sina Weibo. ???He was, he is, and he always will be.???
Within an hour of Mr. Liu???s dramatic tumble, millions had posted messages, most of them supportive and laudatory. If there were voices of disgust, they were directed at the Chinese government, with its rigid Soviet-style sports system and a single-minded fixation on winning gold medals.
???With this oppressive national sports system, he only had one choice ??? to win respect and hurt himself,??? one fan wrote. Another writer called the tumble ???an entire generation???s tragedy.???
By any measure, this should be a season of unvarnished celebration for China. It has pulled slightly ahead of the United States in the battle for medals, and the Games have produced a new national hero in Sun Yang, the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold in swimming.
But in recent days, a tide of self-doubt and introspection about the human costs of China???s Olympic prowess has arisen amid worries that the nation???s draconian sports system is sometimes producing damaged goods. Floundering athletes can even be cast aside after their careers are over ??? a point driven home last year when a former gold medal gymnast was found begging on the streets of Beijing. According to the state media, 240,000 retired athletes are grappling with injuries, poverty and unemployment.
Sometimes the victors inadvertently reveal the sacrifices they were forced to endure during their years of training. Last week, shortly after winning her third Olympic gold medal, the Chinese diver Wu Minxia was told that her grandparents had died years earlier and that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Ms. Wu???s father explained that the family preferred to lie to his daughter all those years rather than risk harming her Olympic prospects.
???We accepted a long time ago that she doesn???t belong to us,??? the father, Wu Yuming, told a Shanghai newspaper. ???I don???t even dare think about things like enjoying family happiness.???
Like many Chinese athletes, Ms. Wu had been plucked from her family as an adolescent and sent to live at a state-financed sports academy, where training is grueling. Many athletes do not see their families for years. Last week, after Lin Qingfeng claimed a gold medal in men???s weight lifting, his father told reporters that he did not recognize his 23-year-old son, whom he had not seen for six and a half years, until he heard his name mentioned on television. ???It???s been a long time,??? Mr. Lin???s mother said, ???since he???s had a meal at home.???
Yan Qiang, a veteran sportswriter, defended China???s emphasis on winning medals, saying they have helped to unify the nation. ???We still need gold medals to boost social morale,??? he said in an interview. ???The people need it. And the athletes are willing to gamble their youth for a brighter tomorrow.???
The obsession with Olympic glory is understandable given the country???s recent history. In the first half of the 20th century, Chinese intellectuals called their nation ???the sick man of Asia,??? lamenting its failure to produce Olympic-worthy athletes. Shortly after founding the People???s Republic of China, Mao Zedong sent a delegation of 40 men and women to the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland; all but one arrived too late to compete.
In the decades that followed, China boycotted the Games to protest the participation of Taiwan, the breakaway island China still considers a province. It was not until the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., that Beijing returned to the Olympic fold.
In 1984, it won its first cache of gold medals during the Summer Games in Los Angeles. Still, in the years that followed, Chinese athletes struggled to make their mark beyond sports like pistol shooting, table tennis and badminton.
The Communist Party set out to change that in 2002, when it began Project 119, a program that uses prodigious state resources and relentless training to groom potential gold medalists in sports like swimming, gymnastics and track and field.
Dong-Jhy Hwang, a historian at the Graduate Institute of Physical Education at National Taiwan Sport University, noted that for many years China???s competitive fires were constrained by Mao, who proclaimed that during international sports events, friendship mattered more than competition.
The shift was perhaps best personified by the outburst last week of Wu Jingbiao, who sobbed uncontrollably to a Chinese camera crew and apologized for ???shaming the motherland??? after winning a silver medal in a men???s weight lifting event. A female weight lifter, 17-year-old Zhou Jun, was branded a ???national disgrace??? by a provincial newspaper after she finished in last place. (The newspaper later apologized after a firestorm of indignation raged across the Internet.)
Such episodes have persuaded a growing number of sports journalists, athletes and other Chinese that there has to be another way. ???We should treat all medalists as equal,??? said Tan Jianxiang, a sports professor at South China Normal University. ???Whatever the color, a medal is a tremendous honor.???
David Yang, a writer at Sports Illustrated China, complained that most young Chinese are singularly focused on academics and are given little opportunity to take part in sports at school. He urged the government to abandon its separate top-down factory approach and embrace a universal system of physical activity that would allow most young people to experience the joys and health benefits of athletics.
???By reforming the system,??? he said, ???we can unleash the potential of 1.3 billion Chinese to win gold medals for the state while doing something for their physical well-being.???
B_Cooper said:*SPOILER ALERT*America wins more medals than anyone else. 'MERICA!
I think you meant "China," no?
Yeah that happened. Mr Bologna Man or Manny Bolone, whatever you call yourself. No surprise here to any informed person. This post won't be a gloating or boasting wallow in the obvious dominance and success of the USA Olympic team. That would be tacky. It is, however, lonely at the top. And some facts supporting the advantages of a democratic society that values both genders and gives them equal rights and the control of their reproduction unlike other states that join them too often on the medal podium is in order here. The USA sent more female athletes than male at this Olympics and the women were quite successful. So such, that if you took away the men's medals, the USA would still rank 3rd overall in medal count. Top in Golds, top in Medal count. A few less than Beijing, but a considerable decline for the former host city. China lost the bump that was given in hosting the Olympics. Great Britain, though, used that advantage to have it's best Olympic showing in a century. Awesome. Love the British, our closest Ally. The hope of the London Games was to inspire the youth of GB toward greatness now and in future Olympics.
I want to close this post by quoting an article from the NY Times about China and it's Olympic Program:
Heavy Burden on Athletes Takes Joy Away From China???s Olympic Success
By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: August 7, 2012
BEIJING ??? When Liu Xiang, China???s track and field superstar, crashed to the ground at the London Olympic Games on Tuesday after stumbling over the first hurdle in his 110-meter men???s hurdles heat, an announcer on the state broadcaster openly wept and subway riders thronging platform television screens gasped in horror.
But instead of the scorn and anger that met Mr. Liu four years ago when a similar injury to his Achilles??? tendon forced him from the Olympic stadium in Beijing just before the race began, the overwhelming majority of those using the nation???s most popular microblog site reacted with magnanimity and grace.
???I believe, I steadfastly believe that Liu Xiang is our hero,??? wrote one user on Sina Weibo. ???He was, he is, and he always will be.???
Within an hour of Mr. Liu???s dramatic tumble, millions had posted messages, most of them supportive and laudatory. If there were voices of disgust, they were directed at the Chinese government, with its rigid Soviet-style sports system and a single-minded fixation on winning gold medals.
???With this oppressive national sports system, he only had one choice ??? to win respect and hurt himself,??? one fan wrote. Another writer called the tumble ???an entire generation???s tragedy.???
By any measure, this should be a season of unvarnished celebration for China. It has pulled slightly ahead of the United States in the battle for medals, and the Games have produced a new national hero in Sun Yang, the first Chinese man to win an Olympic gold in swimming.
But in recent days, a tide of self-doubt and introspection about the human costs of China???s Olympic prowess has arisen amid worries that the nation???s draconian sports system is sometimes producing damaged goods. Floundering athletes can even be cast aside after their careers are over ??? a point driven home last year when a former gold medal gymnast was found begging on the streets of Beijing. According to the state media, 240,000 retired athletes are grappling with injuries, poverty and unemployment.
Sometimes the victors inadvertently reveal the sacrifices they were forced to endure during their years of training. Last week, shortly after winning her third Olympic gold medal, the Chinese diver Wu Minxia was told that her grandparents had died years earlier and that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Ms. Wu???s father explained that the family preferred to lie to his daughter all those years rather than risk harming her Olympic prospects.
???We accepted a long time ago that she doesn???t belong to us,??? the father, Wu Yuming, told a Shanghai newspaper. ???I don???t even dare think about things like enjoying family happiness.???
Like many Chinese athletes, Ms. Wu had been plucked from her family as an adolescent and sent to live at a state-financed sports academy, where training is grueling. Many athletes do not see their families for years. Last week, after Lin Qingfeng claimed a gold medal in men???s weight lifting, his father told reporters that he did not recognize his 23-year-old son, whom he had not seen for six and a half years, until he heard his name mentioned on television. ???It???s been a long time,??? Mr. Lin???s mother said, ???since he???s had a meal at home.???
Yan Qiang, a veteran sportswriter, defended China???s emphasis on winning medals, saying they have helped to unify the nation. ???We still need gold medals to boost social morale,??? he said in an interview. ???The people need it. And the athletes are willing to gamble their youth for a brighter tomorrow.???
The obsession with Olympic glory is understandable given the country???s recent history. In the first half of the 20th century, Chinese intellectuals called their nation ???the sick man of Asia,??? lamenting its failure to produce Olympic-worthy athletes. Shortly after founding the People???s Republic of China, Mao Zedong sent a delegation of 40 men and women to the 1952 Summer Games in Helsinki, Finland; all but one arrived too late to compete.
In the decades that followed, China boycotted the Games to protest the participation of Taiwan, the breakaway island China still considers a province. It was not until the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., that Beijing returned to the Olympic fold.
In 1984, it won its first cache of gold medals during the Summer Games in Los Angeles. Still, in the years that followed, Chinese athletes struggled to make their mark beyond sports like pistol shooting, table tennis and badminton.
The Communist Party set out to change that in 2002, when it began Project 119, a program that uses prodigious state resources and relentless training to groom potential gold medalists in sports like swimming, gymnastics and track and field.
Dong-Jhy Hwang, a historian at the Graduate Institute of Physical Education at National Taiwan Sport University, noted that for many years China???s competitive fires were constrained by Mao, who proclaimed that during international sports events, friendship mattered more than competition.
The shift was perhaps best personified by the outburst last week of Wu Jingbiao, who sobbed uncontrollably to a Chinese camera crew and apologized for ???shaming the motherland??? after winning a silver medal in a men???s weight lifting event. A female weight lifter, 17-year-old Zhou Jun, was branded a ???national disgrace??? by a provincial newspaper after she finished in last place. (The newspaper later apologized after a firestorm of indignation raged across the Internet.)
Such episodes have persuaded a growing number of sports journalists, athletes and other Chinese that there has to be another way. ???We should treat all medalists as equal,??? said Tan Jianxiang, a sports professor at South China Normal University. ???Whatever the color, a medal is a tremendous honor.???
David Yang, a writer at Sports Illustrated China, complained that most young Chinese are singularly focused on academics and are given little opportunity to take part in sports at school. He urged the government to abandon its separate top-down factory approach and embrace a universal system of physical activity that would allow most young people to experience the joys and health benefits of athletics.
???By reforming the system,??? he said, ???we can unleash the potential of 1.3 billion Chinese to win gold medals for the state while doing something for their physical well-being.???
Ended up bottling sitting through it and instead recording it so I could fast forward the painful bits and rewind and rewatch the truly painful bits and then fell asleep before I got round to it. By all accounts it's a clusterfuck that deserves my time and attention so will sit down with something strong tonight (possibly glue) to go through it.
Mo's incredible achievements have only been slightly tainted by having to watch the obese head of Corden mugging away every time a news channel excitedly revisits where the "mo-bot" came from. Shout out to Balding once again though.
Mo's incredible achievements have only been slightly tainted by having to watch the obese head of Corden mugging away every time a news channel excitedly revisits where the "mo-bot" came from. Shout out to Balding once again though.
bennyboy said:
Tonight was what we all thought the opening ceremony would be like, so fuck on, Danny Boyle.
I only found out today that Danny Boyle had nothing to do with the closing ceremony - last night I was wondering how he managed to go from something so great two weeks ago, to Sunday's [strike]vapid cringe fest[/strike] poop.
Was a great olympics though, and now have nothing to watch online!
Tonight was what we all thought the opening ceremony would be like, so fuck on, Danny Boyle.
I only found out today that Danny Boyle had nothing to do with the closing ceremony - last night I was wondering how he managed to go from something so great two weeks ago, to Sunday's [strike]vapid cringe fest[/strike] poop.
Was a great olympics though, and now have nothing to watch online!
I thought it was good entertainment.
+ves:
The LEDs in the seating
Spices
Madness
Jessie J & Brian May
Emily Sandy (I am not concerned with the spelling)
Assorted totty was tip top, 'spesh them Angels with Eric Idle. MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm.
-ves:
Was also hoping for a PA from Bowie and Bush.
Was hoping for some Fashion/Viv Westwood/Punk Collaboway
Wasn't much informative commentary. I mean, I can see they are building a pyramid, but why?
Seeing "Beady Eye" on the kick drums before Liam had shown his mug.
Liam. Did himself no favours.
#1 son asking who all the pensioner-rockers were.
+ves:
The LEDs in the seating
Spices
Madness
Jessie J & Brian May
Emily Sandy (I am not concerned with the spelling)
Assorted totty was tip top, 'spesh them Angels with Eric Idle. MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm.
-ves:
Was also hoping for a PA from Bowie and Bush.
Was hoping for some Fashion/Viv Westwood/Punk Collaboway
Wasn't much informative commentary. I mean, I can see they are building a pyramid, but why?
Seeing "Beady Eye" on the kick drums before Liam had shown his mug.
Liam. Did himself no favours.
#1 son asking who all the pensioner-rockers were.
Apart from dudes hating on popular LCD culture and tens of thousands of youngins having a laff, yes to the Idle angels, yes to the PSB Spanish Inquisition vibes, yes to Kate Moss and them, yes to the mod parade and yes to OAP rock royalty talmbout my generation to a huge Union Jack backdrop.
No to many things, but only churls can deny the strength of Wonderwall in the canon.
No to many things, but only churls can deny the strength of Wonderwall in the canon.
Hahaha! Awful!
It was I believe conceived and directed by Stephen Daldry, he of Billy Eliot.
Bad aspects:
1. 'Sporty' now renamed 'Scary', 'Scary' now 'OG Scary'
2. No close-ups of Victoria Beckham (contractually forbidden)
3. Rhys Ifans as Liam Gallagher (Liam deemed too live-wire for live performance with orchestra)
4. Russell Brand miming sans mic, Fatboy Slim miming on the dj mixer (in the booth on top of the giant inflatable octupus) - are we considered absolutely fucking moronic?
5. Emily Sanday (not concerned with spelling either) singing 1/4 tone flat throughout (and sometimes bluesing to a full semitone)
6. The Kaiser Chiefs? From 1998?
7. George Michael miming to his new single (contract-R)
Good aspects:
1. LEDs
2. Eric Idle, who sang the word 'shit'
3. Boris Johnson dancing (this isn't 'good', I know, I'm struggling to find 'good's).
4. JOHN LENNON.
Someone said 'get the beers in', and I did, but it made the whole experience 100 times more harrowing and I could neither turn it off nor stop shouting at it. Kinda fun evening (I feel totally soiled).
It was I believe conceived and directed by Stephen Daldry, he of Billy Eliot.
Bad aspects:
1. 'Sporty' now renamed 'Scary', 'Scary' now 'OG Scary'
2. No close-ups of Victoria Beckham (contractually forbidden)
3. Rhys Ifans as Liam Gallagher (Liam deemed too live-wire for live performance with orchestra)
4. Russell Brand miming sans mic, Fatboy Slim miming on the dj mixer (in the booth on top of the giant inflatable octupus) - are we considered absolutely fucking moronic?
5. Emily Sanday (not concerned with spelling either) singing 1/4 tone flat throughout (and sometimes bluesing to a full semitone)
6. The Kaiser Chiefs? From 1998?
7. George Michael miming to his new single (contract-R)
Good aspects:
1. LEDs
2. Eric Idle, who sang the word 'shit'
3. Boris Johnson dancing (this isn't 'good', I know, I'm struggling to find 'good's).
4. JOHN LENNON.
Someone said 'get the beers in', and I did, but it made the whole experience 100 times more harrowing and I could neither turn it off nor stop shouting at it. Kinda fun evening (I feel totally soiled).
granjero said:
3. Rhys Ifans as Liam Gallagher (Liam deemed too live-wire for live performance with orchestra)
More likely scenario; Liam refused to sing a Noel song and/or Noel refused to clear it for performance if Liam sang it. Stand-off averted by the drafting-in of Ifans.
Also;
3. Rhys Ifans as Liam Gallagher (Liam deemed too live-wire for live performance with orchestra)
More likely scenario; Liam refused to sing a Noel song and/or Noel refused to clear it for performance if Liam sang it. Stand-off averted by the drafting-in of Ifans.
Also;
After an incredible 29 golds and a brilliant opening ceremony, we ended as we mean to go on. Shambolic fail but passable fun nonetheless.
Ok, final highs and lows
Highs
1. Opening ceremony as a high water mark for such events. We know the world didn't get it. Most countries are obsessed by the size of another dude's rocket and Sino paranoia.
2. Jess Ennis powering round the final bend to win gold in style.
3. Sanchez sobbing like a 5yo.
4. Derny dude with Harry Grout vibe fused with Number Six / Il Duce mash up
5. Nicola boxing girl and her profound joy.
6. The way this town has been more vibrant than usual over the period.
7. Michael Johnson punditry.
29. Golds. Saying.
The lows.
1. That 1500m winner, definitely dirty.
2. Brendan Foster being so far up Kenya's arse, embarrassing.
3. Mo's wife turning his glory moment into a high maintenance princess me me me thing. Doesn't matter if it was started by a steward, she should have stepped back.
4. Hearing 'Bubbles' at the opening ceremony. GTFOOHWTBS
5. A few pumped up sprint and high jump dudes who came on all aggressive to the camera and crowd, totally out of step with the spirit of the two weeks and who made themselves look like complete wankers.
6. Miserable Queen at the opening ceremony.
Ok, final highs and lows
Highs
1. Opening ceremony as a high water mark for such events. We know the world didn't get it. Most countries are obsessed by the size of another dude's rocket and Sino paranoia.
2. Jess Ennis powering round the final bend to win gold in style.
3. Sanchez sobbing like a 5yo.
4. Derny dude with Harry Grout vibe fused with Number Six / Il Duce mash up
5. Nicola boxing girl and her profound joy.
6. The way this town has been more vibrant than usual over the period.
7. Michael Johnson punditry.
29. Golds. Saying.
The lows.
1. That 1500m winner, definitely dirty.
2. Brendan Foster being so far up Kenya's arse, embarrassing.
3. Mo's wife turning his glory moment into a high maintenance princess me me me thing. Doesn't matter if it was started by a steward, she should have stepped back.
4. Hearing 'Bubbles' at the opening ceremony. GTFOOHWTBS
5. A few pumped up sprint and high jump dudes who came on all aggressive to the camera and crowd, totally out of step with the spirit of the two weeks and who made themselves look like complete wankers.
6. Miserable Queen at the opening ceremony.
Golds:
Opening ceremony
Usain Bolt. Was that his last olympics?
Rudisha breaking his 800m WR - the guy's running is poetry in motion.
Phelps adds more golds but also showed some class when he was beaten by the South African kid.
Watching the US men's 4x100 relay qualifier, wondering why they ran such a poor first leg, discovering the guy broke a bone but did enough to keep his team in contention.
Chinese weightlifter lifting with an injury to get silver through the pain.
Hot, hot, hot women: Holland vs New Zealand hockey match, short-shorts on volleyballers, most runners, long jumpers and pole-vaulters, etc etc etc.
Super Saturday for GB was good, but Mo Farah's 5000m was the noisiest single event I watched. 80,000 people getting steadily louder and louder for 14 minutes of drama, then BOOOOM at the finish.
Hurdler Felix blubbing after running the exact same time he won gold 8 years previously.
Clair Balding & Michael Johnson's commentary & analysis - a welcome respite from John Inverdale's GB-gold fixation.
Cycling... GB has bossed le tour, the time trial, the velodrome. Never seen us dominant at anything really, have to pinch myself as this will surely pass in time, but was glad to be watching it while the records fell and the golds flooded in.
The weather - were they cloud seeding? Clear skies over London for the majority while torrential flooding in the north seemed suspect.
Disqualifications:
Closing ceremony
Partisan BBC commentary and fixation with gold medals got tiresome fast.
Handball - couldn't get into that sport at all. Not even for the women.
Opening ceremony
Usain Bolt. Was that his last olympics?
Rudisha breaking his 800m WR - the guy's running is poetry in motion.
Phelps adds more golds but also showed some class when he was beaten by the South African kid.
Watching the US men's 4x100 relay qualifier, wondering why they ran such a poor first leg, discovering the guy broke a bone but did enough to keep his team in contention.
Chinese weightlifter lifting with an injury to get silver through the pain.
Hot, hot, hot women: Holland vs New Zealand hockey match, short-shorts on volleyballers, most runners, long jumpers and pole-vaulters, etc etc etc.
Super Saturday for GB was good, but Mo Farah's 5000m was the noisiest single event I watched. 80,000 people getting steadily louder and louder for 14 minutes of drama, then BOOOOM at the finish.
Hurdler Felix blubbing after running the exact same time he won gold 8 years previously.
Clair Balding & Michael Johnson's commentary & analysis - a welcome respite from John Inverdale's GB-gold fixation.
Cycling... GB has bossed le tour, the time trial, the velodrome. Never seen us dominant at anything really, have to pinch myself as this will surely pass in time, but was glad to be watching it while the records fell and the golds flooded in.
The weather - were they cloud seeding? Clear skies over London for the majority while torrential flooding in the north seemed suspect.
Disqualifications:
Closing ceremony
Partisan BBC commentary and fixation with gold medals got tiresome fast.
Handball - couldn't get into that sport at all. Not even for the women.