Olympics 2012

I will probably be missing most of the Olympics, as I don't have cable :frown: booooo! I don't really have time to sit at the computer and watch it. Guess I will have to go without this time.

It will be on NBC pretty much all day/night.

THAT is free.

I'm so excited about the Olympic Games!!! I did watch the GB game against Senegal las night, took GB a long time to get that first point, LOL. Enjoy the games everyone!!!!:flowerforyou: :drinker:

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it? For the Prestige. And now that you have it for a historic 3rd time, you're sitting there complaining and grumbling and whining.

Most countries can't afford to do the Olympics. Brazil certainly can't. The world economy is bad. Even amateur athletes have a tough time because unless they're pros they have close to ZERO money and it's expensive to train, travel, etc for the Olympics. You know why it's done? Because other than a few exceptions it's one of the few times that the world can pretty much come together in one event. For the first time there are women in EVERY sport (per NBC this morning), there is an Afghani female sprinter who is the only female member of her team who will be racing for a medal, there's a shooter from Malaysia who is 8 months pregnant. There is a South African runner who has prosthetic legs who is competing. And, yes, even the Saudi team has sent female members (there's an issue with the headscarf for safety in Judo but they are part of the Saudi team).

So enjoy your "once in a lifetime experience" and when it's over you'll be surprised how many good memories you might actually have. However, keep up this garbage attitude and a lot of tourism that would've been won from it will disappear - right now, Londoners are looking like a bunch of complaining, unhappy, bitter people and who wants to vacation around that?

Rant over.

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it? For the Prestige. And now that you have it for a historic 3rd time, you're sitting there complaining and grumbling and whining.

Most countries can't afford to do the Olympics. Brazil certainly can't. The world economy is bad. Even amateur athletes have a tough time because unless they're pros they have close to ZERO money and it's expensive to train, travel, etc for the Olympics. You know why it's done? Because other than a few exceptions it's one of the few times that the world can pretty much come together in one event. For the first time there are women in EVERY sport (per NBC this morning), there is an Afghani female sprinter who is the only female member of her team who will be racing for a medal, there's a shooter from Malaysia who is 8 months pregnant. There is a South African runner who has prosthetic legs who is competing. And, yes, even the Saudi team has sent female members (there's an issue with the headscarf for safety in Judo but they are part of the Saudi team).

So enjoy your "once in a lifetime experience" and when it's over you'll be surprised how many good memories you might actually have. However, keep up this garbage attitude and a lot of tourism that would've been won from it will disappear - right now, Londoners are looking like a bunch of complaining, unhappy, bitter people and who wants to vacation around that?

Rant over.

Love this!

Super excited! Got the DVR scheduled, pizza for the kids and uber nacho's and drinky poo's for the adults!!!

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it?

Er, no-one asked us! That decision was made by a small group of people with no reference to the population at large! Yes, the decision was made in a different economic era, and yes, years of preparation are necessary, so there was no way of getting out of it, realistically, and the cost of doing so would probably have been higher than getting on with it. It's pointless to wonder about the nation's feelings about an impossible withdrawal. What I will say is that LOCOG have handled the whole thing very poorly, forgetting that London is not just about the Olympics for the next month, and making many Londoners feel irrelevant in their own city - hardly a way to win hearts and minds...

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it? For the Prestige. And now that you have it for a historic 3rd time, you're sitting there complaining and grumbling and whining.

Most countries can't afford to do the Olympics. Brazil certainly can't. The world economy is bad. Even amateur athletes have a tough time because unless they're pros they have close to ZERO money and it's expensive to train, travel, etc for the Olympics. You know why it's done? Because other than a few exceptions it's one of the few times that the world can pretty much come together in one event. For the first time there are women in EVERY sport (per NBC this morning), there is an Afghani female sprinter who is the only female member of her team who will be racing for a medal, there's a shooter from Malaysia who is 8 months pregnant. There is a South African runner who has prosthetic legs who is competing. And, yes, even the Saudi team has sent female members (there's an issue with the headscarf for safety in Judo but they are part of the Saudi team).

So enjoy your "once in a lifetime experience" and when it's over you'll be surprised how many good memories you might actually have. However, keep up this garbage attitude and a lot of tourism that would've been won from it will disappear - right now, Londoners are looking like a bunch of complaining, unhappy, bitter people and who wants to vacation around that?

Rant over.

1) I'm not a Londoner. I live pretty near to Slough, and all the roads around me are going to be choc a block with people trying to get down to London/going to the random aquatic events staggered around the countryside. I have a right to moan.

2) I'd have been all for us pulling out, had those in charge had the foresight to think about implications of cost when it was blazingly obvious that we were headed for an economic downturn any time soon.

3) The decision wasn't anything to do with the people of Britain; or the people of London, for that matter. It was a number of politicians and businessmen like Lord Coe who thought it'd be a great idea.

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it? For the Prestige. And now that you have it for a historic 3rd time, you're sitting there complaining and grumbling and whining.

Most countries can't afford to do the Olympics. Brazil certainly can't. The world economy is bad. Even amateur athletes have a tough time because unless they're pros they have close to ZERO money and it's expensive to train, travel, etc for the Olympics. You know why it's done? Because other than a few exceptions it's one of the few times that the world can pretty much come together in one event. For the first time there are women in EVERY sport (per NBC this morning), there is an Afghani female sprinter who is the only female member of her team who will be racing for a medal, there's a shooter from Malaysia who is 8 months pregnant. There is a South African runner who has prosthetic legs who is competing. And, yes, even the Saudi team has sent female members (there's an issue with the headscarf for safety in Judo but they are part of the Saudi team).

So enjoy your "once in a lifetime experience" and when it's over you'll be surprised how many good memories you might actually have. However, keep up this garbage attitude and a lot of tourism that would've been won from it will disappear - right now, Londoners are looking like a bunch of complaining, unhappy, bitter people and who wants to vacation around that?

Rant over.

Well said, but part of the reasons the we are grumbling about it is because of the way the contractors who have built the venues have fleeced us for doing it. One politician said this week that it's an achievement to have redeveloped the East End of London in such a short time, which it is but how much will be knocked down because it's not fit for future use but cost millions for the 4 weeks. The Olympic village is a prime example, if it had been properly thought out a design that could be converted into new homes after the event would have been a better idea. The company paid nearly £300 Million to provide security but have failed, they are saying they might lose £50 Million of that because our Police and Service Men and Women will have to fill in the gap. They are having leave cancelled and no compensation for anything they had booked which they can no longer use, that company should be replacing any booked holiday that these wonderful Men and Women are losing and if they come out of it with £1 Million in profit think themselves lucky.

Rant Over :grumble:

Now lets kick some serious Butt and keep the Gold Medals here :happy:

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it? For the Prestige. And now that you have it for a historic 3rd time, you're sitting there complaining and grumbling and whining.

Most countries can't afford to do the Olympics. Brazil certainly can't. The world economy is bad. Even amateur athletes have a tough time because unless they're pros they have close to ZERO money and it's expensive to train, travel, etc for the Olympics. You know why it's done? Because other than a few exceptions it's one of the few times that the world can pretty much come together in one event. For the first time there are women in EVERY sport (per NBC this morning), there is an Afghani female sprinter who is the only female member of her team who will be racing for a medal, there's a shooter from Malaysia who is 8 months pregnant. There is a South African runner who has prosthetic legs who is competing. And, yes, even the Saudi team has sent female members (there's an issue with the headscarf for safety in Judo but they are part of the Saudi team).

So enjoy your "once in a lifetime experience" and when it's over you'll be surprised how many good memories you might actually have. However, keep up this garbage attitude and a lot of tourism that would've been won from it will disappear - right now, Londoners are looking like a bunch of complaining, unhappy, bitter people and who wants to vacation around that?

Rant over.

Well said, but part of the reasons the we are grumbling about it is because of the way the contractors who have built the venues have fleeced us for doing it. One politician said this week that it's an achievement to have redeveloped the East End of London in such a short time, which it is but how much will be knocked down because it's not fit for future use but cost millions for the 4 weeks. The Olympic village is a prime example, if it had been properly thought out a design that could be converted into new homes after the event would have been a better idea. The company paid nearly £300 Million to provide security but have failed, they are saying they might lose £50 Million of that because our Police and Service Men and Women will have to fill in the gap. They are having leave cancelled and no compensation for anything they had booked which they can no longer use, that company should be replacing any booked holiday that these wonderful Men and Women are losing and if they come out of it with £1 Million in profit think themselves lucky.

Rant Over :grumble:

Now lets kick some serious Butt and keep the Gold Medals here :happy:

Re the Olympic village, a lot of the apartment blocks built in the village contain some element of social housing which have to be built to a higher specification than standard developments.

Danny Boyle you did us proud, my hat off to you Sir.

James Bond and the Queen, priceless, my kids were open mouthed in shock, as was I.

Agree, priceless, brilliant and an excellent display, loved it all! Mr Boyle did us pride!!

This!
It was brilliant. The Queen parachuting and Mr.Bean had my two in hysterics. The torch part at the end when the horn like lights raised up was stunning too!!

It was brilliant. Bet all the nay-sayers are eating their words!

What events are you all tracking?

For me, it's the gymnastics, swimming and fencing.

Kayaking is on now, that is some awesome stuff!

Probably at the time London bid for the Olympics the economy was better, since you've got to bid so far ahead. I'm sure those of you grumbling and complaining would sit there asking for heads to roll if London said at the last second, "oh WAIT, we can't really afford this. Sorry world, find somewhere else to play". Years go into building and planning. You would've been screaming about national pride and how you needed to buck up and do it anyways because it's an honor and prestige thing, how bad it looks that you've backed out, blah blah.

If Londoners and the British people were so against the Olympics, why did you guys bid on it?

erm... there wasn't exactly a referendum on the matter. :huh: