Viper Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 The opening ceremony is still a month away, but it's never too early to get an Olympics thread started. So, I will do the honors, with a few random thoughts about the Beijing Games:My younger sister is currently eight months pregnant with my nephew, and the due date is 08-08-08 - also the date of the opening ceremony of the Games.One of my cousins had hoped to compete in Beijing as a boxer. Alas, someone pointed out that he had technically violated his amateur status, so he was ruled ineligible to compete in the Olympics and turned pro instead.As American swimmers go, even Michael Phelps has had to take a back seat to Team USA's most unlikely member and newest/oldest star: 41-year-old Dara Torres. In a sad but predictable sign of the times, her amazing comeback story has aroused suspicion of, you guessed it, doping. Me, I'm with Alan Abrahamson on this one.The venues are a mixed bag. The two centerpiece facilities, the "Bird's Nest" and the "Water Cube", are of course instantly recognizable. The basketball venue (from a distance it looks like little more than a big warehouse) and Beijing Worker's Stadium (from the outside it looks like the infamous old "cookie-cutter" multipurpose stadia of Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh)... not so much.I know beach volleyball has grown like gangbusters since it joined the Olympics, but is it really one of the top five sports (alongside track & field, swimming, gymnastics and basketball)? That seems a bit of a stretch. Then again it is NBCOlympics.com that is making this claim. If they're just going by U.S. TV ratings, then I can see beach volleyball as a "big five" sport. Well, women's beach volleyball anyway. A few new sports have been added, including table tennis. I wonder if Borat will represent Kazakhstan in that sport.Last but not least, the most anticipated matchup of the Games in any sport? It has to be Usain Bolt (new world-record holder) vs. Tyson Gay (fastest 100m time ever, albeit wind-aided, at the U.S. trials) in the 100m dash.I've lit the torch. Now run with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TFoA Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 All I know is, I will be highly upset if the US does not win gold in basketball. This team actually has chemistry and Kobe, something that the last team severely lacked. Anything less than gold will be another failure.That said, lol @ Brazil sending Ronaldinho @ Robinho to the Olympic team. They want the gold in soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HedleyLamarr Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I much prefer the Winter Games to the Summer, but I'll probably wind up watching a good portion of the Games, since they aren't aired every year.As usual, gymnastics and swimming and track will dominate the prime-time slots on NBC, while the events I want to watch usually get placed on early-morning or late-night, and barely get the coverage then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMU Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I doubt any world records will be set. Kind of hard to run that quickly with oxygen tanks weighing you down.Seriously, though. How could the IOC be so stupid as to put the Olympics in the one city that makes LA air seem as crisp as in the Alps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddball Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 The Olympics aren't for men, they are geared towards women viewers. It's just life. If they geared them toward men, there'd be no ratings increase over a normal sport in prime time and probably be in the range of a baseball rating in prime time. It's the women that make the ratings what they are and make the Olympics a money maker. You have a majority of the men, it's the women that give you that boost in ratings. My prediction is that Misty May and Kerri Walsh will bring home gold and past that I really don't care that much, though to see Amanda Beard in another Olympics is intriguing, and I'd love to see our women bring home gold in softball with the one two punch of Cat Osterman and Jennie Finch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabet Man Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Table Tennis has been around before, but maybe that was just a demonstartion sport at the last few games?I love the Olympics, it is the biggest event on the planet, the only event the brings together men and women from all walks of life and from all different countries. I love it.The world records will be broken in the pool, none on the track. I have a feeling the 100m's on the track will be slow and can easily see most track events being slow as well as the triathlon, outdoor cycling and marathon events due to the air conditions.Top 4 will be the same countries, in no particular order.... Australia, the US, China and Russia.... germany and britain i think will fight out the other spot in the top 5 i think. twitter.com/thebrainofMatt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian in Boston Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Table Tennis made its debut as an official Olympic sport at the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul in 1988. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper Posted July 10, 2008 Author Share Posted July 10, 2008 Table Tennis made its debut as an official Olympic sport at the Games of the XXIV Olympiad in Seoul in 1988.A clarification is in order: This will be the first Games with team table tennis. This event replaces the men's and women's doubles competitions, which have been dropped.Alas, the athletes' profile page for this sport shows no one from Kazakhstan participating. Borat must be heartbroken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Well Borat can always root for his homeboy Evgeni Nabokov for the Sharks www.sportsecyclopedia.com For the best in sports history go to the Sports E-Cyclopedia at http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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