Yes, in just a couple of weeks the Athens Olympics will begin. Unlike 4 years ago, the games are being held in the northern hemisphere, meaning that I will be sitting up at 3am armed with a dinky little flag and about a tonne of coffee beans.

This thread will be where the Games drama will unfold; the drugs scandals, the upsets, the domination of the US on the track :) Here we will see Evboarders against Evboarders as patriotism takes over. Unless of course I'm the only one who gets manic over the games and in that case it would be quite an uninteresting thread.

So what sports float your boat? Which athletes will you be perving on? I will be watching nearly everything that my Aussie gals and guys will be competing in (with the exception of synchronised swimming :rolleyes: ) 'cause I'm a games whore ;)
But athletes of interest will be Marion Jones, Benita Johnson, Ian Thorpe Vs. Michael Phelps and our one of our greatest medal hopes Jana Pittman amongst many, many others.

Since I live in Greece I won't havet to wake up at 3am ;). I might also go to watch some events live. Don't know yet. As for the sports, of course tennis, track games and I am really curious to see how our soccer time is going to play, I mean after the Euro 2004 and all that.

i watch it when its on but it really doesnt bother me!!! i like swimming the best though and gymnastics cause i like seeing the people stack it!!! its funny!!! :P:P::PP

The entire US olympic team is under so much scandal that it's putting our team at a massive disadvantage.

We're gonna suck this year with that cloud over our heads. Oh well, there's always Torino.

The entire US olympic team is under so much scandal that it's putting our team at a massive disadvantage.

Yeh really. So far about the only athletes they haven't suspected of steroid use is the basketball team. I guess there's still time though ;)

Go team. *waves flag*

I just wonder if they will actually finish the stadium in time. I've seen state road crews get things built faster :cool:

I will be watching the rowing with great interest as my club mates Caroline and Georgina go for gold in the double scull, as well as sonia in the single, and the guys in the coxless pair and four.

The only team I'm rooting for is the Judo. Jimmy Pedro is a hometown favorite. He's been to my school making speeches about "you can do whatever you want, if you put your mind to it".

The entire US olympic team is under so much scandal that it's putting our team at a massive disadvantage.

We're gonna suck this year with that cloud over our heads. Oh well, there's always Torino.
Same thing is happening over here. Cyclists are being accused and some have been banned and a weightlifter has been banned for running away from drug testers. I think they need to implement blood tests to try and crack down on this whole doping thing.

Go Canada. :p

I never watched the Olympics that much the last time around, so I'll be sure to watch them more this time. There's really no event I'm not looking forward. We all know, though, that Canada will win all the gold. :p

Go Canada. :p

I never watched the Olympics that much the last time around, so I'll be sure to watch them more this time. There's really no event I'm not looking forward. We all know, though, that Canada will win all the gold. :p

*shakes with laughter*
*blinks*
*runs away and hides*

Don't hurt me!
:D

I don't really think that I'll be watching it all that much, actually. Go USA.

I just wonder if they will actually finish the stadium in time. I've seen state road crews get things built faster :cool:

Anyone got real sources on how much of the stadium(s) have been finished. I've got a friend who says he read that the grand stadium's planned to be completed one day before the opening ceremony. I gave a really worried look, but other people say it's already been finished.

?

Same thing is happening over here. Cyclists are being accused and some have been banned and a weightlifter has been banned for running away from drug testers. I think they need to implement blood tests to try and crack down on this whole doping thing.

I think they should just let everyone do all the drugs that they want. If the athletes are all doped up on steroids, the field will be even. :cool:

this will not be the greatest year for canadian atheletes.. we're much better during the winter olympics ;) . but yeah, supposedly the tickets are selling too well..

www.hispeed.rogers.com/sports/story.jsp?cid=s072081A

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - Tickets! Tickets! Get your Olympic tickets!

The Athens Games were supposed to make this ancient land a top tourist destination. But with just three weeks left before the opening ceremonies, the figures are hardly encouraging. More than half the tickets for the games remain unsold, tour operators are reporting sluggish bookings and up to 6,000 of Athens' 62,000 hotel rooms are still up for grabs despite earlier fears of a serious accommodation shortage.

In fact, fewer tourists are expected in Greece this summer compared to last year.

"Generally, it looks like this year we will have less people," George Drakopoulos, head of the Association of Greek Tourist Enterprises, told The Associated Press. He said some parts of Greece have seen a 10 to 15 per cent drop in bookings.

Tourism is a vital industry in Greece, where island vacations at beach resorts and visits to archaeological monuments bring in 18 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

Last year, Greece attracted about 12 million visitors, 85 per cent of them from Britain and Germany.

Olympic construction delays and the threat of terrorism have hurt bookings. Evidently, many tourists are not comforted by the record $1.2 billion US being spent on protecting the Aug. 13-29 games.

"Athens is as safe a place as it can be," said Harry Coccossis, head of Greece's National Tourism Organization.

A weak international economy and a strong euro have also lowered travel interest.

Aliki Hamosfakidou, who works for Athens-based Dolphin Travel, said the response from potential tourists has been lukewarm.

Don Williams, vice president of sales and marketing for Cartan Tours in Manhattan Beach, Calif., said his company decided to allocate fewer tickets for Athens than it did four years ago for the Sydney games.

"We anticipated Athens would be lighter," Williams said. "The venues are smaller, the dollar's weaker and some people have security concerns.

"The ticket prices are 30 per cent lower than at Sydney," he added. "But the accommodations are more expensive in Greece, and they haven't really backed down."

Many tour operators feel the Olympics were not publicized enough and that Greece as a whole should have been promoted as part of the package.

The new conservative government blames the former socialist administration for delays and lack of international enthusiasm.

"The bad thing is that campaign for the Olympic Games was not connected with the campaign for tourism," Coccossis said.

Optimists insist a turn around is still possible, noting that Sydney was well below its ticket targets a month before the 2000 Olympics and that Athens, at last, is an attractive capital.

Improvements include a spruced-up city centre, hundreds of volunteers to help tourists get around, multilingual information centres, and extended hours for archaeological sites and stores. Even Athens' notoriously surly taxi drivers have received etiquette lessons.

Greeks' spirits have soared since the country pulled off a major surprise to win the European soccer championship this month.

A weekend opinion poll found 60.2 per cent of all Greeks were "interested" in attending an Olympic event, with 21.3 per cent saying they will buy a ticket before the start of the games, compared to 15.9 per cent in a May survey. No margin or error was provided.

Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni sees the Olympic glass as half full.

"The construction projects that tired everybody so much are finishing," she said Tuesday.

"There is a great feeling of satisfaction when all the dust lifts, and you can see all the new sidewalks, roads and the colors of the building facades . . . At last, we're done."

LISA ORKIN


© The Canadian Press, 2003

I'm quite looking forward to the games this year. Last time i sort of half watched them if there was nothiing else on like but this year i'm gonna check the schedules because i wanna watch the amatuer wrestling and the football

One of my friends from highschool softball & volleyball is on the US Women's Volleyball team, so I'll be cheering her on at the top of my lungs every game!! GO LOGAN TOM!!

Yeh really. So far about the only athletes they haven't suspected of steroid use is the basketball team. I guess there's still time though ;)

Go team. *waves flag*

Yeah, but those basketball players feel that they have something better to do than to get their country a gold medal...like mowing their lawn :rolleyes:

The US basketball team for whatever reason keeps getting worse every world championship :-/

The entire US olympic team is under so much scandal that it's putting our team at a massive disadvantage.

We're gonna suck this year with that cloud over our heads. Oh well, there's always Torino.I don't know. The women's gymnastic team looks kick ass. They can't decide who to cut it's so deep. And Micheal Phelps broke the world record in one of his events (swimming) in the trials! He's looking to outdo Mark Spitz for 7 golds (He's qualified for 8 events).

I think the bigger toll for US althletes will be from security concerns. I'd think it'd make it tough to focus when you're worried about being blown up or kidnapped.

I think the bigger toll for US althletes will be from security concerns. I'd think it'd make it tough to focus when you're worried about being blown up or kidnapped.

The last thing I want is another Munich '72. I'll be praying for them...but what's the deal with us having to foot the bill for security? I think we should contribute, but that much? I guess it's better safe than sorry.

Would anyone care to tell me when they are on, what channel? Im in the EST time zone.

I can only tell you that they're on NBC and that it'll be on for the 2/3 weeks scheduled. I'm not going to say specific times because they haven't worked the schedules of the events yet.

I can only tell you that they're on NBC and that it'll be on for the 2/3 weeks scheduled. I'm not going to say specific times because they haven't worked the schedules of the events yet.


No stadium finished, no security system (yet), no event schedules- sounds as if they are working on "Hawaiian" time :cool:



"I not late I stay on Hawaiian time."

I don't know. The women's gymnastic team looks kick ass. They can't decide who to cut it's so deep. And Micheal Phelps broke the world record in one of his events (swimming) in the trials! He's looking to outdo Mark Spitz for 7 golds (He's qualified for 8 events).

I think the bigger toll for US althletes will be from security concerns. I'd think it'd make it tough to focus when you're worried about being blown up or kidnapped.
I don't really think Phelps has a snowballs chance in hell of beating Mark Spitz's record. Plus in order to do it, one of the other guys would have to give up their place, and he seems to be forgetting about swimmers such as Ian Thorpe.
**WAVES HER LITTLE AUSSIE FLAG**
"GO THORPIE!"

Just to get the convo rolling what do we all think of athletes using sledging techniques to unbalance their opponents? (for those of you not up on the lingo sledging = bagging the opposition) Is it an acceptable technique or poor form?

Is it an acceptable technique or poor form?

All's fair in love and war and it's only cheating if you get caught.

Cliche master.

does it start tommorow or on friday?!

I believe the ceremonies begin on Friday.

sweeeeeeeeeeeeet. it should be really good.

hmm... hasn't it already started?
'cause as far as I know, yesterday our argentinian soccer team played a match with Serbia's one. And I heard it was the olimpic team, so... I dunno.

I'm so gonna watch every match that our female hockey team plays. I'm sure they'll bring home the golden medal (they rock!)

hmm... hasn't it already started?
'cause as far as I know, yesterday our argentinian soccer team played a match with Serbia's one. And I heard it was the olimpic team, so... I dunno.

I'm so gonna watch every match that our female hockey team plays. I'm sure they'll bring home the golden medal (they rock!)


I don't know if the Olympics actually start before the Opening ceremony...?

bjork is opening it, thats really cool! :D

Icelandic singer Bjork will open the Olympic Games in Athens tomorrow.

The eccentric star will perform before 70,000 spectators at the Greek capital's new Olympic Stadium and a worldwide TV audience of four billion at the four-hour opening ceremony.

The centre of the stadium will be turned into a lake for the event, which will also feature important symbols of Greek mythology, including a giant Trojan horse, a statue of the goddess Athena and a centaur shooting an arrow.

Bjork will join a spectacular collection of A-list stars at the event, including Naomi Campbell - who will carry the Olympic torch on one of its last legs – Julia Roberts, Jack Nicholson, Britney Spears and David and Victoria Beckham, who will all attend the sporting event.

Wow, that's cool ^

I also found this:

http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/article.aspx?as=article&f=uk_-_olgbtopnews&t=11881&id=103946&d=20040812&do=http://newsbox.msn.co.uk&i=http://newsbox.msn.co.uk/mediaexportlive&ks=0&mc=5&lc=en&ae=windows-1252

I really want to live in Greece and be in the Stadium lol :( Oh well, I'm not really that patriotic so I don't care how the games go. :D

Did you guys watch the SNL when they made fun of Greece and how the olympic stadium isn't done!?!
It was a "weekend update" with tina fey and jimmy fallon (his last real epi. :()
anyway it was friggin hilarious.
they were saying how they were adding in new sports such as "stadium building". hahaha i was laughing my ass off.
:D

I do enjoy the Olympic events, but lately, I've changed my sleeping habits. Instead of going to sleep around 6 - 8 am, I'm sleeping around 1 - 2 am, so I'll probably miss a lot of the events (also due to working in the afternoons - nights). Also in the past I only watched it with a computer nearby or something most of the time (and I don't have a TV in this room with DirecTV access...or another cable line for that matter) but I'll have to check this shit out anyways :D

Did you guys watch the SNL when they made fun of Greece and how the olympic stadium isn't done!?!
It was a "weekend update" with tina fey and jimmy fallon (his last real epi. :()
anyway it was friggin hilarious.
they were saying how they were adding in new sports such as "stadium building". hahaha i was laughing my ass off.
:D
Yes! that was freaking hilarious

Olympics start Friday! yah!

The olympics should be good - Go Aussies!

A heap of our best athletes, especially in track and field, didn't make it into the team this year - so our medal prospects in that area aren't very high.

I'm going to be watching the sailing, swimming, gymnastics and taekwondo.

;)

fyi Bjork will be performing at the opening ceremony. pretty cool for amy eh?

Only 1 hour and 30 min. to the opening ceremony! To bad that I live in Crete and not Athens. Well anyway I'm going to watch it with some friends.
Oh, and Bjork? I really didn't see that one coming!

Damn, I have to wait until 8 PM to watch this? :(

Yeah we get the old repeats it seems, guess we'll just have to wait....

It sucks that it can't be live. After all those billions spend on the stadium and security, it better be good. :p I hope I have time to watch all the races Michael Phelps is in. :)

the ceremony was pretty awesome, they did a great job there, and bjork was great... i liked her dress, when i first read that bjork was gonna be one singing i was like "amy must be the happiest person right now"...
dominican republic has a pretty good chance of winning a gold medal with felix sanchez...

peace...

I'm gonna be watching the swimming event. Gooooo Michael Phelps!!!!!!!!!!

The big matchup this weekend will feature Michael Phelps and Ian "The Thorpedo" Thorpe in the swimming competition.

Michael Phelps has the potential to win 8 gold medals. But it's not gonna be easy. If anything, Thorpe is his biggest individual competition.

Phelps is favored in 3 individual competitions and 2 team competitions according to Jim Lampley, American sportscaster covering the Games.

I found the opening ceremony very...boring. I literally fell asleep while Spain was walking around the track, and then woke up when Bjork was performing. Although the bit with those people 'running' in mid-air was quite cool :)

woooo go spain...they have to do better than last time XD

The big matchup this weekend will feature Michael Phelps and Ian "The Thorpedo" Thorpe in the swimming competition.

Michael Phelps has the potential to win 8 gold medals. But it's not gonna be easy. If anything, Thorpe is his biggest individual competition.

Phelps is favored in 3 individual competitions and 2 team competitions according to Jim Lampley, American sportscaster covering the Games.yaaaaaaay go Thorpey!!! the opening ceremony is on now...i reckon its boring, so im not watching it.

That ceremony was fucking great. With the mid air runner and that drummer guy (I kind of thought I was listening to Farther Away at one point :p) with the flame lighting the Olympic rings and the fireworks show at the end.

That shit was hot.

Anyway, for the American crowd, Michael Phelps qualified for the 400 meter individual medley final. He's expected to win his first gold tonight...easily.

Jenny Thompson qualified for the final in the 100 butterfly. Thompson could win her 9th medal and her first individual gold. All of her other 8 medals were golds in team relays.

does anything south of the border show any live stuff other than a handful of things? from what i've seen... i've not noticed anything. hell, i was watching beach volleyball at 5 in the morning. did you know Switzerland had beach vball players? i didn't.

even though there's no sports i religiously follow in the summer olympics (compared to the winter), i usually just enjoy watching it for the somewhat unknown athletes and the feel-good stories throughout. i actually like it more being from a somewhat smaller country too, where we're not expected to dominate, etc. thus my being proud when the Canadian women beat the Swiss women in beach volleyball this morn. ;)

All I know is that we have 24 hour coverage spread out through like 4 different networks.

Right now we've got the USA-NZL women's basketball game. I think most of the stuff is live. Not sure if it's all live.

Schedule of the events are right here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/schedule

oh ok. what is that on, just out of curiosity? it's probably on some cable thing we don't get up here...

i'll have to check, though. :D

NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Bravo and Telemundo.

I watched it last night. It was pretty good. I believe I saw up to Portugal and then I went to sleep. I didn't watch the rest of it. I can't wait for the actual events to start.

cool. i'm pretty sure we get the first three... i think the Bravo we get is actually a Canadian version (different from the US), and I know we don't get Telemundo. at least i don't.

*runs to check*

Anyway. I know CBC and TSN offer a LOT of coverage up here... so it doesn't matter too much. I just like different perspectives on it, which usually provides different stuff to watch.

There is a Canadian station that covers it.. im not sure which one, i think it was CBC,

I watch the opening yesterday, it was pretty cool! But i didn't see Venezuela come out... but whatever, i love Olympic Games, but only WATCH THEM because i won't be there... i suc%&/ in olympic games, sports, the same thing for me... lol!!!!!!!!! Go go venezuela! Although i think Venezuela is not as great as it could be, but i still have faith!! :D

ok here is my view.. ok USA... anyone see allen iverson? He had this pissed off look on his face. I was like COME ON you are at the FREAKIN' OLYMPICS and you look mad! WTF!

Anyway, I flipped back and forth through it. Kaydee's focus hasnt been that great this week so i lost interst by watching people just walk around a track.

ok here is my view.. ok USA... anyone see allen iverson? He had this pissed off look on his face. I was like COME ON you are at the FREAKIN' OLYMPICS and you look mad! WTF!

Anyway, I flipped back and forth through it. Kaydee's focus hasnt been that great this week so i lost interst by watching people just walk around a track.

That's because Larry Brown is his coach again :p

Womens 3 meter spingboard syncronized diving just finished. China took the gold,I dont remember who took silver maybe great britain, Australia took bronze... Canada got 7th, Greece 8th. I don't remeber the other ones. But China owned it.

Men's 10 meter platform syncronized diving is coming up.

Michael Phelps won his first gold....breaking his own world record in the 400 individual medley. 7 more events to go.

Ian Thorpe also won a gold...in the 400 meter freestyle.

Canada won womens softball against China, i think

China won women's volleyball against the USA. :(

China won women's volleyball against the USA. :(

This is true :(...but don't forget that they still have 4 more games....and they could easily make the medal round :)

The top 4 on each side make it. Single elimination rounds after that and then if you win three, you get the gold :)

Canada beat China in softball.. and against Switzerland (i think) in volleyball

Michael Phelps won his first gold....breaking his own world record in the 400 individual medley.

Yay! One down, seven to go :D

Australia got gold in the womens freestyle relay - think thats what it was :D and the aussie men divers got bronze, china got gold and britian got silver :D

1. Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps and Peter van den Hoogenband in the 200m freestyle will be an awesome race. Damn I'm going to have to eat a truckload of coffee beans just to stay awake.

2. With the mens synchronised 10m platform did anyone see the British teams last dive? It really sucked, but they still got second. The crowd went feral.

3. Re: The Opening ceremony. Did anyone find it bizarre that an Icelandic national sung at the opening for the Athens Olympics?

That is all :)

3. Re: The Opening ceremony. Did anyone find it bizarre that an Icelandic national sung at the opening for the Athens Olympics?

That is all :)lol thats what my brother said..and then he laughed at her outfit...i thought it was cool

Did anyone hear Going Under playing when they were talking about how the Japanese has some kind of training school for young kids and what not? It was during the gymnastics part. They only played the instrumental, so I decided to grace my parents with my singing ;) And how was Michael Phelps' swimming! Whoop whoop!!!!!! :D

Edit: Nevermind. There is already a thread about Going Under being played.

HEY! congrats to Australia and E.U! I watched the swiming thing and they won!! WEee :D You guys are lucky!! :)

1. Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps and Peter van den Hoogenband in the 200m freestyle will be an awesome race. Damn I'm going to have to eat a truckload of coffee beans just to stay awake.
Is that on tonight? Well, I'm up now... I might as well stay up to watch it. Ohhhhh, it's going to be good!

3. Re: The Opening ceremony. Did anyone find it bizarre that an Icelandic national sung at the opening for the Athens Olympics?

Umm yes. I don't mind Bjork, but what on earth did the song she sang have to do with the Olympics?

The US softball team is about to beat the Australian softball team....by mercy rule.

And the Aussies are among the favorites. The only other team that has a shot against the US would be the Japanese.

Umm yes. I don't mind Bjork, but what on earth did the song she sang have to do with the Olympics?

Probably nothing lol.

I know that the song she performed is the title cut from her next album, but....that's all I know about that. I don't follow Bjork much, but I liked that song :)

lol thats what my brother said..and then he laughed at her outfit...i thought it was cool

You know that sheet that they were pulling over? I thought they were pulling it form her dress. :rolleyes: I didn't much like the song either, I thought it should have been Greek...

I'm cheering the Romanian team in the gymnastics thing, because the British team is not doing so well... because of my nationalities I should be cheering for Canada also but... meh, they're ahead of Britain so go Romania! :p

amy la calabazita

The song Bjork performed, "Oceania," is not the title track of her new album, considering that it's title is Medulla. Anyway, she sang "Oceania" because of the whole water/ocean theme in the opening ceremony of the Olympics this year (for example, the giant pool of water in the middle of the stadium...).

Be enlightened.

The US softball team is about to beat the Australian softball team....by mercy rule.

And the Aussies are among the favorites. The only other team that has a shot against the US would be the Japanese.

Probably nothing lol.

I know that the song she performed is the title cut from her next album, but....that's all I know about that. I don't follow Bjork much, but I liked that song :)We have a Softball team!? HA! ;)

I still don't understand why they had Bjork... *confused*

The song Bjork performed, "Oceania," is not the title track of her new album, considering that it's title is Medulla.

Oh yeah...the name of the album slips my mind from time to time :-/

This is our 2004 Olympic Men's Basketball team:

Carmelo Anthony, Denver. (Denver Nuggets)
Carlos Boozer, Juneau, Alaska. (Utah Jazz)
Tim Duncan, San Antonio. (San Antonio Spurs)
Allen Iverson, Philadelphia. (Philadelphia 76ers)
LeBron James, Cleveland. (Cleveland Cavaliers).
Richard Jefferson, Phoenix. (New Jersey Nets)
Stephon Marbury, New York. (New York Knicks)
Shawn Marion, Clarksville, Tenn. (Phoenix Suns)
Lamar Odom, Miami. (Los Angeles Lakers)
Emeka Okafor, Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Bobcats)
Amare Stoudemire, Lake Wales, Fla. (Phoenix Suns)
Dwayne Wade, Oak Lawn, Ill. (Miami Heat)

....

We're losing by 22 points...in the first half to Puerto Rico. TWENTY. TWO. POINTS.

These are first round (and mostly #1 and #2) draft picks.

Holy Crap.

Just watched the 4x100 Men's relay (swimming). GO SOUTH AFRICA! They even smashed the World Record.

We came 5th. HA!

The song Bjork performed, "Oceania," is not the title track of her new album, considering that it's title is Medulla. Anyway, she sang "Oceania" because of the whole water/ocean theme in the opening ceremony of the Olympics this year (for example, the giant pool of water in the middle of the stadium...).

Be enlightened.

Consider myself enightened, but I still don't know why they picked Bjork.

amy la calabazita

Explain to me how the USA lost that badly in basketball. Bird, Magic, and Jordan should fly out to Athens just to slap these punk kids upside their overpaid heads for bringing shame to the NBA.

Explain to me how the USA lost that badly in basketball. Bird, Magic, and Jordan should fly out to Athens just to slap these punk kids upside their overpaid heads for bringing shame to the NBA.
I know! That has to be the biggest shock of these games. *shakes head*

I'm so looking forward for tomorrow swimming - Phelps, Thorpe and van den Hoogenband in one final :cool: As Euro-girl I'd like to see Pieter (vdH) win, but I've been an Ian Thorpe-Fan for four years now - so go Ian!

[Phelps has no chance]

OMFG, that Mohini Bhardwaj montage was crazy....ewwwww at the dislocated elbow from falling from the Uneven Bars :-X :-/

I think it came from a World Championship or something :(

Has Canada even won a medal?! :(

Has Canada even won a medal?! :(

Not yet, but remember, it's still early.

Faces of the night:

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2004/08/ipt/1092609201.jpg

:eek:

Iraq goes into the Olympic soccer quarterfinals beating Costa Rica. They are a legitimately good soccer team and they can definitely medal.

Arash Miresmaeili, judo competitor of Iran, is an asshole. Nevermind the Olympic truce, which allows diplomacy and sportsmanship even in the face of war.

He simply wouldn't compete against Ehud Vaks of Israel because of bigotry...if he really wanted to make his country proud, he would have stopped being a coward prick and actually competed against him...and beat him at that...but he showed his true color...yellow.

It's a shame that this behavior had to come to the Olympics.

Im watching the womens gymnastics, and it seems almost unfair. U.S.A is doing some crazy flips and spins and barely getting a 9.4-9.5. On the other hand, Romania is doing boring, safe routins (sp?) and racking up the points, 9.6-9.7. I dont think its fair, U.S.A could easlily do thier tricks, we are the ones taking risks and usually landing them! :mad:

The problem is that the US keeps making minor technical mistakes in its very complicated routines, while the Romanians' "boring" routines are being done extremely well by comparison.

There is something to be said for something which is simple but elegant and well done.

On another note, I was watching the Judo final competitions. I wish we'd see more of it. That and women's sabre.

I was hoping Phelps would get those 8 Gold medals.

I was hoping Phelps would get those 8 Gold medals.
Considering he never expected it and that wasn't even in his sights...

I was hoping Phelps would get those 8 Gold medals.

I was too :( However, he still has a chance to win lots more. So he won't win 8........he's already won one more than lots of people.

I was too :( However, he still has a chance to win lots more. So he won't win 8........he's already won one more than lots of people.

At least he has the chance of winning 8 medals.

Im watching the womens gymnastics, and it seems almost unfair. U.S.A is doing some crazy flips and spins and barely getting a 9.4-9.5. On the other hand, Romania is doing boring, safe routins (sp?) and racking up the points, 9.6-9.7. I dont think its fair, U.S.A could easlily do thier tricks, we are the ones taking risks and usually landing them!

Most of the US women stepped out of bounds and the US has made mistakes on the dance part of the floor exercise.

Most of the US women stepped out of bounds and the US has made mistakes on the dance part of the floor exercise.

We suck. I'm upset that the US isn't doing better. We've lost a lot of events (not just gymnastics).

We suck. I'm upset that the US isn't doing better. We've lost a lot of events (not just gymnastics).

You should be thankful. Do you want to trade your 8 medals for our 0? :rolleyes:

GO Canada? Where the fuck are you guys?

Stupid question but is it for you American guys soooo important to win the most medailles?

Stupid question but is it for you American guys soooo important to win the most medailles?

Not everybody feels that way.

People here sometimes don't even pay attention to the Olympics.

I feel that it's awesome to see countrymen win medals and depending on the story, I'd like to see people from other countries do it because some of their stories are so inspirational.

In the case of a runner from Great Britain at the 1992 Barcelona games, it didn't matter if he won.

I believe it was the 400 meter gold medal race...and all of the sudden he went down. His father came in, helped him up and he finished the race.

That is an Olympic moment I'll always remember. So just remember that it isn't about winning gold all the time. Sometimes it's just finishing the race.

Stupid question but is it for you American guys soooo important to win the most medailles?

We really get behind our national pride when it comes to the Olympics because we so much to be proud of.

A great democracy......wait a sec, our President is an idiot.
A great economy........wait a sec, we got screwed out of our raises at work.
A great health care system...........who am I kidding? I can't even type that with a straight face.

But Evanescence and the New England Patriots come from America, so we should win the most medals. *eats apple pie and salutes Old Glory* :D

Not everybody feels that way.

People here sometimes don't even pay attention to the Olympics.

I feel that it's awesome to see countrymen win medals and depending on the story, I'd like to see people from other countries do it because some of their stories are so inspirational.

In the case of a runner from Great Britain at the 1992 Barcelona games, it didn't matter if he won.

I believe it was the 400 meter gold medal race...and all of the sudden he went down. His father came in, helped him up and he finished the race.

That is an Olympic moment I'll always remember. So just remember that it isn't about winning gold all the time. Sometimes it's just finishing the race.

There was also a moment at the 2000 olympics where a swimmer from a very small country finished completely behind everyone else but he kept pushing until he finished. It was truly amazing for him because he persevered and didn't give up and represented his country. It's not about the medals, it's about proving to yourself that you can go very far and I think the athletes want it for themselves, not just for their country. America just has a lot of people and are talented at various things. It helps a country in the Olympics when they have a lot of people to represent them, more people= more chances for medals...

Most of the US women stepped out of bounds and the US has made mistakes on the dance part of the floor exercise.

There is one really short girl on our team that is messing it up for everyone. She wabbled on the balance beam, made a huge step out of the floor excersize and I think took a huge step landing the vault. :mad:

Michael Phelps...gets a bronze. Ian Thorpe won the gold in the 200 freestyle and Pieter van den Hoogenband got the silver.

Michael Phelps...gets a bronze. Ian Thorpe won the gold in the 200 freestyle and Pieter van den Hoogenband got the silver.

yes, and markus rogan wins silver for austria :) but i can't remember exactly in which discipline he get's the medal

That was in the 100 meter backstroke :)

oh yes, thanks :) it was a really exciting finish. it's cool to see a guy from austria win a medal in a discipline like this :) and maybe he get's another medal in 200 meter backstroke, he's better in this discipline than in the 100 meter one :)

GO BRAZIL!! :D

Brazil is playing basketball now (brazil x greece)...

We will win!!! :D

Brazil is the best! :D :D

@ Cfw828
thanks for the explanation!
my father always tells me the story of the Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden. In the 4000m - race there was a Finnish starter, he was first but fell down. All the others overtook him, but a Dutch one helped him to stand up and the Finnish man became first again. It took him only some meters for the goldmedall, the Dutch one became second. But a meter in front of the finishing line he stopped and waited for the Dutch one and hand in hand they ran over the line :) (hope you got what I meant, my english, ya know...)

And yeah, Ian made it! And also Pieter, I love those two guys :p

The US Men's Gymnastics team won...............................silver.

Stupid question but is it for you American guys soooo important to win the most medailles?

Propaganda = nationalism = thirst for olympic metals.

If you're not going to support your country's athletes, who will cheer for? Someone from an obscure country?

Michael Phelps is good, but not that good. There are plenty of swimmers who are better than him. Just take a look at Ian Thorpes. :)

I was watching women's gymnastics on Saturday night and it was quite disappointing. The scores were generally fair, but some could have been higher. A flawless performance gets only a 9.7. What happened to the .3?

GO Canada? Where the fuck are you guys?
I'm HEEEERREEEEE. if i count. :p i guess we're so proud of our fine totals that we're celebrating in the streets and can't come online to boast about our... zero... WAIT! one medal. yes, we won a bronze in synchro diving. :D

I was hoping our Dumont/Martin beach vball team could beat McPeak/Youngs from the US. Didn't happen... but we put up a pretty good fight.

And... we still have Perdita. :D hopefully she'll pull out the gold for us in the hurdles. and i'm sure we'll get a handful of others... just not sure where.

Stupid question but is it for you American guys soooo important to win the most medailles?
I don't know about the others, but I was rooting for Puerto Rico in basketball :D

I don't know about the others, but I was rooting for Puerto Rico in basketball :D
I was too. :D if Canada doesn't win another medal in these games, at least that game made things worthwhile.

Yeah, I caught the synchro diving competition...what a clusterfuck at the end.

The Chinese fucked up...the Russians fucked up...the Greece hit their dive...and if the Americans just hit the dive...they didn't even have to get 9s and 10s....they would have done it.

But it was not to be.

My favorite sport of the entire Olympics so far though has been women's indoor volleyball. It's exciting as hell and it looks like most of those teams could be gold medal winners. Both of the American games have been nailbiters up to this point, but they've got some really good players....mmmmmmLoganTommmmmm....They have a player that's 6'7" tall :eek: good Lord.

On NBC Nightly News, I just saw their report that attendance has been extremely poor. Only 500 people showed up for Tennis Finals. And the camera angles show scores of empty seats.

Propaganda = nationalism = thirst for olympic metals.

If you're not going to support your country's athletes, who will cheer for? Someone from an obscure country?



No, I was just wondering. I mean, I just enjoy the games, and should Italy not win even one medal ... who the fuck cares? There are one zillion things that are more important than who gets the most gold medals... and by the way, I believe Italy has got so far more medals than the US ... but just by the way :D :cool: :D

No, I was just wondering. I mean, I just enjoy the games, and should Italy not win even one medal ... who the fuck cares? There are one zillion things that are more important than who gets the most gold medals... and by the way, I believe Italy has got so far more medals than the US ... but just by the way :D :cool: :D

Actually, the US is tied for second with Australia with 13 metals each. China is first with 14. Never fear, Italy has 5 more metals than most countries and it's still very early. :)

On NBC Nightly News, I just saw their report that attendance has been extremely poor. Only 500 people showed up for Tennis Finals. And the camera angles show scores of empty seats.

I heard the IOC is going to give away tickets because of poor attendence. I wish I'm in Greece !!

OMGah. I love Pieter van den Hoogenband. I just love his name. It's really catchy. Pieter van den Hoogenband. Pieter van den Hoogenband.

I'm HEEEERREEEEE. if i count. :p i guess we're so proud of our fine totals that we're celebrating in the streets and can't come online to boast about our... zero... WAIT! one medal. yes, we won a bronze in synchro diving. :D

I was hoping our Dumont/Martin beach vball team could beat McPeak/Youngs from the US. Didn't happen... but we put up a pretty good fight.

And... we still have Perdita. :D hopefully she'll pull out the gold for us in the hurdles. and i'm sure we'll get a handful of others... just not sure where.


No man, Kyle Shewfelt (sp?) is going to kick ass on the individual gymnastics events. :D

First gold medal for Greece in synchronized diving! Yupiiii, this is the first gold ever in this sport for Greece. Not bad at all!
Can't wait to see how the Greek girl are going to look in the gymnastics

There was also a moment at the 2000 olympics where a swimmer from a very small country finished completely behind everyone else but he kept pushing until he finished. It was truly amazing for him because he persevered and didn't give up and represented his country. It's not about the medals, it's about proving to yourself that you can go very far and I think the athletes want it for themselves, not just for their country. America just has a lot of people and are talented at various things. It helps a country in the Olympics when they have a lot of people to represent them, more people= more chances for medals...

I remember him! They called him Eric The Eel. I thought he was really brave, cos all the other competitors were disqualified, but he kept going. Afterwards he got to meet all the swimming legends, and he was like "Wow!" and he was really nice about it.

Moussambani went looking for his hero – the Australian swimming star Michael Klim. Instead, it was the other way round. "After the race the other night, he came to me," Moussambani said. "He just walked up to me in the dressing room and shook my hand. The only bad thing is I didn't have my camera."

He was trying to come to Athens, and he cut his original swimming time of the 100m from 1 min 52 secs to 57 seconds, but because of a glitch in his application for the games, he won't be coming to Athens :(

Claudia Heill gets the first olympic medal in judo as a woman for austria. she gets silver :)

On NBC Nightly News, I just saw their report that attendance has been extremely poor. Only 500 people showed up for Tennis Finals. And the camera angles show scores of empty seats.
And this is why the Olympics should be in Sydney every four years. :D Sorry, I know I'm incredibly biased, but the crowds in Sydney and how excited Australians were over those games was amazing. People bought tickets to whatever event they could get their hands on.

Out of 5 million tickets only 3 million have been sold, and interesting fact, 2 million Athenians have left Athens while the games are on. Why, I don't know. I thought people would be far more excited about it.


Actually, the US is tied for second with Australia with 13 metals each. China is first with 14. Never fear, Italy has 5 more metals than most countries and it's still very early. :)


According to which media source? ;)

All of the American media rank the countries by the total number of medals won, yet everyone else ranks the countries by the number of gold medals won... so going on that, America is actually 3rd on the medal list (3 gold), Australia and Japan are equal second (6 gold each), and China in the lead (10 gold).

Brazil will win in the artistic gymnastics.

anybody know the gymnast Dayane do Santos? She is the best! =D

well canada is officially sucking ass this year. well.. it doesn't really matter anyway, we're a winter sport country. but still, go canada.

..dunno about phelps, but he does have a really weird looking mouth, so you could be right..

HAHA THORPE BEAT PHELPS! TAKE THAT!




Oh wait. I'm supposed to be cheering for my own country.

phelps is overrated if i do say so myself..

HAHA THORPE BEAT PHELPS! TAKE THAT!




Oh wait. I'm supposed to be cheering for my own country.

hahahahahaha omg have i told you how much i love you!!!!
seriously you are well on your way to being an Honourary Australian :D

..go canada.. woot..

phelps is overrated if i do say so myself..

That's only because the media did it....but in all seriousness, the guy is fucking awesome.

First of all, he's only 19 years old.

Mark Spitz was in his prime when he one those 7 medals....this guy has as many as 2 more Olympics left in him.

He already has 5 medals in 5 events....that includes 3 golds. If somebody doesn't look at this as an accomplishment, then they are friggin' nuts.

3 events to go and he could tie a record of 8 medals for the Olympics.

He's only 19 years old.

The person who has the most medals in US Olympic history I believe has 12 medals. He could eclipse that and go for the Olympic record of 18. He's that good.

That's only because the media did it....but in all seriousness, the guy is fucking awesome.

First of all, he's only 19 years old.

Mark Spitz was in his prime when he one those 7 medals....this guy has as many as 2 more Olympics left in him.

He already has 5 medals in 5 events....that includes 3 golds. If somebody doesn't look at this as an accomplishment, then they are friggin' nuts.

3 events to go and he could tie a record of 8 medals for the Olympics.

He's only 19 years old.

The person who has the most medals in US Olympic history I believe has 12 medals. He could eclipse that and go for the Olympic record of 18. He's that good.

I have faith that Phelps will win a medal in all his races. Sure they might not all be gold, but he'll win some kind of medal.

That's only because the media did it....but in all seriousness, the guy is fucking awesome.

First of all, he's only 19 years old.

Mark Spitz was in his prime when he one those 7 medals....this guy has as many as 2 more Olympics left in him.

He already has 5 medals in 5 events....that includes 3 golds. If somebody doesn't look at this as an accomplishment, then they are friggin' nuts.

3 events to go and he could tie a record of 8 medals for the Olympics.

He's only 19 years old.

The person who has the most medals in US Olympic history I believe has 12 medals. He could eclipse that and go for the Olympic record of 18. He's that good.
I think Phelps is bloody brilliant. Obviously if he's in the pool against Thorpe, I hope Thorpe kicks his ass (and he did), but he's got suck a brilliant future ahead of him. I can not wait to see what he's going to be like in four years from now in China.

It's too bad Americans don't get behind their swim team outside of international events like the Olympics... he's such a talented young man. I love Thorpe too death, obviously, but Phelps is pretty much in the same league, IMHO.

Yeah, what's up with Canada? :( Only one medal, and it's bronze. :( So, unless some big miracle happens, I don't think we're going to leave Athens with more than ten. :( Though, good job to China. As of yesterday, they were in the lead. I haven't checked to see whether that changed today or not, but I know Australia and the U.S. were tied for second. Russia was in third. I thought Canada would have done better than one medal, though. :(

Oh well, there's always the World Cup. :D

Michael Phelps might get more medals than our whole country. Eeeek. I guess that's what you get for having a reputation as a "winter" nation.

How awesome is it that the World Cup starts like RIGHT after the Olympics? :D Sad that it's probably gonna be the last good hockey we see for a while. :(

Medal Tally Gold Silver Bronze
China 10 6 4
United States 7 9 6
Japan 7 3 1
Australia 6 3 5
Ukraine 4 1 1
Russia 3 5 6
France 3 2 4
Italy 2 3 2
Greece 2 0 1
Romania 2 0 1

http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2004/results/medaltally.htm

Canadian men's pair rowing crew disqualified from Olympic semifinal
at 4:48 on August 18, 2004, EST.


SCHINIAS, Greece (CP) - Men's pair rowing crew Dave Calder of Victoria and Chris Jarvis of St. Catharines, Ont., were disqualified from their Olympic semifinal Wednesday for leaving their lane just before the finish line. Canada is appealing the decision. Calder and Jarvis led for about 1,500 metres before they were caught by the Germans and South Africa. A few metres from the finish line, Calder and Jarvis moved toward the South African duo of Donovan Cech and Ramon di Clemente.

According to FISA, the world governing body for rowing, one Canadian oar was a metre over the line of buoys that separate the lanes.

The South Africans said the Canadian oar clashed with their's, causing them to take a bad stroke and stall just before crossing the line.

The Canadians were warned by the umpire to move back into their lane, FISA said.

"The South Africans were clearly disturbed by the Canadian crew," FISA said in a statement.

Calder was sure there was no contact between the oars.

"We were surprised that there was a wave of three boats challenging for the top two spots," Calder said. "When we crossed the buoy line into the South Africans' lane in the last 150 metres or so, when they caught their oar in the last three strokes, that had nothing to do with us being in their lane. We were still three feet away from them. Our oars never touched. When your 1,990 metres through a 2K race, you're tired and you make mistakes and the South Africans made a mistake. We made a mistake by being in their lane but we did not cause them to miss that stroke."

Canada has launched an appeal to the board of juries at the regatta, arguing that the oars didn't clash. If either party is unhappy with the decision, it will go to the FISA executive for a final ruling. The final is Saturday.

The top three finishers qualify for the final. Germany won the race in six minutes 25.47 seconds while Serbia and Montenegro ended up second after the Canadian disqualification with a time of 6:27.50 and South Africa third in 6:28.48.

JULIE SCOTT


© The Canadian Press, 2003

...well that really sucks for us doesn't it? rowing is one of our best summer sports... crap.. Oh well, we still have the women's pair all the other rowing teams.

all this talk about phelps and no one's confirmed my lateral lisp question :( booo

I dunno if that's what he has, but I did notice he talks a little different. I've also noticed it seems like he has an underbite...overbite...whichever one it's called. Like, his bottom jaw sticks out a little bit from his top.

We need an evboard convention in Athens. We need to fill up some of those seats... :(

all this talk about phelps and no one's confirmed my lateral lisp question :( booo
I confirm it. :D His lateral lisp pwns.

OMFG!! The U.S. women's VB team was upset by Dominican Republic. Heidi, NOOOOO!!!!!

P.S. Logan Tom is STILL hot!;)

The top three finishers qualify for the final. Germany won the race in six minutes 25.47 seconds while Serbia and Montenegro ended up second after the Canadian disqualification with a time of 6:27.50 and South Africa third in 6:28.48.

.


hmm, would have been an interesting final with canada involved, interesting to note though that the winning time here would have gained fourth in the other semi

Kaydee still can't believe Paul Hamm completely busted his ass on his landing from the vault....

EDIT:I can't believe he won!! Wow that high bar exercise was awesome!!! he went from 1st i think to 12th and then to 4th the nailed it with a 9.837 he needed a 9.825 to win!!

Kaydee still can't believe Paul Hamm completely busted his ass on his landing from the vault....

EDIT:I can't believe he won!! Wow that high bar exercise was awesome!!! he went from 1st i think to 12th and then to 4th the nailed it with a 9.837 he needed a 9.825 to win!!

I knowww *on both*

When he went from 1st to 12th cause of that fall, I was all emo because I really wanted him to get gold, but thought he was like done for...ohhh was I wrong, haha. Wow that was actually great on high bar..great great stuff...:)

i'm just waiting to see ana guevara running!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh yeah!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Canada's Guylaine Dumont and Annie Martin advance to the round of 16 in beach volleyball!! :D :D :D

I'd be overjoyed if they win gold!!!!! :D

BOO YA!!! and we've got an amazing hurdeller who's well on her way to the podium:D...

Kaydee still can't believe Paul Hamm completely busted his ass on his landing from the vault....

EDIT:I can't believe he won!! Wow that high bar exercise was awesome!!! he went from 1st i think to 12th and then to 4th the nailed it with a 9.837 he needed a 9.825 to win!!

That was SO awesome. I thought he got bronze, I didn't think he'd get gold. Way to go American relay swimmers, by the way! Men's and woman's 4 x 200 freestyle BOTH won gold.

What a great 100m freestyle final.

van den Hoogenband rocks! What a comeback from him in the last 50m, absolute class.

If Thorpe wasn't going to win it, or another Australian, i wanted Hoogenband to win it. After he got out of the pool he walked over for an interview with Kieran Perkins, and he has to be the nicest guy.

Sooo yeah... hows that basketball game going eh ;)

Argh...I was really hoping GBR would get the gold against China in Badminton...oh well, at least we got silver :) . Those Chinese are damn good.

Anyone know when the basketball games are on (in the UK)...I've only been able to watch the US Vs. Greece one so far...

yeah, gold for markus rogan from austria for 200 meters backstroke. but hmm, very bad for aaron peirsol that his time is invalid :(

Edit:

hmm, aaron peirsol get's gold

That was SO awesome. I thought he got bronze, I didn't think he'd get gold. Way to go American relay swimmers, by the way! Men's and woman's 4 x 200 freestyle BOTH won gold.
I know! Sooooo unexpected!! I didn't think he'd get any medal after that fall!

(I was actually hoping Yang Wei would get gold, me being Chinese and all :p)

Anyone else getting really REALLY annoyed with that Phelps guy?? :p He keeps getting the fucking gold medals...and he's only 19! Well, he's pretty talented at least...I don't think any British swimmers have beaten him yet...unfortunately :( In fact, I can only think of one British male swimmer (Parry), who got a medal - and that was bronze. Still, there's still two more days of swimming left...

Khashbaatar Tsagaanbaatar (<< Name even cooler than van den Hoogenband) won Mongolia's first metal in this Olympics with a bronze in 60 kg men's judo. Now Mongolia is tied with Canada for overall number of metals (now how often does that happen?)

It's so much more fun to root for underdog countries than your own. :D

Go Liechtenstein!

OMFOMFOMFOMGOMGOMFGOMGOMFMGO

Carly Patterson wins the gold in the Gymnastics All-Around :D

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/spo/med/2004/08/ipt/1092946336.jpg

And Michael Phelps wins the gold medal he was predicted to win in the 200 IM.

ok... is this true... i heard this on the radio today... a guy streaked during the swimming in a pink tut-tu and jumped in the pool?

I feel so out of the loop now! I'm back to working my night shifts, so I haven't had the chance to watch the olympics like I did the beginning of the week :( But I'm glad to hear Phelps is still winning!!!! And congrats to Carly Patterson!!!!

ok... is this true... i heard this on the radio today... a guy streaked during the swimming in a pink tut-tu and jumped in the pool?

This is true....I believe it happened during the synchronized diving competition, but it wasn't shown...they tend to not show those things.

lmao what in the hell is this world coming to..:lol: a guy in a tu-tu in the oplympics

yah the tu-tu guy was a canadian lol... tried to be funny.. it just wasn't working..

yah the tu-tu guy was a canadian lol... tried to be funny.. it just wasn't working..

I'm sure it's funnier if you see it instead of just reading about it.

yeah, gold for markus rogan from austria for 200 meters backstroke. but hmm, very bad for aaron peirsol that his time is invalid :(

Edit:

hmm, aaron peirsol get's gold

The amazing thing about that is that when they were calling for his dq, Markus was like "You should protest that, that's unfair"....Markus Rogan did not have to do that, but that was extremely noble of him.

jasmine! you're right... i just saw phelps being interviewed on tv and he has the weirdest lisp.. it's like a lisp mixed with an underbite..

OMG GB actually got a gold *faints*

http://sports.yahoo.com/oly/news?slug=usatoday-politicaladupsetsiraqip&prov=usatoday_wire&type=lgns

Seems like Bush can't please anybody these days....

Political ad upsets Iraqi players

Iraqi soccer players said they are angered that President Bush has referred to their Olympic delegation in a campaign ad and called on him to stop, Sports Illustrated reported Thursday on its Web site.


"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign," Iraqi midfielder Salih Sadir told SI.com through a translator. "He can find another way to advertise himself."


The Bush campaign is running an ad in which the flags of Iraq and Afghanistan appear.


A narrator says, "At this Olympics there will be two more free nations - and two fewer terrorist regimes. With strength, resolve and courage, democracy will triumph over terror and hope will defeat hatred."


There are no images of Iraqi soccer players in the ad.


Another player was harshly critical of the president.


"How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women?" Ahmed Manajid told SI.com. "He has committed so many crimes."


There was no immediate response from the Bush campaign on the criticism from the Iraqis.


The players said they were grateful that Saddam Hussein's son, Uday, was no longer in charge of the country's Olympians, SI.com reported. He had tortured players for playing badly. U.S. troops killed him last year in Mosul.


Still, the team's coach said the ad was inappropriate and that the team does not support the U.S. occupation of Iraq.


"My problems are not with the American people," Iraqi coach Adnan Hamad told SI.com.


"They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything," he said. "The American army has killed so many people in Iraq. What is freedom when I go to the (national) stadium and there are shootings on the road?"

OMG GB actually got a gold *faints*

Yup, finally :D I hope Amir Khan gets the gold...or at least a medal for Britian in boxing. He looks like he will.

This just in....Michael Phelps won his 5th gold beating his teammate Ian Crocker in the 100 butterfly, bringing his total to 5 gold and 2 bronze.

He's got one more event to go and he'll break the Olympic record for most medals at the Olympic Games....he could very well win a 6th gold medal.

So what happens if he does win that gold? Will he be looked at as bigger than Spitz because he wasn't favored to win in some of the events that he's won? Or will he always have that coulda shoulda woulda with the 7 golds?

Canada got a silver :)

im thinkin probably that coulda shoulda woulda with the 7 golds for phelps...
Now Carly Patterson on the other hand! She made History!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=755&e=1&u=/ap/20040820/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_swimming_swm

ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps (news - web sites) ended his magnificent Olympics with a magnanimous gesture. He matched Mark Spitz (news - web sites)'s record of four individual gold medals in the pool, then gave up a coveted spot on the 400-meter medley relay team to Ian Crocker — whom Phelps had just beaten.

With five gold medals and two bronze overall, Phelps is content to win a historic eighth medal while sitting in the stands Saturday night.


His Olympics are over.


"We came into this meet as a team," Phelps said. "We'll leave here as a team."


In an Olympics that became his personal showcase, the 19-year-old from Baltimore came through with another stirring performance Friday in the 100 butterfly. He rallied to beat the man who held the world record and defeated him at both the world championships and the U.S. trials.


Normally, the winner of the 100 fly gets a spot in the medley relay final. But everyone who participates on a medal-winning relay team — whether it's the preliminaries or a final — is rewarded.


Therefore, Phelps still can tie Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin's record of eight medals in one Olympics, set at the boycotted 1980 Moscow Games. The United States has never lost a medley relay and will be an overwhelming favorite again — no matter who swims the fly.


"It's tough to give up the relay. It really is," Phelps said. "But Ian is one of the greatest relay swimmers in the world. He wasn't feeling well during the 400 relay. Hopefully, he'll step up big in the medley relay."


Certainly Phelps had every reason to be tired, racing for the 17th time in seven days. He competed in the medley relay in the morning, while Crocker had been able to rest up for their showdown.


And though he says he's looking forward to breaking training — "It's McDonald's time" — no one doubts he had another race left in him.


"I'm speechless," said Crocker, looking to redeem himself after his poor performance last Sunday. "It's a huge gift, but difficult to accept. It makes me want to just go out there and tear up the pool tomorrow."


Another thing: Phelps is sensitive to teammates who have been overshadowed by his amazing accomplishments leading up to these games.


"It's the right thing to do," Phelps said.


His gesture wasn't lost on the International Olympic Committee (news - web sites).


"He's a great champion," said IOC (news - web sites) president Jacques Rogge, who watched Phelps' victory from a front-row seat at the Aquatic Center. "Definitely, he is going to be one of the icons of the games."


In Friday's race, Crocker started strong and made the turn under world-record pace, about a half-body length ahead of Phelps, who was lagging in fifth place.


Using his huge wingspan, Phelps began to dig furiously into the water, leaving behind a wake that resembled a washing machine churning a load of clothes. With 20 meters to go, he had pulled up on Crocker's shoulder. At the wall, both men lunged for the gold.





Phelps got it, beating Crocker by a minuscule four-hundredths of a second in an Olympic record of 51.25. Andriy Serdinov of Ukraine took the bronze with a time of 51.36.

Spitz was in the stands to watch Phelps' final race. As the teenager walked around the deck with his latest gold medal, he spotted Spitz holding up four fingers.

"Just to be mentioned in the same sentence with him is unbelievable," Phelps said.

In all, Spitz won a record seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Games. Phelps will fall short of that record, but this performance — in a swimming world that is much more competitive than it was three decades ago — could very well be more impressive than the one he was chasing.

The United States picked up another gold medal in the 50 free, with 29-year-old Gary Hall Jr. defending the title he shared with fellow American Anthony Ervin in Sydney four years ago.

It was an especially sweet victory for the irreverent Hall, who was upset about being left off a couple of U.S. relay teams. Swimming as though he had something to prove, he recovered from a slow start to touch in 21.93 — beating Croatia's Duje Draganja by one-hundredth of a second.

Hall ripped off his cap, threw up his arms in a defiant pose and climbed out of the pool to take a bow. He plans to be back for the 2008 Beijing Games.

"Why not?" he asked, savoring the 10th medal of his career. "Defiance. It's fun."

Roland Schoeman of South Africa, a close friend of Hall's, took the bronze in 22.02. Another American, Jason Lezak, was fifth in 22.11.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe won her third medal of the games, capturing gold in the 200 backstroke. She led all the way and finished in 2:09.19. Russia's Stanislava Komarova took silver in 2:09.72, while the bronze went to Reiko Nakamura of Japan in 2:09.88.

Coventry swims at Auburn University, although her family remains in the Zimbabwe capital of Harare. She already had a silver from the 100 back and a bronze from the 200 individual medley.

American Margaret Hoelzer finished fifth.

The United States lost its hold on the women's 800 freestyle when Ai Shibata of Japan won gold in 8:25.54 — the first major international medal of her career. Laure Manaudou of France claimed silver in 8:24.96, her third medal of these games.

The U.S. team did manage a medal when Diana Munz beat out countrywoman Kalyn Keller for the bronze, overtaking her in the final meters. Munz's time was 8:26.61 — just 36-hundredths ahead of Keller in the grueling race, the longest on the women's program.

The Americans had won the event in five consecutive Olympics, including back-to-back titles by Janet Evans (news - web sites) in 1988 and 1992 and Brooke Bennett in 1996 and 2000. Tiffany Cohen started the streak at the boycotted 1984 Los Angeles Games.

Munz had no complaints about finishing third. She had expected to swim the 800 at the Sydney Games (news - web sites), only to get squeezed out of a spot at the U.S. trials by just five-hundredths of a second.

"It was a long wait, but I've done it," Munz said. "I trained four years ... so of course I'm excited and happy that I'm third."

kudos to phelps, he's done amazing in these olympics. and stepping down so that ian crocker could try for a gold shows great sportsmanship. i first thought he was way overrated, but he is in fact an incredible athelete.

OMG!!! I was JUST watching the Olympics. Phelps stepped down!!! *is aware ilookuptoamy just mentioned that*

:eek:*faints*

I saw that race, and the interview he did in the studio afterwards. That's awesome that he stepped down so Ian Crocker can race! I'm so glad I'm off of work tomorrow, so I can watch it! That was a great article! Thanks for posting it cfw828!

The amazing thing about that is that when they were calling for his dq, Markus was like "You should protest that, that's unfair"....Markus Rogan did not have to do that, but that was extremely noble of him.

yes, he said that aaron is the better one, so he should get the gold medal. he don't want to get it, because aaron is one of his best friends too. aaron was the better one, markus said that too. and i think markus deserves the silver one, like aaron deserves the gold one, i think that's the best for all :)

olympics just came on i caught the last half of the spokes person talking about judges being suspended, in the men gymnastics, and korea are trying to fight trying to get Hamms medal taken away? Any one know the whole story?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040821/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_tainted_gold_gym&cid=554&ncid=716

Here ya go.....what bullcrap.

It really does feel tainted. I feel really sorry for Hamm.

http://www.msn.co.uk/specials/summergames2004/didyouknow/Default.asp?Ath=f


WOAH.

It's amazing how much money was spent on this. Not to say the Olympics aren't worthwhile...but it's almost ridiculous how much money can be spent on a sports event...I'm sure that much wasn't necessary, where it could be used on something else. ;)

Where is the dream team of the USA?

The second defeats today, to Lithuania. omg...

I know I'm a bit late on this, but I'm SOOOO HAPPY that Carly Patterson won gold! I watched her routines and was like :eek: :eek: :eek: She's freakin' amazing!

I'm kinda disappointed that Mike Phelps stepped down (talk about a winning streak...) but at the same time I think that it was very nice of him to do so. Ian Crocker is almost, if not just, as good as he is.

And..sheesh. Basketball is so big here; you'd think we could do a bit better, huh? :rolleyes: lol.

yah carly is amazing, 16 freaking years old and an olympic gold. thats awesome.

woo hoo, the twins win!

nuff said :)


ps: thats them down there vvvvvvvvvvvv

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040821/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_tainted_gold_gym&cid=554&ncid=716

Here ya go.....what bullcrap.

It really does feel tainted. I feel really sorry for Hamm.

That makes me sad for Paul Hamm. I read about that this morning...seriously it sucks. It does taint it. An error the judges made and he gets the negativity. Sure he gets to keep the medal, but as I and cfw said it's now tainted. Gahh it aggravates me. I think I'd rather him have gotten silver and not had this happen, in the first place....at least then people can't be like "he didn't deserve it." Eh I still think he deserved to win(not saying the other guy didn't though...I forget his name), coming back after that fall and kicking ass on his last two rotations...

Ok I need to stop typing now, lol.
Ahh I can't wait for tomorrow, seeing more gymnastics...woo.

I know I'm a bit late on this, but I'm SOOOO HAPPY that Carly Patterson won gold! I watched her routines and was like :eek: :eek: :eek: She's freakin' amazing!

I'm kinda disappointed that Mike Phelps stepped down (talk about a winning streak...) but at the same time I think that it was very nice of him to do so. Ian Crocker is almost, if not just, as good as he is.

And..sheesh. Basketball is so big here; you'd think we could do a bit better, huh? :rolleyes: lol.

Well he did prevent Ian Crocker from getting a gold in the 100 m Fly. But even if he didn't participate in the final, he still got a gold medal because he participated in the prelim's.

That makes me sad for Paul Hamm. I read about that this morning...seriously it sucks. It does taint it. An error the judges made and he gets the negativity. Sure he gets to keep the medal, but as I and cfw said it's now tainted. Gahh it aggravates me. I think I'd rather him have gotten silver and not had this happen, in the first place....at least then people can't be like "he didn't deserve it." Eh I still think he deserved to win(not saying the other guy didn't though...I forget his name), coming back after that fall and kicking ass on his last two rotations...

Ok I need to stop typing now, lol.
Ahh I can't wait for tomorrow, seeing more gymnastics...woo.

I watched that event a few days ago and I think Paul Hamm deserves what he got. His last two events were absolutely amazing and what can I say? He's the world champion.

But what I can say is that a lot of the judging wasn't fair. Some scores were too low, while some were obviously too high. How is it fair that a lackluster performance can receive a 9.6, while a flawless one gets the same score?

yah carly is amazing, 16 freaking years old and an olympic gold. thats awesome.

not to downplay anything, but most female olympic gymnasts are around that age ;)

woo hoo, the twins win!

nuff said


ps: thats them down there vvvvvvvvvvvv

yeah! finally we're on the medal tables haha.

I watched that event a few days ago and I think Paul Hamm deserves what he got. His last two events were absolutely amazing and what can I say? He's the world champion.

But what I can say is that a lot of the judging wasn't fair. Some scores were too low, while some were obviously too high. How is it fair that a lackluster performance can receive a 9.6, while a flawless one gets the same score?

:) you're cool

Yeah the judging really wasn't fair...I'm totally with you there. The main instance that sticks out in my mind was when the one Russian girl (she won silver, but I can't spell her name) did a routine that was at best a 9.4something got a 9.7something....even the commentators thought it was too high and they usually were really nice about her...

and Paul Hamm is great, he's a really really really talented gymnast...so yeah as I said I do think he deserves what he got.

Congratulations to the Iraqi soccer team.

From a team that only came together in February, they have made the semifinals and have a chance to medal.

They've already won though...they've won the hearts of the soccer fans in Athens. Whether they medal or not, they've already won.

Congratulations to the Iraqi soccer team.

From a team that only came together in February, they have made the semifinals and have a chance to medal.

They've already won though...they've won the hearts of the soccer fans in Athens. Whether they medal or not, they've already won.

After everything they had to go through in the past, I'm really happy for them!!! I hope they do win a medal!

Canada won it's first gold medal, courtesy of Kyle Shewfelt. Way to go man! The best gymnastic floor exercise today, WOOT!

http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=b4ab35ae-4edf-480e-9e62-4b3620a727b9

kyle shewfelt was amazing, delivered canada's first gold medal in athens, way to go kyle!

how good are them aussies .. ;) i mean .. weeeeeeee. they're just rad. hehe.

4th on the ladder AUS 12gold 8silver 13bronze 33medals all up . goooo australia :D heheh

Congratulations to Justin Gatlin of Brooklyn, NY.

He won the 100 meter race and is now the "Fastest Man in the World".

I don't even think he was expected to medal.

The celebration was awesome. He was hugging anybody he could get his hands on :p

Congratulations to Justin Gatlin of Brooklyn, NY.

He won the 100 meter race and is now the "Fastest Man in the World".

I don't even think he was expected to medal.

The celebration was awesome. He was hugging anybody he could get his hands on :p


...and our portuguese dude was the 2nd fastest man in the world! we almost won! crapp... but we were 2nd! go portugal! yeah...we've won only 2 medal (silver) but we still rock ;) :D

Well, it was anybody's race. 5 men finished under 10 seconds which is unprecedented.

I'm rather disappointed that I havn't seen any synchronised swimming yet! I was quite looking forward to it :p Any Aussies know what time they're showing it? (or if they're even showing it at all?) :(

did somebody watched the voleyball?? omg argentina vs polone what a great match!!!

Congratulations to the Iraqi soccer team.

From a team that only came together in February, they have made the semifinals and have a chance to medal.

They've already won though...they've won the hearts of the soccer fans in Athens. Whether they medal or not, they've already won.
I'll second that. Everytime I see the Iraqi team laughing and smiling, it makes me smile.

I'll second that. Everytime I see the Iraqi team laughing and smiling, it makes me smile.

i think if they don't smile and laugh, their asses will be pwned! i mean, have you guys seen how the iraqi team was treated by saddam's son who controled iraqi sports?? the team was tortured when they lost or if they did something they didn't like. although saddam's son is dead, i think others control the team and i think they're used to have a smile in their faces although perhaps they are not pwned anymore...it's just habits.

hey guys i haven't watched olympic games for 3 days tell me please whats going on there

well congrats to phelps, Hamm, and the girls softball team..

i wanted Mardy Fish to win in tennis..but of course Massu won :( oh well, a silver is good for him.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/gymnastics/08/22/bc.olympics.gymnastics.khorkina/index.html

MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Russia's Svetlana Khorkina, who was second to American Carly Patterson in the women's all-round gymnastics competition, has accused the judges of robbing her of the gold medal and said "everything was decided in advance."

"I'm just furious," Khorkina, who had been favorite for the coveted title, was quoted as saying in the daily Izvestia. "I knew well in advance, even before I stepped on the stage for my first event, that I was going to lose."

"Everything was decided in advance. I had no illusions about this when the judges gave me 9.462 for the vault after conferring with one another at length.

"I practically did everything right, still they just set me up and fleeced me," she said in the interview published on Saturday.

Asked why she felt she was marked down by the judges, Khorkina said: "You better ask them. I think it's because I'm from Russia, not from America!"

When Khorkina won her silver medal on Thursday, she showed no outward signs of disappointment and said: "I think it's the best day of my life."

The Russian was also favorite for the all-round title four years ago in Sydney, where her hopes were dashed after she crashed to her knees from the vault. It was later discovered the horse had been set five centimeters too short.

She said she was hoping Sydney's experience would cause the judges to be more sympathetic to her plight in Athens -- her third and last Olympics.

Khorkina did not think Patterson was a deserving winner.

Asked if the American was a worthy opponent, she said: "I've seen a much tougher opposition than her. Let's see how long she can remain on top. Can she keep going and compete in two more Olympics like myself."

"No, well, you better write that Patterson is a great champion and she has a great future," she added sarcastically.

Khorkina confirmed that Athens were her last Olympics but she wants to remain in the sport.

"I'd like to work for the International Gymnastics Federation. These competitions have shown the sport needs a lot of changes," she said. "It should be judged primarily on grace, elegance and beauty rather than simply on mechanical tumbling."

On Sunday the Russian will compete in her last event -- the uneven bars, where she is hoping to become the first gymnast in history to win three consecutive Olympic titles on the same apparatus.

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

I can totally understand why Hamm doesn't deserve the men's all around gold, but this is ridiculous. Carly did everything right that night and deserved that medal.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/2004/gymnastics/08/22/bc.olympics.gymnastics.khorkina/index.html


I can totally understand why Hamm doesn't deserve the men's all around gold, but this is ridiculous. Carly did everything right that night and deserved that medal.
Well how's that for being in the 'spirit' of the games. It's one thing to be disappointed that you didn't win, but that's just nasty.

I guess this is no different, but I can understand how her team mates got angry with her...

<H1>Collapsed rower stunned by team-mates' reaction

Last Updated: Monday, August 23, 2004. 8:20pm (AEST) Australian rower Sally Robbins says she has endured some bitter recriminations from team-mates after she collapsed in the last stages of the women's eights rowing final in Athens on Sunday.

The Australian boat, which was not in medal contention at the time, finished last almost 10 seconds behind the leading crews.

Speaking to Channel Seven, Robbins was asked whether some team-mates had threatened to throw her off the boat moments after they crossed the finish line.

"Yeah, they did," she said. "I didn't say anything back because I didn't know what to say. I was stunned myself."

Robbins said exhaustion stopped her dead.

"Suddenly fatigue sets in and I just can't move," she said. "It's a feeling of paralysis where you just hit the wall."

Former team-mates and rowing officials have weighed into the debate surrounding Robbins's collapse.

Australian Olympic chief John Coates reminded athletes of the behaviour standards contained in their team agreement.

Mr Coates said it was un-Australian for athletes to publicly criticise team-mates and he expected fellow crew member Julia Wilson, who was outspoken in her criticism of Robbins, to apologise.

"Basically in your team, you do not slag off your mates," Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) media director Mike Tancred said on behalf of Mr Coates.

"Sally Robbins gave 100 per cent commitment in that boat and it's not for other team members to question her commitment. That's not what we're about as an Olympic team."

Repeat offender



However, former rower Rachael Taylor, who won a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics, said it was not the first time Robbins had struggled to complete a race.

Taylor said Robbins had collapsed during the women's quad sculls event at the 2002 world championships, while the Australian crew was in the lead.

And she accused Robbins of repeat displays of "mental weakness" which left team-mates in the lurch.

"At about 400 metres to go, in a two-kilometre race, Sally did what she did in Athens on Sunday and she stopped rowing and started collapsing," she said.

"Immediately that women's quads boat dropped back to fourth position and that's ultimately where they finished and it was devastating."

Taylor said she understood how the rest of the crew felt and defended their post-race behaviour.

"My mates over there are not villains and are not a bad team, their actions after the race were justified," she said.

"If people can just understand this has happened before."

But Western Australian Institute of Sport director Steve Lawrence said he doubted Robbins would be ostracised by her team-mates.

"I think some of the stuff we've seen coming out of Athens was comments made immediately after a race when people are in a highly stressed and emotional state and not necessarily comments that are reflective of their real understanding or their real beliefs," he said.

He has paid tribute to Robbins, saying she prepared as hard as any athlete for the Athens Games.

"I'd defend Sally, absolutely," he said. "From what we know of Sally, she's been a fantastic ambassador for Western Australia as an elite athlete over numerous years and we hope she continues to be into the future."

http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200408/s1183325.htm
</H1>

ok who do you think should win out of two gymnasts doing the Vault..
Canadian: 1st try: great jump, hops a little at the landing
2nd try: great jump, hops a little at the landing

Romanian: 1st try: amazing jump, doesnt hop or move.
2nd try: awful jump, almost falls over and goes out of bounds

well the romanian won the bronze medal, while bumping the canadian down to fourth place, which isnt right at all. What do you guys think?

Where the judges who judged the gymnastics all American or something? I unfortunently missed that event, so I don't know how well Carly Patterson did or how well Svetlana Khorkina did. Could it be possible she's only complaining about it, since the whole thing with Paul Hamm?

ok who do you think should win out of two gymnasts doing the Vault..
Canadian: 1st try: great jump, hops a little at the landing
2nd try: great jump, hops a little at the landing

Romanian: 1st try: amazing jump, doesnt hop or move.
2nd try: awful jump, almost falls over and goes out of bounds

well the romanian won the bronze medal, while bumping the canadian down to fourth place, which isnt right at all. What do you guys think?

there are things that the untrained eye cant pick up when it comes to gymnastics.

The two cases where I thought that the judges were high were when the guy scored a 9.900 on the vault and during just about the entire high bar competition.

Did you guys see Perdita Felicien fall?? She was Canada's only real hope for a gold medal in athletics, she was the favourite coming into the race (100m women's hurdels FINALS).. the gun went off, she was already ahead of the other women when she hit the first hurdle and fell to the ground. It was heartbreaking to watch, I felt so sorry for her..

Here's the story.

ATHENS (CP) - Canadian hurdler Perdita Felicien fell in the Olympic final Tuesday, her dreams of a gold medal denied at the first hurdle.

Racing in Lane 5, wearing No. 1313, the 23-year-old world indoor and outdoor champion from Pickering,