Olympic GDT - 30 July

[icarus]

(Courtesy of the High Commission in London)

Some of the Canadian athletes in action today

For a list of every Canadian in every event, check http://olympic.ca/canadian-schedule

10:00 Swimming, Aquatics Centre
Canadians are in action again today in the pool – watch out for David Sharpe in the 200m Butterfly and Barbara Rojas-Jardin in the 200m Freestyle.

10:30 Fencing, Women’s Individual Epee Heats and Finals (19:40), Excel Centre
Cheer on Olympic veteran Sherraine Schalm, competing in her fourth Games. Sherriane, from Toronto, is hoping to improve on her ninth-place finish in Beijing – and we’ll be cheering for her!

20:00 Women’s Basketball Preliminary Group B. Canada v. GB, Basketball Arena
Canada is in a tough group, and are taking on the much improved home team from Great Britain. We love our British friends, but Go Canada!

What else is going on today?
Other Olympic events today include the gymnastics men’s team final; the men’s synchronised 10m platform diving event, which sees GB home team favourite Tom Daley compete; and women’s weightlifting.

Canadian meet-ups
The London Expat Canadian Meetup Group will be at the Maple Leaf Pub on Maiden Lane in Covent Garden tonight from 18:00. For more information check this site: http://www.meetup.com/London-Canadia...ents/75321312/

[carom]

Thanks, I think I'm going to be heading down to the maple leaf tonight. Hopefully they are not out of clamato like they were last time I was there.

Go Canada go! Go Caesars go!

[Mango]

I will really try to make it down. Hopefully people are still around well after 6 pm.

[carom]

Yeah I probably won't leave west London until 6 at the earliest. Not looking forward to the commute.

[icarus]

Hmmm... maybe I will join you guys although I really wish today was payday instead of tomorrow!

[Mango]

Tennis update:

Raonic and Wozniak both win. Raonic faces Tsonga tomorrow. It'll be a tough match, but you never know.

[carom]

I have to admit, I am absolutely fascinated by the Olympic sailing. I think it makes for great TV viewing and the Canadians seem to be doing pretty well so far.

Also, the BBC red button (on demand) service is fantastic. Having the ability to watch any sporting event live is really cool.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by carom

Also, the BBC red button (on demand) service is fantastic. Having the ability to watch any sporting event live is really cool.

Their broadcasting thus far has been outstanding. Very impressive stuff.

[Drake]

Is the teenage American phenom swimmer Missy Franklin gonna steal the spotlight from Ryan Lochte after her 100 Backstroke today and the next few days in the other six events she qualified for?

I meet Sherraine Schalm a few years back she was smoking hot in person. Yeah, I know that was totally pointless but whatever.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I didn't catch her name while I was watching the Women's Volleyball before I left for work, but one of the girls on the Turkish team is a dead ringer for Kim Kardashian. I did a few double takes to make sure it wasn't her.

[Vulcan]

Here's a link for 15 live feeds

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/viewers-guide/index.html

[MrMastodonFarm]

Field hockey is a really horrible sport.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Field hockey is a really horrible sport.

I don't know why they did it but ever since they put field hockey on artificial turf, it's unwatchable. The ball goes way too fast and it uncontrolable.

[icarus]

Apparently tug-of-war used to be an Olympic sport. That would be better than a couple of the current events. So would surfing. I think they should bring back baseball also.

I'm glad to see golf and rugby will be added in 2016.

[icarus]

Uh oh.

The first major doping controversy of the London Olympics flared to life today after John Leonard, the executive director of the World Swimming Coaches Association, described the gold medal-winning performance of 16-year-old Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen in the women's 400m individual medley as "unbelievable".

Leonard, who is also the executive director of the USA Swimming Coaches Association, described Ye's swim as "disturbing" and said that it "brings back a lot of awful memories" of Irish swimmer Michelle Smith's winning performance in the same event at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. Smith, now Michelle de Bruin, was banned for four years in 1998 after testing positive for androstenedione.

[GirlySports]

It wouldn't be an Olympics if the Americans didn't complain about something.

Yesterday they complained that the two-gymnast per country rule was stupid.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

It wouldn't be an Olympics if the Americans didn't complain about something.

Yesterday they complained that the two-gymnast per country rule was stupid.

Don't necessarily disagree with the second point, all the best athletes should be able to compete even if they are from the same country.

If you are like the U.S. women gymnastics team and you potentially have 5 really good athletes at the same event should the athlete be punished and not all be allowed to compete?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Don't necessarily disagree with the second point, all the best athletes should be able to compete even if they are from the same country.

If you are like the U.S. women gymnastics team and you potentially have 5 really good athletes at the same event should the athlete be punished and not all be allowed to compete?

Except that when the Eastern Europeans were really good and the US weren't as good, they were the beneficiaries of this rule. All of a sudden the rule is stupid now?

[GirlySports]

wooooooow

Australian women just launched a desperation shot from 3/4 of the court to send the game to overtime against France!

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Except that when the Eastern Europeans were really good and the US weren't as good, they were the beneficiaries of this rule. All of a sudden the rule is stupid now?

I would have always said this is a stupid rule, but yes the Americans are only complaining now since it is in their advantage.

My thoughts on this are the Olympics only occur every four years, and usually for a gymnast you only really get one shot to compete.

It isn't fair that a gymnast spend her whole life training for it, is likely a medal contender but since there are two gymnasts on her own team that had a better day then her at the Olympic Trials she likely doesn't get to compete.

If a person deserves to be in that event they should be there, who cares if two other members of the same country are there already. If there are 5 Americans that are better then the other athletes then all 5 Americans should be there.

The Olympics are supposed to put the best in the world against each other, not just to give each country an athlete who can have a participant ribbon.