Beijing Olympics Thread

[Bagor]

Phelps now the greatest Olympic athlete in history at 23.

Anyone know when swimmers generally peak? Fair to say he should still be dominating in London?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Oh I agree, I don't have a problem with someone who exceeds expectations by getting a top 10 finish when they ranked 25 in the world.

Though then it comes down to why send so many people. Maybe a smaller team that gets more cash is the solution. Why send a pile of people that have no chance of getting a medal?

The athletes though I'm specifically referring to are the ones that SHOULD have done better but have thus far pee'd the bed. Those ones deserve all criticism they get.

This is a good question. The olympic standard is very low. Should Canada raise it's own bar and only send athletes that make the top 16 in their field? Or should we send athletes in every sport and maybe one of those 25ths or 35ths could one day turn into a top 10.

I think age has to be a factor as well. Maybe send a young person so that they can finish 30th and get olympic experience for future success. Sending 50 year old fencers and shooters (even though great stories) really does defeat the purpose of growing the team for success.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

This is a good question. The olympic standard is very low. Should Canada raise it's own bar and only send athletes that make the top 16 in their field? Or should we send athletes in every sport and maybe one of those 25ths or 35ths could one day turn into a top 10.

I think age has to be a factor as well. Maybe send a young person so that they can finish 30th and get olympic experience for future success. Sending 50 year old fencers and shooters (even though great stories) really does defeat the purpose of growing the team for success.

And by no means am I an expert, but I don't get a sense that Canada has a real strategy for succeeding at the summer games - and I don't see the point in sending people over that simply are not in the class of who they are competing with.

I realize many athletes are under-funded in this country, but I am really only interested in funding ahtletes that have world class potential. It's like anything - there MUST be a return on the investment. Even if the tax dollars allocated to olympics in this country aren't enough - the money that we are allocating must provide some meaningful return.

Otherwise scrap all the summer funding and let's focus 100% on the winter games.

And frankly I also get tired of the excuses. I don't want to hear anymore Canadian athletes complain about not having the funding, training time, yadda yadda - they may have valid points, but I don't want to hear them.

[browna]

I think after Athens, Canada did raise the bar. Only those ranked top "X" in the world get a decent amount of funding and I thought bonuses for world records or Canadian records. It didn't get evenly spread out among the top people and the schlubs like it seemed to be before.

Its the underachieving that gets to me...those that are supposed to be top 5 and end up 7th or 8th instead of going the other way up to the podium.

I think Canada should have 2 or 3 medals by now. The closest was a woman weightlifter today.

There is something to be said for having smaller teams. That said, I'm guessing some athletes (like those air rife, archery, weightlifting and other obscurish sports) are pretty much funding things mostly out of thier own pocket 3.5 years out of every 4 to travel the world and qualify for the Olympics...its not like a large chunk of change of Olympic money is being sunk into those athletes, so more power to them.

Happens in winter too...Jeremy Wothersppon has one x number of world cup races and seasons...but the last two times I and most of Canada have seen him he's stumbled or finished well off the podium when it comes to Olympic competition.

I fear with the raise of the Alpine team the last 3 years, expectations are going to be high in Vancouver.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Though then it comes down to why send so many people. Maybe a smaller team that gets more cash is the solution. Why send a pile of people that have no chance of getting a medal?

The athletes though I'm specifically referring to are the ones that SHOULD have done better but have thus far pee'd the bed. Those ones deserve all criticism they get.

Isn't this sort of what we do already? Send a small team (ie. the winter athletes) and suck at the summer?

Anyways, I'd rather be a country that has alot of guys that are right up there with the best in the world but not win, then to be a one-trick pony country. Canada might not be the best at any one event, but they are among the best and the majority of the events.

[Machiavelli]

Freaking Arturo Miranda is ruining our chance of medaling in the men's 3M synchronized diving.

Grrrr....

[SteveToms]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Freaking Arturo Miranda is ruining our chance of medaling in the men's 3M synchronized diving.

Grrrr....

Sure is

[SteveToms]

Yet another expected medal does not happen, this sucks and blows.

[Machiavelli]

Another disappointment as they fail to medal yet again (got 5th).

I'm telling you, the old guy ruined it all for Despatie and the entire nation. The entire nation, I say!!!!

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by Machiavelli

Another disappointment as they fail to medal yet again (got 5th).

I'm telling you, the old guy ruined it all for Despatie and the entire nation. The entire nation, I say!!!!

Thankfully Despatie gets to compete in the individual 3m springboard as well... hopefully with him losing the dead weight he can do better.

[Language]

It's OK guys, even if Canada doesn't medal, joy can still be achieved from watching women's beach volleyball.

I kid you not, I don't even care how good or not so good looking these girls are, it's seriously a really fun sport to watch!

It was actually interesting because Russia's women's beach volleyball team played against Georgia's. And Georgia won too, except for the fact that the two women competing for Georgia were actually Brazilian who were given Georgian passports before the Olympics started. Almost ironic given the fact that Russia handed out passports to the S. Ossetians; like they beat them at their own game or something.

[Nehkara]

Good stories today about Canadian Archery (of all things).

Canadian archer Jay Lyon (ranked 47th) defeated Chinese archer Xue Hai Feng (18th), in the round of 32 and then in the round of 16 defeated American Brady Ellison (15th). Lyon will now move on to the round of 8 and is guaranteed a top 16 finish.

Also important in this story is that Canada's highest ranked archer, Crispin Duenas (16th), competes later in the day so potentially Canada could have two archers in the round of 8.

Source: CBC Sports

[evman150]

Canada won 10-0 over China in the opening game of the baseball tournament.

Scott Thorman (Cambridge ON, Atlanta Braves AAA) hit a towering three-run home run to open the scoring in the 4th while Michael Saunders (Victoria BC, Seattle Mariners AAA) went 2-4 with a solo home run.

[North East Goon]

You know, I really do want to criticize these athletes, it's embarrassing! But until I get my fat lazy ass off the couch and do something about it myself, I'll let the experts figure out what's wrong.

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by getbak

Actually, they're going in the opposite direction:

Mark Spitz...



Michael Phelps...



Yikes...that doesn't leave much to the imagination.

Stubby Clapp swims too?

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by SteveToms

Phelps will win more medals then Canada

No he won't. The games aren't even half over yet.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by SteveToms

And another disappointing result in mens 4 x 200 Free.

Oh Canada......

Only if you don't realize they knocked over two seconds off the Canadian record. They were a medal possibility - definitely not a shoe-in, and they were right there.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

And frankly I also get tired of the excuses. I don't want to hear anymore Canadian athletes complain about not having the funding, training time, yadda yadda - they may have valid points, but I don't want to hear them.

So if they're valid points, but you have no interest in hearing them, how do you propose those valid points get addressed?

[North East Goon]

Originally Posted by Ruttiger

No he won't. The games aren't even half over yet.

I think Phelps will win more medals than Canada as well.

[flamesfan6]

Originally Posted by Ruttiger

No he won't. The games aren't even half over yet.

he'll definately have more golds than canada will.....