2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

[Carl Beck]

OK - credit China with having the intellectual honesty to chose the best design for their purposes... it is a magnificent structure and it does just shout CHINA.

It seems the first step in developing design and engineering capabilities is to hire the best from around the world and learn from them.

I should have googled it first...

I think I'll go look at what else these Architects have done...

FWIW,

Carl B.

[1 Bravo 6]

The American athletes have really done their country proud.

It's about time you came up with a swimming team that could give us Aussies a bit of competition.

I really felt for both the American relay teams being unable to pass the baton successfully. All the hours of training ruined in a one second fumble. They must be heartbroken with self recrimination.

It was reported on the T.V. news tonight that it seems the most important aspect of the Games so far as the Pom.... (OOPS), English, are concerned, is that they have won more medals than the Aussies.

Rick.

[HS30-H]

It was reported on the T.V. news tonight that it seems the most important aspect of the Games so far as the Pom.... (OOPS), English, are concerned, is that they have won more medals than the Aussies.

But there is no "English" team at the games. Maybe you mean the British team, representing Great Britain?

You might like to take that Australian TV news report with a bag of salt. I have not heard a single mention of any focus on a 'Team GB vs Australia' medal-counting sideshow here in the UK-based media, so maybe that's more of an Australian media creation than you realise?

I would say that the "most important aspect" of all this for Team GB is that they have done quite well this time overall, and are looking forward to the 2012 London Olympics - where the pressure will be on them to do even better. At the close of the Beijing games, the games hosting baton will be handed over from China to Great Britain, and we hope that it doesn't get dropped - even if hosting the games looks as though it is going to bankrupt us.

That's the 'story' for us.

[Mike]

Well, the US track team had some fumbling issues yesterday. Ugh!

[240znz]

Reports here were that the IOC told China not to tell them that they had spent on the games for fear of scarying off future potential games hosts. Have a look at the international broadcast centre, its almost twice as big as the water cube.

Is Phelps the greatest ever Olympian??? Well, impossible to compare now isn't it. But one thing is for sure, Mark Spitz won 7 medals while donning speedos and a Magnum PI moustash (drag co. of 5878657)

I'd like to see limits placed on the technologies on Olympic sports. It seems to becoming like the America's Cup, those with the most money to afford the research has an advantage. Look how many world records have been broken in the pool and by my how much. Insane. How much is it to do with the new suits is it? Can't judge that. But why not just introduce a standard suit, in the same way that sailing has Olympic class yachts. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but what ever happened to fair competition.

At least New Zealand won gold in events other than sitting down and/or going backwards this time. I think we are no.2 on the medal table for "per capita"

Edited August 22, 2008 by 240znz

[rdefabri]

Is Phelps the greatest ever Olympian??? Well, impossible to compare now isn't it. But one thing is for sure, Mark Spitz won 7 medals while donning speedos and a Magnum PI moustash (drag co. of 5878657)

Neither is - King Carl Lewis earns that honor IMHO.

Sure, Phelps and Spitz may have amassed more golds in a single Olympics, but Carl has 9 gold medals across 4 different Olympic games in a sport (Track and Field) that favors youth.

He won gold in 100M, 200M, long jump, and 4x100M relay. Imagine Usain Bolt adding long jump to his repetoire, then doing it over 12 years!!!

Not to take away from ANY athlete in the Olympics - to get there, even if you finish last, is a major accomplishment!