Olympic opening

[wyliecoyoteuk]

I watched it last night (MythTV) so I could fast forward through the boring stuff.
Was quite impressive, especially the final lighting of the flame.
Rowan Atkinson was rubbish, as was Macca.
I won't be watching any events though, as neither I nor the wife have any interest in sport.

[Marrea]

9pm. What the hell is this. I was transfixed for the next 4 hours.
Yes there were cockups and sections I didn't appreciate, but speaking with others we all liked different aspects.

In short. Moments of cheese, followed by epic volumes of British madness, followed by moments of brilliance.

Surely the opening ceremony was our first gold

Well said that man! I'm sitting here at the moment re-listening to all the music on "Isles of Wonder", downloaded today.

Really disappointed Cav missed out, but well done Lizzie Armitstead.

[AndyBaxman]

Thought it was rather brilliant.

A few bits weren't to my liking, but they have to cater for all tastes.

And the lighting of the cauldron was totally inspired. A bit of it brought in by each team and then lit by the next generation of athletes (when everyone was expecting some celebrity sportsperson to get the honour) was a pure genius.

[nelz]

And the lighting of the cauldron was totally inspired. A bit of it brought in by each team and then lit by the next generation of athletes (when everyone was expecting some celebrity sportsperson to get the honour) was a pure genius.

I agree totally, some parts were a little odd, but the lighting was pure genius. I imagine quite a few people groaned when Redgrave took the torch from Beckham to carry into the stadium.

I just heard on the radio that one of the seven that lit the cauldron didn't even tell his parents he was doing it.

[catgate]

I'm rather puzzled about it all.
Here we have this gigantic racist event, held every four years, with each nation that "stages" the farce trying to "out do" the last nation that wasted billions in trying proving their "superiority" in bad taste and lunacy, by spending record sums in proving their immaturity.
Why should a nation claim credit for the efforts of one of its citizens just because that citizen happened to be born with the ability to run/jump/row/throw/spit/fart better/harder/faster/higher than other members of the human race.
It really is a great big con.
Most of the world can get along nicely without any interest at all in "athletics" for the rest of the four year period, but then they are expected to feel obliged to scream and shout and wave the flag in this gigantic racist festival of incompetence.
Still it's good for the "sponsers" and the IOC committee.

[Rhakios]

Hmm, sounds like a cross between football and children's parties.

[AndyBaxman]

I'm rather puzzled about it all.
Here we have this gigantic racist event, held every four years, with each nation that "stages" the farce trying to "out do" the last nation that wasted billions in trying proving their "superiority" in bad taste and lunacy, by spending record sums in proving their immaturity.
Why should a nation claim credit for the efforts of one of its citizens just because that citizen happened to be born with the ability to run/jump/row/throw/spit/fart better/harder/faster/higher than other members of the human race.
It really is a great big con.
Most of the world can get along nicely without any interest at all in "athletics" for the rest of the four year period, but then they are expected to feel obliged to scream and shout and wave the flag in this gigantic racist festival of incompetence.
Still it's good for the "sponsers" and the IOC committee.

Yeah, my PE teacher was a b'stard, too.

Still love the Olympics, though.

[Nuke]

I'm sorry, but I think the Olympics have gone completely over the top, the opening ceremony above all else. I saw a bit and it was nothing to do with sport, it was a Variety Show. IMHO the Olympics should be scaled back to just the track and field athletics. To spend that amount of money ... for what? It should not cost that much to promote sports, compete in them, nor to televise it.

My own sport is road cycle racing. I still watch it on TV, but in my active days I regularly rode against Sean Yates (now Sky team manager with Wiggins and Cavendish under him) and Phil Ligget (now TdF lead commentator). I once came 5th in the Southern England championships. So I am hardly anti-sport.

But cycle racing, like many other sports, has its own traditions. The cycling Olympics are just another World Cycling Championships which are held yearly anyway, but even these are nowhere near as as significant as the three Grand Tours (of France, Italy and Spain) or even some of the one-day classics such as Milan - San Remo. I hardly remember any World/Olympic champions (OK, Cavendish, Simpson and Merckx ... ), but I could tell you most of the Tour de France winners since it began.

I saw Chris Boardman, former multiple Olympic gold medallist, say a fortnight ago on TV (quite unabashed but brave I think), that he would have swapped all of his Olympic medals for just one win in the Tour de France. Any serious racing cyclist would have said the same.

Cycle racing does not need the Olympics.

[nelz]

It should not cost that much to promote sports, compete in them, nor to televise it.

The sale of television rights is the largest source of income for the Olympics. TV needs the Olympics spectacle and the Olympics needs the TV money, even if some of it does go on the spectacle.

[Ram]

Well the TdF is one event I do watch... saw glimpses of the Olympics RR but went out on my mtb instead.

[Nuke]

It should not cost that much to promote sports, compete in them, nor to televise it.

The sale of television rights is the largest source of income for the Olympics. TV needs the Olympics spectacle and the Olympics needs the TV money, even if some of it does go on the spectacle.

My assertion stands, and I understand that the sale of TV rights is far, far short of financing the Olympics. In recent years no Olympics have "made money", whatever that means. It is hosted for the prestige, whatever that means. Some Hoteliers, hookers, restauranteurs and sellers of Olympic tat might make a lot of money, but the host nation as a whole does not.

Thousands of lower-key sports events are televised all year round without needing to be launched with a four-hour Royal Variety Show.

[nelz]

I didn't say it financed the Olympic, but it is the largest contributor. As a pure sporting event, it doesn't need the razzamataz, but people clearly enjoy it and the Olympics is no longer purely a sporting event (if it ever was), more a festival based around a sporting event. People enjoy it, people take pride in it. I always went to the TT for the bike racing, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the other events that took place during the fortnight.

[Rhakios]

Ah yes and once upon a time amateurs were amateurs and so on. Sport is a business, not a past time, these days. Just like most things really.

[bobthebob1234]

Well I enjoyed it and have watched some of the sport and I am going to see the hockey next weekend so there. If you people don't like it then your loss.

And if handled correctly afterwards it should be a good thing for the country

[MartyBartfast]

Went to see the 3 day eventing showjumping at Greenwich yesterday and it was fantastic (and I'm not very sporty), mind you I'd be pretty cheesed off if I'd stumped up to go to last nights Badminton!