Olympics ! ! Pah ! !

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Again it comes down to the English obsession with bean counting and committees. Given the state of the uk construction industry, I'd be amazed if it was completed on time at all..

Best not bother eh? What's the point?


Ade (who will actually be contributing towards it in his council tax bills).

I rather it be in the hands of the English construction companies than any other look what happened at Wembley when we let a contract to the Aussies!!
 
I rather it be in the hands of the English construction companies than any other look what happened at Wembley when we let a contract to the Aussies!!

Not sure exactly what happened there - seem to recall it involved snipers at one point :crazy:

I'm thinking more of the planning/budgeting bureaucracy, design team in fighting, health & safety vs. profit margins xs. shifting client briefs vs. budget changes vs. politics etc. etc.

Still can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. Hope there is some steel and plasterboard left from China ;)

Ade (ever the optimist)
 
Personally I'm very glad that the Olympic Games will be held in London, and I am more than happy to pay my fair share in taxes to make it happen.

It has already brought large developmental benefits to the are in which I live (Wembley), and I am pretty sure it is doing the same for other parts of London.

More than that, I will be able to take my children and go and see sport at an international level, right here in my home town. I am sure that they will love it, and it will be an experience that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

I think too many people here are cynical whingers. If you don't want to watch, and you don't want to participate, don't. Yes you'll help pay for it with taxes - which were agreed by your elected representatives. You don't get a direct choice, just like I don't get a direct choice that the taxes I pay are propping up teenage mothers in Liverpool who do nothing but eat and produce children. That's democracy in practice; you could always move somewhere else (like perhaps the location of the current Olympics).

What about a bit of national pride for a change? What's wrong with a bit of patriotism? Roll on 2012 - I am looking forward to it. God Save the Queen!

-simon

I have mixed feelings about the event per se - but the benefits for areas other than London? I think that the whole country contributes via taxes? And since when does Liverpool hold a monopoly in teenage mothers?
 
:eek: Sadly I'm in the corner that believes that most, if not all the top athletes now take performance enhancing drugs and I include both swimmers and cyclists in this statement.

Race horses which are selectively bred for generation after generation, and just bred to race; are only fed the best of food, are exercised daily throughout their racing career and do they break records on a yearly basis?

With athletes they cheat, take steroids, get muscles on parts of the body that should never have muscles :devil: and then try to pretend they are totally against drugs, abhor the use of drugs and condemn anyone that takes them.......... then they get caught :devil: :)

The World's best athletes are usually millionaire's but when they learn their trade, the state funds their career. Should these millionaires repay this funding? (thinking about student loans)

If these sports were 'clean' then I would be glued to the TV, but sorry, I'm not convinced these competitors will be so called 'drug free' and I cannot clap when World records get broken.

I salute what the British Federation has done with our top sprinter but sadly he is just the very tip of a huge ice-berg and most of this ice-berg is concealed underwater (out of sight).

John
 
Not sure exactly what happened there - seem to recall it involved snipers at one point :crazy:

I'm thinking more of the planning/budgeting bureaucracy, design team in fighting, health & safety vs. profit margins xs. shifting client briefs vs. budget changes vs. politics etc. etc.

Still can't make an omlette without breaking eggs. Hope there is some steel and plasterboard left from China ;)

Ade (ever the optimist)

Looking at the China design most of it appears to be done with bubble wrap and the rest in Mecano so you can't actually tell if it's finished or not, damn clever these Chinese!!!!!!!!:)
 
When I hear the word Olympics, I reach for my Browning.

OK the ideal is fine but it has become a bloated and often corrupt mega bureacracy that infects politicians in cities around the world with delusions of grandeur, gives them the prospect of huge funds being poured into municipal works and a "legacy" estate that they think will win them votes.

All of this has to be paid for by us.
 
I don't much care for the Olympics. I care much less for how the News Business think we give a hoot about them. However, it does provide me one more reason to not bother turning on the dross machine. Er, television.
 
Looking at the China design most of it appears to be done with bubble wrap and the rest in Mecano so you can't actually tell if it's finished or not, damn clever these Chinese!!!!!!!!:)

Ee, this new fangled design, it'll never catch on... ;)

Ade
 
:eek: Sadly I'm in the corner that believes that most, if not all the top athletes now take performance enhancing drugs and I include both swimmers and cyclists in this statement.

Race horses which are selectively bred for generation after generation, and just bred to race; are only fed the best of food, are exercised daily throughout their racing career and do they break records on a yearly basis?

With athletes they cheat, take steroids, get muscles on parts of the body that should never have muscles :devil: and then try to pretend they are totally against drugs, abhor the use of drugs and condemn anyone that takes them.......... then they get caught :devil: :)

The World's best athletes are usually millionaire's but when they learn their trade, the state funds their career. Should these millionaires repay this funding? (thinking about student loans)

If these sports were 'clean' then I would be glued to the TV, but sorry, I'm not convinced these competitors will be so called 'drug free' and I cannot clap when World records get broken.

I salute what the British Federation has done with our top sprinter but sadly he is just the very tip of a huge ice-berg and most of this ice-berg is concealed underwater (out of sight).

John

Can't agree with you here John (glad you are feeling better btw)

True, track and field has plenty of drug issues, it seems a bit like F1 where the competitors stretch the rules constantly and occassionally a few of them overstretch them. In F1 they get a fine and slap on the wrist, in athletics a lifetime ban.

Regarding funding, I live near Crystal Palace stadium. Its full of young kids from often working class backgrounds spending their time training. They have ambition and focus and are consequently not hanging around in knife gangs stabbing each other (so I'd like to think). The megabucks come with sponsorship, Olympics is for amateurs I thought. Think of the charity work that some high profile athletes do (between their steroid injections and appearances on dance shows).

Are you really saying you really won't watch any of the events, I thought you liked sport?

There is a jaded cyncism to many of these posts - people love to moan, its an English national trait (that and queues) sure the games become politicised - they are a major international event and I'd be concerned if they didn't, but does that take away from their essence. No one likes to think beyond the usual 'what's in it for me'.

Looking at it positively, even the Chinese Government will have to deal with the world media asking questions about their actions in Tibet etc.

What's not to like? :)

Ade
 
:eek: Sadly I'm in the corner that believes that most, if not all the top athletes now take performance enhancing drugs and I include both swimmers and cyclists in this statement.

Race horses which are selectively bred for generation after generation, and just bred to race; are only fed the best of food, are exercised daily throughout their racing career and do they break records on a yearly basis?

With athletes they cheat, take steroids, get muscles on parts of the body that should never have muscles :devil: and then try to pretend they are totally against drugs, abhor the use of drugs and condemn anyone that takes them.......... then they get caught :devil: :)

The World's best athletes are usually millionaire's but when they learn their trade, the state funds their career. Should these millionaires repay this funding? (thinking about student loans)

If these sports were 'clean' then I would be glued to the TV, but sorry, I'm not convinced these competitors will be so called 'drug free' and I cannot clap when World records get broken.

I salute what the British Federation has done with our top sprinter but sadly he is just the very tip of a huge ice-berg and most of this ice-berg is concealed underwater (out of sight).

John


John,
When has the sport been clean and drug free? The reason now for drug taking is for the £££££££££ or $$$$$$$$$ back pre USSR split up and sport was an ammateur event, it was to prove that communism was better. The old eastern block countries still hold many of the womens world records, but back then you could not tell the difference between their men and women:D Now China has a few world records and will be entertaining us with the Olympics I also doubt there will be drug free winners.
 
I have mixed feelings about the event per se - but the benefits for areas other than London? I think that the whole country contributes via taxes?
I never claimed that there are any; I live in London, and am interested in the benefits for where I live. However considering that London will be paying the lion's share of the cost, and that London's economy effectively funds much of the rest of the country, I am confident that the benefits percolate through to the rest of the country (although I am not interested in the details).
And since when does Liverpool hold a monopoly in teenage mothers?
It was meant to be a random example - I can't directly control what happens to the money I pay in taxes.

-simon
 
As much as I like sports and usually support the Olympics, I'm giving this year a miss... the human rights violations in China just put me off!
 
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There is a jaded cyncism to many of these posts - people love to moan, its an English national trait (that and queues) sure the games become politicised - they are a major international event and I'd be concerned if they didn't, but does that take away from their essence. No one likes to think beyond the usual 'what's in it for me'.
Despite my indifference towards actually watching or hearing about the Olympics, I do actually believe that on balance they are a Good Thing.

I know that politicians try to use them to their advantage (the Romanian Gymnasts represented a particularly low ebb for me in that respect) and I know that a minority of athletes cheat, but that's no reason to forego the benefits that do actually accrue both from people participating in sport in the first place, and also the infrastructure investment that hosting the modern Olympiad entails.

What I object to is the wall-to-wall media coverage of the thing to the almost total detriment of everything else. But then I'm just a miserable old git... :D
 
John,
When has the sport been clean and drug free? The reason now for drug taking is for the £££££££££ or $$$$$$$$$ back pre USSR split up and sport was an ammateur event, it was to prove that communism was better. The old eastern block countries still hold many of the womens world records, but back then you could not tell the difference between their men and women:D Now China has a few world records and will be entertaining us with the Olympics I also doubt there will be drug free winners.
I think your right and the easy option is indeed to blame the old eastern Bloc countries although the other excuse we used was they allowed their athletes to train all year, which gave them an unfair advantage.

What really annoys me is our attitude to drugs and the cavalier approach to it. Why don't we use the latest technology to catch these cheats. When any athlete first registers with a club, then let them supply a DNA sample. That sample can then be held by the authorities and only used as a reference base for all future drug tests. Steroids alter the body and there should be only one punishment, likewise with EPO, I find it amazing how athletes and in particular cyclists can had a red cell count so close to the upper acceptable limits!! Their levels should be quite low as by definition, they are extremely fit athletes.

While proper use of EPO has an enormous therapeutic benefit in the
treatment of anaemia related to cancer or kidney disease, its misuse can lead to serious health risks for athletes who use this substance simply to gain a competitive edge. It is well known that EPO, by thickening the blood, leads to an increased risk of several deadly diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and cerebral or pulmonary embolism.


The misuse of recombinant human EPO may also lead to autoimmune diseases with serious health consequences

It is not a level playing field and if one car has a supercharger, then the normally aspirated vehicle has NO chance of competing against the modified option and are we being naive to believe otherwise?.

I agree that money is a huge incentive to cheat and sadly money has taken over an event which was all about sportsmanship (sports-personship:) ):eek: Nations should compete against nation in a friendly, competitive environment does it matter if accommodation is not four star? Now we have countries spending millions of £\$ to impress the Olympic Committee and this money is purely spent on entertaining these influential people. Once a country wins a bid they spend money like it is going out of fashion in always building 'The best ever event' spending vast sums on Opening\Closing Ceremonies but why? Top athletes now shun these ceremonies and how many will remain for the full duration of this event?

When will we say enough? When will we say this is a sporting event and not a corporate entertainment occasion where accommodation, transportation, fireworks, huge ceremonies and new stadiums are always required? The aquatic stadium in Beijing costs $100,000,000!!! Crazy and will this ever be recouped? London is spending millions and millions of pounds on upgrading its public transport system. what on earth has that got to do with the price of chips?

I am a sports fanatic but the sporting aspect of this four yearly occasion plays second fiddle to everything else that takes place.

John the ranter
 
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Good job its only every 4 years :D

Re media coverage, I agree that it does tend to be overexposed - 2012 will be worse what with that splendid logo and that...

But then again I am amazed how much coverage snooker gets, and we all know the participants never take (performance enhancing) drugs ;)

Now darts on the other hand...

Ade
 
Would we as a nation not rather have the FIFA world cup?

Instead of or as well as. :)

I would be happy for us to host any major sporting event, but then Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England would have to qualify at the expense of proper teams getting in ;)


Ade
 
Instead of. If an election was held in the UK where the choice of the FIFA world cup or the Olympics were to be held what would be voted for? FIFA.

I am not into football, but can recognise that I am actually in a minority most of the time, and most folk of the Uk would rather have this than the Olympics. Whenever I see athletics I just yawn.
 
I hate football , but i watch the World Cup ;)

I'm a very patriotic person too , England is great , we have accomplished some great things in our time , i get a lump in my throat when i watch the Red Arrows , and Concorde brings a tear to my eye ( even though it is part French ) , i was upset when the bean counters took away the Royal Yacht and i miss the Queen Mum . Liking the Olympics is nothing to do with being patriotic , i just don't see why the big hoo-har about hosting them. Nothing good will come of it. We don't have the money (really) to host them , so the country is going to dig itself £20 Billion into debt because of them ..... why ?

Ten years down the line , the Olympic stadiums and village will be just as vandalised and in as poor repair as the rest of the area they are sited in , because once the Olympics are over , no one is going to fork out millions every year to maintain them.

Sorry .
 

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