Paris Olympic Games 2024

[Foxdiamond]

2 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Pretty much.

 

Team GB made me look like a right chump on this one tbh - been so dominant in the velodrome in recent times and I thought they would be again, this time though the rest of the world has caught up or they've simply been poor.

No pun intended but perhaps these things are cyclical and when super talents like the Kenny's retire you are going to miss them both as a Cycling team and our overall Gold medal haul

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

No pun intended but perhaps these things are cyclical and when super talents like the Kenny's retire you are going to miss them both as a Cycling team and our overall Gold medal haul

Fair to say.

[Lionator]

2 hours ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Almost half our medals are bronze medals (29/65), by far the highest proportion amongst the top nations. I just don't think we have the winning mentality that other nations do.

 

It’s ALL about funding when it comes to Olympic sports. 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

21 minutes ago, Lionator said:

It’s ALL about funding when it comes to Olympic sports. 

Funding plays a big part, but not all. We can (and do) boost our medal count by targeted funding at sports like track cycling and rowing. But  population count will always play a significant part too. The bigger the pool of talent you can select from, the better you will do.

 

If you can marry the two together (funding and population) then you have a pretty unstoppable force, as we saw with the Americans in the Track & Field (who's NCAA collegiate system is prooving to be an incredible production line for athletes).

 

Edited 11 August by SouthStandUpperTier

[purpleronnie]

Surely the likes of new zealand/netherlands doesn't come close to the funding we have and population relatively small in comparison.

 

Obvioulsy population and funding are a big part but the quality of coaching and desire/mental strength have to play a big part too.

 

It was a dissapointing gold medal tally for Team GB but the fact we got more medals than Tokyo and the same as London 2012 is pretty impressive.

 

Need to turn some of those silver and bronze into gold.

Edited 11 August by purpleronnie

[SouthStandUpperTier]

17 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

Surely the likes of new zealand/netherlands doesn't come close to the funding we have and population relatively small in comparison.

 

Obvioulsy population and funding are a big part but the quality of coaching and desire/mental strength have to play a big part too.

 

It was a dissapointing gold medal tally for Team GB but the fact we got more medals than Tokyo and the same as London 2012 is pretty impressive.

 

Need to turn some of those silver and bronze into gold.

Here's a crazy stat. The Dutch finished above us in the medal table despite winning 31 fewer medals than we did. 

 

When they had the sniff of a gold medal, they more often than not took it.

[foxy boxing]

28 minutes ago, purpleronnie said:

Surely the likes of new zealand/netherlands doesn't come close to the funding we have and population relatively small in comparison.

 

Obvioulsy population and funding are a big part but the quality of coaching and desire/mental strength have to play a big part too.

 

It was a dissapointing gold medal tally for Team GB but the fact we got more medals than Tokyo and the same as London 2012 is pretty impressive.

 

Need to turn some of those silver and bronze into gold.

The Dutch are a "cycling nation" its in their DNA. They have and have had some of the world's best cyclists.

[Jattdogg]

8 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Here's a crazy stat. The Dutch finished above us in the medal table despite winning 31 fewer medals than we did. 

 

When they had the sniff of a gold medal, they more often than not took it.

Success of course is defined by winning gold  but in the Olympics medaling is always winning/success IMO. 

 

Any event scheduled on another day could change the table. Say what you want but right time, place, moment matter. Maybe tomorrow something is off and Canada's 4x100 gold is easily usa's.   There is always a bit of luck with these things on a given day. All of these athletes operate within slim/fine margins.

 

 Some nations just excel at certain sports. Didn't the  Chinese win most golds (if not all) in diving or something?

 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

1 minute ago, Jattdogg said:

Didn't the  Chinese win most golds (if not all) in diving or something?

Yeah, clean sweep of all 8 available golds.

[spacemunky]

21 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

Some nations just excel at certain sports.

 

Apparently for us it's hammer throw and break dancing 

[SouthStandUpperTier]

Just now, spacemunky said:

Apparently for us it's hammer throw and break dancing 

I thought it was Drone Spying.

[spacemunky]

5 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

I thought it was Drone Spying.

Ouch! 

 

[Jattdogg]

12 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

I thought it was Drone Spying.

Ooooooooooo major burn.

 

We were just stupid to get caught but I am sure a lot of others cheat in some way to gain advantage (which is wrong).

[Super_horns]

One more medal than Toyko but less golds then .

 

Be a few thinking they missed out but that is sport for you.

 

Well done to all our medal winners .

[foxy boxing]

Great Olympics, really enjoyed it especially the British success. Well done to all athletes that competed. Next up Los Angeles 2028 which will be known as "the Hollywood Olympics" with lots of celebrities in the crowds at events and so much glitz and glamour. 

[spacemunky]

Good games for us with 9 golds and 27 total medals.

 

I believe those are both bests for us, in non-boycotted Olympics.

 

Still, we are better when there's snow and ice 

[purpleronnie]

Thought it was top notch, although i thought the BBC didnt cover all the sports and the whole thing was very swimming heavy.

 

But apart from that it was great.

 

I have to say I thought the crowds were amazing every even seemed to be packed to the rafters, and some magnificent settings also.  Apparantly there were record numbers of tickets sold beating the previous best Atlanta 1996.

 

I think the only place you could probably beat it would be in LA next time around, although we'll have to endure the endless USA, USA chants.

[MPH]

I’m going to miss the Olympics. No one celebrates scraping a bronze quite like the British!

[st albans fox]

Some of the venues were incredible 

iconic 

[Super_horns]

Nice closing montage from the BBC.

https://x.com/scottygb/status/1822679883908006254

 

Been the last European suited one time wise  for 12 years at least as LA and Brisbane are next .

Edited 11 August by Super_horns

[Foxdiamond]

1 hour ago, foxy boxing said:

Great Olympics, really enjoyed it especially the British success. Well done to all athletes that competed. Next up Los Angeles 2028 which will be known as "the Hollywood Olympics" with lots of celebrities in the crowds at events and so much glitz and glamour. 

Crikey I can remember 1984 in LA. Where has that 40 years gone. The  8 hour behind time difference was and will be a bind for us here.

[Paninistickers]

2 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Crikey I can remember 1984 in LA. Where has that 40 years gone. The  8 hour behind time difference was and will be a bind for us here.

Spaceman jetpack opening ceremony. Zola Budd legging over Mary Decker. Ovett having the mardies when losing. Daley Thompson whistling. 

[Detroit Blues]

4 hours ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

Funding plays a big part, but not all. We can (and do) boost our medal count by targeted funding at sports like track cycling and rowing. But  population count will always play a significant part too. The bigger the pool of talent you can select from, the better you will do.

 

If you can marry the two together (funding and population) then you have a pretty unstoppable force, as we saw with the Americans in the Track & Field (who's NCAA collegiate system is prooving to be an incredible production line for athletes).

 

One of the things most do not realize is that the NCAA system for Olympic sports is almost entirely funded by college (American) football. The revenue generated by American football and basketball programs fund the entire athletic budget. In addition, because of Title IX rules, the University must provide an equal amount of scholarships to female athletes as males. This is why the American women, on their own, would have finished 3rd in the overall medal count. 

 

Unfortunately, this is all in peril. Recently college athletes been allowed to profit on their image and likeness for sponsorships. Now the supreme court has ruled universities can directly pay athletes. This will lead to football/basketball players demanding a large share of the entire athletic budget (that they help generate) of their universities, leading towards non-revenue generating sports getting binned to save money.

 

Contrary to popular opinion, most college athletic departments barely break even since so much money must be invested back into the football/basketball programs in order to compete at the highest level. Adding 80-100 athletes on to the schools' payroll to stay competitive in revenue generating sports will have a direct impact on the number of athletes competing in non-revenue sports. 

[shen]

2 hours ago, spacemunky said:

Good games for us with 9 golds and 27 total medals.

 

I believe those are both bests for us, in non-boycotted Olympics.

 

Still, we are better when there's snow and ice 

I think you forgot about the world's largest country, mate.

[shen]

4 hours ago, purpleronnie said:

Surely the likes of new zealand/netherlands doesn't come close to the funding we have and population relatively small in comparison.

 

Obvioulsy population and funding are a big part but the quality of coaching and desire/mental strength have to play a big part too.

 

It was a dissapointing gold medal tally for Team GB but the fact we got more medals than Tokyo and the same as London 2012 is pretty impressive.

 

Need to turn some of those silver and bronze into gold.

Sure, not to mention factors like (sports) culture, climate and genetics (and maybe even doping ).

 

You look at the winter OGs and see Norway topping the all-time tables. The events there are tailormade for them, but they only have less than 6 mil inhabitants.

 

It's a bit greedy to want more from team GB in my opinion.