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Anyone watching/going ?

Great first day for GB, 2 Golds, 3 Silvers and 2 bronze, congrats to them all. I have to get a moan in ldo; wish this was on the BBC as there coverage of the Olympics was immense. I watched some of the judo this morning, Channel 4 decided to go to the presenters set for them to have a conversation whilst Ben Quilter for GB was in the middle of his fight, they then went back when he'd lost a point, pretty wierd so I tiltingly turned it off.

Incredible scenes in the Cycling. In the Womans persuit final the GB lass overtook her opponent without even being half way through the race, commentator mentioned that she was just off the time to qualify for the able bodied Olympics team, amazing. I assume I'm right in thinking it's extremely rare that anyone would overtake there opponent at this level ?

That was utterly disgraceful, what WAS the Producer thinking?

I went to the Opening Ceremony, which was a fantastic experience.  Watched a bit of it back from the recording last night to see how it came across on TV but can't remember there being any adverts in the live version!

Got tickets for the final Saturday (Excel Day pass, Orbit and Athletics) but struggling with Channel 4's coverage in the meantime.

Was a bit puzzled by people complaining about adverts - it's Channel 4, do they think it magically pays for itself?

And yes, the programmes are going to be nowhere near as slick as the BBC, because half the presenters have been selected because they are disabled and who have way less experience at presenting live TV.

One place where the Paralympics does suffer is that there are quite a few events where one of the competitors is miles and miles better than everyone else (like Sarah Storey in the cycling yesterday) so the result is not in doubt so it loses excitement as a sporting contest. On the flip side of this, the wheelchair basketball game between GB and Germany last night was fantastic, because it was close, and also because it's a better game than than able-bodied basketball as there are fewer mystifying fouls.

I've got a day pass for the Excel tomorrow so will see some stuff down there.

C4 got one thing right, bringing Clare Balding in.

Watched the basketball last night and was totally into it.. was a great game and the intensity and competition was fantastic.... however am I right in believing Sarah Storey's disablement is that she is missing one hand ? if so how much does this really effect her performance ? to me she has a distinct and unfair advantage. If you chopped off Vicky pendletons hand would Sarah storey get close ? I think Sarah really should be competing in the standard Olympics instead of gaining hollow victories.


Its a PC minefield commenting on the Paraolympics in any sort of negative way without coming across as a tool but I do think the majority of the competitors are truly amazing to overcome some serious disability's to even compete, but I have issues with people who are virtually unaffected by their disability competing against people who are truly handicapped in the event, and yes I do know there are different classes.

Also watched the weight lifting with the dwarfs? is that the PC term. They said it was a dead lift competition when in fact they are bench pressing...dead lift is a completely different exercises...

I wasn't expecting no adverts, but assumed that they'd be at the start and end of the ceremony, not in the middle of a continuous ceremony.

It's akin to ITV going to ads in the middle of the 1st half of a game (the inadvertant trial of this in the England vs USA wasnt overly popular!)

Channel 4 doing a pretty good job imo. Good mix of presenters, with excellent knowledge of Para sport. Insightfull background clips of the GB athletes.

The ceremony was 3 and a half hours long, and expected to be one of Channel 4's most watched programmes. The adverts also tended to coincide with scenery changes when we weren't missing much - the sections in the ceremony took longer to move between because disabled performers take a bit longer to get into position.

She is pretty much Ch4 Property now - she has signed up to head their Horseracing output.

She is incredible, too, does her research so thoroughly, almost Peter O'Sullevan-like in that respect.

I wasn't criticising the presenters at all, just the decision to not show the judo when it was live, resulting in missing an important part of it, especially when it was a GB athlete who was a medal hope. I liked the fact the BBC were a bit biased. I've been watching it this morning and the coverage is good.

Surely missing a hand makes it quite a lot more difficult to cycle for grip etc. Think saying it's a hollow victory is a bit unfair on her, the people that set the rules of the classifications for entry know a lot more about this than me and she meets that so seems fair enough to me.

Does Oscar Pistorious complete in the Paralympics ? I'm sure if he does he will also annihilate the field but if he's entitled to participate then he should. (lol commentator just mentioned he's coming up, com timing). He's 4/1 to win the 100, 200 & 400m, so maybe he won't crush as much as I expected.

The bit of blind football they showed was entertaining, could watch more of that.

He's at risk in the 100m this time.  Still a strong favourite in the 400m though AFAIK.

She won the C 5 pursuit - which means everybody who she competed against has the same kind of disability. However much you think her disability affects her speed is irrelevant because they're all on a level playing field. She used to be a swimmer and she won gold at that as well - it's a massive disability for swimming but I still think it's going to be pretty important for steering and stability for the bike fwiw

The other way of taking into account the different classifications of disability is like they do in swimming which is people score points depending on how well they do compared to how people have done in their classification. Which balances up the field when people from different classifications compete at the same time - but spoils the sporting spectacle as effectively they're all doing an individual time trial as opposed to really competing against each other.

It's not like any of the events the Womens persuit team were involved in at the Olympics were entertaining from a sporting competitiveness pov, not there fault that they abs crushed everyone though.

Thats fair enough...but if its level playing how can she destroy the supposed 2nd best competitor by such a margin ? surely cant just be training etc..u would have to believe she has some distinct advantage, i missed the race..what was her oppos disability ?

I'm sat in the sitting volleyball arena right now waiting for GB women vs Netherlands.

Just watched a men's match between China and Iran and Iran totally bossed it in straight sets. I know the organisers want to keep an atmosphere going and are terrified of silence but they play a blast of music between every single point.

Point which lasts 4 seconds.

"BABY YOU'RE A FIREWORK"

China serve into net.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP FOR DETROIT"

Iran serve straight into touch.

"WHOOP, THERE IT IS"

Bit headache inducing - I'm getting old. Now they're getting us all to sing along to Angels.

I noticed they did that during the Beach Volleyball in the Olympics too. Awful.

I went to see the swimming finals in the evening of day 1, WRs tumbling, huge emotions. Yesterday was Judo and sitting volleyball, same as AndrewT, I didn't notice him, perhaps he wasn't singing loud enough.

Have 5 more sessions to visit and loving every minute.

What a great race the 5000m was. wd Dave Weir  ;applause; ;applause;

Absolutely brilliant.....take a bow Dave Weir

Fantastic by David Weir.


Oscar bad loser or Justified?

Think it must just have been disappointmet. Normally he's a cool & genuine guy.

Agreed, seem a bit of character.

justified

just as the abled bodied athletes didnt want him competing against them as he has an unfair advantage

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riR_SyhvB6s

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Fantastic

nice one

Would Oscar not have won had he ran the previous time he qualified in?

yeah he would of but would of won by miles if he had used longer legs but he had been training on shorter legs so he cold compete in the olympics

the problem with disabilty sports is no 2 disabilities are the same so a person could be borderline between 2 groupings in one grouping an athlete could be a world beater in another group the person could be an also ran and its depends on which group they get assesed as if they become a champion or not

I don't know a lot about this, but it cant be possible to get a completely even field, so if you've all qualified for your group its got to be fair.
I mean, able bodied athletes aren't all built the same either, there will always be a Usain Bolt or a Micheal Phelps who makes all the other contenders look outclassed, simply because they have a body type that seems to be designed purely for their sport.
Nobody says that isn't fair.
Which obviously means there must be paralympians with similar natural advantages albeit with the same bit missing or not working as the others in their group. They are still going to annihilate they rest of they field, aren't they?

Feel free to rip into my comments, I'm just a girl, what do I know ;)

I also just want to say, this is the first time I've watched the Paralympics and I'm just gobsmacked by the things I'm seeing, its amazing. The blind long jump, the above knee amputee high jump, the archer with no arms to name but a few are some of the most incredible things I've ever witnessed.
Team GB are doing so well but I cant help but cheer everyone that wins!
I was in awe of the Olympic heroes but some of these guy's are 'Superhuman', as the tagline says.

watching the wheelchair rugby, would love to give this a bash just glad i am not disabled enough to be able too although one bone above my injury and i would of been

Boosting?

sorry dont understand the question

when i damaged my spinal cord i broke 3 of the top 4 bones on the back if i had damaged the cord on the bottom bone of the neck i would of had a much worse disabilty and been able to play wheelchair rugby, i did break the 5th bone on the neck 7 years after breaking my back but i was lucky i didnt damage the spinal cord if i had i still wouldnt be able to play wheelchair rugby and would of been lucky to still be able too feed myself

I read your post as one more broken bone and you could play, and not  break the bone above where you injury was. I have found the whole Paralympics amazing at the skill and ability these folks show. I have also been reading about boosting where some of the competitors break bones to increase performance.

Looks incredible.  Disappointed for Jason Street he didn't make the US team again though........

T44 100m final tonight, should be a corker. Hoping and expecting our lad, Jonnie Peacock,  to win with a new WR.

David Weir goes for gold number three in the 800m as well.

Had a work colleague once who had one leg and was in to waterskiing, he was in to the paralympic scene, been to some games or other, anyway, he once told me that some of the wheelchair long distance guys used to get thier testicles, wrap them round a few times and sit on them as a boost.  Not sure if it was true or not but makes me feel uneasy everytime I think about it.

<3

Haha, brilliant.

What about Herc?

What a brilliant race. Had everything in it - faller, tactics, neck and neck, the Brit cheered home.

Just wish Rob Walker wasn't allowed to commentate. Does my nut in.

What an evening of sport well done Team GB! quality i wish i could do some of the things these guys can do but not a chance even with an able body!

Top class sport. Hugely impressive athletes on & off the track. Proud GB has produced the best Paralympics ever.

Just brilliant.

Is David Weir's victory in the 800m and the marathon a sign of how brilliant he is or how poor the competition is in one or both events?

As wonderful as it is to see a Brit with such magnificent bling, it seems to me harder to sell the sport when it is possible for both a middle distance track event (that is almost run as a three-quarter sprint in able-bodied competition) and the marathon a couple of days later.

Not seeking to be controversial, but it does strike me as being a problem with the paralympics. The same can be said of China winning 95 gold medals. 

Bit of both imo.  Still sports/events in its infancy with not much investment around the world, so not many paralympians would have put in enough work to be competitive.  Saying that David Weir is a beast, and Gold from 800m to marathon just shows how brillant he is.

Naturally talented and trains like an man-possessed.  Beast is a great term to describe him.

There obviously isn't the depth of talent at the Paralympics compared to the Olympics, but it's still an incredible achievement. The other thing that although some events don't seem to be on a level laying-field, the wheelchair track events (and marathon) is one of the most 'open' - you're in a wheelchair, you go fast, you win.

Mad Max meets Robot Wars on acid.  Just bonkers, but I like it.

Is that official?

Have you tried to get in to the sport?

Did any of the events take your fancy?

wheelchair rugby is for people that have problems with atleast 3 limbs

been too a cpl of come and play days when alot younger and wheelchair rugby was taking off

yeah i am getting my self a horse and going to teach it some ballet

Teach it to ski jump and see if they introduce that event...