blonde poker forum

reads very seriously

Rio 2016 should be moved or postponed over the Zika outbreak, say leading scientists

http://bbc.in/24bGkHB

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjfaffRWUAATATz.jpg)

Article from earlier this month saying the same thing

http://harvardpublichealthreview.org/off-the-podium-why-rios-2016-olympic-games-must-not-proceed/ (http://harvardpublichealthreview.org/off-the-podium-why-rios-2016-olympic-games-must-not-proceed/)

It concludes "fetal brain disruption sequence is as terrible as it sounds, and extinguishes the hope of a normal life even before it has begun?  With stakes like that, bluntly put, these Olympics are no game at all."

You know what this reminded me of?
The storyline of Jaws.

Experts in the field say there is an imminent threat and people need to stay out of the dangerzone.
The moneymen (the mayor) says, "this is 4th July weekend, are you crazy? It'll be fine. Everyone out onto the beach, it's totally safe."

We all know how that ended up :)

The WHO will conduct a probe into the risks of holding the Olympics in Rio because of Zika http://bbc.in/1sTzNWl

We wont get fooled again.

Who are the 80 track and field athletes competing for Team GB at Rio? Full list here: http://bbc.in/29OTbwT

Why are golfers (and a few NBA basketball players maybe) the only participants who seem to be worried about Zika?

I think its more about time off. Ryder Cup soon after. Etc etc.

They go to places in Africa Middle East. India etc where they are equally exposed to dodgy stuff.

That said the course is on a swamp full of the little buggers.

Because for most other sports the games is the pinnacle of sporting achievement.  In golf and NBA it is just a distraction to the bigger prizes so it is a convenient excuse for PR reasons to no show and rest for events that really matter in their world.  USA NBA players are on a hiding to nothing playing for the gold medal.  It is expected by half the track every time.  No upside and huge embarrassing downside potentially.

Golfers couldn't care less about winning a gold medal i would have thought.   Surprised how many of the big tennis players are going tbh.

Probably one of the only chances for tennis players to feel part of a team, I imagine it's quite a lonely sport.

Murray travels with a bigger team of yes men to massage his ego usually than most NBA teams!  :D

there is already talked from the IOC that golf, guaranteed to be in rio and tokyo, will be dropped for 2024

i paraphrase, but if the top players can't give a fuck its not an olympic sport and we'll replace ti with a sport that cares, was the sentiment expressed

Anyone else think the Olympics generally has lost it's spark and isn't anywhere near such a big deal in the sporting world as 30 years ago?  I am not remotely excited about it happening this year at all tbh.

i look forward to it, but athletics, swimming, rowing etc more than the multi-millionaire professional sports

i do think doping etc takes the gloss off the whole thing in many sports. we as a viewing audience are less naive and it doesn't have the corinthian feel of watching when we were younger....

This is the latest on the actual threat
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/13/cdc-study-olympics-unlikely-spark-zika-virus-tranm/

Summary is that it's low risk that anyone will catch anything because it's the Brazilian winter and if they do it's not likely to cause an outbreak in their home country (apart from a few), and on a personal level even if you're unlucky to catch it there's only really a problem if you're starting a family (and even then it might not cause a problem to the child).

In terms of the original post - the Olympics only amounts to about 1% of the travel so even if the risks were higher then moving it wouldn't affect the global outlook for Zika.

Including warm ups , range etc. A golfer would be outside on an old swamp for 30+ hours.

Even if they are using zika/health issues as an excuse i think its fine.

Think they are factors but Athletics as a sport doesn't have anywhere near the profile it had 25 years ago before Sky sports came on board.  We are also saturated with top class sport on our screens on a weekly basis now whereas when we were kids there was no such thing. 

Deffo, some of the sports seem ' boring ' now compared with the wealth/variety of sports available for our viewing.

Yeah it's boring when gb actually win medals lets go back to the glory days of 20 years ago lol

 Yes watching ginger hold all 4 major medals at the same time whilst jumping distances that wouldn't have got him in finals 20 years ago is so exciting to watch.

He's a national treasure bud. Do you think winning is something the edge has been taken off by our success in lots of areas? We did just hold the last one so we are hardly going to be as excited and Brazil are hopeless at organising things. We are used to cheering flawed heroes vs big bad USA and Russia but lottery money has made us the dominating force in cycling, sailing etc. Is it a bit less special when we get gold now?

i've never been interested in athletics at all.

who can run faster, longer etc etc.

may as well issue gold medals for being the tallest or most symmetrical - its sport in the same way body building is a sport (still more of a sport than motor-racing, granted).

i know there are a lot of other sports, but if eg judo was interesting to watch it'd be watched outside of the olympics, innit

huge swerve for me.

My reason for golf not being in the Olympics is that they already cost enough to host without the hassle of getting people to build a world class golf course. It's not like Archery where all you need is a patch of grass.

Winter Olympics > Summer Olympics imo.

Every sport could be classed as boring, depending on many people's views. Who can run faster doesn't sound too exciting, but I suspect that people find people kicking a "bag of wind" on grass for 90 minutes or throw a ball in a net, just as boring.

It'll be something different, whilst there is a poor to schedule...

Have little interest nowadays tbh. Probs due to how much sport you can actually watch on a daily basis on sky.

Much prefer the winter Olympics tbh

Milos Raonic, the Wimbledon finalist, is out of the Olympics. The reason? The Zika virus.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnbG3u4WgAA-c7f.jpg)

a good look at UK Sport/lottery funding by sport and medal forecasts/requirements

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnZ8Dj-WYAUB2_v.jpg)

Amazing how much cash goes into posh boy sports from lottery money.  Sailing gets as much funding as Athletics!  gtfo!

Some of the funding is related to success (I think) - the more success we've had in the past the more funding goes to keeping it up. Sports that start off with more money 'could' get an advantage from this; but I don't think it's the only criteria.

McLaren report confirms widespread, 'state-dictated' Russian doping at Sochi 2014

russia track/field already banned from rio, rest of sports could be banned too

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cnpljg2WAAAUjOK.jpg)

!

one foreign football player in the russian league had a positive test covered up too

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnpoNpmUMAACzrX.jpg)

2008 Olympics samples. 1st wave of retests caught 30 athletes. Today IOC announced another 30 samples contained banned substances

15 more London2012 athletes tested positive in 2nd wave of retests of samples. 23 caught in 1st wave of retests of samples from 2012

23 medalists from Beijing caught in the doping retests.

So nearly 8% of all samples that have been retested from Beijing and London have returned positive.

Gets to a point where you think, feck em. If we can't get it totally clean, then let them all pop whatever they like and let's wait for a sub 7 second 100 m etc.

It's beyond terrible, & we've seen it in Cycling, & various other sports, too.

The oddity, to me, all things considered, it's that it seems to be almost unheard of in English football, & relatively rare in football globally.

I can't help but suspect that may be down to a lax testing regime, or turning a blind eye.

Are our footballers, knowing them as we do, all really squeaky clean as to drug use? 

Much of the cheating is in sports where stamina is required, & that certainly applies to football, where the players regularly run huge distances every game.

Sure theres a % that lack of testing is not detecting, particularly young players trying to get noticed, in youth teams and lower leagues but guess the testing is alot less at these levels aswell. Im surprised having seen the way footballers act we arent getting a recreational scandal every few days, which probably shows the lack of testing.

Cant see football being anywhere near a sport like athletics for doping levels where your performance can so purely be affected. Drugs can make you faster/stronger but they wont help your football skill so the use is alot less worth the risk. Then you have the fact footballers can earn very good money at a range of levels whereas athletes need to be in the top100/200 across the sport to earn anything above what a league 1 footballer is? Athletics is all or nothing, most meets even bolt wont appear infront of more than league 1 attract to games. The trickle down is going to be terrible.

It's highly unlikely. If sports with not much money in them have a lot of people who fail tests at the top, is it that likely the sport with lots of money in it is clean?

I trust they will never allow drugs in sport.

If they do, it will be sentencing thousands of kids to an early grave.

Just seen the Rio opening ceremony is being directed by Fernando Meirelles who made "City of God" - which is promising.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36870016

6 of the fastest 7 times this year and 2 of the fastest 4 times in history but won't be at the games because of USA's strict policy of having to turn up on one race and top 3 in the trials in a race where anything can go wrong on any given day.  Another case of how stupid yanks are.

Another dirty WR off the books from the 1980s Eastern bloc.  Replaced by another drug cheat?  Anyone think she is clean?  Technically perfect run last night.  Very impressive.

World Records in women's sprint events are rare. Prior to Harrison's 12.20 last night,average age of sprint (<800m) records was 26 yrs 9 months (eastern bloc/unachievable drugged up records)

Ennis run 12.52 on the track at the olympics so no reason why the best 100m hurdler isnt a fair bit better than her? Americans have a pretty ridiculous bad record on drugs, which everyone just seems to ignore compared to eastern bloc troubles? Having said that its clear from cycling USADA are keen to make a name for themselves more recently. Their mens hurdle record holder looks to have gone downhill rather steeply....

It was pretty awesome to watch, prefer to not know the difference was drugs.

I think Dandy might be doping his sprinters! :D

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CoFF7IZXgAEk5RY.jpg)

one of the all time cop outs

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CoI8jy8XEAAQD1p.jpg)

Just spoken to a friend of mine who is currently in Brazil. He's saying how far off they are from being ready for the whole Olympics - from what he was saying it really could be a calamity.

Under/Over on total number of failed drugs tests?

the olympics has started

womens football sweden v south africa in the olympic stadium

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Co8nJJDXgAAzSfR.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Co8z8d0WEAAcyTE.png)

Lizzie Armitstead claims cycling chiefs are at fault for missed test http://dailym.ai/2aRccBM

The whole statement for those who don't want to visit the daily hate, or read their spin on it.

https://twitter.com/L_ArmiTstead/status/760776866437496832

I can't read that David, & don't know how to enlarge it, but Matthew Syed wrote a strong piece about her in The Times yesterday.

The thrust of it was two-pronged.

1) If she were Russian, would we believe her?

2) All things considered, especially that her entire career hinged upon it, she was remarkably careless, not once, but 3 times.



His piece ended.....

"To miss one test could be described as unfortunate. To miss three, in this era of scrutiny & awareness, does seem rather extraordinary"

So you haven't read her statement, but post a view on it?  FWIW Mr Syed said after reading the statement.  Interesting & brave. But so many unanswered questions. My gut is that she's telling the truth. Others will disagree

Here is the statement in full. 

-------

I am writing this statement in my own words, something I have wanted to do from the very beginning.

Understandably people have questions which I want to answer as openly and honest as I can. I hope people understand that speaking with journalists is a necessary part of my job, speaking directly to the public in a statement like this, which has not been ghost written or moulded by somebody else is unheard of.

I want to take responsibility for this message, this is my life and not a game of headlines. I want to state the facts but also try to explain my situation further. I believe I owe this statement to sports fans, people who love sport like I do.

As an 18-year-old schoolgirl I was introduced to the whereabouts system, nine years ago. Since then the system has evolved and developed, post October 2015 I recognised this and requested further education from Ukad, I will come back to this later.

By submitting my whereabouts I am consenting to people coming into my house or hotel and taking blood and urine samples. This is a part of my sport that I accept and wholeheartedly support.

To add some background before I explain the specific details of my three “strikes”.

I have been tested 16 times in 2016.

I have a clear and valid blood passport (a more detailed use of looking for doping violations by looking for trends versus anomalies in my blood values).

I have been tested after every victory this season.

I am on the road for around 250 days a year, with around 60 race days.

I have never tested positive for a banned substance.

I have never taken a banned substance.

I will present the facts of my three “strikes”.

Sweden: August 20, 2015

Ukad are allowed a maximum of two weeks to inform you of a “strike:. When I received the letter from Ukad I immediately contested it with a written explanation, this was not accepted on the eve of me travelling to America for my world championships. I had no legal advise or external support at the time.

Last week:

CAS ruled quickly and unanimously in my favour and cleared me of any wrong doing, because:

I was at the hotel I stated.

The DCO didn’t do what was reasonable or necessary to find me.

I was tested the next day, this test was negative.

Calling an athlete’s mobile phone is not a method approved by Ukad to try and locate an athlete, as such it is not an argument against me that I slept with my phone on silent in order not to disturb a room mate.

Put simply I was available and willing to provide a sample for Ukad.

Second ‘strike’: October 2015

Despite being reported as a ‘missed test’ this was in fact a ‘filing failure’.

Ukad did not try to test me, instead this was an administrative spot check. They found an inconsistency between an overnight accommodation and a morning time slot.

A busy post world championship period meant I had no firm plans and as such was changing address and plans very quickly. I made a mistake. This was an honest mistake rather than trying to deceive anybody. A mistake that many athletes who are honest with themselves will admit to having made themselves. I was tested by Ukad later that week and produced a negative result.

In December 2015, I met with Ukad and British cycling to discuss a support plan in order to avoid a third potential ‘strike’.

Simon Thornton from British Cycling was put in place to check my whereabouts on a bi-weekly basis. We had regular contact and he would help me with any problems, effectively he was a fail-safe mechanism. Since meeting with Ukad my whereabouts updates have been as detailed and specific as they can possibly be. Going as far as I can in describing my locations to avoid any further issues.

Unfortunately, this system fell apart on the June 9 when Ukad tried to test me in my hour slot and I was not where I had stated I would be.

Simon Thornton had left BC three weeks prior to my strike without anybody informing me. We worked under a policy of ‘no news was good news’ as outlined in my support plan with Ukad.

If Simon was still in place the following oversight could have been prevented. My overnight accommodation (the bed in which I was sleeping the morning of the test) was correct, but I had failed to change the one hour testing slot, it was clearly impossible to be in both locations.

This is where I believe I have the right to privacy. My personal family circumstances at the time of the test were incredibly difficult, the medical evidence provided in my case was not contested by Ukad, they accepted the circumstances I was in.

Ukad did not perceive my situation to be ‘extreme’ enough to alleviate me of a negligence charge.

A psychiatrist assessment of my state of mind at the time was contrary. In my defence I was dealing with a traumatic time and I forgot to change a box on a form.

I am not a robot, I am a member of a family, my commitment to them comes over and above my commitment to cycling. This will not change and as a result I will not discuss this further, our suffering does not need to be part of a public trial.

I hope I have made it clear that family comes before cycling, I am not obsessively driven to success in cycling, I love my sport, but I would never cheat for it.

To conclude:

I currently have one filing failure and one missed test.

The reason this hasn’t been discussed publicly until now is because I had the right to a fair trial at CAS, it is clear sensationalised headlines have a detrimental effect to any legal case.

In the days following the revelations in the press my family and I have been the victim of some incredibly painful comments.

I ask people to take a moment to put themselves in my shoes, I am an athlete trying to do my best, I am a clean athlete. I am the female road race world champion, I operate in a completely different environment to the majority of athletes in the testing pool.

I am self coached, I work outside British Cycling and its systems, I race for a women’s team that doesn’t have a budget to match a world tour men’s team who have staff specifically in place to supports riders with whereabouts.

I don’t wish to make excuses, I made one mistake which was noticed in a ‘spot check’ my second strike came at a time when anybody who lives for and loves their family would understand my oversight. It’s as simple as ticking the wrong box on a form.

I love sport and the values it represents, it hurts me to consider anybody questioning my performances. Integrity is something I strive for in every part of my life. I will hold my head high in Rio and do my best for Great Britain.

I am sorry for causing anyone to lose faith in sport, I am an example of what hard work and dedication can achieve. I hate dopers and what they have done to sport.

To any of the ‘Twitter Army’ reading this, do yourself a favour and go for a bike ride. It’s the most beautiful thing you can do to clear your mind.

So you haven't read her statement, but post a view on it?

I never read her statement for the reason I explained.

I don't think I posted "a view", I posted the thrust of yesterday's article By Mr Syed.

I genuinely have no idea what the truth is, but it did surprise me that she missed 3 tests, & did not challenge the first 2 until she missed the third.
 

And Fwiw, there is a colossal amount of evidence that shows that it is really quite foolish to give Russians the benefit of the doubt.  If you had just arrived from the planet Zarg I guess you would treat both atheletes the same way.  It is a very unfortunate state of affairs for any clean Russian athlete.   

Pretty much sums it up, that the Russian you feel sorry for is also a drugs cheat.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/25/yuliya-stepanova-whistleblower-rio-olympics-ban-ioc (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/25/yuliya-stepanova-whistleblower-rio-olympics-ban-ioc)

If you read the statement, you would realise she did challenge the first test at the time, just not very professionally.

Hope we go over to Rio soon. The first 15 minutes of BBC's Olympic coverage have alternated between boring and depressing. I'm sure it will improve hugely but terrible start.

after spending the 2012 games in hospital with a freeview tv set up where half the time the streams not working and no internet connection i am all sorted for the next 2 weeks (well apart from having to entertain my nephew for 6 days next week)

Parent tip.  Sit nephew in front of that lot for 6 days.  Do not under any circumstances introduce a 2nd child. You'll be right.

he is totally not into sport and is only happy if we are doing things together he is 12 now so i cant even tire him out

so it will be xboxing and pokemon hunting till bed time if i can get 2 more brats involved then all his x box controllers will be used up and i can sit in room watching the sport while they kick lumps out of each other with wwe16

Is Thomas obliged to work for Froome in this road race?

In a one off race it should be every man for himself surely.

it was sort of every-man for himself for team GB today, only 1 rider was brought along as a domestic but they wouldnt of done anything to chase down a break if one of the GB team was in the break

Pacemakers in athletics?

dont get pacemakers in the olympics or world champs

Not officially, but in the distance races there are inevitably guys whose job it is to set the tempo.

Also, there's that bloke on the bike in the Keirin...

(http://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/03/Revolution-London-14-d1-Keirin-final-630x419.jpg)

If you are going to make it a team sport, give all the riders in the team a medal if the leader wins one.

Doesn't seem fair that a guy is forced to give up his Olympic dream for another athlete.

There is the point that the sport gets funding based on medals (I think). Also, I would expect there are situations where each guy could be the lead. Like when Stannard went off into the distance in London 2012; he is allowed to run his race at that point.

domestics in an Olympic cycling team wouldnt get into the race on ranking alone

Tal you dont get pacemakers even in distance races yeah you will see athletes working together but they are all in with a shout of winning a medal
its why the WR is normally miles ahead of championship records as the WRs are set with a team of pace makers paid by the event organizers wanting to squeeze there sponsors

is it just me or have brazil dropped a bollock with the ticket sales if i remember correctly the only events not sold out at every session in london was the football

Totally get your points on this, but there's a difference between domestiques/pacemakers who wouldn't get into the big dance on merit and guys who meet the qualifying criteria but who are inferior to another from the same country.

This is bollocks too. (Not your post, the fact that sports get funding based on medals).

A talented poor kid in one sport might not get any funding because other people haven't done well in previous Olympics?

That is beyond ridiculous results orientated thinking.

The funding pot should be divided by how many participants each sport gets.

With a weighting towards sports played by the under priviledged.

The way it works currently - and I appreciate this seems even sadder - some of the people competing are playing for their livelihoods.

And again we see the disparity between golf/tennis/football and judo/fencing/archery

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpNI7pBWIAAUprG.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpLk-9eXYAAi2Af.jpg)

It's interesting how the editor has set that front page.

did anyone watch the gymnastics?

stunning stuff

these lads in with a shot at medals today

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpNZOeCW8AE8aj5.jpg)

Twins, olympians both

Deandre Jordan & Ragan Smith

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpQLuNZWgAQ-7De.jpg)

Anyone got an easy link to a schedule of when Brits are competing each day? Have an overall one but it doesn't filter out the Brits...

Yep came here to basically ask the same thing, just like 4 years ago I am yet to find a particularly good summary of the cant miss Brit events. BBC website usually has the nearest thing to it each morning for that day.

Just discovered an iPhone app called Team GB which actually does a half decent job of this

Horrrendous crash for the Dutch girl who was leading the Womens Road Race.

Hope she is ok.

Just posted this on the strong boys thread in the lounge but it really does amaze me. 

I'm watching the Weightlifting at the Olmypics on the Red Button.  These little woman, it really is incredble how strong they are. 

To put into perspective, the snatch that took first place in the womans 53Kg class was equal to the Scottish/British Men's senior record in the 56kg class that has stood for around 20 years.  The lifter who done that was well known to have been on PEDS. 

The total record for a British male lifter is 220kg, I can't see the little Chinese girl being far off that.

She is ok according to bbc.co.uk.  cyclists are made tougher than the rest of us.

That was epic!

Is there no daily highlights show ?

In the morning they'll show highlights of the previous day's action- time difference means there's no round up show at say 10pm as the live stuff doesn't finish till after 3am.

Whats the hardest sport to do? I vote for gymnastics, we did a fair bit of it at uni and most of us there struggled to do much more than anything basic....

sync swimming or sync diving IMHO

Nah, diving is effectively gymnastics with a soft landing and you don't need to learn such a broad range of skills.

Sync swimming below both the above.

gymnastics while holding your breath and in time with 7 other people holding there breaath?

Dancing more like....

Realised about the time difference but just expected there'd still be a 60-90 mins highlights show.

The Claire Balding/Mark Chapman fronted show between 10.30pm-midnight is about the closest you'll get to an evening highlights show. Seems to be recapping the major action from the morning/afternoon. Being a bit of a night owl, my plan (if I haven't seen the key action already that day) is to watch that, sleep for a couple of hours, and wake up to watch the swimming/athletics finals at 2am.

Wow can Adam peaty really be Clean?  Hard to see how anyone can be that far ahead of the world past and present

My thoughts too, but want to believe it...

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59BSOlAZAW8

:)

Peaty must just have better ones then  :D

Not great that we just joke about this stuff really, but it's probably so rife it's hard not to  ;frustrated;

Good gear, super work ethic, and great genetics.

What are we supposed to do, other than laugh?

I make jokes about things much more important then sport :D

(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-THq8LInfJyc/URq148ObgwI/AAAAAAAAPT0/Ev0wQctM3Go/w506-h285/CELEB_MEME_BILLBURR.jpg)

3 fractured vertebrae apparently, but nothing to threaten her long-term recovery.

sunset at the beach volleyball

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpSVK8mXgAAJgqi.jpg)

seen yesterday

"The bonus for Richard Kruse fighting a Russian is that even if he loses he is guaranteed to spend the next eight years as a medal prospect."

LOL


That's a great pic.

 If Michael Phelps was a country. http://bbc.in/2aKZUt6

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpV2kVUXgAEplaB.jpg)

Phelps is genuinely a legend, but this greatest bollocks gets on my nerve. If we have a 50m sprint, 150m sprint, 100m backwards sprint, 100m sideways sprint and 100m hop I'm sure Bolt would have as many medals as he has

A super saturday repeat is 10/1 on skybet, I quite fancied that before I saw the odds, what do you reckon to 10/1?

Rutherford, Mo and Jess?

2 out of 3 aint bad nephew stole one for some wizard film

taking best odds

Mo 3/10
Jess 11/8
Rutherford 9/4

the treble pays just over 9-1 so its some value

That's assuming the prices aren't artificially short to start off with. Not sure I'd be backing Jess at that price. That said, the patriotic mug punter in me says Mo at 30/100 is buying money.

Haven't people got more important shit to worry about?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/07/helen-skeltons-revealing-dress-sends-rio-2016-viewers-into-meltd/

She responded to it like a champ, posting this on Twitter.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpRIfgEWAAIjh3w.jpg)

What a non-story, especially as Mark Foster also had his sexy legs on show.

BOA warn GBR team to be positive and not arrogant about Rio2016 conditions

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/08/team-gb-positive-arrogant-rio-olympics-conditions?CMP=share_btn_tw

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpXIVxkWgAQi-rI.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpXWU-AW8AAME8E.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpXQvICWcAEootM.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpW1njCWgAAlGx7.jpg)

(https://discocdn.british-gymnastics.org/images/medium/983.jpg)

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/olympics/2016/08/08/Gymnastics-final-team-men-SPORT-large_trans++vgECK285nwgYOcV6rFoHqqIw7SFRUS00HPan5mwQLws.JPG)

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/olympics/2016/08/08/team_gb-large_trans++aYt6_6mhPFT1pgycbdaP4x6cLzS71gpyLScHrMFuz4Q.jpg)

18m people watched the Olympics on BBC TV yesterday whilst a record breaking 15.2m global browsers came to BBC Sport online

i must say the bbc schedulers have made some eccentric decisions, switiching the coverage between bbc1 and bbc2 frequently. why wouldn't they just leave bbc1 alone, put everything on bbc2 for live stuff, bbc4 for recorded stuff and all the red buttons behind it?

It is a bit weird when you watch it online too.  Surely they can fix it so you don't have to switch between 1 and 2 when watching it on iplayer.  I have clicked to say I want to watch the olympics in the first place.

This

It's almost like they think viewers have some sort of loyalty to beeb 1 or 2. They really should just make one of them the Olympics channel and have done with it.

thought this was a reallly interesting mobile phone snap, taken during the opening ceremony

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpaC5ysWAAQOYvq.jpg)

It's like they think Eastenders viewers are so irredeemably stupid that they are unable to press a button with a 2 on it on their remote control.

least watchable olympics sports on television (to actually understand whats going on)

i challenge you to beat Sailing. (Shooting comes close)

over to you....

Well from a bore perspective rather than understanding it I nominate water polo...

Japan beat the All blacks 14-12 in the sevens

The pre-match handicap on that match was New Zealand -28.5. Japan 33/1 outright.

Judo - guys holding each other's pyjamas for a few minutes while getting yellow cards at random.

What's so baffling about shooting?

Fencing sucked more than I expected it, two fellas waving car ariels it seemed like for the most part.

Most surprisingly entertaining sport to watch?

Rugger sevens has been pretty good so far

So will this see teams trying not to win the other group?

i meant as a spectator sport really, the target is miles away. without a big screen why do you go and watch?

judo is a good shout. impenetrable rules

rugby sevens has been fun for ever, mainly for geting pissed at

Kenya won the Singapore 7's recently, like 20/20 cricket innit!

Ah yeah, I get you now. It's the same reason I'm always baffled by people who go to watch golf live - you see very little of what happens.

Diving is a tremendous TV sport - a dive every 90 seconds or so, starting with the easy ones and building to the 'how do they even do that?' dives. The Chinese guys last night were not even real.

one wag commented that he was convinced the Chinese diving pair was one bloke with a mirror

it was incredible

On the subject of sports on TV I was surprised at just how bad the all-around gymnastics were - everything happening at the same time means most of what happens is missed and it's only really clear who is in the lead every half hour or so when they change apparatus.

Also the commentary was completely dreadful - Matt Baker is pure Partridge.

Fencing and Judo really are woeful.

Been pleasantly surprised by the Women's Rugby sevens a) they are a lot hotter than expected b) the standard has been impressive.

Also, boxers - why not wait until the referee lifts your arm before you start fist-pumping and pointing at the sky to avoid looking like a clown when you get beaten.

on the upside the diving commentator leon smith had a nice dry humour, knows his stuff and had me chuckling too

Matt Countryfile had been to the blue peter school of comms, all shouty shouty and "AMAZING!!"

Clive Woodward is great on the rugby comms. Women's 7s has been my favourite event so far, felt for GB. Feel like the situation got to them yesterday.

Did anyone watch the women's 10m diving final.

The pool was completely green - it looked like a dirty river. Rio2016 are going to be making a statement about it unsurprisingly. Definitely wasn't getting passed without it being looked in to.

Bonkers wasn't it?

The whole thing has been a logistical nightmare. I was incredibly proud after the 2012 Olympics how well organised it was, I think it was even better after this shambles.

Agree that the sevens has been very good. Are these players sevens specialists or are they just the best league/union players? I don't watch enough rugby to recognise any names

Great for casual viewers, as there is usually so much action.

I never went much on 7s when I played, but not many props did :D

10s was alright, but definitely preferred full 15 a side.

Play 15's at club level, but are specialists at 7's at national level. There is basically a 7's world tour that most of them play on for part of the year. Union players only really, but nothing to stop cross coders playing if they have made the leap...

There was an American guy that came on late in the game before who is a super quick ex NFL player, they were suggesting possible sub 10 sec 100m quick. We Only got a quick glimpse of him but he blew one guy away on the outside for a try, be good to see him get more time in the next game.

Cheers, definitely rooting for Fiji the rest of the way

This Tuisova guy doesn't mess about

Britain currently playing rush goalie V Brazil in the hockey.

Just why did this Olympic diving pool turn a swampy green? http://bit.ly/2aEWZ1U

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpeecd9WcAEnR1s.jpg)

love this one

Chad Le Clos and Phelps in the 200m fly last ngiht

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpdwqCfVUAA_Bjn.jpg)

USA wins women's team gymnastics Gold by 8.209 pts, largest margin of victory at major meet under current scoring

Four years ago USA won by 5.066 points, the biggest margin in 52 years.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpcn5QpVYAEZPUG.jpg)

Was I the only one who had never heard off "cupping" before these Olympics?

How very odd.

I thought it was a tailoring term! ;ashamed;

With his 12th individual Olympic title Michael Phelps equal the all time Olympic record set by Leonidas of Rhodes in 152 BC

just the 2,168 year old record....

It really doesn't look too nice either 'The cupping technique'

<iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FLADbible%2Fvideos%2F2831560603557778%2F&show_text=0&width=400" width="400" height="400" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe>

Unsure how I've managed to post that twice, link should work.

The link works fine, & I deleted the duplicate.

Fascinating.

This was the best photo of the Olympics so far for me. It says so much about the Olympics, & how we differ across the world in so many ways.

Showed it to my 8 year old and she said it was just some people playing with a ball.  I asked what was unusual about it, she said nothing and gave me a very weird look.

There is hope for humanity yet :)

A hopeful one and a depressing on here (headlines not so much the pictures)

Anyone know of a way of tracking where we were at this stage in 2012 medal wise? I think we'd had one or two golds by now on day 5 in London.

I saw it this morning.  Guessing bbc site

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36970388

I like the idea, but it's a bit pointless just comparing 2016 and 2012. We put in tonnes of extra funding for 2012 and had home advantage - it would be a lot more meaningful if we could have this tracker for 2008, 2012 and 2016 to get a more meaningful comparison.

gold for divers and not named daly nice one

Great day for Team GB so far. Nice to see some of the lesser known names claim golds.

What price the mail puts a picture of daley on the back page?

i think the mail will be happy now and wont put a pic of him up in future after all aswell as xenophobic they have been know to be homophobic

Get the fk in rugby!!!  Oof that was a sweat lol

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after Day 5 the 2016 British team are running ahead of the 2012 team.

3G and 12 medals vs. 2G and 9 medals

think this was my top image from yesterday

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpkS3AXWgAAuugI.jpg)

8.1m watched Laugher and Mears win gold at primetime on bbc1 last night

huge (non tom daley) exposure for that sport

Joe Clarke's Gold in the Kayak yesterday was the pinnacle of yesterday's highlights. Not just because he seemed to be a totally grounded young man who'd worked relentlessly for his success, but because of his uninhibited joy and humility at winning. And as for crowd shots, it looked like his whole band of family & friends were only just beginning an orgasmic frenzy of celebration... in cold, overcast, pissing rain conditions. Absolutely loved it. Well done that man!

Eddie and Sir Clive really is spoiling us.

Claire Balding continues to dominate the presenting duties. Supremely researched.

Looks as though we're going to dominate the cycling again.

I do love Laura Trott.

Michael Phelps' win gives him 15 individual medals, most of any athlete in Olympic history.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpoAc5oUEAEAFYx.jpg)

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Jason Kenny becomes Britain's fourth most successful Olympian - behind Hoy, Redgrave and Wiggins - alongside Ben Ainslie.

Kenyan coach sent home after standing in for athlete for dope test

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37053928

Justin Rose hits first ever hole-in-one at the Olympics as golf returns to Games

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Andy Murray makes it through to quarter-finals with 6-1 2-6 6-3 victory over Fabio Fognini

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GB's David Florence and Richard Hounslow won a silver medal in the men's canoe double C2

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medal progress

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attendances are low...

Paul Hayward ‏@_PaulHayward

The No 1 political gripe in Rio is said to be that people feel they get nothing for their taxes. Olympics are caught up in that resentment.

"Seven years ago when Rio was selected, [Brazil] was on the verge of being a top five GDP nation in the world. They're 74th now." (IOC)

Call

Clearly someone getting total gdp confused with per capita.

One of the great tragedies of doping is the suspended belief of genuine human breakthroughs.

the womens 10k record had stood since 1993, it was set by a doped (subsequently discovered) chinese athlete

Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana  beat it by 14 seconds today!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpqv_EOWIAEVxrY.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpqr9SBWYAA7m26.jpg)

after

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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpqo2D6W8AAuD1t.png)

That's the Daily Express editorial being rewritten for the morning then...

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpsTujRXYAAS_gk.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CprOAtaWcAAXPjP.jpg)

Into the semis

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpreUw-XgAE2Rh5.jpg)

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Sir Bradley Wiggins now has FIVE Olympic golds, taking his medal tally to a British record of EIGHT

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpsMQcmWYAAPLTU.jpg)

more to come in the cycling?

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cprzq8WWIAExvBg.jpg)

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John Major deserves a bit of credit for this: the unsung PM who introduced National Lottery to finance UK sport

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpsTAvtW8AAO0Up.jpg)

Or he introduced a very regressive form of taxation so that govt didn't have to pay for it out of normal govt spending.

Taking politics out of sports funding was good, lottery ... not so much.

Whilst speaking far less tosh, Sir Steve, has a touch of the Montys about him in that he does mention at least three times per programme, his Olympics.

give him a break. he has to stand next to Inverdale for a week

i note he stormed off after one disagreement on thursday and left the presenter pundit-less!

He seemed to enjoy it with Chappers.

I'm guessing the Brazilians supporting Nadal is a bit like the Scots anti railing the English 😀

what you on about we scots would never anti rail our neighbours

Course you wouldn't  rotflmfao

we support the nations we have a closest tie with in an international it just so happens we have a closer tie to most nations than we do england which ties with usa on our nations with ties list

ABE 👍😆

no if we liked england better than we liked another nation we would support england

If I was shite at sport and my big superior brother was far better than me I might be bitter and twisted about it too  ;bumwiggle;

You two realise you're on the same side in this one, right?

Since when do I miss out on a bit of banter with the scots?  ;djinn;

Indeed they are but I anti-rail GB. 

Always good to put a face to the name...

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2q0T7QXETs

Mo's training partner tried ironing him out, and still gets up to win :D

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Murray v Del Potro today for gold

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incredible bikemanship

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men will be men (womens pursuit with a gentle message to sir bradley's team)

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spot the sportsman

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Alan Titchmarsh has changed

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpx25R4WYAAB35F.jpg)

Michael Phelps' storied Olympic career ends with what else ... Gold No. 23 of course

 USA wins 4x100 medley relay.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpyQgrkXEAAlWJ-.jpg)

this was a fascinating event

JEH's score would have won gold in 2012

Thiam put up 5 PBs in the 7 events and at 21, really strong in the field disciplines, the baton has passed on

Thiam wasn't in the top ten in the betting pre-event

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creditable stuff in an event where the current world's best are much of a muchness and way off past records

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in the first 3000 he was last, first, on the floor then up again

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CpyCqJzWcAESrHK.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpx_zJ-W8AAYcBz.jpg)

we topped our pool

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpxc_iRWEAA9Lz4.jpg)

the eights final starts...

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Wowzer, great photograph.

leading going into the final round

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cpw2gsqXEAArZpN.jpg)

4 more medals guaranteed for GB today

Murray
Dempsey
Kenny
Skinner

we have one more medal than we did after Super Saturday in London. 30 vs 29.

We have at least a gold and three silvers there, too.

Was watching this with the family and mentioned that the T-Shirts say "Good Luck Becky" in Welsh which prompted a "*How* do you even know this stuff?".

Thanks Dewi.

Lovely stuff Tighty. Made me chuckle.

:D

GOLD in the rolling around on the floor and still the not so bucking bronco to come

The reaction of the two Brazilian gymnasts finishing 2nd and 3rd is the moment of the games so far for me.

yeah the reactions of athletes what are expecting to get on the podium is great to watch when they do so well
at a home games it must be a wonderful feeling

GOLD and SILVER in the rodeo this could be as big as super Saturday

Guaranteed a gold in the men's pursuit cycling and Andy Murray big favourite to win gold shortly. Achievement-wise Sensational Sunday exceeds Super Saturday!

GTD GOLD in the sailing but a race or 2 still to go so not counting yet

No, it is guaranteed already, he can't be beaten...

i know its GTD but they dont count it on the medals table till event is over

Anyone fancy picking the winning time in the men's 100m?

I'll start: Usain Bolt beats Gatlin in 9.75 seconds.

one thing that is putting me off the olympics is the constant reminders that drugs cheats are competing

FFS if you cheat with drugs the ban should be life after all the effects of the training you did while on the drugs doesnt wear off because you have stopped taking the drugs
ban the cheats for life IMHO

All for banning the drug cheats but I would also ban lottery funding as that gives us an unfair advantage. Should be an even playing field for all athletes.

When other countries ban this style of funding then sure...

Just don't buy a ticket if you don't like the system...

I personally think it's great and am happy for some of the money to go in that direction when I buy a ticket. I get the pleasure back on weeks like this.

There would be nobody left. 

Was going to say, they'd be able to knock it out over the bank holiday weekend :D

Some sports on today are boxing, fencing, weightlifting, basketball, badminton, water polo, table tennis, handball, volleyball and beach volleyball - not that you'd know it, with the BBC almost exclusively showing GB events. Preferred when they used to show a mix of most, if not all, of the sports taking place.

Use the red button the world is your oyster........personally I want to watch the Brits primarily.

sky 472-480 have alot of sports and then there is the bbc website

obviously the BBC 1 show will concentrate on the GB medal chances

ever since the atlanta games we are getting more and more brits with medal chances we dont get the mix of sports on the main bbc channel

i am still smarting at being in hospital during the london games and missing just about everything that a brit wasnt winning

Anyone up watching the tennis?  
Incredible match, willing Murray on obvs but Del Potro is such a likeable character.

Yeah, it has been a super final.

Gotta sleep in a min but based on the semi 9.68

great match true sport of olympias that tennis gold for the scotsman :-)

loved to see del potro back with make usa open intresting with all the top seeds hoping to avoid del potro in the early rounds

400m Micheal Johnson's WR broken from lane 8

WOW

I think his reaction suggested "shit, didn't mean to make it that obv that i'm on PED's"

Great description of the first GB man to win an Olympic gold in Gymnastics

Bet Murray is absolutely dead on his feet, that was some game.

The Olympics proof man4man UK has the best scientists in the World?

Haha!  He'll be in a cell with Oscar soon.

Should we ban tall people from playing in basketball too? Should we let obese people fast track through to compete in the Gymnastics? Where does the unfair advantage argument end?

The Olympics is about showing what your country can produce in terms of sporting excellence, I think it's a good thing we can take something like our lottery and use it to give people a chance to become elite athletes. We should be cheering the investment we put in our sports and using it as an example to other nations.

Look how rich we are. We can pay people to paddle canoes all day.

It's all consistent with the motif of equality of opportunity etc. Otherwise it would still be a bunch of oxbridgers and aristos competing for us.

New 400m WR Wayne van Niekerk is first winner in lane 8 since 1924 and Eric Liddle.

Van Nierkerk/ Michael Johnson

100m 10.7 / 11.10
200m 20.5 / 21.22
300m 31.0 / 31.66
400m 43.03 / 43.18

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Hudson-Smith ran 44.61 in that final. Would've got a silver at the Beijing games. Came last.

from the semi-final

nice shot the photographer got here

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp3HR_PXEAEWuEV.jpg)

In his Gold medal performance, Usain Bolt's reaction time of 0.155 seconds was 2nd-slowest of the 8 runners

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was a bit sceptical about golf in the olympics but it was gripping drama

Nce that rose won it, big defender of golf in the olympics, very patriotic and it clearly meant a lot to him

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Giles Scott guarantees Gold ahead of today's medal race in the Finn.

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Where have you got those Michael Johnson times from, Tighty? The first three are wrong. He ran a world record 19.32 in Atlanta for the 200m.

From Wikipedia:

Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)   100 m: 10.09 (Knoxville 1994)
200 m: 19.32 (Atlanta 1996)
300 m: 30.85 WB (Pretoria 2000)
400 m: 43.18 (Sevilla 1999)

they are the sectional splits from the two world record runs, last night and seville 1999

Ah! Thanks.

Ladies hammer bronze

We weren't even in the top 25 in Atlanta 20 years ago

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medal for CAV SILVER he qave it a bash

That was great

Trott awesome. Never a seconds worry there.

First time I've really understood this omnium stuff, really good when you actually understand it!

Big lads weightlifting has just started, first snatch lift is at 175kg  :o most on here couldn't deadlift that weight if their life depended on it  ;melissa;

I don't know much about boxing but the Kazak guy looked like he was robbed in the heavyweight final?

Loving the pole vault commentary

"He whacked it on the way up"

Is that the technical term? :D

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Which kind of Olympian are you? Find out with A sports profiler http://bit.ly/2bt9KxY

An odd man Cav, wired a bit different.

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through to the semis

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a dive to win gold

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She looked very much like she just fell over the line, as did Joao Vitor De Oliveira who allegedly "aunched himself superman style".   See "Launch yourself at the line and hope for the best..." at 9.27.  Not sure how you link it better.

Back in the day, Jon Ridgeon used to be the master of sticking his head over the line at the end of a race.  His torso was often at a right angle to his lege at the end of the race.  I can't remember him ever falling over, but guess he must have done.
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j4lsB2vUKw

That was back in the day when we used to celebrate any old medal, and we used to get excited whent one of our gymnasts had made the final 24.

edit that jon ridgeon clip doesn't seem to be working, but it is here.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j4lsB2vUKw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j4lsB2vUKw)

Olympic medals hit the auction markets in recrod numbers

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/2014/09/16/olympic-medals-auction-collectors/15736857/

Estimated generic auction prices for past medals: Gold:$10k Silver:$8k Bronze:$5k (implies weights 2:1.6:1).

How wrong was I?

"I always do that. That is not an accident. I started doing it a long time ago. If I am in a fight I will always put myself first. I did it in China at the world championships and I broke my ribs. People tell me not to but I will do it. It comes from the heart. I am in my home Olympics."

Brazil's sprinter Joao Vitor de Oliveira on his dive over the line in his 110m heat.

Fella should definitely get coaching from Jon Ridgeon

Laura Trott so so good, ridiculously talented, just insanely good.

Decent chance she'll be Britain's most successful ever Olympian by the time she's done.

Suppose they have a point, we are fast to be cynical about other nations that seem overly successful...

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/16/british-cycling-head-coach-hits-back-rivals

See video on the last page :D

Silver in the 3m springboard diving. Through to the semis in the super heavyweight boxing. 

Marvellous.

— Laura Trott (@LauraTrott31)
August 16, 2016
Arghhhh!!!!!! I love him to bits @JasonKenny107 !! Our kids have to get some of these genes right?!

I read a scientific study about baseball players years ago.

It concluded that baserunners were several hundreths of a second faster (and therefore less likely to be thrown out) if they carried on running for first base than if they dived.

It pretty much answers it in the article - we spend several millions more on cycling than everyone else.

The 'obvious' question isn't really why we're doing so much better in the Olympics when we weren't doing so in between London and Rio; it should be - why were we doing so badly in those intervening competitions?

the final standings in the velodrome

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the overall medal table with 5 days to go

hit the UK Sport target already, and the most successful overseas games

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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqA5W5TWIAANQrO.jpg)

I think we are on course to beat London's 65 medals too.

What price would you say that such a feat would be?

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqA1fZbWgAATn-P.png)

My gut instincts tell me our cycling chaps & chapesses are squeaky clean, but if you were from another nation, all things considered, you'd definitely be thinking "how do they do it?". 

they spend more money.

they focus on the one meeting every four years, and are prepared to lose world champs etc to peak for 2012,2016, 2020

marginal gains from superior science (eg they work with F1 teams on aerodynamics) and get small competitive advantages from the back room resources they put into it

there is also a slightly more level playing field on doping. ie its not as easy for state sponsored schemes like russia and china to get away with it so this reduces their tallies and increases ours, cycling included

i agree that its easy to have a double standard in scepticism, rest of world v GB athletes in any sport we clean up in we don't suspect when we do for other countries

last night's derny rider goes back to his day job

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqA0Lq9XgAAsXnY.jpg)

Vogl last night, who beat becky james to gold

my word, she had thighs like giant redwoods. immense power.

her back story i didn't know

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqAszqnW8AA7qmr.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqAEBUaVMAEKEEM.jpg)

 the 88 medalists in the men's 100m Olympic finals since 1896 - racing 'together'

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp75TNqWAAAYsm3.jpg)

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/15/sports/olympics/usain-bolt-and-120-years-of-sprinting-history.html?smid=tw-share&_r=1

Jason Kenny and Laura Trott's flat is currently 10th in the medal table at #Rio2016

we have 51 including today's guaranteed 1

we need 15 then in 5 days. we are ahead of the rate but most of our big hitting events are over

without going through and counting (Farah, nicola adams, bmx, relays, tom daley etc)...odds against maybe?

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp__3mlWAAEwGLs.jpg)

16 years old

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqACymIWAAA2g5E.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqAOIqFXgAAbZTh.jpg)

Before 2012 GB had won five gymnastics medals ever. Since then they've won ten.

GBR women, most Olympic GOLD

4 Trott
3 Dujardin
2 Cooper, Hannam, Holmes, Robertson, Ayton, Webb, Adlington, Pendleton, Glover, Stanning.

she's only 24!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqAieZ5WgAAL9DM.jpg)

Here's what Valegro makes of the medal situation

Charlotte Dujardin’s horse Valegro has demanded to know why he hasn’t been given a gold medal like the woman he carries around.

Speaking after essentially allowing Dujardin defend her Individual Dressage title a visibly upset Valegro told reporters that the time has come for horses to be properly rewarded.

“Charlotte’s been telling me what a good boy I am and all that kind of shit,” said Valegro.

“Apparently, I’m in line for some extra sugar lumps and a couple of apples – well whoop-de-fucking-do.

“I don’t want a Golden Delicious; I want a sodding gold medal thank you very much.

etc etc

http://newsthump.com/2016/08/15/wheres-my-fcking-medal-demands-horse/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email

Katy Marchant getting bronze means every GB track rider who took to the velodrome in Rio has won a medal.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqAqCHLXgAAZk0p.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqArju9WgAAUFQa.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqAz-DZWcAAH38l.png)

just need to finish today to get gold

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqA0l67WYAAkTar.jpg)

another diving medal for not Tom Daley

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqA6QtJW8AEaNvQ.png)

I'd bet good money that MANTIS wrote that.

a near miss last night

2.36 needed for a medal, 2.29 won him bronze in london

he cleared 2.33 and finished 4th

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqBgW_TW8AAMOBT.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqDPXI4W8AAiDyl.jpg:large)

The cycling one is genius.

If you haven't seen them, you need to see some of Paul and Gary O'Donovan's interviews. There are more on YouTube, though some Americans have struggled to penetrate the West Cork accents. Paul O'D's "pull like a dog" comment has led to a response from Thailand:

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8LeDANQ7UE

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RndEXwu0NvA

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4RnTaY4hwM

Yeah loved these, at first I thought they were spoof comedy characters from an Irish show. Love the Irish.

Speaking of which have we mentioned this fella yet?

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S32d4PnH3Kg

Can't beat a bit of old school Russian propaganda  :D

A Russian sports news website, Sport Express, carries a report headlined "Britain sets medal record for non-domestic Olympics".
The brief report is followed by a somewhat jaundiced comment from a reader identified as "S-E fan", who asks: "What's so surprising about this? The British have seized key posts at Wada, IAAF, the Paralympic Committee. Their people are everywhere, they are securely covered and compete and train without hassle."

is it only me that is disappointed that GB no longer has a decathlete capable of getting into the olympics ?

Thouroughly enjoyed the Hockey this Olympics. Looking forward to the final and another good chance of some gold!

through to the final

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqF40jrW8AAtU9a.png)

water polo is a rough sport

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqF2lPxXYAAAzYq.jpg)

Was There a Problem with the Rio Pool? http://swimsw.am/yv4

Stunningly nerdy analysis which shows there was a current in the pool which will have cost some swimmers medals.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqC80-lWcAAQJmA.jpg)

Ha, not seen this before, Gatlin runs 9.45 lol

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX-FWSEmh8Y

Wow at this. Might be bad news for Ipswich Town FC, too.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37107450

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqJJ3pHWEAAAHic.png)

From @BigSportGB

Of the 30 fastest 100m times, 21 are by athletes who've tested positive for drugs.

The other 9 are all Usain Bolt!

Yeah, he leads a team with one of the worst doping records. Would have liked Gatlin to win to stick one in the eye of all the hypocrisy.

Now GB has won medals in badminton doubles by thrashing China.

China!

Amazing.

Gold for Jade Jones!

I love you Jade Jones. Maybe even more than Laura Trott.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqNAG8XVYAEfY17.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqNKCDUUkAEIBHf.jpg)

a very close 4th

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqMF81hWgAAIA7F.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqL7sUhWgAEMlTK.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqL0gOuXgAQuAKc.png)

USA swimmer and party animal Ryan Lochte lied about gunpoint robbery, claim Rio police http://dailym.ai/2b7ADrx

in fact you could argue that hid did his mum up like a kipper: Lochte, stock and two smoking barrels

RARE: Brothers winning gold & silver in same event in same Olympics, since 1896.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqLFgBdWEAEwLD_.jpg)

Bigger circles means more medals.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqK0_PaWAAQev3O.jpg)

the yorkshire medal table

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqKsyrLWAAA1XIe.jpg)

uk sport targets and results until 7pm yesterday

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqKd95LWcAA_7Qj.jpg)

guaranteed at least silver

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqKG1NjXgAAtsAd.jpg)

charley hull is in the hunt on -8

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqKEyyOWEAExzNk.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqJ9PkwXEAAF1Zk.png)

Alistair Brownlee with a quote after winning Gold that sums up his sacrifice... "I've woken up in pain every single day this year".

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqJyaO9WIAEqEPO.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqJyy2zWIAE0Xay.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqJJ3pHWEAAAHic.png)

Come on Charley!! Would love her to win this - would be so deserved. She works so hard.

You think rowing will get a funding cut like those sports that missed there targets in London?

5 vs 6 is nothing, surely?

and 3 of the 5 are golds. no change

athletics is the one where we might be said to be underperforming, but incremental gains tough to find v other competitiors in that sport.

you either have the natural speed/endurance/strength etc or you don't so for gemili, doyle, muir etc to improve leaps and bounds is tough

we are likely to make the 7 medals in the athletics though with MO and the relays

Very good, what a Guy you are, Ritchie.

i saw a better one, talented sub-editor did the headline

Lochte Mess Monster

Major budget cuts announced for Rio Paralympics after cash crisis. Statement here:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqO9fa6WAAA2rgl.jpg)

one commentator said

"Brazil & Rio should be ashamed of the way their incompetence will affect the Paralympics. A great sporting spectacle reduced to a shambles."

amazing, 59yo and his 7th olympics

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqPa9bcWcAQUy5w.jpg)

If watching his quivering lip on the podium doesn't bring a tear to the eye, nothing will. 

dont forget to watch the modern pentathlon show jumping, the ladies are jumping now the men 7.30 tomorrow comic highlight of every olympic

Getting silly now.

#Brexit innit? Only explanation, thanks Nigel!

Good, but 'Liar Liar Speedo on fire' has had me giggling all day.  ;D

i was in 2 minds if he meant how good we were doing or the modern pentathlon show jumping

The hockey final was top top draw.

Lutalo Muhammad interview was quite a hard watch.  Fella just lost his taekwondo match in the last second for gold.  Was absolutely devastated.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=456qtt718hk

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/olympics/2016/08/20/106344188-lulatu-taekwondo-OLYMPICS-large_trans++cM9aBJczjGu2JtrWg8AaNYKH0vMPDwYfSqANHODfVbE.jpg)

He reappeared today and spoke to Clare Balding.  He was much more positive; proud of what he has achieved; and overwhlemed by all the messages of support.

Loved this from Eddie Izzard

https://twitter.com/eddieizzard/status/767064838568828928 (https://twitter.com/eddieizzard/status/767064838568828928)

Well done to you. It may seem a silver medal but it looks gold to us in the UK

So where does Mo stand in the 'Greatest British Olympians of all time' debate now?

He doesn't stand he runs

I do get a little tired with the constant "he/she is the best ever" stuff, but Mo can't be far off. Daley Thompson shades it for me, but it's all so subjective.

Really enjoyed the race, which Mo seemed to control throughout.

He seemed to be acting a little odd before the start - has he always done that? 

I noticed that too, normally he is quite focussed/stoic at the start but this time he was really pumping himself up. After he won the 10k he was really emotional and in his post 5k interview he said how tired he had been after the 10k, so maybe he was exhausted going into it and needed to psyche himself up to get that extra burst of energy.

After he won he was running around acting the clown like Bolt which was fun to see.

My personal favourite Olympian but the 5k/10ks have always been my fave track and field events to watch because there seems to be more psychology and drama in them.

 BBC to drop Sir Steve Redgrave following Rio2016 on-air walkout

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/19/bbc-set-to-drop-sir-steve-redgrave-from-coverage-after-on-air-wa/

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqQNZj-WAAI8nLj.png)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqQNfulXEAAKWb_.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqQNNQZWIAAsfdD.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqQ_IqNWIAQgn2n.png)

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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqTVJ2xWgAAYeix.png)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqUIoQBXYAAM6eM.jpg)

great photo-journalism from the NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/20/sports/olympics/decisive-moments-rio-olympics-composite-pictures.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqUJqUsXgAE5zHH.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqUZQ-uW8AA8rpE.png)

Team GB now has a gold in 15 of the 31 different sports at Rio2016 . No other country comes close. US on 11 are second

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqVFrkoWgAQEZ59.jpg)

some compensation for the world cup

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqVROfAWcAMGVjZ.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqX4y1xXYAA6iTx.jpg)

rio, the last great games for britain? (brexit funding risk)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqVSJw7XYAEms7N.jpg)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqV5YxRWgAAbk5n.png)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqWA9GcXEAAG-zc.png)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqWGdzEWcAA6v-L.png)

Athletics meets its UK Sport target of 7 medals.

Rowing and modern pentathlon end Rio 2016 as the only sports not to hit.

Athletics joins swimming, diving, triathlon, taekwando and gymnastics as sports where GB got more medals in Rio than London.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqXyY-BWIAAVMLV.jpg)

66 v 65 we are guaranteed one more with Joe Joyce today

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqXwunpWAAAeysf.jpg)

USA 88 is a little harsh. They did have a lot of uncontested medals four years earlier.

But that is a remarkable tally.

Sad that it's nearly over, it's been a fantastic games with lots of memorable moments and people.

Apart from the incredible sports men and women I've loved Michael Johnson on the commentary team too, and his Muhammad Ali and Jesse Owens pieces were wonderful.

Top 3 moments? For me:

1. The reaction of the two Brazilian gymnasts in securing silver and bronze in the event Max Whitlock won his first gold in - floor. Heart warming.
2. Justin Rose's reaction to sinking the winning putt in the men's golf. Validated a tournament his colleagues tried their hardest into invalidate.
3. The demise of the Dutch cyclist in the last 10km of the women's road race. Devastating.

HMs: Adam Peaty's nonchalant reaction to smashing the WR in the 100m freestyle heats; Lutalo Mohammed's heartbreaking interview after being beaten by a last second spinning head kick in the Taekwondo; Fiji's dominance in the rugby 7s final; Laura Trott.

Thiago Braz de Silva smashing his PB twice to beat the world record holder in the pole vault was sporting moment of 2016 for me, amazing stuff

scores on the doors

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqZ9t94WIAAIBew.jpg)

he battered him, the judging was interesting

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqZ3Do3XEAA6vMa.png)

Katarina Johnson-Thompson would have won high jump gold had she competed in the event http://bbc.in/2bG4siT

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqYREz-WgAQlgdA.jpg)

a different top three (liked all the ones mentioned above)

1 Van Niekerk beating Johnson's 400m WR from lane 8. it was over after five strides.
2 Maddie Hinch in goal for the Ladies hockey final, sensational performance
3 Jason Kenny equalling Hoy's record after two aborted keirin finals

Judging is a bit of a dilemma for the GB boxing team. Half of our Commonwealth Games gold medalists chose to turn pro rather than wait 2 years for an Olympic crapshoot.

Meh.  2nd time I have beem told this today. She would have had to clear 2m to win the high jump as the bar doesn't go up 1 cm at a time.  Sure she'd have been competitive, but the inner nit-picker takes over at times like this.

Max Whitlock enjoys the flight home

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqiFV_FXEAAEZ18.jpg)