London 2012: The Summer Olympics

[Mr.TaterSalad]

I didn't yet see a thread for the 2012 Summer Olympics from London, so I figured I'd start one here.

What is everyone looking forward to? What are your favorite sports and events in the games? Favorite athletes? Favorite Olympic memories?

[John_Brian_K]

I really enjoy watching the olympics and actually enjoy the weird times it usually comes on because of time differences being so dramatic. I like just about everything. I used to be really into the mens volleyball, but any track and field event is sweet. The female gymnastics is also cool to watch.

Diving was a good one.

The long jump, triple jump, 100 meters, hurdles....

[PuNk42AE]

I'll be missing Curling.

[PuNk42AE]

2012 - London, England
2014 - Sochi, Russia
2016 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2018 - Pyeongchang, South Korea
2020 - Istanbul, Turkey or Tokyo, Japan or Madrid, Spain

[Blue Square Thing]

I have tickets (not for anything very interesting mind). And paralympic tickets as well. :-)

[lordstanley]

I like middle-distance track (800m, 1500m) and rowing the best. England is a great setting for those two events, with so much history in both events. I'll probably watch more swimming than anything else. I like that my hometown of Sarnia saw 3 locals qualify in the past week - a female gymnast, women's 1500m (from my old high school) and men's high jump (from my old high school). Not bad for a city of 75,000.

[smr-nj]

I can't wait. I love watching a lot of the events. Swimming, diving, the Track & Field events.
Volleyball, beach or otherwise.

I like it all.

[DTroppens]

I'll be missing Curling.

I was just about to post I coudn't wait until the curling was on as a joke. Well, semi-joke. I LOVE CURLING!

[DTroppens]

I can't wait. I love watching a lot of the events. Swimming, diving, the Track & Field events.
Volleyball, beach or otherwise.

I like it all.

I LOVE PLAYING volleyball. I like watching the more traditional 6-on-6 matches. Although it's about the only time of year when I can watch four women playing with basically nothing on and my wife is only semi-suspiscious.

[DTroppens]

Lots of soccer so far. Been fun watching it.

[KleShreen]

Serious question...there was a story on ESPN a couple weeks ago about how Olympic Village is basically a giant college-style drunk orgy. With that said, are underage athletes (I guess mostly gymnasts?) kept out of Olympic Village? Or given extra security? Underage I guess both drinking and other-wise. Just curious as to if multiple athletes are breaking major laws haha.

[KleShreen]

Also - I'll take a particular interest in rowing this year as GVSU has an alumni who qualified for the pairs I believe. She was on the club rowing squad here at GV.

[lordstanley]

I usually don't get too wrapped up in human interest stories, but I have to be happy for this guy:

South Sudan marathoner is an Olympian without a country - CNN.com

(CNN) -- Even though he will not compete in the London Olympics under his country's flag, South Sudan native Guor Marial basks with pride as the first athlete from the world's youngest nation in the global arena.

The marathon runner was born in what is now South Sudan, which split from Sudan last year and does not yet have a national Olympic body. He is a permanent resident of the United States, where he fled 11 years ago to escape the bloody conflict between the two neighbors that left millions dead.

The 28-year-old does not hold U.S. citizenship, and rejected an offer to run under Sudan's flag following the nation's bitter divorce with his homeland.

"Never," he said of his refusal to run for Sudan. "For me to even consider that is a betrayal. My family lost 28 members in the war with Sudan. Millions of my people were killed by Sudan forces. I can only forgive, but I cannot honor and glorify a country that killed my people."

Since he cannot run for his country, and does not have a South Sudanese passport, the

The decision means he will carry the Olympic flag, wear a uniform that has no emblem of any nation and if he wins, the Olympic hymn will play, he said. Not South Sudan's. Not the United States'.

"The fact that I will be in the Olympics means a lot not just to me, but to my country, which has gone through so much," he said in a phone call from Flagstaff, Arizona, where he is training. "Even if I am not going to carry or wear the flag, I will be the flag of my nation. South Sudan will be in my heart."

Marial left home in 1993. His story of survival from the war has taken him across different countries, including Egypt, where he sought refuge before the United States granted him asylum in 2001.

He attended high school in New Hampshire and decided to give competitive running a try after years of "running away from conflict," he said. He later went to Iowa State University, where he had an athletic scholarship and was an All-American cross-country runner.

The Olympian has not seen his parents since 1993, when he first fled what is now South Sudan, but they may get a chance to catch a glimpse of him after decades.

"I'm hoping they will at least see me run in the Olympics," he said. "They live in a village with no electricity and no televisions. But they plan to walk to the nearest big town about 40 miles away so that they can watch me on television."

[John_Brian_K]

Opening ceremonies tonight...I usually enjoy watching this, but usually do not watch the entire thing. The opening theme to the Olympics is the best 'anthem' in history IMO.

[redshark63]

Opening ceremonies tonight...I usually enjoy watching this, but usually do not watch the entire thing. The opening theme to the Olympics is the best 'anthem' in history IMO.

Actually at 4 Eastern, but NBC is not broadcasting it "live". CBC, according to Freep, does not have broadcast rights. :(

Anyone know best place to view it live online?

[Blue Square Thing]

If you're able to make the internets believe you're British then I would think the BBC would be an excellent place to view just about anything online just now. I think they have something like 26 live streams being set up.

I believe there are ways to spoof where you live to the internets. BBC America might have it actually now that I think of it.

[PuNk42AE]

Wow I was just reading a story about how the Torch Relay was created by the Nazi Party for the Berlin Olympics to use as a propaganda purpose. Never would have known that.

[John_Brian_K]

Leryn Franco ladies and gentlemen:

[lordstanley]

Actually at 4 Eastern, but NBC is not broadcasting it "live". CBC, according to Freep, does not have broadcast rights. :(

Anyone know best place to view it live online?

Right, CTV and its affiliates has the Canadian rights. A long shot, but you might be able to pull in CTV SW Ontario transmitting out of Sarnia.

CKCO-DT - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CKCO's Sarnia rebroadcaster CKCO-TV-3, on Channel 42 and actually located at Oil Springs, was established in 1975. The station can be seen over the air and on cable in extreme eastern and southeastern Michigan in such localities as Port Huron and St. Clair Shores, and is on the channel lineup in Detroit-area TV Guide listings. The station's target audience is Sarnia, Chatham, and most of Lambton and Kent counties.

Isn't NBC showing it live online? If NBC is completely going tape delay with its Olympic coverage (I can understand it for its main network prime-time coverage), that's insane.

[PuNk42AE]

NBC can't (or won't) show the Opening or Closing live on the Net. Everything else they can.

[Biff Mayhem]

I always enjoy the diving. The modern camera work makes it all the more interesting.

[lordstanley]

NBC can't (or won't) show the Opening or Closing live on the Net. Everything else they can.

OK. I guess that's fine, as the Opening Ceremony is just a show, it's not that important whether you see it live or a bit later. A spoiler that there'll be sheep involved or that Paul McCartney will play Hey Jude doesn't really change whether or not one will watch.

[Blue Square Thing]

And cricket. Don't forget the cricket...

[Mr.TaterSalad]

Men's and Women's Gymnastics have always been favorites of mine. I hope the US Women's team gets the gold this time around that they should have gotten in Beijing. Twelve year old girls need not apply for olympic gymnastic teams in London, I hope.

[Ingefanclub]

I stayed up to watch a bunch of young kids light a cauldron on the bottom of the stadium. I was so bored I turned off the tv before McCartney could sing.

[clark1mt]

Stolen from another site:

[lordstanley]

The lighting of the cauldron was a bit anti-climactic with 7 rather than 1 final torchbearer. And McCartney's song went on too long, predictably. But all in all I thought it was spectacular, by far the most interesting and entertaining Opening Ceremony I can remember.

[hueytaxi]

Wife watched all of the NBC feed as I came in and out. That promenade was fine but the entertainment was horrendous. Admitted I watched very little. Was that a flash mob type presentation?

[Blue Square Thing]

I stayed up to watch a bunch of young kids light a cauldron on the bottom of the stadium. I was so bored I turned off the tv before McCartney could sing.

You didn't miss much...

The lighting of the cauldron was a bit anti-climactic with 7 rather than 1 final torchbearer. And McCartney's song went on too long, predictably. But all in all I thought it was spectacular, by far the most interesting and entertaining Opening Ceremony I can remember.

The seven kids was very, very British - and, from that perspective, very cool indeed.

The rest of it was insanely cool and utterly mad in places. Danny Boyle is clearly a genius (particularly with the budget) and the soundtrack was fab. Not sure I've ever wanted to watch an opening ceremony through again before.

I don't do all that jingoistic flag waving stuff, but that was excellent.

[Blue Square Thing]

Wife watched all of the NBC feed as I came in and out. That promenade was fine but the entertainment was horrendous. Admitted I watched very little. Was that a flash mob type presentation?

<cackle>

I had tears of laughter running down my face for most if it. But I imagine much of it was lost in translation to be fair - the shipping forecast, Michael Fish, the Archers; what more do you want?

e2a: try this which might explain parts of it - BBC Sport - Olympics 2012 opening ceremony: 'A Britain as never seen before' Kes, lesbian kisses (ha, take that Saudi Arabian TV...), ska, Bond - what's not to like?

[hueytaxi]

I trust this will be a memorable event for all the good reasons.

[tananarama]

Watching Serbia v. China in womens volleyball. China winning, but Serbia putting up a good fight. One thing that's a bit odd, one of the Chinese players, named Zhang, is about a foot shorter than all the other women. How good must she be to overcome that disadvantage in this sport?

[tananarama]

Also, NBC has an app for live streaming on the iPad which is very nice. Unfortunately they tie it to your tv provider. I have comcast, but only the basic package, so it told me that I couldn't watch, but for a 4-hour free trial, because I didn't have the "digital starter package". What a bunch of crap. Especially because I do get CNBC and MSNBC, which is what it says on NBC's website that you have to get from a tv provider to view the live streams there. Oh, well I guess I can get my parents' Dish login if I need to.

[PuNk42AE]

Table Tennis is NOT the Curling of the Summer Olympics

[PuNk42AE]

They just said Tim Wang and Easy Balls in the same sentence...

[PuNk42AE]

And Tim Wang the only American Table Tennis'er is out! Say it Wang so!

[PuNk42AE]

Lochte gets Gold, Phelps 4th in the 4x100

[smr-nj]

I love the Olympics.

From now until closing, I know I will have something to watch at any hour of the day or night.

[DTroppens]

Watching Serbia v. China in womens volleyball. China winning, but Serbia putting up a good fight. One thing that's a bit odd, one of the Chinese players, named Zhang, is about a foot shorter than all the other women. How good must she be to overcome that disadvantage in this sport?

She's probably the libero, back row specialist or possibly the setter.

To play the back row, height isn't needed.

[DTroppens]

Table Tennis is NOT the Curling of the Summer Olympics

Curling is the greatest. Soccer is my curling of the summer Olympics.