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Olympics 2012


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Chiefluvvie, I do agree that participating in something you enjoy and being as good at is as you can is a wonderful feeling.  That's a long way from the vicarious enjoyment of the olympics.  I used to love competing with my dobbins and felt good if they behaved well and did their best.  End of.  Never much cared where we were placed, to be honest.

On the other hand, being forced to participate in things I was bad at (for example, in my case most ball sports due to an eyesight defect following contracting measles when I was 2) by sadistic sports teachers - as so many of them seemed to be - just made me hate them even more.  Why couldn't we do what we were good at?  Heaven only knows!  When we got to the 6th form we were allowed to go swimming on games afternoons and always had a great time - good exercise and pleasurable.  So why was I forced to play tennis, rounders and loads of other games when it was patently obvious that I couldn't hit or catch a ball?  Bonkers and certainly not one of life's great experiences.  Ritual humiliation never is.

When you've got a spare hour (and that's all it takes, it's a very small book), try and find a copy of Not a Games Person by Julie Myerson. 

But I digress.  My point was not to downplay sport (I ejoy watching quite a few and liked doing some when I was able - sadly the majority of which I can't do any more without specialist kit and supervision) but what I see as the darker side of pitting nation against nation for whatever reason - sport or anything else.

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Rabbie,

I have absolutely no problem with anyone disagreeing with me in any way, shape or form. I do object to being mis-quoted however.

I have no idea of how many people I have spoken to, with regards to it being a 'large' number I have no problem if you want to call it a small number, an insignificant number or even ''some people''. It makes absolutely no difference to me.

The travel aspect was solely related to your comment .....''Perhaps too much travel has confused you as to what people in Britain think.''.... hence my response about travelling in Britain, surely such travel is a way of getting an idea of ''what people in Britain think'' rather than what people in a restricted circle of friends / acquaintances think.

You are of course quite right in that it's a reflection of the views of the people I met, that is what they think and what they say - could it be any other way ?
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"As I said much earlier in the tread, I haven't watched any of the

Olympic broadcasts, I'm not that interested in watching sport, I would

rather be playing it ( age now precludes a lot of that sort of activity )

but I am interested in the achievements of certain athletes / sportsmen

/ women in so far as I have a degree of pride in the achievements of my

Country's representatives. Football is the one that I am NOT

interested in at all. I can't remember when I last watched a football

match, probably as a teenager. Rugby is a different thing though.

I believe that the shooting has been shown, that does interest me but I

don't have time to sit and watch TV so obviously my level of interest is

not 'that' great.

As Coops said, I am still entitled to my opinion, as we all are, we

don't all need to agree but we should at least respect each others

opinions."

This is so much how I feel - I've not  been following the Olympics much - I've too little time to sit and watch TV - nor has the forum been the interesting read of yore ....BUT - I have been following it via the BBC and other papers' news feeds, and have been delighted at the abundance of medals in many different sports.  Yes, it's wonderful if all this effort achieves a gold.  It's good if they get a medal of another colour - BUT It is even  more wonderful that they take part.  This from someone who is not sporty, but who loved to dance (until age and infirmity took over)...It's wonderful that the spirit of the games, and the support given by the British public to this event by attending, by shouting their hearts out, and yes, by the fact that this little island national can do something so GOOD .... should be uniting us all - as seems to be happening pretty well "over there" - so let's not get so "uptight" about good or bad.  We won the right to hold the games, we've come up to scratch on almost all things prior the event - and now we are reaping quite a lot of rewards for the hard work.

Why do you all feel so unable to celebrate for a short while that whether you now live there or not, you were (probably) born British and, unless you renounce it, will be British until you die.  The fact that you prefer to live in France at this moment in time, has nothing to do with the pride you can demonstrate when a little country does such a big thing as the Olympics so well?  Stop bombasting the country you left, or the reasons to disprove h ow well we have alrady done (and it'snot over yet!), and just enjoy being part of something so glorious.

I know it is unlikely that I will live to see another event like this - so I'm taking pride in what my country can and is doing just at this precise moment.

Go on - smile all you moaners - you might just find it worth while!

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Hear! hear! Judith,

I'm not remotely interested in sport - apart from equestrian eventing - but it's so wonderful to have an antidote to all the pre-Olympics doom-mongering from most of the press.  The atmosphere here in London is fantastic. There seems to be no traffic in areas I have driven to, so that is an

unexpected bonus (luckily I am past having to commute in rush hour!). Everybody seems to be cheerful and positive, even before the medals started pouring in for Team GB; and one hears nothing but good reports from those who have been to any of the events. 

I haven't watched much on TV, but yesterday no one (except perhaps Federer's nearest and dearest!) could fail to be moved by Andy Murray's win at Wimbledon.

I am sorry for all my friends and neighbours who have made a point of fleeing London for the duration.  They are missing out on a great experience.

Angela

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Grr.  Of course I think Andy Murray did a great job.  Just not because he's British.  He beat the world number one - of course it's a great achievement in anybody's books.

I think Seb Loeb's the greatest rally driver the world has ever seen. No exceptions.  I think Jim Clark was the best racing driver it was my pleasure to have seen, but not because he was Scots, because he was good.

But I detest nationalism and all it stands for and all the negative feelings it can engender - and no, I don't mean it does this for everyone, of course it doesn't - but just a few can be enough.  I don't mind sport, and I have watched some of the Olympics but the flag waving just gets me down.  If disliking devisiveness makes me sad or a moaner then so be it.  Better than to judge people and the worth of their achievement on the basis of where they were born, which is what printing flags on everybody's kit and playing contry-speicif tunes at the end encourages people to do.

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"But I detest nationalism and all it stands for and all the negative

feelings it can engender - and no, I don't mean it does this for

everyone, of course it doesn't - but just a few can be enough.  I don't

mind sport, and I have watched some of the Olympics but the flag waving

just gets me down. "

Coops - I'm sorry to read this - as you normally speak such sense on this forum. 

I believe the Olympics is such a special event, that flag waving is to be encouraged - and whether you like it or no - the athletes ARE representing their country as well as doing the best they can in their chosen sport - and I do not believe the athletes would want it otherwise.  I see it as a great unifying factor - there are stories of athletes sympathising with others from other countries - in failure and in triumph - because they all been there themselves.

And I do not see that flag waving in itself is nationalistic - or negative - it is only when the flag is waved to insult that I would feel the negativity.  When it is waved in support or triumph - I see that as extremely positive - which is what all the competitors have been saying - they have been raised to perform better by all the flagwaving and cheers.

That says it all as far as I am concerned - if the athletes are happy with it - so should we be.

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But Coops I can be just as moved by a Kazak cyclist or a Jamaican sprinter standing on the podium while their anthem is played as by a Brit.

I went to an opening-night party at my daughter's, and we all turned up in combinations of red, white and blue and cheered wildly. It was just FUN.

And I think that is the attitude of 99.99% of people waving flags. It's a giant party, full of good humour. It is in no way comparable with, say, the hooligan element among football supporters, who spill out from the stadium and assault the rival fans in the streets. I would be totally with you in condemning that bunch.

Angela

EDIT

I took so long composing this that this has mostly been said above. Sorry!
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[quote user="Théière"]The French think we're using "special wheels" cos we put them in bags after the event. Never mind France it's another gold in the velodrome for Jason Kenny and silver for France.[/quote]

Excellent illustration of what I dislike about these international sports competitions.

Forget that this athlete, you know, the one who came second, is one of the best in his chosen sport... he's just not good enough to be named.

And the country he represents is mentioned in a derogatory comment.

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[quote user="Loiseau"]But Coops I can be just as moved by a Kazak cyclist or a Jamaican sprinter standing on the podium while their anthem is played as by a Brit. [/quote]

Exactly what I feel! I'm really pleased that the Great British team is doing so well, but I'm having a ball watching sports I've never had an interest in - just because it's breathtakingly amazing to watch - and such joy for the winners and those watching. It's not all partisan, although everyone there must be hoping their teams will win.

Yes, others have tried their very best, but on this occasion they haven't won; most will be trying at the next competition, and the next............ But not everyone can win, and that's a good lesson for us all to learn.

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[quote user="just john "]

I never thought that I'd be half in agreement with Morrisey

 Olympics-have-made-England-foul-with-patriotism-says-Morrissey

or Samuel Johnson (aka Normy), but,  Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel . . .

[/quote]

Morrisey knows absolutley nothing about patriotism. I'm afraid, he is, always has been and will always be a gold medal ****

Post edited by the moderators in accordance with the forum code of conduct.

Please do not post messages which contain explicit language or vulgarities.

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[quote user="cooperlola"]

As for staying out of the argument just because I only watch the olympic sports that would interest me if they weren't in the games is a bit nuts, Gardian, sorry.  Surely even those who don't watch at all are entitled to an opinion? If they are not then, as Lucy implies, this forum would be amazingly dull, wouldn't it?

[/quote]

I couldn't agree more Coops.

However, the point of my post was that your view and that of several others had been made and that it seemed to me that there was little further to say.

I started this thread as one about the sport, not about the positives and negatives of the Olympics.

Two examples on the sporting front (rather than whether its bad or not to wave a flag).  Twin Belgian brothers running in tonight's 400m final, who came in 4th & 5th in a time within 0.01secs of each other.  And the British discus thrower who nearly decapitated a photographer with his 1st (nervy) qualifying throw and which went barely 25% of the needed distance: he went on to throw 4th best and make the final.   

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