The Dean

Fastest 100m by any Brit this year from 18-year-old Adam Gemili to become World Junior Champion last night........... 10.05s (a record for the WJC - impressive considering the names that have won that title in the past).

zoukla

JAMAICA....the former pearl of the UK empire.
Funny the country's star is the proxy advert for UK 2012 where are the flag bearing UK athletes to carry the adverts

The Dean

I cannot accept that Oscar Pistorius should run in the Olympics, but Paralympics legend Tanni Grey-Thompson puts it far better than I can:

"Everything we have been trying to fight against in moving the Paralympics on to be equal to the Olympics would be knocked back if Oscar then competes in the 400m a few weeks later at the Paralympics [after racing at the Olympics]. That race becomes the event for people who weren't good enough to compete at the Olympics."

100% spot on.

Patsy Stoned

And...they complain about the UAE putting their labourers in slum camps
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-cleaners.html

Dumbo

If anyone is interested I found an events schedule, link below.......

http://www.london2012.com/schedule-and-results/

kittycat1

having just got back from London, I predict an absolute nightmare ahead. I've never seen such high security in London even after the London bombing, i saw a guy pulled over by 6 undercover police cars with ak47s (or similar style guns) in the guys face, army boats going up and down the thames really quite intimidating armed police everywhere. Traffic was horrific as they are adjusting the traffic signals- taxi drivers are not happy with the olympic lanes as you can get fined 130 quid if you even ccross over one so you have to take long routes to get anywhere half the taxi drivers i spoke to are leaving for the duration of the games as they don't think its worth the hassle.(also the drivers they have bought in to drive the olypians aren't Londoners as they are currently driving tehir beemers around trying to learn the routes and generally cutting up traffic- disgraceful really) Most of my freelance friends are leaving london and those who can't gettime off are trying to work from home otehrwise allowing 3 times as long to get into work.

As much as Id love to see London host such as event I think its going to be horrendous if you need to get on with your life whilst this is going on.

mikewot

A Scotsman, an Englishman and an Irishman want to get in to the Olympics, but they haven't got tickets.

The Scotsman picks up a manhole cover, tucks it under his arm and walks to the gate. " McTavish , Scotland " he says, "Discus" and in he walks.
The Englishman picks up a length of scaffolding and slings it over his shoulder.. " Waddington-Smythe , England " he says, "Pole vault" and in he walks.
The Irishman looks around and picks up a roll of barbed wire and tucks it under his arm. "O'Malley, Ireland " he says, "Fencing".

mikewot

A German competitor was lost, and wanted directions to the Olympic village in Stratford, London. He was standing outside East Ham tube station when he saw two lads walking by so he stops them and asks, 'Entschuldigung, koennen Sie Deutsch sprechen?'

The two lads look at each other blankly and stare back at the German.

'Excusez-moi, parlez vous Français?' He tries.

The two continue to stare.

'Parlare Italiano?' Still absolutely no response from the two lads.

'Hablan ustedes Espanol?' The London lads remain totally silent.

The German Olympian walks off extremely disappointed and downhearted that he had not been understood. One of the boys turns to the second and says, 'You know, maybe we should learn a foreign language!'

'Why?' says the youth, 'That German guy knew four languages, and it didn't do him any good!'

mikewot

It’s 2012 and it’s the Olympics in London…..
The Press are gathered around the track’s exit tunnel waiting to interview anyone who seems important as they leave the stadium.
A tall man emerges carrying a long pole.
One of the reporters runs over to him and asks, “Excuse me, but are you a pole vaulter?”
The man replies, “Yes, I am indeed from Poland, but how on earth did you know my name?”

Meow

This is a rather splendid anti-Olympic rant by a friend:


"Olympic lanes, threats to sue traders who offend sponsors, restrictions on what spectators wear and all endorsed by HM Government - indeed enshrined in our law! Such measures, if applied in other countries, would lead to moral outrage and indignation on the part of our political and chattering classes, but everyone seems seduced by the allure of the Olympic Games.

The thought of the odious Sebastian Coe and his lackeys, together with all the self-important crooks from the IOC being feted at the expense of ordinary citizens in London, makes me sick.

The 'games' have lead to unprecedented intrusions and restrictions on the population of London. We have more military personnel stationed here than are in Afghanistan, stinger missiles deployed in residential areas, impending chaos on our already stretched transport system and powers in reserve to intrude in unacceptable ways on our civil liberties. I could almost understand and support the need to smooth the path of competitors, their coaches and officials for the various events, if they were conforming to the 'olympic ideals', but they largely comprise highly paid professional sports men and women, who bear no relation to the amateur spirit of de Courbetin and look mainly to medals to enhance their individual brand and value to sponsors.

The restraint of trade gifted to the corporate sponsors for the event is obscene - particularly given the track record of some of the companies involved. The sycophantic approach of the government towards these entities is both as disturbing as it is obscene.

I know we had to be prepared to endure some upheaval in the city to host the Olympics - even those of us who have never been in favour of them being here are realists - but the level of intrusion into the lives of ordinary Londoners is beyond reasonable. This is compounded by the likelihood that the costs - increasing all the time, as with the latest fiasco with G4S - will be largely paid by tax payers in the capital for many years to come.

Let's hope the whole sorry mess passes and we can get back to London being a city for people to live and work in."

scrubbedexpat141

That's tragic.

Greatest sporting month in the world that comes around every four years and to your own country once a lifetime if you're lucky and they moan about;

- Soldiers being there to make sure they are safe.
- Weapons being put in place to protect them.
- Transport issues that apparently are caused by the Olympics (London traffic flows freely normally you see)
- The sports people earn more than them
- Corporate sponsors getting exclusivity for the 10's 100's of millions of quid they've spent...shock.
- Londoner's lives being intruded on? Don't live in one of the biggest cities in the world if you don't like 'intrusion'.
- G4S can't find enough people to work as ticket-checkers...probably because most Londoner's wouldn't want to volunteer / be paid minimum wage.

Normally Meow, your posts are quality...and I know it's not you saying this so please don't take it personally. It's a shame that your friend has posted such narrow-minded, pathetic, whinging, NIMBY bollocks.

They'd probably be the first to moan if the Olympics had gone to Paris / Madrid before London.

Meow

Actually he wouldn't. Does not one else not see that the olympic ideal has been consumed by money and corporate sponsorship? The restrictions on what people can and cannot do is very 1984. It really is not okay that G4S has ballsed this up and our soldiers should not be involved.

The cost to the country/taxpayer is excessive and the whole olympic circus has got out of hand.

Faster, higher, stronger has been replaced by richer, pricier, more litigious.

The Dean

There was always going to be a military element to security, with or without the G4S shambles. It's just that, now, it's going to be more obvious.........

Think of the alternative: major terrorist attack on the Games (i.e. on visiting Americans, Jamaicans, Chinese, etc) and a subsequent enquiry reveals the UK made no provision for such an eventuality......... unthinkable.

I'm with Scamp - I'm in the UK now and there is palpable excitement (plus I'm going to see the torch in Bexhill and Hastings this evening).

As for the Olympic lanes...... why are they needed so far from the site itself??

scrubbedexpat141

What sporting event hasn't though?

Everything is like that, it's the way the world is now.

It's easy to knock shit like this, it's easy to say how expensive / commercial / wasteful it is.

But when Usain Bolt is smashing world records will the people watching on TV or in the stadium give a monkeys that they could only buy a Maccy D's outside the stadium really care that much?

Meow

Palpable excitement? See Kitycat's post above. Most people I know have a vague interest, but that's it. Most Londoners are already fed up with disruption.