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| Do You Care About the Olympic Games? |
| Yes |
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54% |
[ 13 ] |
| No |
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45% |
[ 11 ] |
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| Total Votes : 24 |
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anthyp
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 1320
Location: Chicago, IL USA
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 Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 4:28 am Post subject: Athens 2004 Unofficial Thread |
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With the start of the XVIII Olympiad imminent, I'm surprised there hasn't been any more action about it on this board.
We're citizens of the world - shouldn't we care more about this kind of stuff? Or has living in a foreign country dulled your sense of patriotism (not likely considering recent threads)?
Which country will take the most gold? Whom are you rooting for more - your home country, or your adopted one? Who are the underdogs?
Do you think there will be a terrorist attack? How well did Athens prepare for the Games? Lots of bad press before this whole thing started, and I wonder how well the city will hold up.
I'll be tuning in later tonight to find out. And for the record, I'm rooting for both the Americans and the Chinese.
Here's the official website of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games so you can keep count of the medals your country's racking up.
http://www.athens2004.com/ |
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The Red Baron
Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Posts: 183
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 7:00 am Post subject: |
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me too...but I can't get anyfing on my TV....bugger!!!
I will be barracking for both Australia and China......no rooting allowed during the Games. |
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anthyp
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 1320
Location: Chicago, IL USA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 9:40 am Post subject: |
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Ahem, apparently The Baron and I are the only ones that care about this kind of stuff.
Here's a little controversy to stir things up. From CNN:
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ATHENS, Greece -- American athletes have been urged to tone down patriotic celebrations during the Athens Games as the U.S. team prepares to go into competition against the backdrop of a domestic doping scandal and amid security fears.
They have been told to treat the U.S. flag with "the respect and dignity" it deserves and not use it as a prop for extravagant celebrations, a U.S. Olympic official told CNN. |
And, later:
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U.S. Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr said team officials were concerned to avoid a repeat of the controversial behavior of the American 4x100 meters relay team after they took gold in Sydney four years ago.
Olympic 100m champion Maurice Greene and his teammates took off their vests and wrapped themselves in the U.S. flag in celebration -- a reaction which Scherr said had been over the top.
"That was absolutely improper and something we have taken great measures to have our athletes not do," said Scherr. |
And finally:
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Greco-Roman wrestling medal hope Jim Gruenwald also articulated the dilemma U.S. athletes are facing.
"I'm an American and I'm not going to tone it down," said Gruenwald.
"Being an American means we're free. We have a right to voice an opinion. But we also have to be responsible." |
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/08/12/us.flagwaving/index.html
And now the Greeks have a doping scandal! Go Team USA! |
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Mark-O
Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 464
Location: 6000 miles from where I should be
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 9:43 am Post subject: Re: Athens 2004 Unofficial Thread |
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| anthyp wrote: |
Here's the official website of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games so you can keep count of the medals your country's racking up.
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... or not, as it were. |
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small_human
Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 24
Location: World
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 11:01 am Post subject: |
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Olypic games?
Totally redundant.
In this age of famine, war and other topical things, who cares how fast someone can run or how high they can jump.
Snore.
Just my opinion.
Regards,
2 Small. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 11:28 am Post subject: |
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| small_human wrote: |
In this age of famine, war and other topical things, who cares how fast someone can run or how high they can jump.
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I care.
In this age of famine, war, hatred, etc., it's nice to see people striving for goals and pushing themselves, rather than giving up and succumbing to apathy.
d |
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small_human
Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 24
Location: World
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 11:41 am Post subject: |
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Wouldn't the money be better spent on overseas aid, or pretty much anything else?
I just can't help but think the money and energy would be better spent on more pressing issues. |
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Mark-O
Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 464
Location: 6000 miles from where I should be
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| small_human wrote: |
Wouldn't the money be better spent on overseas aid, or pretty much anything else?
I just can't help but think the money and energy would be better spent on more pressing issues. |
Agreed - apparently running totals of the event cost runs into the billions of pounds/dollars. |
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The Red Baron
Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Posts: 183
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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| you can't spend everything on overseas aid.........sometimes you just gotta have fun! |
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mjed9
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 242
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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Everything is always about money! Someone is getting unbelievably rich from this even though the Greek Olympic commitee have already overspent on their budget which will no doubt be picked up by the Greek hoi polloi
However what events are you most looking forward to?
I want to check out
weightlifting
judo
gymnastics
diving
greco-roman wrestling |
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Gordon
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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The Olympics don't appeal to me as much since most of the athletes now are pros. It should be for amateurs, the pros get enough money and fame without having to take it from the amateurs.
I'm as big a sports fan as almost anyone, but it is all about the money. |
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nolefan
Joined: 14 Jan 2004
Posts: 1458
Location: on the run
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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My TV's been tuned to CCTV5 since 6:00 P.M.
I had to sit through the whole repeat of the Sydney opening ceremony and it looks as tough I am only one hour away from the real opening ceremony.
Being a sports freak, I will be keeping my eyes (or at least one of them) on:
Football
Tennis
1500m
3000m
Badminton
I like the excitement of the games as anything can and will happen( did anyone catch Iran Vs. Portugal?)
I am mostly hoping El guerrouj (1500 m, Morocco) get his olympic gold at last. He has been reigning supreme on the distance for almost a decade and with multiple world records but he has yet to win the olypic gold. |
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anthyp
Joined: 16 Apr 2004
Posts: 1320
Location: Chicago, IL USA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 4:21 am Post subject: |
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Well, I ended up going out and getting soused last night, so I missed the start of the Games! I'm sure CCTV will be re - playing it sometime in the future.
As for the validity of the Games ...
| small human wrote: |
Wouldn't the money be better spent on overseas aid, or pretty much anything else?
I just can't help but think the money and energy would be better spent on more pressing issues. |
While I agree with this in principle, I wonder what these "more pressing issues" might be? It seems like a rather simplistic question. It's not as easy as giving a billion dollars to starving children in Asia, for instance.
Besides, doesn't the positive impact of the Games, especially on the host city, outweigh any concerns about where those funds might better go? I mean, beautifying projects and improved transportation are tangible things you can see, and useful. Whereas "overseas aid" is subjective and always comes with strings attached, anyway.
O.K., I think I'll see what's on the tube. |
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lagerlout2006
Joined: 17 Sep 2003
Posts: 985
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 6:01 am Post subject: |
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I prefer the Winter Olympics..I can't get interested in Archery swimming or track...There's usually an interesting story or 2 though--Ben Jonson Eddie the Eagle or whatever...
I doubt if it helps cities. They just end up with empty white elephant stadiums..Montreal the biggest eyesore is Olympic Stadium which I think is still chewing up tax dollars..and killing the Expos..Is Atlanta a better city now ? Beijing or South Africa makes sense if they want to improve their image...Why do London and New York want this behemoth? |
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JosephP
Joined: 13 May 2003
Posts: 445
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| Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2004 7:03 am Post subject: |
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Things I like about the Olympics are running, jumping, throwing, rowing, fencing, and of course swimming. I don't care for sports that need subjective judging like gymnastics or synchronized swimming.
As much as l like baseball, go Giants, I don't think team sports fit in all that well to the Olympics. Another thing I would really like is to have all the TV announcers to suddenly go mute and lose their voices (Especially that ditzy Katie Couric). It's TV! I can see what's happening.
I'm looking for the Swindell twins from New Zealand to dominate in the rowing. |
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