So petulant!! Call him what the f*** you like, you can call him gator face for me. That won’t change the fact that he is one of the best, if not the best in SL?

-true- he proved that in your cc semi final against leeds -

Swimmers and other GB Olympians continue to win gold medals in their ( apparently skill-free ) disciplines . England's mega-skilful wendyballers have won sod-all since 1966. The conclusion isn't difficult to reach.

doesn't that kind of prove his point?

England aren't skilled enough (not enough people, not as well trained, not as devoted as those in Brazil, Spain, Argentina) to beat those who are genuine class

You notice that states with a high population and vast wealth (USA, China, Germany) are the best at the 'unskilled' sports- swimming etc

Here come the cyclists....

Awesome but a cock up in the womens sprint.

I still expect a haul of medals.

2 World Records already

Chinese girl breaks world record in the swimming...people saying shes a drug cheat.
British bloke finishes 2nd in the swimming ( world record smashed by 1st and 2nd), British bloke knocks 2 seconds off his personal best...people saying it was a great swim. No mention of drugs involved... Hypocrisy.

It was an American coach who accused the athlete. The British and Olympic bodies stood by the strict drug testing procedures. How's that hypocritical from the British? Usain Bolt, cheat or just a freak?
Anyone who beats their PB or finishes in the top 4 are automatically tested plus random tests too. Any cheats will be caught.

Winds me up people who put down others superb efforts after years of training.

Ryan Giggs the most skilled athlete at these Olympics games then, you happy with that ?

The Chinese athletes are trained into the ground, and their government throw money at even the smallest sport, just so that they are the best in the world, it's hardly surprising.

I am sorry I refuse to believe the Chinese dont 'bend' the rules.

They may well do, they may have super chemists with undectable drugs or body enhancements but at the same time regardless, their athletes still have to train very very hard.

They don't need to though - they have a massive population to draw athletes from, they have vast sums of cash to throw at every sport in the olympics, and they are all about nationalism (same reason North Korea are punching above their weight in the medal table). Nationalism is great for getting your population behind your government when they might otherwise object, and international events like the Olympics are the perfect focus for this - take a look at the medal table for the 1936 games for the best example.

Yes and also the Chinese have a hard work ethic as well.

As people have said on here, the sheer weight of numbers and population, combined with the huge state support, guarantees that in a lot of sports China are going to put world class players out.

It's just like the Aussies in rugby league compared to us. To get to the level where they are 'noticed' by national selectors in those countries you have to have been the best of the best of so many layers of district competition.

But also the same goes for the USA as China. It's exactly the same situation, large participant population and government support.

Then why are we behind france? Smallish pop, don't give a about sports, always drunk or ing?

I’ve got a massive issue with the horse event thing. When looking through the history books at previous Grand National winners, it’s full of the names of horses. If you ask anyone who won the National they’ll name you a horse not the rider. Why is this different?

Everyone doe-eyed over Zara; I won’t let it, but it nearly ruined the whole Olympic thing for me.

Every sport I’ve watched so far, and really enjoyed today, canoeing, rowing, cycling, shooting, basically any sport that requires the use of some piece equipment is still a level playing field.

Every other sport strives to keep this level playing field. There are strict rules on said equipment, which means that the winner does so on merit. If you take drugs that enable you to go through the pain barrier, and continue training through the sweat and tears for ten hours a day in the pouring rain when people like me are pontificating, you are rightfully banned.

But! If you get the best two horses in the world to fornicate, then purchase the resulting offspring for mega money that is way beyond the reach of the majority of your fellow competitors, that’s ok! Is it?

Inspire a generation, my !

Daughter: Daddy can I ride a horse in the Olympics?

Dad: No, even if you were the best rider in the world, the only horse I could afford would probably die trotting across our garden and be turned into glue, sorry darling.

Son: What about me dad?

Dad: Yeh you can be in the Olympics, get on your bike and go shoot some canoeists.

While there can be little argument that equestrianism is generally practised by wealthy people, the same could be said of loads of these Olympic disciplines - shooting, sailing, rowing, fencing and archery in particular.
The thing that makes the equestrian events of interest is that it appears to be the only part of the Games where men and women compete together. It seems to me that this could easily be extended to other events where physiological differences are not relevant - archery, shooting, even diving could have men and women competing against each other.

No. It proves that few British wendyballers are anywhere near as dedicated to perfecting their 'skills' as are our Olympians.

We're only just behind France, and they have a bigger population than us too. My points more apply to China and the USA, who are (every games) miles out in front in the medals.

I notice one of the GB men's sprint team has been in England about as long as Rangi Chase has. I can't see the national outrage with his selection. Mind you this guy obviously brought the "win at any costs" attitude with him with his fall due to "mechcanical fault" to get a re-start after his first poor start, borderline cheating at the very least.

At least Hindes is actually a Dual National via his British father - Chase has no British nationality at all, other than living here for a few years.

For once mr Youane and I singing from the same hymn-sheet.
Not the very least, btw, he admitted to cheating. Should be stripped of the medals.

It seems a bit of a grey area - my impression from interviews about it is it is fairly common and almost expected in the cycling profession. Doesn't make it right, obviously, but from the way he was veering about he might have crashed a bit further round anyway. His mistake was admitting it was on purpose, and even then it may have been a misunderstanding as his English wasn't perfect - when the BBC reporter said "so you were trying to pull a fast one?" he said "yes" but then went on to talk about how he wanted a fast time.

The whole thing about 'nationality' is a mess for many sports.

Generally for me your nationailty and the country you represent should be defined as the country in which you were born - end of, not your mothers or fathers nationaility, or which country you were brought up in (although I concede at a push this could ok).

For sports with not so many national teams eg ours, then this latter point gives a little bit more flexibility, but Rangi a Brit? No.

Being born somewhere means absolutely nothing. The time spent in the hospital you're born in is just a day or two in your whole life. You may leave that place a week later and never go back.

Mo Farah was born in Mogadishu in Somalia but that was the whole time he ever spent there. He spent eight years in Djibouti and then the rest of his life in London. He probably feels about as Somalian as me or you.

Bradley Wiggins was born in Belgium and lived there for two years. He's not Belgian, at all.