Games of the XXX Olympiad - London 2012

Just thought I would start a discussion thread regarding the upcoming games, as seen as they have just kicked off with GB v New Zealand in the women's football.

I have been trying to compile a list of all Irish Olympic medal winners, both pre and post 1924, the list pre 1924 is incomplete but the following are our medal winners to date representing Ireland:

edit - if anyone knows of a list of pre 24' medal winners then please PM that info, cheers

1924 Amsterdam
Pat O'Callaghan, Athletics Hammer, Gold

1932 Los Angeles
Pat O'Callaghan, Athletics Hammer, Gold
Bob Tisdell, Athletics, 400m Hurdles, Gold

1952 Helsinki
John McNally, Boxing Bantamweight, Silver

1956 Melbourne
Ron Delaney, Athletics, 1500m, Gold
Fred Tiedt, Boxing Welterweight, Silver
John Caldwell, Boxing Flyweight, Bronze
Fred Gilroy, Boxing Bantamweight, Bronze
Anthony Byrne, Boxing Lightweight, Bronze

1964 Tokyo
Jim McCourt, Boxing Lightweight, Bronze

1980 Moscow
David Wilkins and James Wilkinson, Sailing Flying Dutchman, Silver
Hugh Russell, Boxing Flyweight, Bronze

1984 Los Angeles
John Treacy, Athletics, Marathon, Silver

1992 Barcelona
Michael Carruth, Boxing Welterweight, Gold
Wayne McCullough, Boxing Bantamweight, Silver

1996 Atlanta
Michelle Smith, Swimming - 400 free, 400 IM, 200 IM, Gold - 200 Butterfly, Bronze

2000 Sydney
Sonia O'Sullivan, Athletics 5000m, Silver

2008 Beijing
Kenneth Egan, Boxing Light Heavyweight, Silver
Paddy Barnes, Boxing Light Flyweight, Bronze
Darren Sutherland, Boxing Middleweight, Bronze

Let’s hope we can add to the above tally over the next few weeks, although while we have quite a large team, its hard to see anyone apart from our Boxers add to the above tally. The very best of luck to them all.

So, what are people most looking forward to?
Myself?- its child in a sweet shop time, 2 weeks is almost too short - with the BBC having 24 channels going all day every day, you are bound to get more event specific coverage than ever before, so I am most looking forward to watching the Basketball, tennis, football and things like that, rather than having to sit through every gymnastics live session like is normal.

Obviously the swimming and athletics are going to get the most coverage globally.

Here's to a great few weeks.

Why don't we have a football team there?, could we not have put out an Eircom league 11, couldn't be any worse than the other lot in Poland.

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Originally Posted by Dublin12

Why don't we have a football team there?

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Didn't qualify.

Was surprised to see Brazil has never won a gold in the men's football, wow! Looking at the teams and squads - fancy Uruguay at 7.8 to win it, 4s to get to the final and 11.5 a spain-uruguay final - (all betfair) assuming they beat brazil in the semis

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Originally Posted by Schumi

Didn't qualify.

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I didn't even know we had a team!, I never heard of any qualification games either!.

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Originally Posted by Dublin12

I didn't even know we had a team!, I never heard of any qualification games either!.

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European U-21 championships is used as a qualifier - you have to qualify for that and then make the Semi's.

Only 3 European teams made it;Spain, Switzerland & Belarus made it, the top 3 in the U-21's? Brits only in as hosts...

http://www.rte.ie/sport/olympics/soc...-flag-clanger/

Perhaps someone in the Organising Committee should get a new 'Korea' advisor...

Ah, here we go again. I've been bangin on about this since Athens, Another-Pathetic-Olympics but sadly it looks like nothing's changed.

Yesterday saw 2 Irish swimmers in the heats (pure chance, as there were Aussies in the same races), and my daughter got excited because she now recognises the flag. I don't know whose embarrassment was greater: mine at the so-obviously-out-of-their-depth performances, or my daughter's embarrassment for me for being subjected to it in front of the family.

Why do we keep doing this? The only exception I can see would be where someone young has real potential at future olympics and the experience would be worth it.

BTW - the length of time between Pat O'Callaghan and Bob Tisdall's gold medals at LA in 1932 was about an hour.

Between Ronnie Delaney (Melbourne) and Michael Carruth's (Barcelona) gold medals there were 36 years.

On yesterday's performances we may be looking at a similar timescales...

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Originally Posted by ramondo

Ah, here we go again. I've been bangin on about this since Athens, Another-Pathetic-Olympics but sadly it looks like nothing's changed.

Yesterday saw 2 Irish swimmers in the heats (pure chance, as there were Aussies in the same races), and my daughter got excited because she now recognises the flag. I don't know whose embarrassment was greater: mine at the so-obviously-out-of-their-depth performances, or my daughter's embarrassment for me for being subjected to it in front of the family.

Why do we keep doing this? The only exception I can see would be where someone young has real potential at future olympics and the experience would be worth it.

BTW - the length of time between Pat O'Callaghan and Bob Tisdall's gold medals at LA in 1932 was about an hour.

Between Ronnie Delaney (Melbourne) and Michael Carruth's (Barcelona) gold medals there were 36 years.

On yesterday's performances we may be looking at a similar timescales...

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This post sums up everything thats wrong about the Irish sporting public imo.

Pipes up once every 4 years to complain about sub-standard performance , yet takes no interest whatsoever in the sports themselves in the interim.

I mean you could have at least named the two swimmers who "embarressed" you yesterday morning.

On the same day there were some really good Irish performances in Sailing and in the K1 Canoe and well as wins for Chloe Magee in Badminton and Adam Nolan at welterweight - no mention of them!

As for the games themselves - highlights of the weekend ?

Probably too many to mention but the BBC coverage is fantastic, great to see somebody other than a Team GB athlete win the Men's Road Race on saturday - Spain out of the football tournament, Italy's ten with the last arrow to win the Men's team event in the archery also was a standout moment.

Aye, what he said.

Why do people make such tedious statements about Irish sporting competitors? They might not be 'world-beaters', but they're generally our best. Be happy they got there and are competing...

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Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

This post sums up everything thats wrong about the Irish sporting public imo.

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For me, Sonia O'Sullivan's "delight" (and everyone else's) at her silver medal performance in Sydney 2000 in a race she should have won sums up everything that's wrong with Irish athletes' attitudes. (The Szabo drug allegations didn't come out until later.)

It's more mental than physical. They don't have the killer instinct. Some money needs to be invested in sports psychology. As I've said before, I'm not expecting loads of gold medals, just a bit more mental preparedness. So many of our athletes seem to fall apart on the big stage with performances way below what they're capable of. I intentionally didn't mention names, but since you ask, Grainne Murphy's performance in finishing WELL last and 10 seconds below her personal best seemed particulary poor.

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Originally Posted by ramondo

Grainne Murphy's performance in finishing WELL last and 10 seconds below her personal best seemed particulary poor.

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The girl was suffering from food poisoning and probably shouldn't have competed at all. She's had to pull out of her event today. While it's dissappointing that the swimmers haven't been at personal best levels they're still competeing at elite level and finishing in the top 30 or so. If every country only sent medal contenders most of the events would only have about 5 or 6 people taking part. We've got serious medal chances in boxing, a decent chance in sailing and an outside chance in the canoeing hopefully some will exceed expectations in other events too.

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Originally Posted by ramondo

For me, Sonia O'Sullivan's "delight" (and everyone else's) at her silver medal performance in Sydney 2000 in a race she should have won sums up everything that's wrong with Irish athletes' attitudes. (The Szabo drug allegations didn't come out until later.)

It's more mental than physical. They don't have the killer instinct. Some money needs to be invested in sports psychology. As I've said before, I'm not expecting loads of gold medals, just a bit more mental preparedness. So many of our athletes seem to fall apart on the big stage with performances way below what they're capable of. I intentionally didn't mention names, but since you ask, Grainne Murphy's performance in finishing WELL last and 10 seconds below her personal best seemed particulary poor.

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Sorry now, but you are talking complete and utter rubbish re. Sonia

Interesting you picked Sonia to have a go off though. Without question the greatest athlete this country has ever produced and possibly the greatest female sportswomen we have ever had.
8 time medallist at major championships inc 5000m world champion.
Dual world cross country champion.
Dominated female middle distance running in the mid 90's.
Imagine what she could have achieved with some of ramondo's killer instinct.

Fair played to you for looking up Grainne Murphy's name. A triple European medallist at just 17 years of age. ( but also seemingly lacks the killer instinct ) It seems that her viral infection that has dogged her preparation has been more problematic than we have been led to believe.

Am i the only person who wasnt overly impressed with the opening ceremony? Maybe as I get older I dont have the stamina for what is essentially a gloried sporting version of the Eurovision. Too long and the live music was rubbish
But having said that, am really enjoying the sport on the box. Who ever know Archery could be so exciting, kind of like a rich man's darts, the football has plenty of shocks, and it was great to see the French team win last night in the swimming (talk about heart). Collected my tkt to see Korea v Gabon for Wednesday, will try and fit into my old red 2002 Korea top, and am looking forward to singing the songs (tellybingo 123, and pis ed in korea). Am a little disappointed about the empty seat fiasco as would have loved to bring the wife to a few of the sports but all the cheap stuff sold out quick.

As for the Irish team, well tbf if we don't seriously invest then we shouldn't expect a whole lot tbh

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Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

Sorry now, but you are talking complete and utter rubbish re. Sonia

Interesting you picked Sonia to have a go off though. Without question the greatest athlete this country has ever produced and possibly the greatest female sportswomen we have ever had.

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Yet no Olympic gold, which in my book beats a world championship by a country mile.

Okay, perhaps I went too far. But my point is, in general, even taking our population into account, our record is poor. What puzzles me is the apparent inability of so many to see this.

(BTW - Amsterdam was 1928)

Summer Olympics medals won by selected countries since 1924, excluding those won in 1936 as we didn't participate.

Denmark = 118
New Zealand = 87
Norway = 85
Austria = 56
Ireland = 23 (*including Smith's dodgy 4)
Portugal = 21

Olympics affect Irish people like Wimbledon. We seem to forget that there are events going on each and every week but only one thing matters. We are lucky in boxing to have a decent system which has developed of its own accord until Dom O'Rourke and others took over. We have some very good young tennis players coming through but this is down to one man (Garry Cahill) begging, stealing and borrowing to get something happening. The OCI have set down long terms goals and in fairness the SC prefer to back medium-long term projects. People will always whinge, but we will improve. I'm happy with our boxers performance. Eoin Rheinisch did well, the sailors did well, but I'd rather our swimmers trail than stay up with the "natural" freaks up at the top. We have so many drugs in Ireland, just not the right ones.

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Originally Posted by Spudulika

, the sailors did well, .

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Annalise Murphy has won Race 1 of the women's laser. A serious medal prospect.

Edit - has now won race 2 as well! Sensational!

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Originally Posted by bennocelt

Am i the only person who wasnt overly impressed with the opening ceremony? Maybe as I get older I dont have the stamina for what is essentially a gloried sporting version of the Eurovision. Too long and the live music was rubbish

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Agreed. I thought it started well and got a bit boring as it went on. Not a good thing when you then get to watch 208 teams walk out one after the other.. yawn.

As for the games.. enjoying them way more than I thought I would. I suspect I'm always like that though!

Watching the Womens Weightlifting earlier... Some impressives snatches on display.