+ 1

 

Again? Wasn't there one just last year?

 

Me too!

It's just too bad everyone can't win gold.......

Hugs and good luck to all the athletes.

 

Clown, you're starting to scare me ........ is this the calm before the storm? :excited:

 

I like that they alternated years. Used to be that both summer and winter Olympics were in the same year. I like the every 2 year thing much better and it's better for cross-over athletes as well for training.

 

North winds blow....South winds blow.....BOO! :excited:

 

An interesting article on the economics of the Games:

Are 2012 Olympics a Blessing or a Curse for the UK?

Full story:
*not_secure_link*www.cnbc.com/id/45383489

 

Here is a disturbing article on the security aspect of an Olympic Games on a city especially the suspension of certain basic human rights:

A very interesting impact study, full article (note that it is a PDF and takes a few seconds to fully load):
*not_secure_link*ceo.uab.cat/lec/pdf/cashman.pdf

 

Maybe the Olympics will make it this time without some sort of scandal or major problem.

 

Unfortunately its a fact of life that someone will use the world stage to further their cause or agenda.

Regardless of the success or failure of London 2012, they can never turn into the farce that were the 2008 Games in Beijing.

China's looming Olympics disaster

*not_secure_link*articles.moneycent...aksJournal/ChinasLoomingOlympicsDisaster.aspx

 

You just want your nipples sticking out like fighter pilots thumbs.:excited:

 

They always do that anyway. You just can't see them in the Winter when I wear sweaters.

 

We are getting closer to the games and the Olympic torch is being readied to make it's journey to London soon and will be lit in Greece on May 10th 2012. :excited::excited::excited:

London 2012 Olympics: Olympic torch relay to honour country's military and royal history on 70-day tour

 

Hey I'm hoping that the torch slips and burns down the stuff here.

 

It is almost official, the Olympic torch will start it's journey in 4 days:

I remember starting this thread and thinking that they were still so far away ... yet here we are with the countdown getting close. :excited::excited::excited:

I love the Olympics and will be glued to the events.

Of note: I have had my ticket to Greece as well as my Visa for some time but don't get my passport back until May 15th at the earliest or I would have already been there to watch the lighting of the torch.

 

London 2012 Olympics: torch relay police officers 'to get counselling'

The group of Scotland Yard police officers charged with protecting the London 2012 Olympic torch relay are be given counselling as they travel around the country, it has emerged.

The Metropolitan Police admitted the group would receive support from “Occupational health specialists” before and after the 70-day relay.

Britain’s biggest police force also disclosed that they would be given psychological training on how to prepare themselves for being away from home.

Officials further admitted the group would also have access to career advisers to help them settle back into their day jobs after their two-month assignment was finished and would be offered counselling to help them “reintegrate”.

It is thought that taxpayers will fund the plans, which officials said was to ensure the “welfare” of 36 officers was “considered at every stage”.

*not_secure_link*i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02198/torch-pa_2198551c.jpg Jasmine Vanmali and Samuel Rowbotham carry the torch from the National Space Centre during the dress rehearsal (PA)



*not_secure_link*www.telegraph.co.u...relay-police-officers-to-get-counselling.html

 

Mmmm ... beach volleyball. :excited::excited::excited:

Lessard holding court her way

April 21, 2012 *not_secure_link*olympic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/MarieAndreeTest-620x413.jpg

 

The Diving events are always fun to watch ... here is a pic for the ladies to get you warmed up for that event.

Aquatics – Diving

*not_secure_link*olympic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Diving.jpg



Summary

The Diving events at the 2012 Olympic Games will be held at the London Aquatics Centre from July 29 – August 11. In total, 136 athletes (68 men and 68 women) will compete.
Diving is a sport that requires strength, power, agility, balance, flexibility and, certainly, a dose of fearlessness. In both the Individual and Synchronized Diving competitions, each dive is awarded a degree of difficulty based on the type of manoeuvre performed. The diver’s position, the number of somersaults and twists, and the take-off height are all considered. The degree of difficulty ranges from 1.4 for easier dives to 3.8 for the most difficult dives. A dive consists of the following stages: 1) starting position and approach, 2) jump, 3) flight and execution, and 4) entry into the water. At the Olympic Games, the judges’ panel consists of seven judges who award the dives, with a score between zero and 10, based on the execution of the dive.
Competitors dive into a pool from either the springboard (3m) or the platform (10m).
The dives are divided into five groups according to the direction the diver is facing before take-off (backward, forward or handstand position) and the way the diver leaves the board (reverse or inward). During the dive, the diver may be in a straight, Pike, Tuck or Free position. The latter is only used in difficult dives that include twists. The Free position consists of a combination of the other three positions.
There are more than 100 recognized dives with assigned degrees of difficulty for both Springboard and Platform Diving.
The competition is split into preliminary, semifinal and final rounds. In the preliminary and final rounds, divers perform optional dives (there is no limit to the degree of difficulty). In the 3m Springboard preliminary event, the athletes perform dives that are chosen among the five different dive groups: Front, Back, Reverse, Inward and Twisting dives.
In the semifinals, the divers compete in the reverse order of their ranking, which is determined by the total scores at the end of the preliminary competitions. The 3m semifinal round for both men and women consists of five dives from different groups. The 12 best divers (for men or women) advance to the final.
The men’s 3m final competition consists of six dives without limit of degree of difficulty; one dive is selected from each group (Front, Back, Reverse, Inward and Twisting dives), plus an additional dive that may be selected from any group. The women’s 3m final competition consists of five dives from different groups, without limit to their degree of difficulty.
In 10m Platform events, the same procedure is followed for both men and women. The men’s Platform preliminary and final competition consists of six dives from different groups without limit to their degree of difficulty. The women’s Platform preliminary and final competition consists of five dives from different groups without limit to their degree of difficulty. In semifinals, both men and women execute four dives from different groups; their total degree of difficulty must not exceed 7.6.

***

Synchronized Diving takes place from 3m and 10m. The Synchronized Diving competition involves two competitors diving simultaneously from the springboards or platform. The competition comprises five different rounds of dives: two rounds of dives with an assigned degree of difficulty of 2.0 each, and three rounds of dives without limit to the degree of difficulty. Of the five dives, one must include a synchronized forward take-off, another must have a synchronized backward takeoff and one must have a combination of the former and latter.
A panel of nine judges issues scores for the Synchronized Diving event: two mark the technical performance of one diver, and two mark the technical performance of the other diver. The remaining five mark the synchronisation of the pair. The greater part of the score is for the synchronization aspect of the dive.

 

Here are a couple really cool and artistic diving pic's. :excited:

 

Probably one of the "highlight" events at the games other than the 100 meter finals has got to be rowing.

Rowing


*not_secure_link*staging.olympic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Rowing.jpg

Summary

Rowing at the 2012 Olympic Games will take place at Eton Dorney between July 28 and August 4. The competition will feature 550 athletes — 353 men and 197 women.
The boats (a.k.a. shells) traditionally were made of wood, but are now mostly manufactured from synthetic materials such as carbon fibre and plastic. A small fin is fitted in the underside of the shell for stability and a rudder, for steering, is attached to the fin or the stern (except on sculling boats). Each race is a test of endurance, where boats can travel up to 10 metres per second. Winning a 2,000-metre race requires sprinting for half of it. In a 500-metre home stretch, crews can reach rowing speeds of 47 strokes per minute.
Rowing events are contested by individuals, pairs and crews of four and eight. In addition to the crew of eight is a coxswain, who sits in the stern of the boat while steering it and coordinating the power and rhythm of the rowers.
Races are held in the Heavyweight (or “Open”) category or in the Lightweight category. There are a total of 14 boat classes in the Olympic Regatta. The races cover a distance of 2,000m divided into six lanes, in a river, canal or lake-type competition venue. Crews qualify through predetermined rounds, namely the preliminary round (heats), the repeat round (repechages), the semifinals and the final. The “A” final determines the first six places and the “B” final determines the next six rankings, namely seventh to 12th positions. The number of rounds per event depends on the number of crews taking part.
The races take place under the supervision of umpires, who are members of the jury for every event. The jury members are placed at various locations on and off the competition course: the starting line (where the races begin, under the supervision of the aligner and the starter); along the course of the race in the competition lanes (under the supervision of umpires), the finishing line (with the finish-line umpire); the identity verification stage of the crews before their embarkation onto the boats; the weighing-in of the athletes; the weighing-in of boats; and, in general, in all areas directly related to the competition, the athletes and their equipment.