[feargale]

Very good stuff on the individual countries, Dodge. We await Africa and Europe.

[feargale]

You'd think so but no that's the costume.... Not so much Bloomsday as Bloomersday!

I think this would do nicely as the Irish national uniform for our athletes, what you think? Looks more like the Saudi Arabian women sprinters' running kit!

[Dodge]

Originally Posted by feargale

Very good stuff on the individual countries, Dodge. We await Africa and Europe.

Cheers. It'll be next week.

[K_1]

Originally Posted by Truman Burbank

1. Sir Roger Banninster
2. Dame Mary Peters
3. Sir Steve Redgrave

I'd say it'll be Redgrave.

[Dan man]

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22-----06-------------03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------




Speculation is still swirling as to who will carry the Irish flag at the Opening Ceremony on July 27th.

Sonia O'Sullivan will be the one to decide who gets the honour of Irish flag bearer (she herself was Irish flag bearer in Sydeny 2000).
She says that gender will not come into the decision (in response to being made aware that women have dominated the role in the last few editions) but that it will be awarded on merit and she will take into account factors such as when the athletes are due to compete and wether they want to take up the honour or not.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/othe...y-3159252.html


Also, the Irish team costume has been showcased and athletes will not have to wear blazers this time for the opening ceremony and have instead opted for a more casual uniform.
Officials however will retain the blazers and slacks:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...reaking46.html

[Truman Burbank]

"Fourteen of the chosen athletes modelled the gear themselves in catwalk fashion, to aptly chosen music the Clash’s ‘London Calling’.
Each athlete modelled a different outfit, which included parade outfits, casual wear and performance wear."


Presumably, this is somewhere in the back row, unless we're not sending them to The Opening Ceremony in tracksuits?! I don't think Katie Taylor would take up an offer to be The Flag Bearer - arm strain. Am going for Rob Heffernan

[Dodge]

Paddy Barnes is actively lobbying for it.

[Truman Burbank]

Originally Posted by Dodge

Paddy Barnes is actively lobbying for it.

More on Barnes here as you mention him. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18719665

[Dan man]

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22----06------------- 03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------


There are now just 3 weeks to go until the start of the London Olympics and with that the third ring in our countdown clock is now complete.

With the Olympics fast approaching and the Irish Olympic team almost finalised I will be preparing individual profiles on each team member and am hoping to have them ready in the next week or so.

In the mean time here are some useful links courtesy of The Score to catch up with some of those who are on the Irish Olympic team with a review of their prosects:

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/london...11070-Jul2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/london...10553-Jul2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/london...09881-Jul2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/london...08518-Jul2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/scott-...07594-Jul2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/london...07139-Jul2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/london...03598-Jun2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/deirdr...01869-Jun2012/

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/olympi...01629-Jun2012/

[Dan man]

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22----06------------- 03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------


Today we will look at some Olympic records that are long overdue a revision in two show-case sports (athletics and swimming) and the prospects of those long-standing records being broken this summer in London.

Athletics:

• Men's Long Jump: Bob Beamon 8.90m (Mexico City 1968). This is the oldest Olympic record of all the events on the current athletic programme. When you consider that the gold medal in London could well be won with a jump in excess of just 8.30m, Beamon's 44-year Olympic record should be more than safe this year and could last another 44 years! Beamon's jump in Mexico was seen as a freak of nature at the time. Given the fact that this record was set at altitude and Beamon enjoyed perfrect wind-conditions on this jump coupled with the fact that the current generation of long jumpers are getting nowhere near the kinds of distances to challenge Beamon's leap then this record could stand for a life-time, it is that extra-ordinary. It is still the second-longest legitimate long jump in the history of the sport. Chance of seeing a new Olympic Record: less than 1%!
• Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Record: Julius Kariuki 8:05:51mins (Seoul 1988). Kariuki's time in Seoul was just over a tenth of a second outside the then world record in the event but since then the men's steeplechase record has progressed quite substantially. His Olympic record time is still a very decent time especially in a championship environment where fast times aren't always possible. Nevertheless, you would think that there is a good prospect that this record could be broken this year in London. Chance of seeing an Olympic record: strong chance.
• Men's Shot Put: Ulf Timmermann 22.47m (Seoul 1988). As with most of the records set by East Germans at a time when there was a state-sponsored system of doping in sport there will always be a question mark over the performances of those athletes. However, not to dwell on this discussion, is there any chance that this Olympic record could be surpassed in 2012? The answer is yes but it is fairly unlikely. The distance that Timmermann threw for Olympic gold in Seoul has been beaten sparingly in recent years....most recent throws over this distance came from a trio of Americans: Adam Nelson (22.51m) in 2002, Kevin Toth (22.67m) in 2003 and most recently Christian Cantwell (22.54m) in 2004 and whom will be competing in London. So it is not beyond the realms of possibility in this fairly competitive event that someone can surpass Timmermann's record but it would take a monumental effort. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely
• Men's Hammer: Sergey Litvinov 84.80m (Seoul 1988). This record isn't as quite out of reach as some of the other throws but it is still fairly unlikely that we will see a new record in London. Ivan Tsikhan has a season's best of 82.81m and in the past has gone within 1cm of the world record. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely.
• Women's 800m: Nadezhda Olizarenko 1:53.43mins (Moscow 1980). The second fastest time in history and you can't see this being beaten in London. Although Pamela Jelimo of Kenya has not been too far off this standard in the past, in a championship environment I just cannot foresee any circumstance in which this time will be bettered in London. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: highly unlikely.
• Women's Shot Put: Ilona Briesenick 22.45m (Moscow 1980). There isn't a hope in hell that this record will be challenged in London when you consider that Valerie Adams who has been dominating the event over the last few years has a comparable P.B. that is over 1m below Briesenick's mark. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: less than 0.01%!!.
• Women's 100m: Florence Griffith-Joyner 10.62secs (Seoul 1988). This is another record that comes under a lot of scrutiny and is the third fastest time in history. Reigning Olympic champion, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Price has posted an impressive 10.70secs this year and is coming into awesome form just before the Olympics. It is still unlikely that she can dip under 10.62secs in London but it isn't beyond possibility. Carmelita Jeter too has a P.B. of 10.64secs so it is within range for her if she hits absolute top-form at the Olympics. Chance of seeing a new record in London: possible but to date only Flo-Jo has run this fast.
• Women's 200m: Florence Griffith-Joyner 21.34secs (Seoul 1988). Still stands as the 200m world record and there is no way this record will go in London. Allyson Felix who is many people's pick for gold has set a P.B. this year of 21.69secs, well over 3 whole tenths outside of Flo Jo's record. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely.
• Women's 1,500m: Paula Ivan 3:53.96mins (Seoul 1988). This time is outrageously beyond the reach of the current crop of runners in an ideal race including pace-makers so there is even less of a chance that they can produce a fast-enough time in a non-paced Olympic final scenario. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely.
• Women's Long Jump: Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7.40m (Seoul 1988). Her mark of 7.40m has only been beaten once since then (Tatyana Kotova jumped 7.42m in 2002) so there is nothing on the cards to say that this record won't last at least another Olympic cycle and probably much much longer. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: less than 1%.
• Women's Heptathlon: Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7,291 points (Seoul 1988). An incredible record and no one since Jackie Joyner-Kersee has got within range of her records. When you consider that the gold medal winner in London will likely finish more than 200 points behind her total from Seoul 1988 you can safely say that this record will be intact post 2012. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: less than 1%.

In swimming, there are only 2 records that remained intact after the completion of competition in Beijing 4 years ago.

• Men's 400m Freestyle: Ian Thorpe 3:40.59mins (Sydney 2000). This record is likely to be consigned to history this year as last year's World Championship in 400m free won that race in a faster time than Thorpe's Olympic record. It's not going to be a formality though as it is a very tough record. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: very good chance.
• Women's 100m Butterfly: Inge de Bruijn 56.61secs (Sydney 2000). There is a decent chance that this record will not survive another 4 years as Dana Vollmer was comfortably inside this time range at the U.S. trials this month and you would think she will go even faster in London. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: very likely.

[Dan man]

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22----06------------- 03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------






Another batch of pictures of the Olympic Park from an aerial view:



Olympic Rings on Tower Bridge:





The beach volleyball court and practice areas being constructed at the Horse Guards Parade:




The hockey venue at the Riverbank Arena:


The Orbit Tower that will be openened to the public with panoramic views of the Olympic Park:


Olympic Park:





Olympic Stadium illuminated at night:

[Dan man]

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22----06------------- 03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------



If. like me, you enjoy looking at medals tables then maybe you'll be interested in this. I have compiled a virtual Olympic medals table based on results from the most recent World Championships in each sport.
Some sports were a little problematic as it wasn't as simple as just using the most recent medalists at World Championships events. For example tennis was problematic as there are no official World Championships so I instead combined World rankings with results at the 4 most recent Grand Slams to come up with three medalists (I must update it after Wimbledon).
Football was another that was a little problematic as there is no official U-23 World Cup event so the medals I had to use for it (FIFA World Cup 2010) aren't in any way accurate.
Table tennis and badminton are a little different too at World level in that 2 bronze medals are awarded per event whereas in the London Olympics there will be bronze medal matches to determine who wins bronze.
Apart from those snags, it was a straight-forward process to attribute the medals.

However, it is important to note that the table is not aimed at predicting the outcome for London 2012 events. It may give a small indication as to how each country can expect to perform but itis more a fact based table with medals based on most recent World Championships performances.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	China	44	31	28	103
2	United States	37	19	26	82
3	Russia	31	23	27	81
4	Great Britain	21	28	14	63
5	Germany	15	19	20	54
6	Japan	14	12	15	41
7	Australia	13	17	7	37
8	France	13	16	16	45
9	Italy	13	7	14	34
10	Kenya	7	6	4	17
11	Brazil	7	5	5	17
12	Iran	7	3	5	15
13	South Korea	6	6	17	29
14	New Zealand	6	4	9	19
15	Belarus	5	5	7	17
16	Hungary	5	4	4	13
17	Ukraine	5	3	8	16
18	Azerbaijan	4	4	7	15
19	Jamaica	4	4	1	9
20	Greece	4	2	1	7
21	Netherlands	3	7	5	15
22	Spain	3	2	13	18
23	Canada	2	10	5	17
24	Kazakhstan	2	7	7	16
25	Poland	2	7	3	12
26	Turkey	2	5	3	10
27	Cuba	2	4	6	12
28	Czech Republic	2	4	4	10
29	Serbia	2	3	2	7
30	Slovakia	2	2	2	6
31	Norway	2	2	1	5
32	Bulgaria	2	1	2	5
33	Austria	2	0	0	2
34	Sweden	1	3	3	7
35	Denmark	1	2	5	8
36	Uzbekistan	1	1	4	6
37	India	1	1	3	5
38	Lithuania	1	1	2	4
39	Romania	1	0	6	7
40	Ethiopia	1	0	4	5
41	Belgium	1	0	2	3
41	Slovenia	1	0	2	3
43	Ireland	1	0	1	2
43	Israel	1	0	1	2
45	Argentina	1	0	0	1
45	Botswana	1	0	0	1
45	Chile	1	0	0	1
45	Grenada	1	0	0	1
49	Croatia	0	2	5	7
50	Georgia	0	2	4	6
51	South Africa	0	2	3	5
52	Chinese Taipei	0	2	1	3
53	Puerto Rico	0	2	0	2
54	Switzerland	0	1	4	5
55	North Korea	0	1	1	2
55	Thailand	0	1	1	2
57	Estonia	0	1	0	1
57	Malaysia	0	1	0	1
57	Montenegro	0	1	0	1
57	Portugal	0	1	0	1
57	Saudi Arabia	0	1	0	1
57	Singapore	0	1	0	1
57	Sudan	0	1	0	1
57	Tunisia	0	1	0	1
65	Indonesia	0	0	3	3
66	Colombia	0	0	2	2
66	Finland	0	0	2	2
66	Mexico	0	0	2	2
66	Mongolia	0	0	2	2
66	Morocco	0	0	2	2
66	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0	0	2	2
66	Tajikistan	0	0	2	2
73	Afghanistan	0	0	1	1
73	Armenia	0	0	1	1
73	Bahamas	0	0	1	1
73	Cyprus	0	0	1	1
73	Dominican Republic	0	0	1	1
73	Hong Kong	0	0	1	1
73	Kuwait	0	0	1	1
73	Latvia	0	0	1	1
73	Moldova	0	0	1	1
73	Nigeria	0	0	1	1
73	Trinidad and Tobago	0	0	1	1
73	Vietnam	0	0	1	1
73	Zimbabwe	0	0	1	1

[knockcon]

Originally Posted by Dan man

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22----06------------- 03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------


Today we will look at some Olympic records that are long overdue a revision in two show-case sports (athletics and swimming) and the prospects of those long-standing records being broken this summer in London.

Athletics:

• Men's Long Jump: Bob Beamon 8.90m (Mexico City 1968). This is the oldest Olympic record of all the events on the current athletic programme. When you consider that the gold medal in London could well be won with a jump in excess of just 8.30m, Beamon's 44-year Olympic record should be more than safe this year and could last another 44 years! Beamon's jump in Mexico was seen as a freak of nature at the time. Given the fact that this record was set at altitude and Beamon enjoyed perfrect wind-conditions on this jump coupled with the fact that the current generation of long jumpers are getting nowhere near the kinds of distances to challenge Beamon's leap then this record could stand for a life-time, it is that extra-ordinary. It is still the second-longest legitimate long jump in the history of the sport. Chance of seeing a new Olympic Record: less than 1%!
• Men's 3,000m Steeplechase Record: Julius Kariuki 8:05:51mins (Seoul 1988). Kariuki's time in Seoul was just over a tenth of a second outside the then world record in the event but since then the men's steeplechase record has progressed quite substantially. His Olympic record time is still a very decent time especially in a championship environment where fast times aren't always possible. Nevertheless, you would think that there is a good prospect that this record could be broken this year in London. Chance of seeing an Olympic record: strong chance.
• Men's Shot Put: Ulf Timmermann 22.47m (Seoul 1988). As with most of the records set by East Germans at a time when there was a state-sponsored system of doping in sport there will always be a question mark over the performances of those athletes. However, not to dwell on this discussion, is there any chance that this Olympic record could be surpassed in 2012? The answer is yes but it is fairly unlikely. The distance that Timmermann threw for Olympic gold in Seoul has been beaten sparingly in recent years....most recent throws over this distance came from a trio of Americans: Adam Nelson (22.51m) in 2002, Kevin Toth (22.67m) in 2003 and most recently Christian Cantwell (22.54m) in 2004 and whom will be competing in London. So it is not beyond the realms of possibility in this fairly competitive event that someone can surpass Timmermann's record but it would take a monumental effort. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely
• Men's Hammer: Sergey Litvinov 84.80m (Seoul 1988). This record isn't as quite out of reach as some of the other throws but it is still fairly unlikely that we will see a new record in London. Ivan Tsikhan has a season's best of 82.81m and in the past has gone within 1cm of the world record. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely.
• Women's 800m: Nadezhda Olizarenko 1:53.43mins (Moscow 1980). The second fastest time in history and you can't see this being beaten in London. Although Pamela Jelimo of Kenya has not been too far off this standard in the past, in a championship environment I just cannot foresee any circumstance in which this time will be bettered in London. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: highly unlikely.
• Women's Shot Put: Ilona Briesenick 22.45m (Moscow 1980). There isn't a hope in hell that this record will be challenged in London when you consider that Valerie Adams who has been dominating the event over the last few years has a comparable P.B. that is over 1m below Briesenick's mark. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: less than 0.01%!!.
• Women's 100m: Florence Griffith-Joyner 10.62secs (Seoul 1988). This is another record that comes under a lot of scrutiny and is the third fastest time in history. Reigning Olympic champion, Shelley-Ann Fraser-Price has posted an impressive 10.70secs this year and is coming into awesome form just before the Olympics. It is still unlikely that she can dip under 10.62secs in London but it isn't beyond possibility. Carmelita Jeter too has a P.B. of 10.64secs so it is within range for her if she hits absolute top-form at the Olympics. Chance of seeing a new record in London: possible but to date only Flo-Jo has run this fast.
• Women's 200m: Florence Griffith-Joyner 21.34secs (Seoul 1988). Still stands as the 200m world record and there is no way this record will go in London. Allyson Felix who is many people's pick for gold has set a P.B. this year of 21.69secs, well over 3 whole tenths outside of Flo Jo's record. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely.
• Women's 1,500m: Paula Ivan 3:53.96mins (Seoul 1988). This time is outrageously beyond the reach of the current crop of runners in an ideal race including pace-makers so there is even less of a chance that they can produce a fast-enough time in a non-paced Olympic final scenario. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: not likely.
• Women's Long Jump: Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7.40m (Seoul 1988). Her mark of 7.40m has only been beaten once since then (Tatyana Kotova jumped 7.42m in 2002) so there is nothing on the cards to say that this record won't last at least another Olympic cycle and probably much much longer. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: less than 1%.
• Women's Heptathlon: Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7,291 points (Seoul 1988). An incredible record and no one since Jackie Joyner-Kersee has got within range of her records. When you consider that the gold medal winner in London will likely finish more than 200 points behind her total from Seoul 1988 you can safely say that this record will be intact post 2012. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: less than 1%.

In swimming, there are only 2 records that remained intact after the completion of competition in Beijing 4 years ago.

• Men's 400m Freestyle: Ian Thorpe 3:40.59mins (Sydney 2000). This record is likely to be consigned to history this year as last year's World Championship in 400m free won that race in a faster time than Thorpe's Olympic record. It's not going to be a formality though as it is a very tough record. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: very good chance.
• Women's 100m Butterfly: Inge de Bruijn 56.61secs (Sydney 2000). There is a decent chance that this record will not survive another 4 years as Dana Vollmer was comfortably inside this time range at the U.S. trials this month and you would think she will go even faster in London. Chance of seeing a new Olympic record: very likely.

Nice summary of records with longevity.
Sally Pearson Is threatening the women's 100 meter hurdle world record with every run. The record set in 1988 is 12.21 and was in a time when there was a cloud of suspicion around the eastern Europe athletes drug practices. It hasn't been threatened since. Pearson has clocked 12.28 and barring a fall is roaring hot favorite to win gold.

[Dan man]

--------50---------------------25---------------------02-----------
--49----------48--------27---------24----------04--------01------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
47--------------46---.29--------------22----06------------- 03--
--------------------36--------------------16----------------------
45-----------38-43---30-33-------18-21---08-13-----------05--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--44-------40-41-------28-31---20-23-------10-11-------07------
---------42--------------------26----------------------09----------
-----------.39--------------32----19--------------12-------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------37---------34---------17--------14-----------------
--------------------35--------------------15----------------------


The 2012 tournament may just have come to an end but the Wimbledon tennis courts are already undergoing a busy revamp just in time for the start of the Olympic tennis tournament.
In keeping with the colour theme across other sporting venues, the tradiotonal dark green canvas backstops of the Wimbledon courts are being replaced by those displaying the customary purple brand of the 2012 Olympic competitions. There will only be 12 playing courts at the Olympic competition as opposed to the 19 used during Wimbledon.

[Cosmo Kramer]

Just on your medals table Dan, I see that BBC Radio 5 have gone for 95 medal in total for GB at the games (including 14 in athletics). Surely even home advantage couldn't swing that many events in their favour?