Rio 2016 Olympics Megathread

price690 · 02-08-2016 11:51PM

El Chapo wrote: »

Kicks off on Friday with the opening ceremony. Boxer, Paddy Barnes will carry the Irish flag.

London 2012 was our most successful Olympics with 6 medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze). Can we improve?

Again, we'll probably be looking to our boxers for most of our medals. Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlon and Katie Taylor will be there or thereabouts, although Katie did have a few hiccups trying to qualify.

It's a pretty poor track team this year with the exception of Thomas Barr and Ciara Mageen. Both are fine runners but it's hard to see them getting a medal.

We also have a men's hockey team, two badmintoners, a few horsey people, a woman sailor person, swimmers and of course the golfers.

Tune into RTÉ for Jerry Kiernan if nothing else, he's very entertaining and hugely knowledgeable.

C'mon Ireland!

Katie Taylor, Michael Conlan, Paddy Barnes, Joe Ward and Michael O'Reilly are genuine gold medal hopes in the boxing. Thats a really fantastic thing to be able to say.

I think all 5 will medal, have a feeling Joe Ward will finally pip the Cuban at the 3rd time of asking.

Conlan will be a marked man, but he has a great shot, Paddy Barnes has more experience than anyone.

Its hugely exciting for any boxing fan, the talent we have is unbelievable.

Annalise Murphy in the sailing has a great shot aswell

Savage Tyrant · 03-08-2016 12:14AM

I love the boxing and the 100m and 200m... Those are the ones I'm really interested in.

I also enjoy watching the women's Beach Volleyball..... The men's beach volleyball though, not so much.

PowerToWait · 03-08-2016 06:56AM

El Chapo wrote: »

Kicks off on Friday with the opening ceremony. Boxer, Paddy Barnes will carry the Irish flag., two badmintoners, a few horsey people, a woman sailor person, swimmers and of course the golfers.

C'mon Ireland!

No mention of our incredible rowers. We have 5 in 2 boats including 2 brothers and a 39 year old mother of 3.

Rowing is also one of our decent medal chances. Give them a cheer.

razorblunt · 03-08-2016 07:12AM

I've read that Murphy the sailor has a decent chance of a medal but I refuse to get my hopes up to only see the boat done for a failed drug test 48 hours after winning!

My favourite event is the high dive, sitting there with a takeaway and full fat coke scoffing at the (minor) splashback from a lad who turned himself inside out and tied his shoes on the way down.

Badly Drunk Boy · 03-08-2016 07:50AM

El Chapo wrote: »

London 2012 was our most successful Olympics with 6 medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze). Can we improve?

For the number of medals won, it was. 6 medals from 66 participants, 41st on the medals table. At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, we got 2 golds from 8 participants, and 16th on the medals table.

I know it's a different set-up now, with more countries around to take part, but 25% is a great return.

Did you know that Ireland didn't take part in the 1936 Berlin Olympics out of protest? Nothing to do with the Nazis or anything (they were grand), just a bit of lingering messiness from independence, and Northern Ireland joining the British Athletic Federation, instead of staying with the all-Ireland organisation that already existed.

gandalf · 03-08-2016 07:54AM

Olympics meh....

mansize · 03-08-2016 07:56AM

Surely Atlanta was officially our most successful? We even finished ahead of GB in the medals table!!!

padd b1975 · 03-08-2016 08:06AM

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

A load of eejits running around the place and jumping over things.

It's the Olympic motto-faster,higher,stronger.

Having said that, it can be difficult to attribute even one of those to a lot of events.

padd b1975 · 03-08-2016 08:08AM

mansize wrote: »

Surely Atlanta was officially our most successful? We even finished ahead of GB in the medals table!!!

*Raises morning snifter of Jameson to toast Michelle*

valoren · 03-08-2016 08:20AM

The highlights for me at each Olympics.

The road cycling time trial and the team pursuit, Sprints on the track.
The medley relays in Swimming.
The 4 * 100m relay, the 400m and 800m finals in Athletics.
The marathon.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 03-08-2016 12:34PM

mansize wrote: »

Surely Atlanta was officially our most successful? We even finished ahead of GB in the medals table!!!

4 tainted medals though.

I just looked up the British Olympic team from 1996 and my god did they have a brutal year. They only won 15 medals in total with just the one gold. I'd say that disgraceful showing spurred them on to create the programmes which have yielded them such phenomenal success at recent games.

VinLieger · 03-08-2016 01:59PM

price690 wrote: »

Annalise Murphy in the sailing has a great shot aswell

razorblunt wrote: »

I've read that Murphy the sailor has a decent chance of a medal but I refuse to get my hopes up to only see the boat done for a failed drug test 48 hours after winning!

She has a shot but its gonna be nowhere near like the early runaway success she had 4 years ago. This year the field is a lot stronger and shes a heavy weather sailor and Rio has notoriously light winds which are really not her ideal conditions. Hoping she does well but its gonna be tougher than London.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 03-08-2016 02:23PM

Just tuned in the 6 BBC Olympic channels on my freesat box. Can't wait and won't miss a thing now.

mansize · 03-08-2016 02:26PM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

4 tainted medals though.

I just looked up the British Olympic team from 1996 and my god did they have a brutal year. They only won 15 medals in total with just the one gold. I'd say that disgraceful showing spurred them on to create the programmes which have yielded them such phenomenal success at recent games.

Cycling- it's like they honed in on an unpopular Olympic sport with a shed load of medals!

velo.2010 · 03-08-2016 02:38PM

I was wondering about the lack of interest towards the games. Time difference, maybe, but Sydney and Beijing had a greater time difference yet there was still a buzz leading into those games form what I remember.

I think its a growing trend of apathy towards big marquee events. Kids are not as interested in sitting down at a particular time to watch a race for 10 seconds when they can catch up on any programme they want at any time. There is too much distraction elsewhere for the Olympics to hold folks attention for long enough to care.

We got lucky with the proximity of the London games and it rubbed off on us. We won't have that again. I can't see the current Olympic model lasting more than 2 or 3 more games. Events will eventually be split around various cities over the course of a summer.

Who knows? Maybe Dublin will get to host some part of the Olympics in future!

Mint Sauce · 03-08-2016 04:10PM

Blair Scrawny Hawk wrote: »

Just tuned in the 6 BBC Olympic channels on my freesat box. Can't wait and won't miss a thing now.

Sure its not just a generic FTA Box, switched on mine last night to be greeted by 15 red button channels. Currently watching a very dull Sweden v S Africa women in an near empty stadium.

PowerToWait · 03-08-2016 04:43PM

mansize wrote: »

Cycling- it's like they honed in on an unpopular Olympic sport with a shed load of medals!

That's basically it. They targeted cycling and rowing. And specific events within those.

They also got very proactive in talent scouting with programmes like 'tall and talented' where they advertised widely for that body type.

Worked well for them.

rainbow kirby · 03-08-2016 04:52PM

Will be watching as much as possible! Went to a few events in London 4 years ago. Hubby is off to Rio for the second week and has tickets for athletics.

Athletics, swimming, cycling, triathlon and gymnastics are my usual choices but will end up watching pretty much anything.

metaoblivia · 03-08-2016 04:59PM

PowerToWait wrote: »

That's basically it. They targeted cycling and rowing. And specific events within those.

They also got very proactive in talent scouting with programmes like 'tall and talented' where they advertised widely for that body type.

Worked well for them.

They've made significant advances in gymnastics too. 16 years ago, they'd be lucky to qualify a team to the Olympics. Now both of their men's and women's teams are expecting to medal in the team competition this year (as they both did at last year's world championships) and they have medal contenders on several events.

The upshoot is that Ireland is benefiting from this. Both Rio Irish gymnasts - Kieran Behan and Ellis O'Reilly - were trained in the British system. Gymnastics Ireland has also implemented a new training/scouting system similar to the British system and brings over British coaches to help train their young gymnasts. Ireland's most promising young gymnast, Rhys McClenaghan, travels to Britain frequently to train with their national team. He just won Ireland's first European championship medal a few months ago. He's too young for Rio, but will probably be in Tokyo four years from now barring injury. And if he keeps up his pace, he'll have a real shot at a medal.

Check out his pommel horse routine - the kid is only 16 years old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS7tLlkJH8o

Smondie · 03-08-2016 05:04PM

They are setting up a pretend embassy and sending a garda over, for any citizens travelling

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 03-08-2016 05:04PM

Mint Sauce wrote: »

Sure its not just a generic FTA Box, switched on mine last night to be greeted by 15 red button channels. Currently watching a very dull Sweden v S Africa women in an near empty stadium.

I couldn't care less what it's called. It's free, it's satellite stations and it now has 6 BBC Olympic stations.

Hager · 03-08-2016 05:44PM

Blair Scrawny Hawk wrote: »

Just tuned in the 6 BBC Olympic channels on my freesat box. Can't wait and won't miss a thing now.

Would you have the frequencies to hand for those channels by any chance? Thanks

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 03-08-2016 05:51PM

Hager wrote: »

Would you have the frequencies to hand for those channels by any chance? Thanks

10744 H, 23.000, 2/3, DVB-S2, 8PSK

10.862 H, 23.000, 2/3, DVB-S2, 8PSK

10.876 V, 23.000, 2/3, DVB-S2, 8PSK

Mint Sauce · 03-08-2016 08:46PM

Blair Scrawny Hawk wrote: »

I couldn't care less what it's called. It's free, it's satellite stations and it now has 6 BBC Olympic stations.

My point is you might be able to get more, as mine is showing, 1-8 Olympic Channels, and 1-8 HD (am guessing they are same content), with content already currently on 1 and 8.

mansize · 04-08-2016 05:21AM

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/true-spirit-of-olympic-games-not-completely-lost-1.2744131?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Mary Hannigan thinks the Irish Women at least have the true Olympic spirit... Not the men then...

Bigbok · 04-08-2016 05:25AM

Smondie wrote: »

The model is going to het mugged as part of the cermony! Can't remember her name but at least they're showing all sides of the country.

If it was Ireland they would show u getting bombed,mugged by a junkie and abused by a priest

signostic · 04-08-2016 05:39AM

The Modern Pentathlon, but probably won`t see much of it on RTE, have a good chance of a medal there with Arthur Lannigan O`Keefe competing.

http://www.the42.ie/arthur-lanigan-okeeffe-2890148-Jul2016/

http://www.joe.ie/news/pic-if-you-rob-a-phone-off-someone-on-oconnell-street-make-sure-its-not-an-irish-olympic-pentathlete/492464

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/olympics/irish-olympian-vents-anger-after-being-kicked-off-aer-lingus-flight-34575619.html

mad muffin · 04-08-2016 08:20AM

Why are people supporting these abhorrent games in Rio is beyond me? And I include athletes in that statement.

Lirange · 04-08-2016 10:01AM

valoren wrote: »

The highlights for me at each Olympics.

The road cycling time trial and the team pursuit, Sprints on the track.
The medley relays in Swimming.
The 4 * 100m relay, the 400m and 800m finals in Athletics.
The marathon.

For me it's the Decathlon/Heptathlon
Triathlon
Handball
Indoor Volleyball

scdublin · 04-08-2016 01:30PM

Everything I've heard about this Olympics sounds like it's set to be a disaster.

Rio 2016 Olympics Megathread

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