Beijing Summer Olympics 2008

[Colors]

I can't be the only one excited. It's probably cheesy, but the Olympics give me a chance to see cool new things. And are pretty much the only time I watch sports at all, really.

I've got a bit of a pulse on the Winter Olympics (liked snowboarding, ice skating, and that weird biathalon-thing with the skiing and target practice... and totally became unhealthily obsessed with the curling), but I don't really know what I should watch in the Summer Olympics. Any tips?

 

[Jack Flak]

I can't be the only one excited. It's probably cheesy, but the Olympics give me a chance to see cool new things. And are pretty much the only time I watch sports at all, really.

I've got a bit of a pulse on the Winter Olympics (liked snowboarding, ice skating, and that weird biathalon-thing with the skiing and target practice... and totally became unhealthily obsessed with the curling), but I don't really know what I should watch in the Summer Olympics. Any tips?

See if you can spot the Chinese army sniping Tibetans off the mountain in the distance.

 

[sassafrassquatch]

d00d, we have ninjas!

China Journal : Who is That Masked Athlete?

 

[Jae Rae]

I can't be the only one excited. It's probably cheesy, but the Olympics give me a chance to see cool new things. And are pretty much the only time I watch sports at all, really.

I've got a bit of a pulse on the Winter Olympics (liked snowboarding, ice skating, and that weird biathalon-thing with the skiing and target practice... and totally became unhealthily obsessed with the curling), but I don't really know what I should watch in the Summer Olympics. Any tips?

You're not the only one - my 15 year-old daughter is very psyched. Yesterday I asked her what was up first - swimming, diving, gymnastics? She didn't know. She's excited about it all.

US usually has strong swimming and one of the American swimmers is getting a lot of attention. Diving and synchronized diving are cool. Track & field can be fun. Just immerse yourself in the offerings. Our local paper has a list of highlights that'll be on that day or the next.

Have fun!

 

[kelric]

I've always enjoyed the olympics too - I'm horribly ashamed to admit it, but the anthem always gets me going. The frustrating thing is that most of what I really would like to see is the sports that never get any coverage elsewhere - things like archery, rowing, canoeing, horse jumping, etc. What we usually get is 9 of 14 evenings of gymnastics/figure skating.

Still, I always look forward to it .

 

[JivinJeffJones]

Events I find oddly compelling:

Weight-lifting
Female gymnastics
Diving
Graeco-roman wrestling (the rules of which are reputed to be known by only 5 ppl on the planet, none of whom are telling)


Then of course there's the men's 100m sprint (aka Which Country Has The Best Steroids This Year).

 

[PuddleRiver]

I really don't watch a lot of the summer games, but when I do, I enjoy the diving, gymnastics, and swimming. I'm into the winter games more.

 

[Colors]

Events I find oddly compelling:

Weight-lifting
Female gymnastics
Diving
Graeco-roman wrestling (the rules of which are reputed to be known by only 5 ppl on the planet, none of whom are telling)


Then of course there's the men's 100m sprint (aka Which Country Has The Best Steroids This Year).

... Sometimes it's aka Which Country Has Gotten Itself the Most Kenyans, to be fair.

Last summer Olympics I saw women's weightlifting. That was mind-boggling.

 

[swordpath]

I haven't watched the Olympics since that female gymnast twisted her ankle on that gnarly jump but still landed it perfectly.

 

[ygolo]

[youtube=KsQcwHc1Jfw](1996)That was a legendary team of gymnasts[/YOUTUBE]

[youtube=n1DNMbDVrBs]Magnificent 7: Atlanta 1996 Montage[/YOUTUBE]​

I remember the 1996 Olympics well, because we were there for part of it.

I watched the gymnastics on TV, and I still think it was the most competitive sporting event I have seen.

Here is a recap from the American perspective:

[youtube=fmy02Rp1fDs]Olympic Champions - Atlanta 1996 Team - USA - Part 1 of 5[/YOUTUBE]
[youtube=HpMWhtNUCnI]Olympic Champions - Atlanta 1996 Team - USA - Part 2 of 5[/YOUTUBE]
[youtube=_rdQQSPlc1k]Olympic Champions - Atlanta 1996 Team - USA - Part 3 of 5[/YOUTUBE]
[youtube=oFpZ9NuyGOo]Olympic Champions - Atlanta 1996 Team - USA - Part 4 of 5[/YOUTUBE]
[youtube=jlUcwNuFjWo]Olympic Champions - Atlanta 1996 Team - USA - Part 5 of 5[/YOUTUBE]​

The Russian and Romanian routines very generally amazing also (as were the Chinese, Ukranian, and the Belarusian routines). But since the U.S. won (and because YouTube is probably still U.S. centric), the U.S. videos were easier to find.

 

[Rachelinpa]

EXCITED!

 

[ygolo]

On the Today Show, Adrew Bernard, Professor of Economics at Tuck School of Business made medal count predictions.

Total Medal Count
U.S.A 105
Russia 92
China 81
Germany 51
Australia 49

Gold Medal Count
China 37
U.S.A. 36
Russia 25
Japan 17
Australia 16

He used the following formula:
Mit=α*ln(Popit)+β*ln(Income/pop)it+δ*Mit-1 +γ*Hostt

It was hard to read because of the font used. But if I read it correctly, it is a fairly simple emperical formula. It seems like α, β, δ and γ are empirical constants. The inputs are the population, income, the previous medal count, and whether or not the country is a host country.

msnbc.com Video Player

 

[Jack Flak]

I watched the gymnastics on TV, and I still think it was the most competitive sporting event I have seen.

2003 TDF

 

[Giggly]

I'm excited too!

 

[bluebell]

I loved watching the opening ceremony (I don't usually, but I liked it this time).

My favourites to watch are gymnastics and diving.

 

[LadyJaye]

The ceremony was quite colorful! And geographically, it was quite an education. I always have to be reminded that Montenegro isn't a French-held island nation.

 

[VanillaCat]

On the Today Show, Adrew Bernard, Professor of Economics at Tuck School of Business made medal count predictions.

Wow, they can do that? I guess we'll see if it's right...

 

[ygolo]

Wow, they can do that? I guess we'll see if it's right...

Well, I don't know if they can or not.

It wasn't clear what was meant by "96% success rate." Does it mean he gets the medal count order correct 96 percent of the time? Or does it mean that |actual-predicted|/predicted<0.04?

Does it take into account project 119?

I don't know.

The guy was basically brought out like a freak-show exhibit. I thought it would be rather intersting to ask follow-up questions, but unlike other spots where there are just simple, chatty questions that filled in details. It turned into an exhibition of bubbleheadedness by the journalists.

 

[Colors]

Just finished the pre-taped Opening Ceremonies on the west coast. I <3 Bob Costas.

 

[ygolo]

Just finished the pre-taped Opening Ceremonies on the west coast. I <3 Bob Costas.

I just finished it myself too. Bob Costas has always struck me as a very professional, articulate sports reporter.