Olympics

by **godisinthesilences** on Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:40 pm

Ok am I the only one excited to see this summer's Olympics?? I have mixed feelings about the political undercurrents, but overall the spirit of the games is exciting me this year! Anyone else????

by **E.T.** on Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:37 pm

I loved opening ceremony. It was great.
What moved me was the power of people.
If it was taken in Japan, they will do it with computer programing... but it might be boring. Only China can do it with people now. Japan can't do it anymore.
Opening ceremony in Nagano (in Japan, 1996) was terrible. It was a kind of shame.

I guess maybe China had changed a lot since Japan sung about them...

and my old classmate's bro will compete in Judo! Cheers!

by **MoodyB** on Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:32 pm

I was hoping to hear David during it!
I remember watching the last Olympics when suddenly I heard David singing "Somewhere" during the commercial break...I almost fell over myself to turn up the TV!

;-)

by **godisinthesilences** on Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:38 pm

lol... moody... different sponsoring this year. HA HA

Yeah the opening ceremonies were magic. Very sad about the tragedy that took place today though....

by **Poisoned_Apathy** on Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:04 pm

I LOVE the Olympic Games. The first ones I've watched were the Barcelona Games in 1992, and I've been a fan since then.

I loved the openning ceremony as well. Later I've known that it was desing by Zang Yimou, one of my favourite movie directors right now [House of Flying Daggers, The Course of the Golden Flower].

I'm sad about the tragedy as well, and I have mixed feelings about the politics too, but what I know is that an Olympic Games shouldn't be a place for politics...I mean, those people have been training their whole lifes just to be there, I think there are better places to make politic reivindications, and I think it's quite hypocrital that nobody has cared a d*mn thing about the human rights and the Tibet issues until a few months before the Games, so...

by **godisinthesilences** on Sat Aug 09, 2008 7:47 pm

yup totally agree with you poisoned... but there are many who care about the human rights issues happening there.... just nothing ever seems to get done about it.

Anyway... very happy to be watching the games today. I saw skulling/crewing, swimming, volleyball and some of the biking... which to me looked to be sooooo difficult with the air quality and the mountain route at the end of the race.

by **Poisoned_Apathy** on Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:45 pm

I know there are a lot of people worried about the human rights violations and Tibet, what I'm critiquing is the use of the Games to gain HUGE media response.

I watched the biking too. The spanish guy won the gold medal!!! :-D

by **Melaszka** on Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:49 am

Poisoned_Apathy wrote: but what I know is that an Olympic Games shouldn't be a place for politics...I mean, those people have been training their whole lifes just to be there, I think there are better places to make politic reivindications, and I think it's quite hypocrital that nobody has cared a d*mn thing about the human rights and the Tibet issues until a few months before the Games, so...

I have mixed feelings about China, too, but I don't think it's possible to separate the Olympics and politics. After all, it was for political reasons that the Chinese government wanted to stage the Games in the first place - to present their country as a modern, first world power which has gained acceptance and approval from other nations. I don't think you can say that's perfectly OK, but individual human rights protesters are wrong to "drag politics into the Olympics".

Having said that, I think there is an irony about George Bush (whose government endorsed extraordinary rendition, the waterboarding of terror suspects and detention withoput trial at Guantanamo Bay) lecturing the Chinese on human rights.

And there's a beautiful poignancy when sportspeople do rise above politics - demonsrated most powerfully today by the Georgian and Russian shooting medallists embracing on the podium.

by **godisinthesilences** on Sun Aug 10, 2008 11:53 am

right on... and thank you for clarifying that it was bush's government and not what the people wanted.

I watched the archery today between north korea and china... wow was that ever cool to watch!

Last nights men's gymnastic team rounds were amazing too! I love the gymnastics (since i used to be a gymnast) One of the many favourites i enjoy watching.

by **Bern** on Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:45 pm

"God" I watched the mens Gymnastics yesterday to, felt a bit sorry for the South Koreans, just watched the syncronised diving the Americans only managed 4th but the Chinese were amazing and took the Gold

by **godisinthesilences** on Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:40 pm

oh darn i had some work to do and missed the diving... shoot. I love diving...
I'm watching women's swimming now... last nights women's team swim was exciting to watch. The netherlands snuck right up there on everyone and kicked a**. It was awesome!

by **Poisoned_Apathy** on Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:02 am

I love gymnastics too!! It wasn't a great round for the spanish team though, and I'm sad for them cause they're by far good enough to be in the team finals

The diving was amazing!! And I watched a lot of swimming too - you're right Gods the Netherlands relay team was awesome, and the men 4x100 relay has been ridiculous!!!

by **godisinthesilences** on Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:13 pm

Oh yeah the men's relay was just amazing! I was thrilled and so happy watching teh expressions on the teams face when they won!!

by **Melaszka** on Mon Aug 11, 2008 1:05 pm

Am trying to avoid watching them as I have a pile of proof-reading to do, but just caught the end of Andy Murray's humiliating defeat in the tennis today.

by **godisinthesilences** on Mon Aug 11, 2008 3:06 pm

for some reason they've not aired any tennis on nbc or usa networks :-(

Olympics

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