Olympics opening ceremony

[Conehead]

Watching our money not doing too much.

I think it would be better to shove a load of bikes in the stadium and just let rip. Now that would be worth watching and listening to.

Am I just being baahumbug on this today or is anyone else not feeling it. :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/

[cerruti]

Im not feeling it either :'(

Oldfatboy has been sat in front of the box all evening with his 3d glasses on - Ive just come home from a candle party (was riveting, truly) and he wants to stay up and see who gets to light the torch...

I mean, really? ::)

[Swanny]

What were those demons about??

[Snowy]

What were those demons about??

Children's nighmares........remember?

[Conehead]

Was there a burning at the stake? :o :o :o :o :o

[Dan505]

Watching it i thought i had fallen asleep and was having some weird tripped out psycadelic dream....

[Conehead]

Only thing ive enjoyed so far is the choice of music that the athletes are walkig out to. ;) ;) ;)

[Snowy]

Well, I thought it was fantastic....after I thought it was going to be a flop at the start, I think it was so different you will either love it or hate it, but very different from anything done before. The really good part though is it starts 14 days of great sport starting with Cav tomorrow. I must make sure I have enough space left on the DDR :)

[voodoo]

and he wants to stay up and see who gets to light the torch...
well there's like 200 entrants and we're up to 'H' so no early night for you :D

[redken1]

Well, I thought it was fantastic....after I thought it was going to be a flop at the start, I think it was so different you will either love it or hate it, but very different from anything done before. The really good part though is it starts 14 days of great sport starting with Cav tomorrow. I must make sure I have enough space left on the DDR :)

Gotta agree,

Really enjoyed it to my surprise. I think that might have been because my expectations weren't very high.

[Swanny]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYCRUK01tWw

[Conehead]

[ my expectations weren't very high.[/quote]

I love it, that made me chuckle ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Snowy]

[ my expectations weren't very high.

I love it, that made me chuckle ;D ;D ;D ;D [/quote]

C'mon, stop with the negative vibes.....we're always putting ourselves down, lets try and be positive and upbeat about our country for a change. We can forget about the politicians and bankers for a couple of weeks and join in our athletes dreams of success :)

[Mitch9128]

A German doing a nazi salute in the crowd, and a Rowan Atkinson sporting a Mcdonald's drink from his rucksack. I did like the NHS bit, particularly when lots of scary things stole some of beds I think they were representing the Tory party. Apart from that I could almost forget how much the corporate Olympics has cost us.

[Mitch9128]

And why are they playing The Clash, The Jam and the Sex Pistols. Surely Susan Boyle and Beyonce would be more fitting.

[DC]

A German doing a nazi salute in the crowd, and a Rowan Atkinson sporting a Mcdonald's drink from his rucksack. I did like the NHS bit, particularly when lots of scary things stole some of beds I think they were representing the Tory party. Apart from that I could almost forget how much the corporate Olympics has cost us.

Saw the Nazi Salute ,thought i had imagined it !!! :o

[Swanny]

I saw that too.
Why was the woman driving a German car?

[Conehead]

She didnt have time to get a licence for a real machine ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Conehead]

The birds look cool :)

[redken1]

[ my expectations weren't very high.

I love it, that made me chuckle ;D ;D ;D ;D

C'mon, stop with the negative vibes.....we're always putting ourselves down, lets try and be positive and upbeat about our country for a change. We can forget about the politicians and bankers for a couple of weeks and join in our athletes dreams of success :)
[/quote]

You are the only person who has mentioned bankers and politicians. I repeat, I really enjoyed it [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Geordie Stu]

Started off a bit slow. Wasn't keen on the countryside, but kicked off when the industrial revolution, fitting tribute to the NHS service & GOSH.
The the best bit music through the years, Eric Clapton, The Who, The Jam, David Bowie, Queen even enjoyed Dizzy ;D.
Did drag on towards the end. Let's hope for good games.

[cerruti]

Oldfatboy is crying this morning - hes watching the women's beach volleyball on the telly and he commented that the stadium was virtually empty.....

Bizarre really that we were unable to purchase tickets for this event ::)

[goz1960]

Thought it was very good and got better the longer it went on?.

[Snowy]

[ my expectations weren't very high.

I love it, that made me chuckle ;D ;D ;D ;D

C'mon, stop with the negative vibes.....we're always putting ourselves down, lets try and be positive and upbeat about our country for a change. We can forget about the politicians and bankers for a couple of weeks and join in our athletes dreams of success :)


You are the only person who has mentioned bankers and politicians. I repeat, I really enjoyed it [smiley=thumbsup.gif][/quote]

I know Ken, it was not aimed at you, I just wanted to inject some positivity into the thread as I just think it will be great for a change to have a couple of weeks of feeling the "Great" in Britain :)

[Loops]

I really liked it! I was worried they would do something really naff but it was a pretty amazing show to watch.

And I did like the choice of flame carriers to light the cauldron :) Much better than some celebrity (I was worried it would be David Beckham!)

[Maria]

I thought it started off rather slow,but really started to enjoy it towards the end.

[wiltshire builders]

And why are they playing The Clash, The Jam and the Sex Pistols. Surely Susan Boyle and Beyonce would be more fitting.
My friends dad William Price snr had to rework London Calling for the show and remove the anti establishment bits which is basically all the verses.

[Wes]

I did enjoy it, really well put together, all the work that's gone into the event really shone through, loved the music :)

[redken1]

[ my expectations weren't very high.

I love it, that made me chuckle ;D ;D ;D ;D

C'mon, stop with the negative vibes.....we're always putting ourselves down, lets try and be positive and upbeat about our country for a change. We can forget about the politicians and bankers for a couple of weeks and join in our athletes dreams of success :)


You are the only person who has mentioned bankers and politicians. I repeat, I really enjoyed it [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

I know Ken, it was not aimed at you, I just wanted to inject some positivity into the thread as I just think it will be great for a change to have a couple of weeks of feeling the "Great" in Britain :)[/quote]


8-) 8-) 8-) Graeme. Got a feeling we could do well in the medals. The athletes you expect to do well don't always perform on the day and others surprise you. I like the multi events like the decathlon and the relays. Not really into 100 meters - open my beer and I've missed it. ;D

[Rabb]

For the first 10-15 minutes I thought OMG - what the he'll are we trying to tell the world about us & our country? Then came the chimneys - it was really good from there onwards.
Excellent job Danny Boyle !
I especially liked the queens role (she has got a sense of humour)

[redken1]

Did anyone notice the mystery woman in the red top walking along and waving in the stadium with the Indian team? Indian officials are really upset apparently. Get a life - I p*ssed myself laughing. Magic! ;D ;D ;D

[Kevinb]

The first hour was ok but once they went past the 70's and the British music I lost interest and turned over. Promoting the NHS was a good way of getting even more foreigners into the country. The woman driving the MINI was an insult to British industry (should have had a Nissan built in Sunderland or a Honda from Swindon) ;D

What insulted me the most was telling us what was happening in French before they told us in English.

Roll on four weeks time when it's all over when the only people that will benefit from it are the ones living in London with all the facilities the countries tax payers have bought for them. >:(

[cerruti]

Twas ok until Macca came on...

Some people should have been shot at birth imo :o

[Mitch9128]

Twas ok until Macca came on...

Some people should have been shot at birth imo :o

It was at that point i ambled off, he is an utter ****.

[redken1]

And what a remarkable 82 year old woman our majesty is parachuting in to the stadium with James Bond. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Her doggies seemed to get on well with 007 too - he must be a corgi registered agent. ;)

[redken1]

The lovely old bird was probably nervous about jumping out of the copter in case the troops on top of the flats shot her down. a risky mission - they don't call Bond in for nowt you know.

[Wes]

Yes she looked a little nonplussed, but fair play for taking part, i thought it was going to be a looky like :o as for macca..... ::)

[BB]

Fair play to Queenie for sitting through all that at her age!

BB

[goz1960]

Am I the only person fed up with this already?.

[Dan505]

Am I the only person fed up with this already?.
Yeah, probably. I'm no great fan of the Olympics but still have enough pride to support the 'home' team. We rarely do well but fair play to them getting this far in their athletic career :)

[SupeRDel]

Fair play to Queenie for sitting through all that at her age!

BB

You would think they would cut to shots of her when she was smiling though. One shot showed her looking miserable and picking her nails.

The empty seats is peeing me off. I have been trying to get tickets for months - then I see all those empty seats.

I just wanted basic tickets just to say I have been to the olympic parks and an event

[Col]

But you ain't 'Accredited' Del ---whatever that means as never heard that ever before ;D ;D

'lordy'coe says he's on the case and they sold 1000 seats today :D

Gotta say I'm getting 'into it' --won't be going tho' :)

[Dan505]

probably a lot of corporate 'buy outs' of the seats but no buggars going :-/

[Gerry]

But you ain't 'Accredited' Del ---whatever that means as never heard that ever before ;D ;D
'lordy'coe says he's on the case and they sold 1000 seats today :D
Gotta say I'm getting 'into it' --won't be going tho' :)

When I went last week (fencing test competition) there were 16 of us in it and nine could not get through security as their accreditation was not in place.
That was despite us all filing in loads of forms over a month ago. It took us over an hour to get through security !

In the end they called them "contractors" and checked them in anyway lol.

The place (ExCel Centre) was brilliant though, really looked good, and there were just hundreds of volunteers.

I was hoping to get "frisked" by a Gurkha-ette, but sadly it wasn't to be, although there was lots of fun when we stuck our kit bags through the XRay machines and it showed them stuffed with swords lol, the poor guys in charge of it didn't know if they should call security or not ;D

G

[goz1960]

probably a lot of corporate 'buy outs' of the seats but no buggars going :-/

Or could be they feel the same as me (bored of watching our second rate athletes :( :(

[goz1960]

There we go another flop this time in the diving.

[Swanny]

I don't have a tele connected so can't watch it even if I wanted to :P

[goz1960]

I don't have a tele connected so can't watch it even if I wanted to :P


Trust me you are not missing much.

[redken1]

probably a lot of corporate 'buy outs' of the seats but no buggars going :-/

Or could be they feel the same as me (bored of watching our second rate athletes :( :(


Certainly wouldn’t call our athletes second rate – I think we usually do brilliantly considering the size of our country.

[Geordie Stu]

Mens Gymnastics team get 3rd. Last time we won a medal in Gymnastics was 100 years ago. Well done lads [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Snowy]

Mens Gymnastics team get 3rd. Last time we won a medal in Gymnastics was 100 years ago. Well done lads [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Yep, brilliant - well done Team GB :)

[Snowy]

I don't have a tele connected so can't watch it even if I wanted to :P


Trust me you are not missing much.

Never trust anyone that say's "Trust me". Why don't you switch to another channel....I'm sure Emmerdale must still be on.

[Beamer]

I have to say, although Im not into the Olympics much (apart from the diving and syncronised swimming) the bits I have seen have been pretty good.
The womens cycle racing made me feel quite proud especially when there were spectators all along the route cheering them on even though it was peeing down.
No matter how 'rubbish' people think our sports people are I give them credit for getting out there and giving it a go......particularly as 90% of our athletes dont get half the funding other countries do.........my motto is....'Don't knock it until you have tried it'
Its all very well us lot sat in our armchairs saying how pants we are, they are out there giving it their best and deserve our support don't you think ??

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[Snowy]

I have to say, although Im not into the Olympics much (apart from the diving and syncronised swimming) the bits I have seen have been pretty good.
The womens cycle racing made me feel quite proud especially when there were spectators all along the route cheering them on even though it was peeing down.
No matter how 'rubbish' people think our sports people are I give them credit for getting out there and giving it a go......particularly as 90% of our athletes dont get half the funding other countries do.........my motto is....'Don't knock it until you have tried it'
Its all very well us lot sat in our armchairs saying how pants we are, they are out there giving it their best and deserve our support don't you think ??

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

I couldn't agree more Tina. These athlete's put years and years into their event and it can all be over in seconds. Don't forget the sacrifices their families have made either. For me its not about the money or the politics, its about the years of hard graft that gets done before most of us have woken up the morning. Day in, day out come rain or shine. I wish the doomers and gloomers would give it a rest for a couple of weeks so the rest of us who have some empathy with whats happening can enjoy the moment. C'mon Team GB!

[goz1960]

I don't have a tele connected so can't watch it even if I wanted to :P


Trust me you are not missing much.

Never trust anyone that say's "Trust me". Why don't you switch to another channel....I'm sure Emmerdale must still be on.



The T/V in my house also has an off button.

[goz1960]

Mens Gymnastics team get 3rd. Last time we won a medal in Gymnastics was 100 years ago. Well done lads [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Yep, brilliant - well done Team GB :)


Mens WHAT? really. :o

[Col]

OK I bet none of us have heard of her but Kate Walsh our womens [obviously ::) ] hockey Captain and team member for well over a decade got a bust jaw in the teams 4-0 thrashing of Japan and another of OUR team got stretchered off -Helen Richardson with knee injury

Kate is even thought to be returning to lead the team in next match

Yeah Go Kate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/19046505

[SupeRDel]

I have to say, although Im not into the Olympics much (apart from the diving and syncronised swimming) the bits I have seen have been pretty good.
The womens cycle racing made me feel quite proud especially when there were spectators all along the route cheering them on even though it was peeing down.
No matter how 'rubbish' people think our sports people are I give them credit for getting out there and giving it a go......particularly as 90% of our athletes dont get half the funding other countries do.........my motto is....'Don't knock it until you have tried it'
Its all very well us lot sat in our armchairs saying how pants we are, they are out there giving it their best and deserve our support don't you think ??

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

I couldn't agree more Tina. These athlete's put years and years into their event and it can all be over in seconds. Don't forget the sacrifices their families have made either. For me its not about the money or the politics, its about the years of hard graft that gets done before most of us have woken up the morning. Day in, day out come rain or shine. I wish the doomers and gloomers would give it a rest for a couple of weeks so the rest of us who have some empathy with whats happening can enjoy the moment. C'mon Team GB!


You forgot to add that none of the athletes are benifit scroungers. Something like this shows the world that we are one of the best countries in the world

[DaytonaDog]

Mens Gymnastics team get 3rd. Last time we won a medal in Gymnastics was 100 years ago. Well done lads [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Yep, brilliant - well done Team GB :)


Mens WHAT? really. :o

Have you watched mens gymnastics. The strength and power, combined with skill required to pull off some of the moves is something else. Considering how crap we used to be at the gymnastics to get a bronze (should have been silver but for Japan complaining), is an excellent achievement, beating Russia and USA in the process, too much bigger countries which much greater resources.

I could make a list of GB athletes that are certainly not second rate or flops, but for now I'll just mention Sir Steve Redgrave, a five time olympic gold medal winner.

I'm certainly proud of our athletes, even those who haven't one medals, as too even get to the Olympics is a fantastic achievement.

[KP]

Everyone as an oppinion towards the Olympics ,I'm not keen and don't watch it, but you won't find me running them down on a forum, half the people who slag them off, probably get out of breath getting off the sofa ::)

[Gerry]

Seems you are in a minority of one Goz ;)

I love the Olympics and love the thought that there thousands of humans out there who sacrifice almost everything, many for years, not for money, power or wealth, but for the chance to represent their Country at the Olympics and push the boundaries of what's possible for us (humans) to do.

I think we are all somehow better because of people like them.

Re GB, last Olympics the top five Countries in the World were:

USA with 110 medals - population 314 million
China with 100 medals - population 1347 million
Russia with 73 medals - population 143 million
UK with 47 medals - population 59 million
Germany with 41 medals - population 82 million

Proud to be British ? - too right I am [smiley=thumbup.gif]

:)

[Col]

The Gymnasts won in the European Championships recently too..great athletes and the first time a British team had ever won plus the Women achieved a 4th with a very young team :)

Wow just seen Zoe Smith break British record 121kg in clean/jerk weight lift [58kg class] ... finished 12th ..Chinese gold with astounding lift 138kg :o

Nearly a podium finish for the diving pair Waterfield/Daley too 8-)

[Swanny]

I have to say, although Im not into the Olympics much (apart from the diving and syncronised swimming) the bits I have seen have been pretty good.
The womens cycle racing made me feel quite proud especially when there were spectators all along the route cheering them on even though it was peeing down.
No matter how 'rubbish' people think our sports people are I give them credit for getting out there and giving it a go......particularly as 90% of our athletes dont get half the funding other countries do.........my motto is....'Don't knock it until you have tried it'
Its all very well us lot sat in our armchairs saying how pants we are, they are out there giving it their best and deserve our support don't you think ??

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

I couldn't agree more Tina. These athlete's put years and years into their event and it can all be over in seconds. Don't forget the sacrifices their families have made either. For me its not about the money or the politics, its about the years of hard graft that gets done before most of us have woken up the morning. Day in, day out come rain or shine. I wish the doomers and gloomers would give it a rest for a couple of weeks so the rest of us who have some empathy with whats happening can enjoy the moment. C'mon Team GB!


You forgot to add that none of the athletes are benifit scroungers. Something like this shows the world that we are one of the best countries in the world



It's a shame that benefit scrounging isn't an olympic sport, we'd get gold, silver and bronze in that no problem :)

[Dan505]

probably a lot of corporate 'buy outs' of the seats but no buggars going :-/

Or could be they feel the same as me (bored of watching our second rate athletes :( :(

better athletes than i'll ever be, i get bored watching politic shows......so i don't do it

[Beamer]

"It's a shame that benefit scrounging isn't an olympic sport, we'd get gold, silver and bronze in that no problem"



LMAO.....Speak for yourself Swanny !! :P :P :P :P :P :P

Thats like saying all bikers are big hairy thugs.........typical stereotyping as per usual !! ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)

[Swanny]

Thats like saying all bikers are big hairy thugs.........typical stereotyping as per usual !! ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Not really :)
But it's a fact that this country is full of lazy buggers that do nothing except sign on and watch trash tele like Jeremy Kyle for most of the day with no intention of ever even looking for a job. It would do them good to fill their days with something more purposeful :)

[Snowy]

Thats like saying all bikers are big hairy thugs.........typical stereotyping as per usual !! ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Not really :)
But it's a fact that this country is full of lazy buggers that do nothing except sign on and watch trash tele like Jeremy Kyle for most of the day with no intention of ever even looking for a job. It would do them good to fill their days with something more purposeful :)

Maybe they should all get on their bikes a la Wiggins et al, to go look for a job....Tebbit was so ahead of his time ;D ;D

Oops, did I just bring politics into it? Shame on me ;)

[Swanny]

They should do something with their lives. The clock is ticking, if they are not careful life will have passed them by.

[DaytonaDog]

Seems you are in a minority of one Goz ;)

I love the Olympics and love the thought that there thousands of humans out there who sacrifice almost everything, many for years, not for money, power or wealth, but for the chance to represent their Country at the Olympics and push the boundaries of what's possible for us (humans) to do.

I think we are all somehow better because of people like them.

Re GB, last Olympics the top five Countries in the World were:

USA with 110 medals - population 314 million
China with 100 medals - population 1347 million
Russia with 73 medals - population 143 million
UK with 47 medals - population 59 million
Germany with 41 medals - population 82 million

Proud to be British ? - too right I am [smiley=thumbup.gif]

:)






Gerry, once again you are spot on and total agree with you 100 per cent.

Come on Team GB!!!!!!

[redken1]

Sorry in advance Graeme, It was my intention to keep my rose-tinted glasses on during the games and pretend all the roses in the garden are rosy. IMHO however, there are too many people trying to portray these games as the working class kid who sacrificed everything for four years and came good.

I don’t wish to undermine our athletes, merely redress the balance with the aim of achieving a sense of perspective. “Benefit scroungers”? Why would the GB team Olympic athletes who earn in a week what I earn in six years need to scrounge benefits?

It’s too simplistic to look at a medal table and conclude that the countries with the biggest haul are necessarily the best sporting nations. It is not a level playing field for all the competitors from around the world. The top countries (richest too) in the main, provide their athletes with some of the best training facilities in the world to prepare for the games. Although I do not have figures to hand, I would not be surprised if the UK spent more (sponsorship, lottery and public funding) on our athletes and sporting facilities than the whole of the African continent with the exception of SA perhaps.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t get behind our athletes, but let’s stop kidding ourselves that these are not corporate games and all the competitors are amateur sports men/women.

[Beamer]

Much better getting behind a load of footballers eh Ken ?? But lets not talk about their wages and benefits.....a whole different story :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[redken1]

I'm very happy to talk about footballers' wages including those representing us in the Olympics. Tina I am 100 per cent against the obscene wages footballers receive ( nearly said earnt). I don't care what the sport is - no one should be getting that kind of money. :-*

[Snowy]

Sorry in advance Graeme, It was my intention to keep my rose-tinted glasses on during the games and pretend all the roses in the garden are rosy. IMHO however, there are too many people trying to portray these games as the working class kid who sacrificed everything for four years and came good.

I don’t wish to undermine our athletes, merely redress the balance with the aim of achieving a sense of perspective. “Benefit scroungers”? Why would the GB team Olympic athletes who earn in a week what I earn in six years need to scrounge benefits?

It’s too simplistic to look at a medal table and conclude that the countries with the biggest haul are necessarily the best sporting nations. It is not a level playing field for all the competitors from around the world. The top countries (richest too) in the main, provide their athletes with some of the best training facilities in the world to prepare for the games. Although I do not have figures to hand, I would not be surprised if the UK spent more (sponsorship, lottery and public funding) on our athletes and sporting facilities than the whole of the African continent with the exception of SA perhaps.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t get behind our athletes, but let’s stop kidding ourselves that these are not corporate games and all the competitors are amateur sports men/women.



I would certainly agree that the amateur ideal of the Olympics has long gone, but if you strip away some obvious sports such as football and tennis, the athletes do not earn obscene amounts of money. And why shouldn't they earn what they have worked hard for?

If I was making the decisions I wouldn't have football or tennis in the games, not only for that reason, but in these sports, the Olympics are not at the pinnacle of their profession. However, in the rowing, swimming, track & field etc, the Olympics are the highest any athlete can aspire to, and if some of them earn a lot of money afterwards having reached the top of the profession then I don't mind one tiny bit.

[redken1]

Let’s just hope that the lure of big bucks doesn’t prove to be too much of a temptation for some athletes, like in the past.

[redken1]

"You forgot to add that none of the athletes are benifit scroungers. Something like this shows the world that we are one of the best countries in the world"



:-X :-X :-X

[goz1960]

Every one is welcome to there opinion, someone said that they do all the training etc. to represent there country. The days of them being amateur are long since gone in fact if they are any good they can earn a fortune.
So lets not get carried away in the thought that they do it for nothing more than representing there country. ;) ;)

[Mitch9128]

The IOC need to quickly introduce two new medals for 4th and 5th place, so Team GB dont come away looking like a bunch of complete amateurs.

[wiltshire builders]

I've never understood the "amateur" status. If you earn your living from the sport you play then you are a professional.
Why can Tennis, football and cyclists be pros yet not in boxing?
Shaun White wins the snowboard gold every year in the winter games and is the highest paid snowboarder in the world.

And another thing. All this corporate bollox is getting on my nerves.
A friend owns a couple of Subway franchises and even though they're a sponsor, they're not allowed to advertise any conection to the Olympics a week before, during or after the games.
Why? Because McDonalds and Budweiser have paid for that privilege.
We've all heard about the bagel shop threatened with court action for making a display in the shape of the olypic logo.

The athletes deserve nothing but respect. Everyone else can f*ck off.

[redken1]

Not much change since this "Toffs and Toughs" was taken at Harrow 75 years ago.

Looks like footy is the game for the 'Toughs' and the Olympics for the 'Toffs'.
Half of Great Britain's medals came from just 7% of the population who are privately educated.
In contrast, the balance of professional football is that around 7% of players come from the private sector, which is an absolute mirror image of society.

[redken1]

And that imbalance could rise by the next Olympics if the government continue down the path of selling-off our school sports facilities to private developers. >:( >:( >:(

Ministers have approved proposals to sell off a London school's playing fields, including six tennis courts and a football pitch, despite mounting criticism of the coalition's planning for an Olympic legacy.

The land at Elliott school in Putney, south London, is being sold off to pay for a major refurbishment. It brings the number of school playing field sell-offs approved by the coalition to 22.

[pilninggas]

Not much change since this "Toffs and Toughs" was taken at Harrow 75 years ago.

Looks like footy is the game for the 'Toughs' and the Olympics for the 'Toffs'.
Half of Great Britain's medals came from just 7% of the population who are privately educated.
In contrast, the balance of professional football is that around 7% of players come from the private sector, which is an absolute mirror image of society.
Ken, look at this way - the Wayne Rooneys and Rio Ferdinands of this world will earn 10,000x more than their rich-by-birth, privately educated medal winning rivals.

Personally I don't care, one of my mates teaches sailing - his parents were solid middle-class, but he teaches working and non-working class boys. They may well be the olympians of 2020, who knows.

[camera.op76]

Thats like saying all bikers are big hairy thugs.........typical stereotyping as per usual !! ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Not really :)
But it's a fact that this country is full of lazy buggers that do nothing except sign on and watch trash tele like Jeremy Kyle for most of the day with no intention of ever even looking for a job. It would do them good to fill their days with something more purposeful :)


Keep them docile... :o

[Swanny]

Thats like saying all bikers are big hairy thugs.........typical stereotyping as per usual !! ::) ::) ::) ::) ::)
Not really :)
But it's a fact that this country is full of lazy buggers that do nothing except sign on and watch trash tele like Jeremy Kyle for most of the day with no intention of ever even looking for a job. It would do them good to fill their days with something more purposeful :)


Keep them docile... :o

Yep fluoride and television programming ;)

[redken1]

Chairman of the British Olympic Association Lord Moynihan called for an urgent overhaul of school sport policy, saying private school dominance of sports was "wholly unacceptable".

Here!, Here! And this chap is a former Tory cabinet minister.

[Beamer]

And on breakfast tv they said that they are going to stop compulsory P.E. in schools ???????

[camera.op76]

Chairman of the British Olympic Association Lord Moynihan called for an urgent overhaul of school sport policy, saying private school dominance of sports was "wholly unacceptable".

Here!, Here! And this chap is a former Tory cabinet minister.


More lies!