And lo, the 2008 Olympic games begin

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2008-08-08 08:04am

Well, the opening ceremony anyway, heh. The fire works were pretty nifty, as was the epilepsy inducing light show. The Beeb are going OTT as always, but such is life, eh?

No doubt team GB will suck as always, but we can always hope to get more than the Ozzies

(Never going to happen)

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2008-08-08 08:08am

Pretty.

I can only catch the first forty minutes or so, but so far it's looking very Olympic: flashy, over-the-top and terminally silly.

loomer · Post by **loomer** » 2008-08-08 08:54am

IT IS PRETTY IN THE EXTREME

Also, that little Chinese girl is a hundred times better than Nikki fucking Webster.
EDIT:
I'm watching in Hi Def on a big TV. It is pleasing.

Buddha · Post by **Buddha** » 2008-08-08 09:35am

I couldn't care less about the Olympics and all that stuff. This isn't a good year to host them in China with the recent events and all. China is playing dirty and lying about athlete ages and how hard they drive them to get gold. Then there is Tibet...

The Grim Squeaker · Post by **The Grim Squeaker** » 2008-08-08 09:42am

Heh, the Israeli Judo and one of the swimmers and volleyball player (3 girls, one guy) were in my class. Nice to see they kept it up

Post by **Gandalf** » 2008-08-08 10:03am

I missed the opening bit, I just enjoy which countries are wearing what. Anything interesting from the "show" should be on the news later.

For this olympics, I'll be supporting Georgia.

tim31 · Post by **tim31** » 2008-08-08 11:33am

Nice golfing threads, USA

Pezzoni · Post by **Pezzoni** » 2008-08-08 11:53am

That was pretty incredible: although the parts where China alluded to their environmental and friendliness political inclusiveness were pretty sickening.

Anyone else getting up at 6:30 to watch rowing tomorrow?

Pollux · Post by **Pollux** » 2008-08-08 12:03pm

Graah. I missed it.

Post by **Broomstick** » 2008-08-08 12:40pm

The US TV stations will be showing the opening ceremonies this evening in their entirety. NBC, I think, said it will start at 7:30 Eastern/6:30 Central - those west of those time zones will have to look up their broadcast times. This is good, because I enjoy the opening ceremonies but I also have to work and run errands and do stuff today. Darn 12 hour time difference!

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2008-08-08 01:02pm

Be warned: It's 2 hours, 30 minutes long.

And there's no time for toilet breaks!

Post by **Broomstick** » 2008-08-08 01:25pm

I've seen the Olympic opening ceremonies close to 10 times in my life that I remember, I know the drill - pee before ceremonies start, have munchies and drink at hand, get comfy and settle in for awhile.

ray245 · Post by **ray245** » 2008-08-08 01:36pm

Buddha wrote:I couldn't care less about the Olympics and all that stuff. This isn't a good year to host them in China with the recent events and all. China is playing dirty and lying about athlete ages and how hard they drive them to get gold. Then there is Tibet...

Please, which country is totally clean in the stuff they do? We might as well don't host the olympics then...although if the US host the olympics in 2008...I don't think anyone would care about the Iraq war being an issue.

Just focus on the games themselves, and the event ceremony.

Although the olympics is never that fun compared to the world cup.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2008-08-08 02:08pm

Broomstick wrote:I've seen the Olympic opening ceremonies close to 10 times in my life that I remember, I know the drill - pee before ceremonies start, have munchies and drink at hand, get comfy and settle in for awhile.

Tivo for the win.

hongi · Post by **hongi** » 2008-08-08 02:33pm

ray245 wrote:
Buddha wrote:I couldn't care less about the Olympics and all that stuff. This isn't a good year to host them in China with the recent events and all. China is playing dirty and lying about athlete ages and how hard they drive them to get gold. Then there is Tibet...
Please, which country is totally clean in the stuff they do?

China's human rights record is atrocious though. I don't think anyone's asking for Norway to be recreated in the hosting country, but there has to be a certain limit beyond which countries are not rewarded with the 'gift' of the Olympics.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2008-08-08 03:05pm

Buddha wrote:I couldn't care less about the Olympics and all that stuff. This isn't a good year to host them in China with the recent events and all. China is playing dirty and lying about athlete ages and how hard they drive them to get gold. Then there is Tibet...

Do you have proof for these serious allegations? And please don't bring up some stupid website with dubious sources.

hongi wrote: China's human rights record is atrocious though. I don't think anyone's asking for Norway to be recreated in the hosting country, but there has to be a certain limit beyond which countries are not rewarded with the 'gift' of the Olympics.

This may sound petty but the Olympics has been given to nations with dubious human rights track record. Australia is hardly a saint in that regards, at least until the new PM actually apologised for the racist policies. Let's not even forget America's often dubious record on that as well, what with all the communist witch hunts and all over the last few decades.

Buddha · Post by **Buddha** » 2008-08-08 03:22pm

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Do you have proof for these serious allegations? And please don't bring up some stupid website with dubious sources.

It is all over the news and in the BBC News as well. Is that good enough for you? Do a Google search and see for yourself what the Chinese are doing. Don't think I made this up because of any "bias".

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-08-08 03:47pm

Yeah, two of China's gymnasts' dates of birth mysteriously jumped back in time two years within the last few months.

They're 'officially' 16, but I've seen the pics, and even for underfed asian girls they look young.

TC Pilot · Post by **TC Pilot** » 2008-08-08 09:49pm

I just saw the end of the opening ceremony. That giant globe thingy looked neat, and the fireworks were impressively huge. But I was very dissapointed that no misfires, explosions, or other catastrophes seemed to occur.

Maybe it's just me, but I really want China to fail hard with these Olympics.

Resinence · Post by **Resinence** » 2008-08-08 09:55pm

TC Pilot wrote:Maybe it's just me, but I really want China to fail hard with these Olympics.

Maybe it's just me

but I think your an asshole for wanting people to fail at something and expecting people to die in fireworks explosions.

Prick.

TC Pilot · Post by **TC Pilot** » 2008-08-08 10:06pm

Resinence wrote:Maybe it's just me but I think your an asshole for wanting people to fail at something

It's an athletic competition. Failure by one side or another is mandatory.

Far better that failure be heaped on a government that drapes its city in a polluted smog, apparently forces children to compete, blatantly censors media, etcetra etcetra etcetra.

expecting people to die in fireworks explosions.

Hey, if you want to assume people have to die for China to be humiliated, go right ahead.

Fire Fly · Post by **Fire Fly** » 2008-08-08 10:10pm

Is there somewhere online where I can watch the opening ceremony? Sucks to not have a tv right now.

AniThyng · Post by **AniThyng** » 2008-08-08 10:32pm

TC Pilot wrote:
Resinence wrote:Maybe it's just me but I think your an asshole for wanting people to fail at something
It's an athletic competition. Failure by one side or another is mandatory.

Far better that failure be heaped on a government that drapes its city in a polluted smog, apparently forces children to compete, blatantly censors media, etcetra etcetra etcetra.

expecting people to die in fireworks explosions.
Hey, if you want to assume people have to die for China to be humiliated, go right ahead.

You're the one who talked about "misfires, explosions or other catastrophes". And get a grip, millions of ordinary Chinese are putting thier pride on the line for this, regardless of how evil or manipulative thier government is, would you deny them this?

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2008-08-08 10:50pm

Fire Fly wrote:Is there somewhere online where I can watch the opening ceremony? Sucks to not have a tv right now.

Hope you get to, because the opening ceremonies were spectacular.

Fingolfin_Noldor · Post by **Fingolfin_Noldor** » 2008-08-08 11:27pm

Buddha wrote:
Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Do you have proof for these serious allegations? And please don't bring up some stupid website with dubious sources.
It is all over the news and in the BBC News as well. Is that good enough for you? Do a Google search and see for yourself what the Chinese are doing. Don't think I made this up because of any "bias".

Well, the trouble would be, that I don't expect Russia or the US to stay quiet over such blatant cheating. Unless everyone is doing it (big surprise), why hasn't it been thrown the IOC?