Thread: Olympics '08 - the Saddo thread

I have to admit that I love the Olympics. Absolutely love them. I can watch just about any sport, if Olympic medals are on the line (especially if there is a Danish contender).

So with the Beijing Olympics less than 4 weeks away, I take it on my shoulders to create the official Saddo Olympics '08 thread. I'm planning to make a boxing-related thread on the main board, but I kinda would like to do a bit of research on that one (high standards, but it's the main board and all), whereas this omnibusthread is merely a teaser.

Anyway, how are you great guys and gals feeling about this one? What are you looking forward to?

The 100 m has already been discussed here, and I guess some people are into the tennis competetion as well. Bilbo, I presume, is looking forward to the table tennis competition that the Chinese will most likely steamroll their way through (here's hoping Michael Maze can bring a medal back home again).

I'll start out with football. I know the level of play is better in other places (hell, probably even in your standard PL game), but any international competition in football, and I'm game. Some preliminary squads can be found here: Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's team squads - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A few words on the squads (squads are to be in before July 23rd, I might update this post later):

Argentina, amazing last time round, looks good again: Gago, Riquelme, Mascherano, Messi.

Brazil really guns for that gold medal, they've yet to win: Ronaldinho (if allowes), Robinho, Diego (Best player in the Bundesliga), Anderson (Man utd) and Pato (Milan).

Italy, love 'em or hate 'em, brings a squad in which I recognise a total of one player, Giuseppe Rossi, and he didn't quite make the cut in Man Utd anyway. Supposedly did well in Villareal though.

Beside those three football superpowers, watch out for Netherlands, Cote d'Ivoire, Serbia, Nigeria and Camoroun. Also expect Lyle to join in with a word or two on the USA-squad, but please dont hold you breath waiting for an American medal here...

Oh, and for the record: The football matches start on August 6th - four weeks from yesterday. The opening ceremony for the Olympics is August 8th - four weeks from tomorrow. The final will be played August 23rd, the day before the closing ceremony.

I'll admit that I enjoy the olympics as well.... Ever since I can first remember watching it, I was glued to it as a kid, and yeah.. It's great competition..

Weightlifting is one of my favourite events to watch, however they don't show much of it at all these days..

I also don't mind watching the gymnastics like, the rings and those double bards where they swing around..

Pretty much all of it is cool..

The Brit boxing team will win a good few medals (some gold),superb team of fighters going over so watch out for them.
Also the BMX event should be pretty cool with the UK sending over the World Champ (some half cast girl) to compete.

Lookin for at least one medal from the Irish Boxing Squad.

After a brace of golds at the Euro finals, we should come back with something!

Still plan to create a separate (and somewhat educated) thread about boxing, but here goes.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Lookin for at least one medal from the Irish Boxing Squad.

After a brace of golds at the Euro finals, we should come back with something!

The gold medals were in the European Union championship, right? I think, this makes a difference, as Eastern European boxers, sight unseen, tend to do pretty well in amateur competition. Anyway, out of the 5 Irish boxers competing, who do you fancy?

If these rankings Mens World are anything to go by, an Irish medal should be considered an upset btw.

How do you see Ireland doing in other sports? I guess, it's fair to say that the country rarely dominates the Olympics, right? Funny, since it is one of those countries, I somehow associate with 'always being good at sport'. I do remember Michelle Smith though.

Originally Posted by Mikkel_K

Still plan to create a separate (and somewhat educated) thread about boxing, but here goes.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Lookin for at least one medal from the Irish Boxing Squad.

After a brace of golds at the Euro finals, we should come back with something!

The gold medals were in the European Union championship, right? I think, this makes a difference, as Eastern European boxers, sight unseen, tend to do pretty well in amateur competition. Anyway, out of the 5 Irish boxers competing, who do you fancy?

If these rankings Mens World are anything to go by, an Irish medal should be considered an upset btw.

How do you see Ireland doing in other sports? I guess, it's fair to say that the country rarely dominates the Olympics, right? Funny, since it is one of those countries, I somehow associate with 'always being good at sport'. I do remember Michelle Smith though.

Ireland never dominate, we're too small.

Of the boxers....Sutherland is seen as the biggest hope.
However, I'd imagine Nevin/Joyce/Barnes would win a medal before either Sutherland or Egan.

In the other sports, we've got a contendeer for the womens shot put, but not very much else to be quite honest.

Our rowing team is screwed becuase of shady management.

I love the Olympics. I find myself watching gymnastics and thinking why are you watching gymnastics. But its the Olympics, its like gymnastics actually matters.

Who are the boxers on the USA team?

Raushee Warren is probably the most talented on the US team, but the best chance for gold is Demetrius Andrade imo. Though Warren caught a big break being a division above Zou Shiming who at this point is pretty close to a lock for gold. Not sure who the main competition is now since he moved up in weight.

Andrade won the world championships at welterweight, fairly easily he beat a Thai opponent in the finals who at the time was 1 in the world and he pretty well handled him.

Gary Russel Jr., Raynell Williams, Javier Molina, Sadam Ali round out the squad and there are a couple other's who's names I forget.

Looking forward to Andrade, he's always looking for an opportunity to excite.

I love the Olympics....

Love them try to watch all the televised events.

Our countries boxing system and sport(other then hockey) is so terrible and poor I don't forsee us making any kind of impression in boxing. At one time the city I lived in was a hotbed for boxing and produced many of the nations best boxers who competed regularly and well internationally. Due to a lack of funding it all but totally died. Only came back some 6-7 years ago raised by the hopes of a few older local boxers, who cared to get back in shape and maybe keep some kids off the street in a city now plagued with crime.

It has to be run as a non-profit organization just to survive, and say out of that there are some fighters like myself who happen to have a bit of ability and a dream at going to higher places with it...well there is zero support from city, from province, and from country in getting there. We raise every bit of money ourselves, and often cannot afford to travel to major tournaments, or have the expenses to put shows on to get the experience and fights we need here. This goes for many of our sports in our country.

It's embarrassing that a country of our standing economically has such little pride in its athletes that Olympic athletes going to Bejing are going door to door with their friends and families, raising money so they can actually do the trip. That private donation boxes are set up at cash registers for the citizens to contribute to 'keep the dream alive'.

Those athletes from our country that do get there, they overcame some serious odds making it through a broken system with next to no help from our government.

I love Canada, but a giant sized FU to our government for how it treats its athletes.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Originally Posted by Mikkel_K

Still plan to create a separate (and somewhat educated) thread about boxing, but here goes.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Lookin for at least one medal from the Irish Boxing Squad.

After a brace of golds at the Euro finals, we should come back with something!

The gold medals were in the European Union championship, right? I think, this makes a difference, as Eastern European boxers, sight unseen, tend to do pretty well in amateur competition. Anyway, out of the 5 Irish boxers competing, who do you fancy?

If these rankings Mens World are anything to go by, an Irish medal should be considered an upset btw.

How do you see Ireland doing in other sports? I guess, it's fair to say that the country rarely dominates the Olympics, right? Funny, since it is one of those countries, I somehow associate with 'always being good at sport'. I do remember Michelle Smith though.

Ireland never dominate, we're too small.

Of the boxers....Sutherland is seen as the biggest hope.
However, I'd imagine Nevin/Joyce/Barnes would win a medal before either Sutherland or Egan.

In the other sports, we've got a contendeer for the womens shot put, but not very much else to be quite honest.

Our rowing team is screwed becuase of shady management.

yeah I think Joyce might go far at the games, not sure about Sutherland seen him a couple of times and wasn't 2 impressed.

I really like Olympics , in this event you can reach great goals and is good for create your resume boxing , when you jump to Pro .........

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Originally Posted by Mikkel_K

Still plan to create a separate (and somewhat educated) thread about boxing, but here goes.

Originally Posted by hitmandonny

Lookin for at least one medal from the Irish Boxing Squad.

After a brace of golds at the Euro finals, we should come back with something!

The gold medals were in the European Union championship, right? I think, this makes a difference, as Eastern European boxers, sight unseen, tend to do pretty well in amateur competition. Anyway, out of the 5 Irish boxers competing, who do you fancy?

If these rankings Mens World are anything to go by, an Irish medal should be considered an upset btw.

How do you see Ireland doing in other sports? I guess, it's fair to say that the country rarely dominates the Olympics, right? Funny, since it is one of those countries, I somehow associate with 'always being good at sport'. I do remember Michelle Smith though.

Ireland never dominate, we're too small.

Of the boxers....Sutherland is seen as the biggest hope.
However, I'd imagine Nevin/Joyce/Barnes would win a medal before either Sutherland or Egan.

In the other sports, we've got a contendeer for the womens shot put, but not very much else to be quite honest.

Our rowing team is screwed becuase of shady management.

see thats why you fucked yourselves over

the northern part of ireland gets to celebrate an endless medal hall every single games, you on the other hand have to hope sonia o`sullivan runs the race of her life

Bradley Price to take gold in the super heavyweight with frankie gavin taking silver and billy jo saunders to get a bronze!!