Olympics 2016

[Bunnylump]

So, are we all transfixed? Or bored senseless?

Must admit I'm hoping to see Max Whitlock in the gymnastics - he went to my kids' school. I don't really like sport at all, but there is something mesmerising about the male gymnastics. It's hard to believe I'm witnessing what their bodies are doing!

[Scurra]

One of the few sports I do enjoy getting the chance to watch at the Olympics is table tennis, which doesn't generally get much coverage the rest of the time but is surprisingly watchable, especially when there's no actual commentary so you can just watch them play. I still have no idea why squash isn't an Olympic sport; they are both very accessible to spectators without needing masses of sophisticated background knowledge to understand (unlike, say, horse dancing dressage.)

[maisie ladybird]

(unlike, say, horse dancing dressage.)

In our house, it's horse prancing.

[LAT]

Oh I'm enjoying most of it. I agree the men's gymnastics is very impressive. The synchro diving earlier was pretty good as well.

Hoping the women do well at the hockey as Alex Danson went to the same school as my two. Her younger sister was in L's class.

Of course the real stuff starts at the weekend when the athletics gets under way.

[Bunnylump]

I agree about the horse prancing.

It's a good point about squash, though! I wonder why that is?

Now funnily enough, I prefer the gymnastics to all the running / throwing stuff!

[LAT]

The keep trying to get squash into the Olympics but other sports get chosen instead like golf, for heaven's sake! I don't see the point of having golf at the Olympics. At least there is squash at the Commonwealth games.

[SparkOut]

No squash, but why are things like beach volleyball still included? <rhetorical/>

[SparkOut]

As for golf, in 1908 the reigning Olympic champion refused to accept the gold medal offered to him. The "organising" bodies could not agree on the event rules and format, and George Lyons was the only competitor to turn up.

[chazzie]

As for spectator sports I was watching the shooting yesterday thinking how do you know if they had hit anything...took me a while to realise there was a puff of red dust if they had!

[Bunnylump]

I was wondering how the heck shooting was a sport anyway!

[Scurra]

Hey, it's more of a sport than rhythm gymnastics or synchronised swimming. <stir, stir>

[Bunnylump]

Woah! Max got his bronze medal! Well done him.

[Scurra]

I thought he was heading for that 4th place that we seem to be scoring so well in this year.

[Bunnylump]

The diving was pretty impressive though!

[LAT]

Is this Bunnylump getting enthusiastic about sport?

[Bunnylump]

Not really. There's nothing else on the telly!

[LAT]

Just watched Bryony Page get silver in the trampolining. Her reaction when she realised she was going to get a medal was lovely to watch. It was obviously totally unexpected.

[chazzie]

Woah! Max got his bronze medal! Well done him.

And now GOLD .....you must be getting into this sport thing now...

[Bunnylump]

Pretty impressive. huh?

Actually I haven't seen that much this weekend, we've had the family over - so most of it spent catering!!

[LAT]

Two golds in one day is pretty amazing. What a star!