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Non-British Olympic stories to follow

alsoknownas

some bloke
Apart from going on about Usain Bolt, I'm finding the coverage way too Team-GB orientated. Anyone got any interesting international athletes they follow, or rivalries that will heat up during the games, or human-interest tales?
 
I like Olympic trivia.

Yesterday I discovered the heaviest Olympian was 33 stone (I think he's on a judo team)
The smallest team is British Virgin Islands (2 athletes). They've not yet decided who's going to carry the flag at the opening ceremony :D
 
Anyone got any interesting international athletes they follow...

Is Allison Stokke, the American pole vaulter, competing this time around? She was cruelly left out of the team last time and is supremely talented. Having seen how difficult the pole vault is at a rain-soaked Crystal Palace last weekend, I have a new found respect for the skill of pole vaulters...

allison-stokke-9.jpg
 
What is it about Pole Vaulters? They always seem to be stunning.

I like watching the gymnastics (no, not like that:mad: ), which tends not to be particularly GB-heavy.

Watching the Chinese and Americans pull off some of those routines is strangely mesmerising.
 
Jeez, I remember the last Olympics the threads went all phwoaar as well. Actually I think I was slightly to blame that time :oops:.
 
I have an Olympic story.

The traffic was really shit today, you'd think bomb head Boris would sack the congestion charge for the duration of.
 
Alas, the only sport I care about is cycling and Britain will get a shedload of medals.

You're right though. The BBC is so GB-centric. It's a festival of imternational sport after all and whilst there'll no doubt be some fantastic tussles for gold medals we'll have to go to the equestrian or archery events if GB is in with a chance for the gold instead of seeing the good shit.

I had the pleasure of watching the games in Ireland once and it was totally different experience. I got to see lots of cycling for example because GB was crap at it then. Watching it in canada was good too in a year that they won hardly any medals or even qualified for finals.
 
You're right though. The BBC is so GB-centric. It's a festival of imternational sport after all and whilst there'll no doubt be some fantastic tussles for gold medals we'll have to go to the equestrian or archery events if GB is in with a chance for the gold instead of seeing the good shit.
I had the pleasure of watching the games in Ireland once and it was totally different experience. I got to see lots of cycling for example because GB was crap at it then. Watching it in canada was good too in a year that they won hardly any medals or even qualified for finals.
Yeah, I mean, I can understand a degree of flag-waving, especially this time around with GB as hosts. But really - it's been almost 100% focus on team GB, and that's never been what the Olympics has been about :mad:.
 
There are 205 nations competing. Adopt a minnow nation and support them! Report all news here.
I bagsy St Lucia.

I'm having American Samoa. I walked past one of their athletes last night near work (I saw her badge) and she was massive (height and broad) - she must have had at least 6 inches on me and I'm 5'10. I would love to know what sport she's doing :cool:
 
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