We're 8 days away from 2012

[The General]

" Our " Olympic Year.

I'd like to take this opportunity to state here and now that I have no f*cking interest whatsoever in the f*cking Olympics. Bad enough at the best of times.. deluded nobodies blathering on about their "discipline", how their f*cking training's going, as if we're all riveted and on the edge of our seats. I couldn't give a shit.

And that's the thing, the cosseted 29 year old who still lives at home with his Mum & Dad, who's drained their savings, and who's only been allowed to selfishly follow his pipedream and not enter the real world has actually been afforded some kind of status due to lottery grants... and hey, don't forget the 2012 Olympics are now just around the corner. He thinks we actually give a chuff about the hop, skip and jump.

Remember 4 years ago some bint saying she was going to have to miss Beijing otherwise she could tweak something and that'd mean her whole season would be finished !!! - sorry love, you may be indulged and put on a pedestal from your inner circle, but the only time the pastime that you mistakenly see as being a fully functioning and fleshed out sport in it's own right is ever of any relevance to anybody, is within the context of the Olympics Games. Without the Olympics, precisely 12 people would come and watch you jump into a f*cking sandpit.

Unfortunately 2012 is "our" Olympics, so expect to see by New Years Day countdowns and programmes about how the preparations are going, former athletes will be wheeled out to interview hopefuls.. a knowing wink and smile as they leave, we know your excited but we've been there and done it.

The next 7 months will pass like a long drawn out nightmare party that you can't get away from. You can see the host has gone to a lot of effort, spent a fortune, but it's all so forced :thunbdown:

[biara]

Sorry, don't agree.

Looking forward to it massively, going down twice to see sports, will watch loads on the telly as well. Already kids are aware of this coming up, arrangements already being done for June next year to get people interested in sports in the Keighley area. Get people moving, get people active, get them interested in sport.

Can't wait, this decade has the potential to be massive, Olympics, Athletics World Championships, Rugby Union World Cup, Rugby League World Cup, Cricket World Cup, Final race in triathlon world series, to name but a few.

More people doing sport the better, loads more going out onto the fells and hills (safely I hope!!), fantastic, they are there for ALL people to use. Let them see how brilliant this country actually is.

[Danbert Nocurry]

" Our " Olympic Year.

I'd like to take this opportunity to state here and now that I have no f*cking interest whatsoever in the f*cking Olympics. Bad enough at the best of times.. deluded nobodies blathering on about their "discipline", how their f*cking training's going, as if we're all riveted and on the edge of our seats. I couldn't give a shit.

And that's the thing, the cosseted 29 year old who still lives at home with his Mum & Dad, who's drained their savings, and who's only been allowed to selfishly follow his pipedream and not enter the real world has actually been afforded some kind of status due to lottery grants... and hey, don't forget the 2012 Olympics are now just around the corner. He thinks we actually give a chuff about the hop, skip and jump.

Remember 4 years ago some bint saying she was going to have to miss Beijing otherwise she could tweak something and that'd mean her whole season would be finished !!! - sorry love, you may be indulged and put on a pedestal from your inner circle, but the only time the pastime that you mistakenly see as being a fully functioning and fleshed out sport in it's own right is ever of any relevance to anybody, is within the context of the Olympics Games. Without the Olympics, precisely 12 people would come and watch you jump into a f*cking sandpit.

Unfortunately 2012 is "our" Olympics, so expect to see by New Years Day countdowns and programmes about how the preparations are going, former athletes will be wheeled out to interview hopefuls.. a knowing wink and smile as they leave, we know your excited but we've been there and done it.

The next 7 months will pass like a long drawn out nightmare party that you can't get away from. You can see the host has gone to a lot of effort, spent a fortune, but it's all so forced :thunbdown:

[Stolly]

Sorry, don't agree.

More people doing sport the better, loads more going out onto the fells and hills (safely I hope!!), fantastic, they are there for ALL people to use. Let them see how brilliant this country actually is.

Whilst not being nearly as negative about it all as the General (I have a scraggy old cat called the General by the way ) I think the olympics would have been just as good if they were abroad and also £9 billion cheaper. They made huge cut backs on sports funding for schools and have recently announced what another £40 million to be spent on the opening ceremony FFS! And weren't France in the running for the olympics anyway - if so the keen spectators could've easily gone and seen it too (and probably more cheaply). And I definitely don't think the olympics inspires any more children/adults to take up sport either, whether or not its in this country.

[biara]

Whilst not being nearly as negative about it all as the General (I have a scraggy old cat called the General by the way ) I think the olympics would have been just as good if they were abroad and also £9 billion cheaper. They made huge cut backs on sports funding for schools and have recently announced what another £40 million to be spent on the opening ceremony FFS! And weren't France in the running for the olympics anyway - if so the keen spectators could've easily gone and seen it too (and probably more cheaply). And I definitely don't think the olympics inspires any more children/adults to take up sport either, whether or not its in this country.

The Olympics will lead to more exposure, more exposure will lead to more sponsorship, more sponsors, more stuff at grass roots, more participation.
1) After Wimbledon fortnight, there is always more people playing tennis, a couple may continue, therefore numbers have increased (albeit small).
2) Currently there is lots of Sky money in cycling, an increase in Sky Rides, more participation, why Sky can get exposure but only because cylcing has had visible success, yes money was there before but post Beijing, I think that there has been an increase (better people on here can comment on validity of this)
3) Big push for school athletics through GE electrics, they are paying for people to go into schools to deliver sessions (or this is happening in Bradford area)
4) Tata steel ironkids, last year 18 events, this year 25, that will get more people invloved.

I think that any time sport is on the TV, people fancy a go if they can. If there is an availablity locally they may try it, a few try and continue then it's a good thing. This country is said to be sitting on an obesity timebomb, this young generation has the potential to live less time than their parents due to inactivity, I think that the country could really benefit.

As I stated earlier, in Keighley, there wil be demonstartions every Saturday in June showing where people can do activities / take up a new sport, if it brings in a few and gives them a focus, then I think that's great. I plan to be there with Keighley Just Ride and probably with KCAC as well. Both are booming with new YOUNG members (and KCAC is doing pretty well with new adults as well!!)

[dominion]

I don't have tickets for anything and I probably won't go to any events, but I'm looking forward to being able to watch events in places that I recognise. 40 million for the opening ceremony is sod all really, I'd rather we spent 40 million on that than a lot of the nonsense that money gets wasted on in this country. If the Olympics had been awarded to France we wouldn't have got a new Olympic size swimming pool, velodrome and white water centre. I realise that they could have been built anyway, but without the Olympics there would never have been the impetous.

What is completely stupid is that Wembley Stadium was built without a track. Had the FA not been a bunch of half witted imbeciles, we could have had a world class stadium in London for football and athletics. Instead we've ended up with a half arsed stadium in Stratford that's going to end up being a white elephant. At one point the FA were given a bunch of cash to pay for the track in Wembley. I really hope that the half witted imbeciles remembered to give it back.

Maybe now I've had a rant, I'll go for a run and have a look at the National Football Centre, just up the road. Another disaster courtesy of the half witted imbeciles at the FA, and one that the half witted imbeciles are asking for 5 million off the government for.

ps, It's the European Athletic Championships next year, not the Worlds. First year they've been held in a two year cycle.

[biara]

Has Britain got the European Championship athletics as well? I was thinking 2017 Worlds.

[dominion]

Has Britain got the European Championship athletics as well? I was thinking 2017 Worlds.

Sorry, I misread your post, I thought you meant sporting events next year. Europeans are in Helsinki.

[Danbert Nocurry]

" Our " Olympic Year.

I'd like to take this opportunity to state here and now that I have no f*cking interest whatsoever in the f*cking Olympics. Bad enough at the best of times.. deluded nobodies blathering on about their "discipline", how their f*cking training's going, as if we're all riveted and on the edge of our seats. I couldn't give a shit.

And that's the thing, the cosseted 29 year old who still lives at home with his Mum & Dad, who's drained their savings, and who's only been allowed to selfishly follow his pipedream and not enter the real world has actually been afforded some kind of status due to lottery grants... and hey, don't forget the 2012 Olympics are now just around the corner. He thinks we actually give a chuff about the hop, skip and jump.

Remember 4 years ago some bint saying she was going to have to miss Beijing otherwise she could tweak something and that'd mean her whole season would be finished !!! - sorry love, you may be indulged and put on a pedestal from your inner circle, but the only time the pastime that you mistakenly see as being a fully functioning and fleshed out sport in it's own right is ever of any relevance to anybody, is within the context of the Olympics Games. Without the Olympics, precisely 12 people would come and watch you jump into a f*cking sandpit.

Unfortunately 2012 is "our" Olympics, so expect to see by New Years Day countdowns and programmes about how the preparations are going, former athletes will be wheeled out to interview hopefuls.. a knowing wink and smile as they leave, we know your excited but we've been there and done it.

The next 7 months will pass like a long drawn out nightmare party that you can't get away from. You can see the host has gone to a lot of effort, spent a fortune, but it's all so forced :thunbdown:

What's your problem General? You sound like a right small minded bitter man.

Why not let celebrate the fact the world's most popular sporting event is in England and support our athletes who have grafted to achieve their dreams?

If i've missed something, inform me, but it just seems to me that you are angry and bitter that someone somewhere is doing something they love as a full time occupation and other people are taking pleasure and pride in watching them do it. :thunbdown:

[The General]

Now that I've had my rant I'll slightly backtrack with a small disclaimer.

Over the years I've been mightily impressed by Coe, Ovett, Foster, Viren, Thompson, Michael Johnson and obvioulsly Bolt.

Proper swimmers like Spitz, Thorpe and the American bloke, and I don't mind the traditional sports like Fencing, Archery Judo etc.

Just don't expect me to show any more than a modicum of interest

With the exception of the 100 metres final and 50m Freestyle in swimming, I'd rather watch Sale Harriers or Trafford AC train and pretend to be proper athletics clubs even though everybody knows that both clubs only exist by poaching everybody elses youngsters.

It's the compressed national hype, hoopla and forced hysteria just waiting to be unleashed that'll really piss me off.

Just wait.. before we're back at work on January 3rd the phrase "this is Olympic year" will have gouged it's way into our subconscious. :angry: