But I thought it was going to benefit the entire nation.

My wife works in market research and obviously there's a great deal of this being done for the Olympics.  Even though she has no interest in sport she's quite shocked at the negative reactions she's getting.

John

What say you, good people?

I say that the continual pursuit to push human boundaries is what keeps us (as a species) moving forward.  So, you don't happen to like sport....OK, your choice.  I do.  I love to see what excellence or brilliance looks like and it doesn't matter to me if it is a Brit or some other nationality who does it.  Usain Bolt, Alberto Juanterena, Carl Lewis, Seb Coe, Haille Garbrisellassie, Michael Johnson...the list goes on.

I just got back from a business trip to Brazil and the people there are so excited and so proud that both the World Cup (2014) and Olympics (2016) are coming to their country - amazing national pride in Brazil.  Here in the UK, national pride has all but disappeared and instead been replaced by a nothing but negativity.

Jim

I am a great sports fan & think that anything that promotes sport, no matter if its striving for the ultimate & best in the world (olympics, world champ etc) but keeping in mind the residual benefits of the public in general in both fitness, health & facilities,  IMO all to be encouraged. 

But the hype, the waste of money, the spurious showbiz, opening & closing extravaganza that seems just focused on out doing the last one, the cost of tickets, hotels, inconvenience to those who don't give a jot, not my way.

The fiasco of "the torch", how much !!! for what ?? e-bay sales ??

Then we get the overexcited flag waving crowds cheering & screaming like demented idiots,  all a bit infantile & hyper excited for adults.

Why can't we have ONE torch that gets passed on from runner to runner & for that torch to light the flame.  Or am I missing something

Love the olympics events and pushing boundaries of human acheivements. 

Cannot believe we have elected a government that has no idea of value for money and the greater good. 

And what exactly do we need this pile of crap for?

The project is expected to cost £19.1 million, with £16 million coming from Britain's richest man, the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman of the ArcelorMittal steel company, and the balance of £3.1 million coming from the London Development Agency.

Beggars belief

Let us just do the Olympics and cut out all this other crap that has latched on to the running of one. Opening and closing ceremonies and that bloody ugly pile of metal.

As for the flame relay  don't go there.

I rest my case..... 

I love Track & Field and enjoy the world athletics championship much more. I enjoy gymnastics too but couldn't give a fat rat about synchronised swimming, dressage or many other events.

IMHO football and tennis already have plenty of visibility and shouldn't be anywhere near the Olympics.

Dressage is poetry in motion! I even practiced the art in the 1970s, though not with any degree of success beyond a few cards from the Pony Club.

The problem was that my horse was much more a hunter than a dancer. Any hedge or gate was fair game, but a bowling green did not appeal at all to my lovely mare ...

Why do the media report on the events in the Olympics as sports. Sports are about country and hunting pursuits [whether one likes them or not], and games are what are played. For example football is not more a sport than chess. Correctly the hint comes from the name, "Olympic Games, " not Olympic sports ..

ATB from George

George check your dictionary for the definition of sport.

Here's one from a reliable online source:

"An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc"

It's late and I can't be arsed checking my OED but I expect there'll be a similar definition there.

Oh for the 60s, loved the games then, not as much hype and theatrics. Very interesting developments, but I want to see the sports NOT the sideshows.  I want to see the main events, over here in America they seem to only show the American teams/figures and disregard everyone else.  I want to see whom ever wins the medal.  And I do like the odd or unusual sports I have no clue about.  Those athletes really deserve the medals because they're not on the Wheaties box and become a franchise. Oh for the days of Jim McKay and Wide World of Sports on TV,  it really was wide at that time, they cared about all athletes and all nations. It was a truly great celebration.

That's a bit unfair, a large number of Scots are pro UK.

I agree track and field plus cycling are the only olympic sports worth watching.

I'll be watching but not on the BBC. IMO British Eurosport coverage is far superior. 100% sport coverage, not 50% sport coverage with the other 50% take up by Jackson, Johnson, Lewis etc waffling on.

That's pretty much my feelings too, along with rowing.

The ticket fiasco has lead me to be less and less interested too.

And as for the tangled pile of scrap iron outside, just don't go there...!

J

But it's so good for tourism. How could we get through another year without The Games? Think of all the little starving children.

It's like all those bloody stupid municipal firework displays. Recession? What recession? We've got money to burn. And people are wiling to turn up to watch their money burn. We get what we deserve.

And the logo is a stylized picture of Lisa Simpson giving someone a blow-job.

Mountaineering, Bullfighting and Motor Racing are sports everything else is merely a game.

What does the Isle of Man TT come under then?

Stu.

Stu take that up with Ernest Hemingway then , it's his quote (ish).

It comes under starters orders...

and our team UK hopeful, George Shuttleworth is going for the gold...

by Mike-B:

...The fiasco of "the torch", how much !!! for what ?? e-bay sales ?? Then we get the overexcited flag waving crowds cheering & screaming like demented idiots,  all a bit infantile & hyper excited for adults.

Why can't we have ONE torch that gets passed on from runner to runner & for that torch to light the flame.  Or am I missing something

Mike-B,

It's torcher.

Agree with TomK about tennis and football.

It started with the lies about the cost, transport, legacy, and local employment, and went down from there. Coe calling those who don't swallow the BS, '...a bunch of Victor Meldrews...'.   I'm finding it hard to care about the Games, other than hoping they are safe.

Cheers,

OW