The Official Olympic Thread

[Alex]

I'm not Naive. I just don't take such a cynical view on it all. I also totally disagree that because some Chinese athletes took some performance enhancers, then the rest should be under suspicion too.

Im fully aware that doping is probably still taking place in most sports. But to single it out country by country isn't right.

[ChesterDave]

Gordon Farquhar @GordonFarquhar

Lord Moynihan on Yi Shiwen "She's been through Wada's programme and she's clean. That's the end of the story. "
Retweeted by BBC Sport

[Kenneth]

I'm not Naive. I just don't take such a cynical view on it all. I also totally disagree that because some Chinese athletes took some performance enhancers, then the rest should be under suspicion too.

Im fully aware that doping is probably still taking place in most sports. But to single it out country by country isn't right.

I disagree. There have been many state sponsored doping programmes over the years. While some individual athletes from all over the world may get involved in doping, it is often organised at national level. I am not suggesting its an individual morality issue with people from x country, its far more organised and political than that.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_in_China

And I'm sure its not just china. But I am also sure that rather than suspend such programmes, states have invested in ways of hiding it from the testers. When such political achievements (being top of the medals tables) are involved, it would be truely amazing if the likes of china decided to change their opinion on doping.

[Ben_Itez]

I watched Ye Shiwen swim in a semi last night and she was brilliant, although it is normal to improve your PB in big chunks at that age.

The fact she swam a quicker split 50m than Ryan Lochte, though, is surely dodgy.

Pretty sure i heard someone last night say that Rebecca Adlington swam the last 50m of her 400m faster than Ryan Lochte too. Didnt see it but apparently he was way clear and cruised the last 50m saving himself for his other 5 events.

Re Daley if that 17 year old has been arrested for just saying he let his dad down it's a ****ing joke. Awful thing to say and obviously an absolute dickhead but surely there has to be more to it than that?

What about all the vile racist abuse that people like Collymore have to endure? How about the real life harassment people with learning difficulties endure, for example, there's been loads of cases where multiple incidents of harassment are reported yet the police do diddly squat. Surely that uber bellend Leon Knight has a case to answer?

[Chazza]

Silver in the team posh horsey thing

[baitman]

I disagree. There have been many state sponsored doping programmes over the years. While some individual athletes from all over the world may get involved in doping, it is often organised at national level. I am not suggesting its an individual morality issue with people from x country, its far more organised and political than that.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_in_China

And I'm sure its not just china. But I am also sure that rather than suspend such programmes, states have invested in ways of hiding it from the testers. When such political achievements (being top of the medals tables) are involved, it would be truely amazing if the likes of china decided to change their opinion on doping.

i do recall the outrage from the china doping. just re-read the wiki page, Kenneth. good find



Chinese swimming performances in the 1990s

In 1992 the number of Chinese swimmers in the top 25 world rankings soared from a plateau of less than 30 to 98, with all but 4 of the 98 swimmers female. Their improvement rate was much better than could have been expected as a result of normal growth and development. China subsequently performed beyond expectations to win 12 gold medals at the 1994 World Aquatics Championships amid widespread suspicions of doping.[2] Chinese swimmers won 12 of 16 gold medals at the 1994 championships and set five world records.[3]

Between 1990 and 1998, 28 Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, almost half the world total of drug offenders in sport.[3] Seven swimmers tested positive for steroids at the Asian Games in Hiroshima in late 1994, these positive tests badly affected the squad to the extent that it won only one swimming gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[2] China improved in swimming until 1998 when four more positive tests and the discovery of human growth hormone (HGH) in the swimmer Yuan Yuan's luggage at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Australia.[2][4] In the routine customs check on the swimmers bag, enough HGH was discovered to supply the entire women's swimming team for the duration of the championships.[2] Only Yuan Yuan was sanctioned for the incident, with speculation that this was connected to the nomination of Juan Antonio Samaranch by China for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.[4]

Tests in Perth found the presence of the banned diuretic masking agent triamterine in the urine of four swimmers, Wang Luna, Yi Zhang, Huijue Cai and Wei Wang.[3] The swimmers were suspended from competition for two years, with three coaches associated with the swimmers, Zhi Cheng, Hiuqin Xu and Zhi Cheng each suspended for three months.[3]

Zhao Jian, the deputy director-general of the China Anti-Doping Agency described the 1998 World Aquatic Championships as a "bad incident", and said that it had led to China adopting a tougher attitude towards drug testing, with drug testing removed from the main sports administration and placed in a separate agency.[2]

[Leyton388]

Anyone think the pressure is getting to the GB team with it being a home Olympics and will we do as well as we did in China?

[Chazza]

Does seem to be a factor as the medal 'bankers' are struggling

Just flicked over to the sailing and Ben Ainslie is getting beaten comfortably by the Danish fella now and he was a supposed to be a nailed on Gold

[Chazza]

Couple of the womens GB hockey team are

[Rich]

Female hockey players are always game for a laugh too. At least they were at my uni.

[dom9]

Pretty crazy game.

[dom9]

What is it about this time of the day and team GB?

[ChesterDave]

Re Daley if that 17 year old has been arrested for just saying he let his dad down it's a ****ing joke. Awful thing to say and obviously an absolute dickhead but surely there has to be more to it than that?

He said a lot more to Daley, and what he said to Daley was the nicer things he has said on his Twitter. I still have the page opened in its unprotected so can grab screenshots if anyone wants to see

[Ben_Itez]

Yeah i have since gathered that there were all sorts of death threats etc.....sad thing is he has nearly 50k followers!

Seems a lot of people love twitter users who abuse and bully people

[ChesterDave]

Its mainly full of moronic young girls who egg him on then and tell him how class he is for all the abuse he dishes out. Of course, they are now tweeting the get rileyy banned **** as if they were always opposed to him.

He had 23K followers before this. 5k of which he bought