Lions tour was ****e. Win for lions in a game of bashing and kicking. Two sa tries chalked off rightly by 45h official so the whinging about who it was was proved just that. Sa indiscipline in second half let lions back in. Really poor quality imo constant box kick and rush from both sides
Olympics is.mxied.so far but some.good events going on for.morning viewing at work With the hundred in the evening I'm finding the summer is flying.
more or less. the russians were all banned for being chronic dope heads. however after many appeals this fudge was come up with where the athletes that could be shown not to be a dope head (within that scheme) could complete. mother russia is sending them wearing russia colours but the Olympics is playing something else rather than russian anthem and not flying russian flag. Its just a fudge.
quite enjoyed a bit of a fake sport today. 3 on 3 basketball won by Latvia. clearly is a fake sport like skateboarding as anyone good can't be actually here as they play the full sport. BUT It was actually quite good, lots of good action, fast paced etc. Also enjoyed watching the fijians having a singsong after winning and the mad party back home.
Rowing recieves the most funding of the UK Olympic sports, failing to deliver the Golds. Only 1 Silver so far with only 3 crews still to row. Could end up being a very poor performance.
On a positive note, funding will get pulled from them and put into other areas instead... #onlyfundalreadysuccessfulactivities
In the end they have been poor but let's be clear, when you stick a veteran who's had kids back in a boat with limited actual time and comps and they finish 4th you ought to be amazed at the achievement. Apparently the Irish team were favourites so it's a bit wrong to say how awful they beat us if we were not favourites. They served up some inferior performances frankly but you have to wonder how the whole covid thing affected trialing in these different countries. I strongly suspect some had no impact at all. Who knows. Anyway, it's 9 years since 2012 so I want to know wheres the inspired generation of kids that we were meant to be seeing
I think there is a danger in British Sport of this sort of sentiment, that the Story becomes bigger than any actual results. Nothing against Glover & Swann or the fact they managed to finish 4th when both had pretty much retired after the last Olympics and if the rest of the Rowing team had performed you could easily carry this sort of sentiment and achievement without questioning the funding for the rest of the squad. However it feels like the plucky story (not just Glover and Swann) is being used to cover over how poor the rowing squad has performed despite being the best funded team for GB. I also don't buy Covid excuse. Every country has had some sort of heavy lockdown, even Australia and New Zealand, at some point and nobody has been able to compete in events as they've all been cancelled. Let be honest by the time we get to Paris, nobody will remember that Glover finished 4th after coming back, they will just remember her winning gold. So this achievement is just a nice story and nothing more, so doesn't make up for the lack of success across the board. Only 2 crews left to go. I expect the Mens 8 to at least medal and an outside in the Womens single. However I don't think either will get Gold, so the Rowing squad could end up with just 3 medals (the same as Taekwondo, which only gets a third of the money Rowing does)
Look you are right, my point is individually glover even getting that close is a massive achievement imo. The actual toll on her from having kids is the single hardest thing anyone does.
Although Sometimes a disasterous games can be a kick up the arse for some of these federations. Look at the swimming, they were pretty much ****e in the mid 2000s with only Adlington achieving anything. They got a big kick in the backside by the BOC and are now starting to win stuff and have some good depth and potential.
They were truly atrocious right enough. The cycling really got a huge boost from commonwealth and facilities. Maybe the rowers really just need a shake up in coaching and such? Some new methods applied?
Think with the Rowers a clear 4 year plan needs to be in place for each crew. That once the Olympics are over a new cycle starts for the next, instead of chopping and changing and shoving people together with 18months to go. I always feel with Olympic sports its all about talent spotting and grassroots GB rowing ran a scheme prior to 2012 to find a whole new talent pool of Rowers, people from outside the sport to combine with the ones already in the sport and it worked. Helen Glover was one of such products. There is a whole load of teenagers and young adults out there who gave up on sport cause they didn't make it at the first one they tried (usually football), they need the chance/willingness to try other sports and sometimes be directed to something they have a talent for. This comes down to 3 things: 1. Having the people out there or setting up programs to talent scout. 2. Facilities, both elite level and grassroots out in the communities. 3. Attitude of the public, an acceptance that Football isn't the only sport and a willingness to try something different. All this would create a bigger talent pool
What makes it worse for Rowing is that cycling whpo get the same money have already picked up 2 Golds and a Silver before the track cycling even starts .