Off Topic Olympics

Clay's achievements weren't in the Olympics though. They came later as a professional.

Can't disagree on Jesse Owens at all - he was remarkable. But for me his achievements had more of a political/ social impact than anything else. It may not have been his fault regarding the defending of his titles but he didn't.

If the Olympic ideal is all about pushing the boundaries of what humans are capable of and proving you're the best in the world over decades then it's Phelps and it's not even close.

Correct. It depends on which criteria you use, so everyone will have a different opinion.
 
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A question for anyone who might know:

Team GB competes at the Olympics.

The UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Is team GB therefore just England, Wales & Scotland. And if so, which 'country' does anyone from Northern Ireland compete for?
 
A question for anyone who might know:

Team GB competes at the Olympics.

The UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Is team GB therefore just England, Wales & Scotland. And if so, which 'country' does anyone from Northern Ireland compete for?
People from Northern Ireland compete for GB - Mary Peters won Heptathlon Gold for GB
 
It's actually "Great Britain and Northern Ireland" but it's been shortened.
 
The times defined Jesse Owens achievements .
Cassius Clay's achievements defined the times .
Owens went stale after the Olympics , Clay ......not so much .
Owens Olympic achievements were awesome , but used for propaganda which made his legendary status .
 
The times defined Jesse Owens achievements .
Cassius Clay's achievements defined the times .
Owens went stale after the Olympics , Clay ......not so much .
Owens Olympic achievements were awesome , but used for propaganda which made his legendary status .

Why? He was just an amateur boxer at the time. Ali is being labelled by some as the greatest Olympian based on his career as a pro boxer.

In terms of Olympians, he doesn't make the top 10 for me.
 
Why? He was just an amateur boxer at the time. Ali is being labelled by some as the greatest Olympian based on his career as a pro boxer.
Go around the world and ask your average person who Jesse Owens is , or Mark Spitz , or Michael Phelps .
Then ask who Muhammad Ali is .
Over a lifetime , Cassius Clay is the most famous Olympian .
This is only my opinion . To me , it's what Ali did with his Olympic status that puts him miles ahead of them all .
 
"Over a lifetime , Cassius Clay is the most famous Olympian ."

No he's a famous person who happened to be an Olympian early in his career. Phelps & Owens embody the Olympian spirit and are famous because of them. Big difference.

Ali's achievements were remarkable but the Olympics was only a small part of what he did.
 
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Go around the world and ask your average person who Jesse Owens is , or Mark Spitz , or Michael Phelps .
Then ask who Muhammad Ali is .
Over a lifetime , Cassius Clay is the most famous Olympian .
This is only my opinion . To me , it's what Ali did with his Olympic status that puts him miles ahead of them all .

Phelps, Bolt, Adlington, Redgrave, M. Johnson, Farah, K Holmes, Hoy, Pinsent - that's just 9 who are more worthy of the accolade as they are multiple Okympic champions.

In fact, if you create a list, I'd argue that Ali would struggle to make a top 40.
 
"Over a lifetime , Cassius Clay is the most famous Olympian ."

No he's a famous person who happened to be an Olympian early in his career. Phelps & Owens embody the Olympian spirit and are famous because of them. Big difference.

Ali's achievements were remarkable but the Olympics was only a small part of what he did.

Ali's achievements in the Olympics were no different to Audley Harrison ;)
 
"Over a lifetime , Cassius Clay is the most famous Olympian ."

No he's a famous person who happened to be an Olympian early in his career. Phelps & Owens embody the Olympian spirit and are famous because of them. Big difference.

Ali's achievements were remarkable but the Olympics was only a small part of what he did.
Phelps, Bolt, Adlington, Redgrave, M. Johnson, Farah, K Holmes, Hoy, Pinsent - that's just 9 who are more worthy of the accolade as they are multiple Okympic champions.

In fact, if you create a list, I'd argue that Ali would struggle to make a top 40.
And these are your opinions , no better than anyone else's and no worse .
 
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Ali was a great sportsman there's no doubt about it, but he earned his greatness when he turned pro imo, he was a legend. But in the Olympics I think those worthy are above. I would say that Daley Thompson should be at the top as well, winning the decathlon in two Olympics is remarkable, let's not forget they do 10 different events for this.
 
You two did .
I stated my opinion , you guys said it was basically wrong .
No. 'Basically' I said I disagreed and why. It's a forum, see. Kind of goes with the territory.

If you're going to get spiky every time that happens this is going to be a long, long season.
 
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