2012 london olympics.com

2012 London Olympics – Swimming

Olympic swimming pools have seen a number of changes over the years.

• temperature-controlled 50-metre pools
• wave-killing gutters
• lane markers designed to reduce turbulence,

In the earlier days, for swimming galas, you would have a rope with corks on as lane dividers. Now turbulence reducing lane markers are standard.

In 1912, women's swimming events became a regular part of the Olympic Games. There are 16 events for the men and the same for women. The only difference, which I imagine will change, is women do not swim 1500 meters, and men don't swim the 800 meters.

There are 4 stroke disciplines in swimming

1. Freestyle - Normally all swimmers will use the crawl method. However, it is what it says - FREESTYLE. They could if they wanted use any stroke in the race
2. Butterfly
3. Breaststroke
4. Backstroke

Freestyle races are swum over 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 10,000 meters.

The butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke races each cover 100 and 200 meters.

There is a combination of all the strokes in the medley races which cover distances of 200m and 400m.

The 4 x 100m freestyle, 4 x 200m freestyle and 4 x 100m medley relays complete the programme.

Hopefully with the 2012 Olympics being held in London, our British swimmers will really excel and win extra medals. We certainly have the talent, we just need the desire and the belief. I know they put in the effort regardless of the level. My wife’s cousin in Preston has a son that trains, and this youngster gets up at 4.30am in the morning to get to the pool and has done for years. That is dedication.

2012 London Olympics - Recognized Sports That will Not be Seen

According to Wikipedia, there are certain sports (all recognised by the Olympic Body - the International Olympic Committee) that will NOT appear at the the 2012 London Olympics.

For example - Tug of War contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics. It was later dropped from the Olympic programme but remains a recognized sport.

At any time, a recognized sport may be added to the Olympic programme in future Games through a recommendation by the IOC Olympic Programme Commission, followed by a voting of the IOC membership.

When Olympic demonstration sports were allowed, a sport typically first appeared as such before being officially promoted. An International Federation (IF) is responsible for ensuring that the sport's activities follow the Olympic Charter; from the moment their sport is recognized they become official Olympic federations and can assemble with the IOC and remaining Olympic IFs. Recognized sports that are not part of the competition schedule for an Olympic Games usually become part of the schedule of the World Games.

The following sports, though not contested in the Olympic Games, are recognized as Olympic sports by the IOC:

• Air sports
• Bandy
• Baseball
• Billiard sports
• Boules
• Bowling
• Bridge
• Chess
• Climbing
• Cricket
• DanceSport
• Golf
• Karate
• Korfball
• Lifesaving
• Motorcycle sport
• Netball
• Orienteering
• Pelote Basque
• Polo
• Powerboating
• Racquetball
• Roller sports
• Rugby
• Softball
• Squash
• Sumo
• Surfing
• Tug of war
• Underwater sports
• Water skiing
• Wushu

There are a few of my all time favorites on the list - like 20/20 Cricket and Rugby. Maybe, one day, they will be included. I do know a number of the top world cricketers have recently expressed that they would like 20/20 cricket included. Maybe 2012 Olympics in London would consider this - especially after the way the England one-day side has just played.

2012 London Olympics – Boxing

We have just finished a rather disappointing Beijing Olympics in the Boxing Arena. Let us hope that our fighters will be ready so they can win some medals at the 2012 London Olympics. Let’s hope no one will be sent home. We have almost a full 4 years before the London Olympics begin, surely we can get the preparation correct for this one.

Boxing: Early Times
From the earliest of times there has been boxing. A couple of centuries ago, boxers fought with leather wrapped around their fists. In 1867 Marquess of Queensbury  introduced the Queensbury rules.

Today’s Boxing
Olympic Boxing is governed by AIBA. Amateur boxing is different from professional boxing, and the amateur boxers are better protected with head gear to prevent serious injuries. The Referees are quicker to stop a fight if the believe the fighter is hurt.

Olympic boxers compete in 11 weight classes, from under 48 kilograms to over 91 kilograms. The length of the fight is four, two-minute rounds. Boxers can only score a point when they strike the head or upper body of the opponent.

The “Ring” as it is called is a “Square”, and the opponents are given either a red or blue corner which is at opposite ends. The fighters meet up in the middle of the ring and fight under the control of a strict referee.

• Throw in the towel - The traditional way to concede defeat. A boxer's assistant will throw a towel into the ring when he feels his man can no longer continue.
• Southpaw - A left-handed boxer
• Jab - A straight, arm-length punch thrown from the boxer’s leading hand
• Uppercut - An upwards-thrown punch designed to hit an opponent’s chin
• Hook - A sideways-thrown punch in which the boxer swings his arm from the shoulder with the elbow bent.

Olympic Boxing Greats

there have been some really outstanding greats who have fought at various Olympic Games. Mohamed Ali, Lennox Lewis and fairly recent Amir Khan. Women are not permitted to fight, but they do fight at professional level. Who knows - maybe they will include women in the 2012 Olympics Boxing. 

Simple Terms used -

2012 London Olympics - Stadium Progress

I am really keen of see how we go with the stadium that is being built. I recently heard an interview that work was 3 month ahead of schedule. That is really good news. I think the excitement of it being less then 4 years away from our very own 2012 London Olympics must be encouraging people to work harder. Normally buildings run behind schedule - very seldom ahead. 

I have found some information on the internet from Olympic Delivery Authority

Olympic Stadium facts & figures:
• Over 1,000 construction workers will be based on the Stadium site
• 33 buildings on the Olympic Stadium site have been demolished
• Over 800,000 tonnes of soil has been taken away to help create the construction platform for the Stadium - enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall nine times over
• The Stadium is highly sustainable, containing around 10,000 tonnes of steel - the lightest Olympic Stadium to date
• The total Stadium island site covers an area of 40 acres – five times the size of the Houses of Parliament
• The Stadium is 53m high - taller than Nelson’s Column (50m)
• The Stadium roof covers an area of 24,500 sq m - the equivalent to three and a half football pitches.

This is so amazing. It is going to be quite a work of art and I think they have been very sensible - something that will be put to good use after its main function.

2012 London Olympics – Beijing Olympics, Women’s Hockey Squad

The selected athletes were:

Women’s Hockey Members of Team GB
Danny Kerry was the Head Coach for the Women
Bimson, Jennie
Clewlow, Melanie
Craddock, Charlotte
Cullen, Crista
Danson, Alexandra
Ellis, Joanne Catherine
Ellis, Joanne
Panter, Anne
Richardson, Helen
Rogers, Chloe
Storry, Elizabeth
Thomas, Sarah
Walker, Rachel
Walsh, Kate
Wooding, Lisa-Marie
Wright, Lucilla

Think of the selection of the above players and how this was brought about. How many will be at the 2012 London Olympics ?

The team was put together by measuring each player against the best teams in the world. They used a number of previous 2000 Olympians to add experience. Nothing is left to chance. As spectators, we only see the end result of the teams on the field - with very little, or no thought, as to how each player got there. We do not appreciate how difficult is must be for the selection team to come to their decisions.

If a team fails it is not because they are useless. One thing for sure, they have wanted the best and they have wanted to win. I am sure this will be the same for the preparation for the 2012 London Olympics. A number of the existing players will be around for the London Olympics to add experience and depth. I am sure we are going to learn from the Beijing experience, to ensure that we win, now that the Olympics is in our own backyard - not just a medal, but the top prize - GOLD.

2012 London Olympics – Medals. Is it Success ?

Chris Hoy and Rebecca Adlington both won a number of gold medals. They did this doing something they are very good at - and something they both love doing. They have proved to the world that they are the best, a number of times over, in their individual sports. I wonder if, at the time when they were competing, it ever entered their minds what the implications were going to be. Let’s have a look at a few of the things that will change their lives for ever.

• They can never go anywhere without being recognised for their outstanding achievement.
• There are many establishments that will want them to visit and eat and drink free just to have them there.
• They are icons in their respective sports, and will have many young athletes wanting to be like them from now until the 2012 London Olympics is over.
• Any little error that they might make will be blown out of all proportion by the media.
• Their private lives are going to be very difficult to keep private.
• How many people will be putting pressure for them to continue on to the 2012 London Olympics?

Of course, then there is the money. Think of the sponsorships they will be offered and the money involved. Earning a vast amount of money for doing something you love is a real bonus, and well deserved, but I just wonder if everything that comes along with fame is worth the price they now have to pay. They might love all the attention, or they might not.

2012 London Olympics – Athletics

Looking at the results for the Beijing Olympics it is not hard to see that many countries seem to do quite well in track and field events, yet England seems to struggle.

Photo courtesy The Sun

Gold for Christine Ohuruogu Athletics, 400m
Silver for Germaine Mason Athletics, High Jump
Phillips Idowu Athletics, Triple Jump
Bronze for Natasha Danvers Athletics, 400m Hurdles

Jamaica achieved 11 medals.

I really do believe we have much more talent than the current results show. I am sure at the 2012 London Olympics we are going to shine in the track and field events. I think it is important for the whole nation to get behind the athletes and let’s encourage them to get the results they deserve.

I know from my former swimming days, you perform better when you know there is a lot of support. It also encourages you to train harder. As ordinary people, we do not see how hard the athletes have to train. We also do not know the various emotions they go through when they are training - from feeling is it all worth it, to feeling, sometimes, very lonely.  You must remember that they have to put in many hours of training to get any sort of result.  Every bit of support we can give will be a help. Lets really get behind our athletes so they can shine.

2012 London Olympics – Rowing - How Much More to Come ?

Putting in the effort has its rewards. Annie Vernon won a silver medal in the women's quad. She trained seven days a week. She used my favourite method of training - weights - but she also included, on the water training, circuit training and using a rowing machine (Ergo). I read she does one routine that is - 24km on the ergo, 6km followed by 90 seconds break and back again. With this type of dedication no wonder she won the silver, and I am sure there is a lot more to come. You have to put in to get out and that goes for everything we want in life. I think there are too many who want a handout and feel they deserve it just because they are here. Well, take a leaf out of Annie Vernon’s book. She too can feel she deserves the silver and more but only because she earned it.

I understand that the British Olympic Association had set a target of 4 medals for the rowers. Well, they certainly outdid themselves and ended up winning six medals. They won two gold, two silvers and two bronze medals. Roll on the 2012 London Olympics. I have a feeling that they are going to break all records and get many more gold medals. Well done team!!!

Photo courtesy of http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/rowing/7425374.stm

2012 London Olympics – Where to Now ?

I watched the athletes get down from the plane and saw a number of the interviews. You can just see our team feeling so proud. I do not believe many of them realise the impact they are going to have on an entire nation. I thought some of them did not realise what they have achieved winning medals. In a few days, I think the reality will sink in. They will realise that a bronze medal means the third very best in the whole world in their particular sport. I know we all think that Gold is the one, but I think any of them that made the final in their event have created something special.

The big thing is where to from here. Many of the athletes have put in 4 gruelling years of training and now it is all over. That can leave you very deflated. It is so important to have another goal. 2012 seems like a good one - but if you are too old for it, you could easily feel you have nothing more to strive for. I think the current crop of Olympians, who are at an age where they feel they cannot continue, have a great deal to offer. Imagine working and motivating the new crop of athletes who want to make the finals and go on to win medals at the 2012 Olympics. That would be so rewarding, and also such an encouragement to the new athletes - getting information and inspiration from people who have already done it.

Sport is about sharing. Sharing your experiences and also sharing your time to help others. That is what makes sport so great. Let’s hope our newly returned Olympians have that attitude. I am sure most of them have.

2012 London Olympics – The Handover

 

Well - what a ceremony ! The Chinese certainly spared no expense when putting on the show. It was magnificent. I know a lot of people will say it was over the top, and others will say they had to put on something like that. Whatever the reason, you cannot fault the size of the extravaganza, and the way each person performed. I am sure it will be a very long time before any nation could match that.

Thank goodness we did not try to compete at the handover ceremony. I am sure the show we put on will also have lots of talking points - too little, too weak and a host of others. The Olympics is about the very best athletes in the world getting together in a spirit of sportsmanship, to compete against each other to see who is the finest. It is not about which country puts on the best show.

The countdown now officially begins. 2012 London Olympics is on its way. We do not have to have all the fancy buildings as long as what we do have, does not stop someone from performing at their best. I think that is all we can ask for. That is not an excuse either. We could rob from other areas in our economy in order to put up unlimited buildings and facilities - but that would be foolish. I think the Olympic committee and other decision makers have used common sense and we are going to have a wonderful Olympic Games. 2012 is going to be a year that will be remembered for a very long time to come.

Being held on home ground, we will get quite a few more medals than we did in Beijing. I am sure of that - so come on all our athletes, you are just as good as any in the world. Get that desire to win. Get that belief in yourselves that you have what it takes and lets show the world. Roll on 2012 London Olympics.