The 2008 Summer Olympics

[DudeAsInCool]

The Olympics are starting tomorrow. One of my roommates is going, but alas, I will be home , so I've begun to collect some info.

"The 2008 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event which is being celebrated in Beijing, People's Republic of China from August 8 to August 24, 2008 and followed by the 2008 Summer Paralympics from September 6 to September 17. Ten thousand, five hundred athletes are expected to compete in 302 events in 28 sports." - Read more at Wikipedia

Watch this cool tour of China at the NBC website

For full details on all the events, visit the Official NBC Olympics Website, or Google's 2008 Summer Olympic Games or the Official Beijing Website and the New York Times

Anyone else gonna watch the opening ceremonies tomorrow?

[vernarial]

Thanks for doing all the work of looking this stuff up. I'll be watching whatever is on while I am at home and awake, but I admit I'm completely clueless right now as to when each event is. Who knows.

[method77]

Just finished watching the opening ceremony. Very impressive. Well done to the organisers and all the volunteers of this historic nation.

[DudeAsInCool]

The Opening Ceremonies are just being televised here on the West Coast. I don't know what to say other than they are spectacular!

You can see a Slideshow HERE and HERE and a leaked VIDEO here. :) More photos from the official website

NBC is being idiotic for not posting videos at Hulu, and by not allowing users to post them at Youtube

NYTimes: Tape Delay By NBC Faces End Run By Online Fans

NBC, which owns the exclusive rights to broadcast the Olympics in the United States, spent most of Friday trying to keep it that way.

...Gary Zenkel, the president of NBC Olympics, said in a statement: “We have a billion dollars worth of revenue at stake here, so that means we’re not public television, for better or worse.”

A viewer, Lorie Johnson, sums up my sentiments:

“In the age of Internet (almost) anywhere, why be tied to a TV?,” Ms. Johnson wrote in an e-mail message. Television networks “no longer have the same viewer monopoly they had 30 years ago — why don’t they see that?”

[vernarial]

I watched part of the opening cremonies, but decided it was worse than a chick flick. I also watched some womens fencing and womens badmitton. I can really appreciate the badmitton because I love the leasure sports. There is some boxing on and commentary right now. I missed the sharp shooting. I'd watch more because it's on all night, but I gotta go pick a friend up from the airport in about 6 hours so I'm gonna get some sleep.

Edited August 9, 2008 by vernarial

[DudeAsInCool]

I watched part of the opening cremonies, but decided it was worse than a chick flick. I also watched some womens fencing and womens badmitton. I can really appreciate the badmitton because I love the leasure sports. There is some boxing on and commentary right now. I missed the sharp shooting. I'd watch more because it's on all night, but I gotta go pick a friend up from the airport in about 6 hours so I'm gonna get some sleep.

You must have come in at the wrong time - the sections I saw were unbelievable, both in terms of their cinematic qualities and technology

[vernarial]

The fireworks were pretty damn cool.

[DudeAsInCool]

The fireworks were pretty damn cool.

[DudeAsInCool]

Here are the medal stats to date - learn more HERE

[vernarial]

Some exciting swimming going on.

[Malicious Intent]

After all the fuss I watched the opening. Sorry vernarial, I have to go with Dude on this one - they were spectacular! Are you sure you were watching the right channel?

London '12 of now buggered. How the hell is London suppose to compete with that? London is already starting with a logo that looks like Lisa Simpson giving a blowjob, so are a step back before even beginning! I guess London could have the worlds most carbon neutral opening and skip it!

I've watched some of the events. It is odd how addictive it is.

[DudeAsInCool]

After all the fuss I watched the opening.

Are they online anywhere. I'd like to make a copy.

[Malicious Intent]

No, that would be pirating and I would never help with that.

On a completely unrelated note, http://eztv.it have been having problems with news being repeated multiple times.

[DudeAsInCool]

No, that would be pirating and I would never help with that.

On a completely unrelated note, http://eztv.it have been having problems with news being repeated multiple times.

Must be because they point to Hi-Def content. Oh, well, I will look elsewhere.

[vernarial]

Sorry vernarial, I have to go with Dude on this one - they were spectacular! Are you sure you were watching the right channel?

No worries mate. I'm just not into all the fluff and hype. Get to the sports is what I say. :)

[DudeAsInCool]

Olympic Medal Count To Date (Countries with at least 4 medals - Gold, Silver, Bronze)

[Malicious Intent]

Those Aussies are damn good at sport.

Even if the entire of Britain consisted of just London, they would still be producing more medals per capita than us!

[Malicious Intent]

I've reorganised the data by medals per capita. Data from the CIA, July 2007 estimates. No data available for Brazil.

COUNTRY ---- MEDALS PER 1 MILLION POPULATION

Armenia ---- 1.35

Australia ---- 0.93

Switzerland ---- 0.53

Hungary ---- 0.50

Azerbaijan ---- 0.49

Netherlands ---- 0.42

South Korea ---- 0.33

North Korea ---- 0.30

Kazakhstan ---- 0.26

France ---- 0.24*

Italy ---- 0.22

Romania ---- 0.18

Germany ---- 0.16

US ---- 0.14

Ukraine ---- 0.13

Cuba ---- 0.13

GB ---- 0.12

Russia ---- 0.11

Japan ---- 0.09

China ---- 0.03

* 2008 data from French government.

[DudeAsInCool]

I've reorganised the data by medals per capita. Data from the CIA, July 2007 estimates. No data available for Brazil.

COUNTRY ---- MEDALS PER 1 MILLION POPULATION

Armenia ---- 1.35

Australia ---- 0.93

So these guys are the real winners stats-wise - pretty impressive.

[Malicious Intent]

UPDATE:

Now done with all countries with the latest figures:

Armenia ---- 1.68

Slovenia ---- 1

Australia ---- 0.98

Slovakia ---- 0.73

Cuba ---- 0.7

Mongolia ---- 0.68

Georgia ---- 0.65

Switzerland ---- 0.53

Hungary ---- 0.5

Azerbaijan ---- 0.49

Norway ---- 0.43

Netherlands ---- 0.42

Belarus ---- 0.41

Czech Republic ---- 0.39

Finland ---- 0.38

Kyrgyzstan ---- 0.38

Korea ---- 0.37

Austria ---- 0.37

Sweden ---- 0.33

Kazakhstan ---- 0.33

France ---- 0.29

Lithuania ---- 0.28

Italy ---- 0.24

Zimbabwe ---- 0.23

Croatia ---- 0.22

North Korea ---- 0.21

Denmark ---- 0.18

Romania ---- 0.18

Germany ---- 0.17

Togo ---- 0.16

USA ---- 0.15

Ukraine ---- 0.15

Tajikistan ---- 0.14

Bulgaria ---- 0.14

Russia ---- 0.13

UK ---- 0.13

Japan ---- 0.102

Chinese Taipei ---- 0.087

Uzbekistan ---- 0.072

Algeria ---- 0.06

Poland ---- 0.052

Spain ---- 0.049

Turkey ---- 0.042

China ---- 0.031

Argentina ---- 0.025

Colombia ---- 0.023

Thailand ---- 0.015

Egypt ---- 0.012

Vietnam ---- 0.012

Mexico ---- 0.0092

Indonesia ---- 0.0085

India ---- 0.00089

LMAO @ India. They would need over 51.9 billion people to win as many medals as the USA at their current rate!

Figures for Brazil and Ethiopia not found.

[DudeAsInCool]

Here is a gymnast you won't see at the Olympics

[Malicious Intent]

Armenia ---- 1.68

Australia ---- 1.22

Slovenia ---- 1

New Zealand ---- 0.97

Norway ---- 0.86

Estonia ---- 0.76

Slovakia ---- 0.73

Cuba ---- 0.7

Mongolia ---- 0.68

Georgia ---- 0.65

Belarus ---- 0.62

Azerbaijan ---- 0.62

Switzerland ---- 0.53

Hungary ---- 0.5

Czech Republic ---- 0.49

Netherlands ---- 0.42

Korea ---- 0.41

Kazakhstan ---- 0.39

Finland ---- 0.38

Kyrgyzstan ---- 0.38

Austria ---- 0.37

Denmark ---- 0.37

France ---- 0.36

Zimbabwe ---- 0.31

UK ---- 0.28

Lithuania ---- 0.28

Italy ---- 0.28

Bulgaria ---- 0.27

Romania ---- 0.22

Croatia ---- 0.22

Sweden ---- 0.22

Germany ---- 0.22

Ukraine ---- 0.22

North Korea ---- 0.21

Serbia ---- 0.197

USA ---- 0.173

Togo ---- 0.159

Russia ---- 0.149

Tajikistan ---- 0.141

Japan ---- 0.133

Canada ---- 0.09

Chinese Taipei ---- 0.087

Spain ---- 0.074

Ecuador ---- 0.073

Uzbekistan ---- 0.072

Algeria ---- 0.06

Poland ---- 0.052

Colombia ---- 0.0451

Turkey ---- 0.0422

China ---- 0.03404

Argentina ---- 0.02481

Thailand ---- 0.01527

Indonesia ---- 0.01278

Egypt ---- 0.01245

Vietnam ---- 0.01173

Mexico ---- 0.0092

India ---- 0.00089

Some fun facts:

India would need 5.6 billion people to win as many medals as Armenia. Oddly, this is the entire world's population without India.

Armenia would need just 594,330 people to win as many medals as India. This is less than 1/12th of the population of London

If Armenia wanted to win as many medals as the USA and take the "most medals" award, they would need 31 million people - 10% of the number of people used by the USA to reach the number 1 spot.

[Umma]

OooooOOh is it on then?

[DudeAsInCool]

American Swimmer Felps Takes Eighth Gold Medal

Phelps earned his unprecedented eighth Olympic gold medal of the 2008 Olympics as he swam the butterfly leg of the Americans' world-record win in the 4x100m medley relay to close out the swimming competition at the Water Cube.

Read More

His competitor in the 10OM Butterfly wasn't too happy about taking the loss

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See more funny videos at Funny or Die

[Malicious Intent]

On the basis Britain has jumped to 3rd in the league table, I've decided that this whole medals per capita is a load of tosh and should be dumped.

GO TEAM GB!!

And now some music from Athlete: