Well they made me laugh:

http://newsthump.com/2012/07/30/empty-seats-deliberate-to-symbolise-olympic-theme-of-money-talks-confirms-lord-coe/

http://newsthump.com/2012/08/01/further-british-success-as-6-year-old-girl-achieves-musical-chairs-triumph-at-spanish-resort/

Graeme

- was supposed to be amateur athletes competing, without any form of political or business assistance whatsoever.

Just sayin.

a demonstration of what were essentially military skills as well - no synchronised swimming in 2500BC, thank you

Main reason I stopped watching them when they let in millionaire professional athletes 'compete'(often against amateurs).

n/t

there is no WAY NBA players should be in the olympics. College athletes, I can go along with. Also, Tennis is now inhabited by professional athletes.

"Bruce Springsteen? I LOVE him! He's like the American version of Bryan Adams!"

_Robin Sherbotsky

99% of other national teams....across the entire realm of Olympic sports...are populated by PROFESSIONALS from within their own country...

Because the NBA grabs the limelight becomes a moot point...It is OUR professional players against theirs...and the main reason NBA players were allowed to begin with. Our college kids kept getting abused by larger and more experienced "amatuers (i.e "pro players") from other countries.

No PROFESSIONAL athletes. Period. No paid athletes, no state sponsored athletes, etc etc.

"Bruce Springsteen? I LOVE him! He's like the American version of Bryan Adams!"

_Robin Sherbotsky

We're supposed to be better than that.

Sending the NBA to the Olympics is a national embarrassment. I understand the blurring of amateur vs. professional (NCAA anyone?) but you have to draw the line somewhere.

Which were contests between warriors, in effect professionals.

Anyhow the amateurs of 19th century conception were sports hobbyists of
the upper classes, so called gentlemen athletes.



L'avion accuse ... Le Corbusier