Olympic Games London 2012

[Digifiend]

Games of the 30th Olympiad
July 27-August 12, London, England

Schedule and Results | Medal Count | TV Listings: USA, Canada, UK | Official Twitter | Official Facebook | Official YouTube

OK, thought I'd start a thread for the London 2012 Olympics.

First off, some news about our honorary British Samurai Ranger, Aaron Cook. And it's bad. Despite being the European Champion and being due to be confirmed as the world number 1 in Taekwondo, he wasn't selected for the Olympics! Naturally, he's annoyed - and so is the British Olympic Association!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18253308

[Digifiend]

Sadly, Aaron won't be at the Olympics. So I hope we don't win a medal in that event. The competition is devalued. Since the Taekwondo authorities apparently don't think it's important for the world number one in the sport to be at the Olympics, I won't be complaining if the IOC remove it from future Olympic Games. The Olympics is supposed to feature the world's best athletes.

Only two weeks before the Olympics start now. This Friday, the Great Britain football teams (men and women) will play friendlies, before the soccer tournament starts a week later (before the opening ceremony, even!) Come on Giggsy!

[Legacy]

Phelps being from my hometown Ill be rooting for him. But Im excited fr NBA basketball team.

[Mr. Pink]

I'll be watching the gymnasts as there is someone from a few towns over participating

[Mr. Green]

I'm definitely gonna be following the Basketball competition the most.

[ForeverGreen]

I'll be following the Gold Medal count. USA USA USA!!!!

[Ryan Steele]

I am so pissed off the referees eliminated us against Nigeria in the preolympic basketball match...
Anyway I am gonna watch as much as possible sports as I always do. I love olympics
I have two questions

1)How come and Beckham wasn't selected after all for the UK olympic soccer team?
2)The teams that participate in that, how where they selected?

[Digifiend]

The FA and BOA (football and British Olympic associations) were wondering the same thing. Nobody expected Team GB football manager Stuart Pearce to omit Beckham. "Giggsy", if you wasn't aware, is Team GB's captain, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, who is one of three overage players. Each team is allowed three players aged over 23, and 18 players in total. Team GB was supposed to consist of players from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, but the latter two refused to participate outright, and the Welsh FA said that although their players could take part, they wouldn't get involved - so the English FA appointed the coaching staff without consulting the other British nations. Team GB's football team has 5 Welsh players, four who still play for the Wales national team (Giggs retired from international football five years ago but made an exception for the Olympics, which is his first and only international tournament, due to Wales never qualifying for one during his career), the rest are English. None of the players picked for Team GB were involved at Euro 2012, but other countries are sending players who've recently played in another tournament.

The women's tournament doesn't have any age limits.

[Ryan Steele]

Indeed Brazil is sending their big stars I heard!
I think it's pity that UK doesn't participate in euro cups and world cups as uk. Players like Gareth Bayle,Ryan Giggs,Robbie Keane would make a difference and it's pity they don't play big matches like these

[Digifiend]

The reason they play as separate nations in those competitions is because if they were to enter as Great Britain instead, FIFA would force the FAs to merge - effectively putting an end to the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish football leagues, and probably causing all the clubs not already in the English league, except for Celtic, to be forced into non-league. The existence of the four "Home Nations" as separate countries in football and rugby pre-dates the foundation of FIFA and it's rugby counterpart. The reason the english FA is simply called The FA is because it was the first. Great Britain is in the Olympics football this time as hosts. Normally, our best placed team gets to represent us if we qualify, but it needs the approval of all four British FAs - the England ladies qualified four years ago, but they were blocked by the Scottish FA. We haven't had an Olympic football team since 1972, when it became a pro competition instead of amateur. We haven't competed since 1960, because we failed to qualify for the next three.