Boat Race Spoilsport

What is that all about. Did someone deliberately swim to spoil the race?

Apparently. There might be more in the news today. The guy was arrested but looked pleased with himself as he was led away.

It was an Australian man protesting about "elitism" apparently!
British authorities arrested Australian expat Trenton Oldfield, 35, who claimed responsibility for the stunt on a blog entitled "Elitism Leads To Tyranny".

i don't like people spoiling things.

Shows how much he knows about rowing then! What an idiot! If one of the hulls had hit his head, he'd be dead. The speed those boats go is incredible.

In case anyone's wondering, no, I'm not a rower, but I think the Oxbridge Boat Race is a fabulous sporting event. Oxford and Cambridge are lucky enough to have suitable rivers to practise on. There's nothing to stop other places with suitable facilities from rowing too, and I think some other universities do sport rowing teams. The Oxbridge race just happens to be old (though not that old) because the universities are old.

Official Boat Race website for more info: Boat Race 2012

He is asking for "like-minded individuals" to disrupt Olympic events in a similar way.
I just felt so sorry for the teams who have spent months in training to have the whole event ruined. One of the Oxford team collapsed and had to be taken to hospital with exhaustion, probably brought about by the break in the race and the fact that they lost an oar in the following collision.

Makes me wonder if he's a failed sportsman himself or just a rotten spoilsport with a chip on his shoulder for no particular reason.

He must be a pretty good swimmer.

As well as a whinger.

Whingers unite and spoil good sporting events for the participants and the spectators! You can do it! It'll give you such a sense of achievement.

Not.

He apparently was well educated at a fee paying school and has a degree from the L.S.E. Is it perhaps a rebellion against his up-bringing?.Like many protesters he has his 15 minutes of fame and does not give a toss about anybody else. I feel so sorry for the Cambridge and Oxford teams who apply so much physical energy and mental stamina to compete, he on the other hand is probably a bit of a whimp who could not hack the training. The bigger problem is the weak minds that endorse his type of behaviour and the Olympic Games could be their childish way of getting at the authorities. Personally I would have liked to see the race continue without a second thought for him. If he had been struck on the head it would have been his own fault , now the ever growing band of anarchists will see this as a 'win' and will be doing this more than ever.

Here here! What an idiot that swimmer was.
Could he not be charged with endangering life?
Obviously, if he is daft enough to risk his own life that is his decision but what if the rowers had overreacted at seeing him in the water - one or both of the boats could have capsized with possible fatalities.
I have no problem with anyone protesting but putting people's lives at risk is a different matter

Very good point about the boats capsizing Sbagran. Who knows there are sailors who cannot swim, maybe that could apply to the teams, he would'nt know. The sad thing is he would view them as rich kids who would deserve to drown probably because of his dillusional world. I still think there is some sort of mental problem in the minds of these anarchists. I bet he would not go to Russia or China and tell them those at the top are elitist yet he probably likes communism given the point he was trying to make.

Sorry if I have offended any communists it's just the theory and the practice do not function anywhere in the world. If it did I guess we could accept the priciple had a good basis. Really no offence intended.

I like the fact that you described the spoilsport as an anarchist, pogs. I think that fits him neatly. I'm surprising myself at being much more angry about this than I would have expected. I'm not really a sports follower. Perhaps it's the fact that I think selfish bastards like him are a waste of space and planetary resources. Gosh! I am very cross.

The thing is, there is a beauty in the skill of those team rowers. It is incredibly hard to achieve. I know this from firsthand experience as a team dancer. It's just hellish to go and wreck something beautiful and hard to achieve out of nothing more than spitefulness. What a nasty piece of work he is!

The irony is that this idiot has had a very elitist education and describes himself as "rich, open-minded, multidisciplinary, efficient, focused, intelligent, honest, unique".

http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/sport/2012/apr/07/class-warrior-boat-race

apps.facebook.com/theguardian/sport/2012/apr/07/class-warrior-boat-race

Anyone who describes himself like that is something I can't write on GN!

I agree, bags but he really must be unhinged!

Stupid hit!

That was git not hit still

Absolute twit Probably mucked up the entire sequence of events for one and all.

He sounds like Samantha Brick!

Who?

I think the problem with Samantha Brick isn't what she said [which has an element of truth in it] but her perception of herself as being incredibly attractive to men [therefore despised by her own sex]. I mean, she's got a big bum and a flabby stomach; does she not own a mirror .....