Amazing Olympics

I see jess you mean the SA officials. Ordinary South Africans are solidly behind her.

I'll never forget her mother on the news, saying with total conviction "She is my daughter. "

Yes - sorry - those who should have been protecting her.
The judging and officiating has been a bit... interesting, hasn't it. The 2 false starts in the cycling. Robbie the High Jump and his premature white flag. The Kenyan in the 3,000m steeple chase who put a single foot outside the track on one occasion and had his bronze taken away from him. Today's 4x100 relay heat - the Americans dropped the baton, complained that a Brazilian interfered with them. Both teams disqualified and now the US team are getting a chance to run again against the clock - if they beat the time of the slowest qualifier they will get the place in the final. What next...?

Yes, it's been a bit interesting. The Keirin was bonkers. Apparently they didn't have a camera in position? I thought Cavendish was lucky to get away with causing that crash too.

Another cyclist (can't remember who) went outside the line and the infringement was ignored; Victoria Pendleton was disqualified for the same infringement in London, apparently.

Didn't see the American relay heat. That should be interesting.....

Just been reading about the American swimmers who claimed to have been held up at gunpoint.

Of course, yes, Cav came up smelling of roses.
And then there is the Irish official who has been arrested for ticket corruption...

Oh yes, the Irishman arrested in his dressing gown.

I'm a bit bemused by the swimmers thing; apparently Lochte has apologised. But I'm not sure what's supposed to have hapoened.

I'll miss the Olympics. Shame about the Paralympics, though...

Good grief - broken neck, hip replacement and now Gold Medal!!!!!!!!!! Well done Nick Skelton.

At 63 perhaps he'll come on here!

Correction 58!

Hurrah! for Nick Skelton.

Ashamed to say we were cheering every time someone knocked a fence down after his last clear round .

Same here, Tegan. We cheered so loudly when that last fence went down the dogs thought we were being attacked!!

Here's a good article about Semenya.
It occurred to me that if the was competing in one of the field events, such as shot put, or in women's boxing or weight lifting, she would not look so different. Just that middle distance runners normally quite skinny. There was a woman in one of he kayak races who looked far more muscle bound... but there is still doping around, as we know.
Bolt looks very different to others in his events due to his genetics.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37102204
The American swimmers behaved like drunken vandals (well it seems they were drunken vandals) at a petrol station. Then one of them lied and tried to make out they were victims. Shocking and shameful behaviour, one would think.
Apologies for my comment re Christine Ohorogu, she is there, but only as a member of the 4x400 relay team. Did not qualify for individual event.
Lindsey Sharp is one of the very few hopes for a GB individual medal in athletics (the other one is Mo of course.)

Nail biting hockey!!

Maddie Hinch....You STAR!!

Superb ,really enjoying these Olympics

I am left breathless. What a fast game it is nowadays and how fit those young women are. Three rousing cheers for that great GB hockey team!

I chickened out from watching; penalty shoot outs are our nemesis. Can't believe we've won! [maybe those overpaid football players could learn a thing or two from our hockey ladies]. I quite enjoyed hockey at school but the teacher never seemed to let me get involved; seem to remember a lot of shouts of 'Tegan, get back on the wing'.

Same here, Tegan. And if I wasn't out on the wing I was in goal - it took me most of the PE lesson to pad up.

Tonight's game was just fabulous.

jessm thanks. Those swimmers are well naughty. Shame. That Lochte is a bit of alright, though.

I'm on Catchup now and I have absolutely no idea why the men's 400m relay team has been disqualified. Anyone enlighten me?

Starting outside the changeover section apparently, gettingonabit. I watched the race live last night and after the disqualification the commentary team showed it over and over again, slowed down, speeded up, every changeover. None of the four of them could see anything wrong, but one of the changeovers was difficult to see clearly as the runners were bunched together. An appeal went in, but wasn't upheld. Shame, after they'd run so very well.

Yes, maggie they were brilliant. And probably in with a chance of a medal.

Great bronze in the 100m women though. Well done them.

Anyone staying up tonight? (I mean this morning, really)

The best thing about the olympics is the coverage of sports that are never shown on TV at any other time - hockey, trampolining, table tennis etc ( would like to have seen more of the brilliant Chinese table tennis).
I'm not convinced by tae kwon-do or kayaking though - would they have had any coverage if there hadn't been a British medal winner? Not being miserable - good on the competitors of any nation, but I didn't really get some of the sports!
I'm watching the women's triathlon - I thought they all had tattoos on their arms till I realised it was their numbers!

Tom Daley didn't make it to the final in the 10m diving he must be gutted.

Miserable about the men's relay team. All on the word of one judge. They did so well. Anyone know what happened to the Indian team as they were also disqualified.
The US 4x100 team also disqualified on a small point.
Usually they only dq if the baton is dropped, the baton change happens too late or someone impedes another runner. We are really not doing that well in athletics and the relays were our big medal hopes. (Leaving aside Mo, who needs not to fall down)

Just catching up, fantastic performance by the Women's Hockey team and I shed a tear with Nicola Adams, what a great girl she is.