Bitching and whining?

Seriously though, at least we're ahead of India who despite having the second highest population in the world rarely wins anything at all.

We do have some of our stronger events coming up.

You forget cricket, Ben. That should be an Olympic sport ahead of trampoline. India would kick our arses all over the tea room in cricket.

Like what? "Caber tossing"? I see that golf, rugby sevens and wushu (that's right:wushu - bet you can't wait to "enter the dragon"!) all being considered for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing - which means 3 other "events" may have to be cut - what a tragedy. To their motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger" the IOC should add "into Irrelevance and Beyond".

What are your core events? I would suggest:<ul><li>wrasslin' and weighliftin'</li><li>running and jumping and throwing</li><li>fitba - though this is a stretch</li><li>swimmin' and divin'</li><li>badminton - a rule breaker but I include it just because they do not show it any other time and it is pretty good to watch.</li></ul>Nothing with a horse or requiring a bouncy spingy thing, no gear or pully, no bat or racquet or metal pivot points, no bow or gun. No damn ribbons. No scores out of 6.0 from the Bulgarian judge.

Cricket should be, but isn't. Everything on and within the track is fine with me. Volleyball's been fun to watch but I'll take the indoor kind over the outdoor kind. nothing that involves a judge of any kind should count for anything ever although I'd like them to keep boxing somehow but with much improved scoring or judging. Maybe they could just box until there's a KO or someone quits. Wrestling stays because it's been ther since the beginning. Fencing is violent enough to make my cut too. At least swords take technique and atleticism of sorts. Bows and guns are for huntin'. If the equipment necessary fo the sport isn't readily available in an underfunded Canadian elementary school gym storage room it shouldn't be in the Olympics.

Are there any good Canadian chess players?

Are there any good Canadian chess players?

Is Chess an olympic sport?

It was actually considered, but denied this year. It could be considered again in the future.

If tennis and sailing, why not golf? It has been an Olympic Sport in the past, and if I am not mistaken, a Canadian was it`s last gold medal winner.

Of all the sports for Canadians to medal in, syncro diving and trampoline... pretty lame. With all of our vastness and empty spaces, we should excel in cycling and running. I'm skeptical of any 'sport' that requires a judge to determine a winner. And trampoline...?? I'm sorry, that to me is the equivalent of double dutch skipping, or marbles for that matter.

Hey, trampoline is a pretty cool sport which takes a lot of physical effort and coordination. It's also way fun to watch. Congrats to Canada on their medal, considering that the two top trampolinists in the world (US and Russia) fell off the trampoline like dorks!

What I can't stand is how many medals are given out to swimmers. Why all the distances? Why is it really a big deal when someone wins a swimming medal? It's not like they don't have 500 chances to do it each Olympics. Now consider figure skating where there's just ONE medal at stake and if you don't get it, your career is OVER! It burns me up to think of the smorgasbord of medal opportunities that swimmers have when Michelle Kwan has skated her heart out for 10 years and hasn't even got a gold to show for it.

I felt like the reason I was watching the trampoline was because I was waiting for some horrible accident to occur...kinda like watching those fools on motorcycles or skis on the Real Video shows. Lord help all those kids who now demand their parents run out and buy trampolines. The line-ups at the ER's are gonna get longer.

I felt like the reason I was watching the trampoline

As an Eighties European kid, everytime I see the trampoline I keep singing 'Ca Plane Pour Moi'. I have no idea where that comes from, but it has to do with a trampoline...

Hey, Arthur - who are the Dutch athletes we should be looking for. I watched the Netherlands come second in women's badnimton the other morning. Who else?

Memories of 2004 Olympics after 1st week...

``A slow start!`` :(

``A disappointing finish!`` :(

Beach Volleyball! :)

After watching the men's 8s come 5th in rowing this morning, we were told that the reason the injured rower was included was as tribute to three years of training as opposed to the state of affairs on the day. Next time I hear someone say we are not doing what we can to support teams winning medals, I will certainly think of that compromising decision.

"The Heavily Favored Canadians Finish in Fifth in Men's Eights" - second from last, sounds about right, hey, but they made a "final", and I'm sure they had a "great Olympic experience" and a "great run" that we will hear about over and over again from that chump Williams. And what about this injured guy -why didn't he pull himself out rather than being dragged behind the boat?

I think they should bring back Pogo balls and sport the hell out of them. I'm sure I'd get a medal... that, and I'm a mean one behind the counter wheel of a Skip-It

What would our world be like if we lowered our expectations for customer service to the level of performance expectations we have for Canadian athletes? Would doing their best, or a personal best effort satisfy many? Any at all? What about artists, or actors? Why shouldn`t an athlete representing his or her country not be held to the same standard as that assigned to an employee representing a company or theatre group? Want the glory of representing a country...be ready to be accountable when you flop.

Right on, Wayne. Canada shouldn't send athletes for the "Olympic experience". We should only send the best, with the intention to "kick international ass". If your "personal best" means finishing 12th, who of us sitting on our the couch at home could give a rat's ass if you "feel satisfied with your performance" - we couldn't give a sh*t about your "personal development", we want to wave the fricking flag! Spend the money on the elite - forget the rest (Darwin would be proud!).

...and when we do send the best, the gods decide to turn on us. We need to enter into a period of national atonement for the unwritten law we have obviously transgressed.

Gold medalists in "choking", that is what our national athletes comes down to? There must be some way to blame this on the Liberals, not only for their lack of funding (and their Soviet disconnect in which they fail to see that these performances as nothing short of disaterous), but their "I'm ok, you're ok; just do your best; no score keeping; there's room for everyone in this big tent; no raisees or slappers; self-affirment" policies, with its attendant lack of mental or moral toughness. We're "soft", I tell you, SOFT!

Ed. Please forgive the preceding rant with its lack of proper syntax (eg. "come (not comes) down to" and spelling ("disasterous"). I'm just so mad about this international humiliation, I could spit!

Did you hear the one about the Canadian athlete that was so embarassed by his gold medal,…he had it bronzed. He was afraid someone back home would think he had offended the guy who finished second!

Athletes of all levels, from all countries fail to execute at some time. I would rather drown in disappointment from the hard-luck learning lesson of a top performer(who will hit gold in 4 years, and 8,too, if she wants) then endure the cuddling and cover-up that we have heard from the CBC when one of ours succeeds in making the quarter-finals in womans 1500, mens syncro water ballet thing or has a fantastic 12th place finish.

Here's a new Olympic "record" for you (CBC reports) "Russian track athlete Anton Galkin is the 20th athlete caught for a doping infraction at the Athens Games – an Olympic record. He was the third Russian to test positive".

And talk about losers, what about that Ian Miller - 9 times an Olympic loser - not one medal over 36 fricking years, such that his neck has been declared a "medal free zone".

CBC says "Millar, also fondly known as Captain Canada, is Canada's sole entry in the show-jumping arena in Athens -- and who better?" Ya, who better to represent this Olympic "performance" by Canada.

"Captain Canada" my arse. Now "Big Ben", there was an athlete, although I'll probably be using part of him to paste clippings of this Olympics in my scrap book entitled "Great Canadian Whiners and Losers".

By the way, "Captain Canada" finished 24th and in last place of those who were not disqualified of DNF,(that's right: behind 23 other riders) saving his second worst performance for the medal round. How Canadian, eh?