From what I've read, the AIS has been stripped bare of its resources in recent years in favour of this winning edge programme where heads of the relative sports are high profile businessmen instead of high profile sportspeople/coaches.

The new head of equestrian is some exec from Qantas for example...

It's intimated that there seems to be a disconnect between the ASC & the AOC and as a consequence the AIS is suffering because of it.

Caster Semenha wins the 800. Farce.

Semen? YA!

What's your solution?

Perhaps he should run with the boys?

Well done to the 4x400 girls making the final, their semi final time would have gotten them bronze, but not to be.

Apart from Australia's "tenacity", the story from the aussies at the olympics during the 70s was accusing all the other athletes of being on drugs when they couldnt beat them

And you know what? I reckon they might have a case looking at all those javelin throwers...

How about "Semenya, due to having fat nuts, you're now allowed to race with the girls".  Instead it is "Semenya, due to us not wanting to cause outrage and accused of discrimination, please go forth and make a farce of the olympics".

I estimate at least 30% of track and field athletes are doping, with an upper limit of 80%.  Not that the IOC would ever disclose this, it would destroy the olympics,  It just sickens me that would people could cheat their fellow competitors, and then go up on the podium and shed tears. 

Here is a rather elongated list of drug cheats at the olympics. the thing is, what about sports where its not about speed and explosiveness? ie table tennis? theyre surely on caffeine or non a.d.d medication, or they might have a.d.d to be able to focus on a ping pong ball?

edit its so boring to hear the star spangled banner

really starting to get sick of hearing about Kitty Chiller. She's an administrator, why is she in the news every friggin day.

From what I've read the top 3 runners in the women's 800m have, or are suspected to have, a similar condition. Which makes me curious as to how they are attracted to that event or how it advantages them in that event rather than others.

I follow via livetv
Un-Australianed my coverage

I listened to the ABC Grandstand talk pre-game about players being role models and the talk was how losing is a part of life

Granted it sucks to lose, but the cult of winning has gotten out of hand for Australia at the Olympics

Is the want for 15 gold medals or bust the necessity to reinforce some pride or how Australia punches above its weight? its tenacity? Or is it the danger of how plural Australian society has become, ie 'sport, if thats your kinda thing'. The Americans have a plural society too lets not forget

I dont think its so much about the gold medals as much as its about choking on the world stage. As an elite sporting nation i think we can and should be a top 5 nation, we are definitely capable of doing better than what we did. I dont think theres anything wrong pushing for gold medals, sport is essential to our culture and resting on our laurels and being content with mediocrity isnt the Australian way

thats right its less than 0.01% of GDP for a "lottery profession"

lottery professions like art, acting, music and elite sport need government spending because in the grand scheme of things its not a lot of money and the world is dull without them

the first sentence sums it up

5 gold medals where we had the vast majority exceeding their heat and semi final performances then its a great olympics

20 gold medals where we choke under pressure is a worse olympics for me

of course that is contrived if every one exceeded their heat/group and semi final performances we would probably have around 12

do you even listen to what people say
you keep coming back with this straw man that its about winning

meanwhile in lighter hearted topics what would you guys see as an olympic sport

I wouldn't mind laser tag or paint ball

hey why not?

u23 Cricket would be good

The beginning of the end with the men's marathon on right now 

Would love to see the athletes in the triathalon choose whatever order they want to do the legs in.

I.E.  
Athlete 1 - Swim, Run, Bike
Athlete 2 - Run, Swim, Bike
Athlete 3 - Bike, Swim, Run or any other combination.

Would throw up some interesting finishes if nothing else.

Would be interesting to see a bloke on a bike try to chase down a bloke on the run leg who had a 20 minute head start.

Football replaced with Futsal or beach soccer. It will never happen.

Surf life saving as a category. Only down side is that we would be expected to do well in it because as far as I know we are the only country that competes professionally.
Of all the Surf life saving sports I want to see flags entered the most. It has the acceleration, speed and technique required of athletics sprints combined with cunning, strategy and stamina required to be successful at middle distance field events.

Kite surfing added to the list of sailing events.

I'd also like to see orienteering disciplines added including categories for foot, cycling and kayaking but it isn't really great for spectators or to televise. You also can't have athletes just wandering around the bush in potentially dangerous host countries like Brazil.

Logistical nightmare.

Under your rules do they get to choose midway what stage they take. Say they finish the swim, have they chosen before the race that they will be running the second stage or can they then choose to run or cycle depending on the circumstance.

I'd imagine no-one would be doing the swim anything but first. Much better to redline on the run or bike than drown in a swim.

Out: Tennis, Golf, Pentathlon, Football, and Equestrian

In: Squash, Tug of War, Futsal, and Kickboxing.

MMA would be worth a mention, I'd love to see Lacrosse but I don't think it has enough worldly presence, and Laser tag or paintball does sound pretty interesting too.

Next Olympics Baseball, Softball, Karate, Sport climbing & Skateboarding are being added, never seen sports climbing, but I'm pretty happy with the other 4 sports.

Equestrian is there because it's, as far as I know, the pinnacle of various equestrian events to win an Olympic gold.

That justifies it as an Olympic sport. Plus, it has been there for so long.

It's difficult for those of us for whom equestrian is an utterly abstract sport. And, obviously, there's definitely a class advantage (although not just for equestrian). But I've a few friends from overseas who've grown up around stables. They can see the merit of it.

It's just difficult for many of us to understand it.

amazing boomes are so close to spain in last Q...Ref have kiiled Australia by giving 8 foul in 22 min to Baynes , Bogut ...Gasol got 1 foul in 25 min

the Ref trying hard for Spain,,,,can't believe Australia keep this close

Australia up by 1pts with 9sec to go...Spain has the ball and 1 shot....but ref lkilling Australia

ref give foul to spain...big rob i've ever seen 

biggest Rob. i've ever seen in basketball....could see it miles away....