You make a good point about tennis. There are differences I think between tennis and cycling - just to take those sports in isolation. Tennis, especially female tennis, is a very early developing sport. The quality of coaching and access to that is limiting. The cost of coaching is very high and like a lot of sports quality is patchy. One of my friends daughter is U14 county champion. He plays to a decent standard himself but he pulls a painful face when he talks about coaching costs. And she's been playing since she was 4 years old and they live 5 minutes from the club that produced Tim Henman. That's not needed for cycling, or rowing for that matter. After London there was a campaign to basically recruit tall sporty people into rowing. You can identify talent later and quality of youth coaching is not so critical. I think with cycling they got the right people where they needed them - at the top end. That team then did pretty much everything right.
Sports like tennis and swimming need high quality coaches getting hold of kids at a very young age and that's a bigger net to cast. I'm sure the LTA do spend a lot of money but you could easily waste a small fortune if you don't put the money in the right place, and my guess is they could do much better.

We used to be a bit of a laughing stock when it came to how we equipped our sportsmen and women to succeed, but now having the best gear for track cycling and conditioning makes a huge difference and the coaches have delivered some phenomenal athletes.

Sport is one of those broadcasts sold abroad. If you are in Canada, or Australia, or America, or anywhere else in the world. Some of the sports, this olympics right now, come from the BBC.
Plenty of examples, First sports match broadcast in the country, first HD sports broadcast, first Outside Broadcast, first floodlit broadcast, first football match in the entire world broadcast, the first ever worldwide satellite broadcast, first colour tv station,
But what have the romans done for us lately?


we can compare the BBC to skys viewing figures on sport if you want? I dont think its going to work in your favour though...


You dont need me to explain what a lie is, you just want to argue over semantics to distract from you being a bit of d1ck.

Translation: Oops I got that wrong, so let me see... oh yes, if I resort to an insult perhaps that will muddy the waters & no one will notice!

Your debating skills require a little work

Australia are 7th on the medal table

Very impressive from GB to be one medal ahead of where they were at the same stage in 2012. No country has ever increased their medal total the following games after hosting. We got 65 in London, our best 'away' showing in Beijing was 47 so we've got a great chance of beating that with us already on 30 with more medals already guaranteed today and with the likes of the Brownlee brothers still to come and Justin Rose looking in a good position to get a medal too in the golf.

And as I mentioned previously it's good to see our medals spread out over sports. With our 30 medals yes we have our stronger sports with swimming (6) and rowing and cycling (5) but not to the extent of some of the other countries near the top of the medal table. The swimming features so many different races/medals that it can really alter the table.

USA have 60 medals, 33 of them are from swimming only. So from all other events they 'only' have 27 which puts them near us (we'd have 24 if you took away our swimming ones in comparison). Australia have 22 medals, 10 of them from swimming. Japan have 24 medals, 12 of them from judo. So these countries are relying on one sport to give them around half of their medals so far.

Nice of team GB to win many of its medals in UK viewing time. Had some good evenings in front of the TV this last well

Maybe the BBC is admired the world over....the Brazilian hen do that gate crashed the live BBC 4 coverage last night seemed to be impressed www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37077188 Could be in for a promising night. Max Whitlock already has one gold and has his better event still to come. Justin Rose leading the golf by 1 with a few holes left. Andy Murray to play and more track cycling.

Maybe the BBC is admired the world over....the Brazilian hen do that gate crashed the live BBC 4 coverage last night seemed to be impressed www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37077188 Could be in for a promising night. Max Whitlock already has one gold and has his better event still to come. Justin Rose leading the golf by 1 with a few holes left. Andy Murray to play and more track cycling.

Do you know, I do believe there are more BBC personnel in Rio than there are spectators at most events. It seems that local populations have a general disinterest of things Olympics, whereas Auntie Beeb assures us that it is still the greatest sporting spectacle possible. Have presenters commented on how poorly-attended the vast majority of events have been? Do they not think that this is a reflection of lack of interest in many "sports"/the Olympic concept?

Obsequious Inverdale ejaculating at every RU & rowing nuance, Blue Peter-inspired Skelton/"the black guy in the square" giving us "awesome" 11-year-old insights, Chapman desperate to appear interesting, the guy on the beach under the illusion that he's a comedy genius, Balding trying to appear worth £500,000/year of licence-payers' money, Irvine convinced that she's a knowledgeable sports presenter & not a morning-TV style airhead.

The GB participants in the rowing & equestrian events filled me with pride, evidencing GB's approach of including athletes from all geographical, cultural, educational & ethnic backgrounds in all sports.

Wherever would golf, tennis, RU, football, basketball be without the Olympics? It must be their lifeblood.

With regards to the attendances I think that says more about Brazil and it's organising of the event and apparently pricing hasn't been cheap.

London was a success in terms of attendance and I imagine Toyko, Japan in 2020 will do very well also.

You certainly seem to have got your monies worth out of the BBC's coverage considering your obvious familiarity with it.

Purely for research purposes old boy!

Besides, I pay my £145.50 per year, just like you. I might as well try & salvage some value from that. However, as per my comments, I have failed miserably. Hey ho.

As I'm off work for a couple of weeks the wall to wall sport is a bonus for me. It allows me to watch a wide range of sports I wouldn't usually watch. In teems of quality of entertainment, its certainly better than bargain hunt and homes under the hammer that would usually be on

Exactly how I see it. And I know some people have mentioned the late time of some events with having stay up until 2/3am but with the next one being Toyko I want to make sure I catch as much of this one as possible.

Looking like one of GB best ever days in Olympic history. Whitlock has already 2 golds with Smith a silver in gymnastics. Justin Rose held off Stenson in a great last day battle in the golf. Silver in the sailing, we're guaranteed a gold too but it can't be confirmed until Tuesday. Murray is guaranteed a medal in the tennis. Guaranteed medals in the cycling with Kenny and Skinner in the final so another gold and silver.

We're definitely going to have 4/5 golds today. 3/4 silvers. Into 2nd place on the medal table above China....that's some going, and to think we had a few near misses of 4th in the pool.