Posted on 08/09/2012 8:58:40 AM PDT by the scotsman
'Great Britain's Nicola Adams made history by beating China's Ren Cancan to become the first woman to win an Olympic boxing gold medal.
Leeds fighter Adams produced a stunning performance to overcome the three-time world champion 16-7 in the final of the flyweight competition.'
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Out of respect for Patton, I hereby withdraw the claim that modern pentathlon is ridiculous. And offer synchronized swimming as a substitute.
Can we claim Katie Taylor for one of those, since she’s half-Yorkshire?
Synchronised swimming is basically dancing. Why exclude all the other forms of dancing?
That has been a matter of debate since virtually the moment the event was complete. The scorers/judges contend that Patton missed the target with one round. Patton insisted he placed two bullets through the same hole. IIRC, that would have made all the difference.
I think, and I may be wrong, the reason England and Scotland are separate entities in football is that we started the whole thing, the first international football match was England Vs Scotland, and such out of respect for this we are allowed to keep our separate identities.
The schemers at FIFA are desperate to get us playing as Team GB more often (google Jack Warner, a thoroughly nasty piece of work), and that was the main opposition to fielding a football team in this olympics. The Scots and the Welsh feared, rightly so, that if it could be done for the Olympics, then perhaps we would be forced to do it for the World Cup/Euros. If it wasn’t a home games there wouldn’t have been a Team GB in the football. There certainly won’t be one in Rio.
And from a personal standpoint, i’m chuffed with our success in the games, but I couldn’t cheer on our football team. 2000 years of parochialism coming through i’m afraid
But still, imagine if there was a GB team in the 70s, and Georgie Best and the great Scot players of that era combined with the English players, no telling how many WCs, they might have won.
It’s a lovely idea (although even then I still think the West Germans and Brazilians would have been too strong) but there is literally no way on earth the Scots and the English could or would support the same team. Ever. Ever!
Do you realize that the US Women are on the verge of sweeping Gold, in almost every single major team sport?
Gymnastics
Water Polo
Volleyball
Basketball
Soccer
Beach Volleyball
Women’s Doubles Tennis
They also won 2 out of 3 of the Swimming Relay Races, and are favorites to win the Track Relay races as well.
That’s called “Domination.”
I partly blame the almost inevitable break up of the Union on the fact that we have had separate teams. It discourages ‘Britishness’ and fosters an attitude of division between the peoples of Great Britain.
I can’t help but think that the attitude of ‘anyone but England’ in sporting events, particularly football, has engendered a habit of antipathy towards England in the Scots and Welsh that encourages petty nationalism at the expense of a British national identity.
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