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Congrats to Yahoo! Sports for an awesome Olympics Medal Count page.
Clicking on the country gives the list of individual medals by event with the winner. Clicking on the event gives the final results of all contestants, and clicking on the winner sends you to their bio. Simple, elegant, and beautifully done.
I see Australia is in a three-way tie with France and Russia for fourth, but they have more Gold Medals than both. Excellent.
The Tizona Group 
August 12, 2008, 10:05 am at 10:05 am
We bloody well should be up there, considering how many athletes we’ve sent and how much we’ve spent. I say one extravagance we can and should afford. Bolt disagrees.
Meanwhile, my little host country isn’t doing so badly, either (refer to link page).
No other links. No time. New series Man vs Wild on.
August 12, 2008, 10:18 am at 10:18 am
Bingbing, Bolt’s problem (which I’m sure you already know) is that we train these magnificent athletes using government money and get no return for it, whereas when people are trained through university, they have to eventually pay the government back. It’s a fairly valid argument, considering how much athletes here earn through endorsements and other deals.
I’m just glad that the US is beating China.
I expect Australia will bring in quite a haul in the medal stakes. We usually do quite well, except for Jana Rawlinson and Sally Robbins. I apologise to the world for that pair.
August 12, 2008, 5:58 pm at 5:58 pm
I’m on Bolt’s side, for slightly different reasons. Ash, I’d say there are some indirect returns – Australia’s prominence at the Olympics keeps us “on the map” so to speak, benefiting tourism, perhaps even business. How much? Wouldn’t have a clue, just doubt it covers the original government outlay.
My main angus (I mean beef, but might keep using angus instead; has nice ring to it) about this stems from my disinterest in most sports, except cricket for some reason, and even there I find myself rather unenthused most of the time these days. But at least with cricket and such games, I can see the entertainment value: there’s something to watch, to analyse (I’m nothing if not analytical, emphasis on the first two syllables). Much of the Olympics is about someone simply trying to get from A to B, be it on a track, in a pool, in a boat, whatever. It’s boring and, let’s face it, pointless.
As for the spirit of the Olympics, that went out with the original games. You know, the ones where countries would stop fighting, gather round and compete for laurel wreaths. I dig that. I don’t dig athletes doing nothing else in the intervening 4 years except train, train, train and compete in the same races with different names like “Commonwealth Games” or “World Championships”. I just don’t get the praise and adulation for someone who gets up, stands on a line then at the sound of a whistle or cap gun runs as fast as he/she can for 100m, 200m etc, again and again and again and again, day in, day out. And that’s it. It’s not even physically healthy – just ask any orthopaedic surgeon or rheumatologist. Athletes don’t live longer than the rest of us. I’ve tended an Olympic athlete. Nice guy, wish I was built like him. But he had a string of chronic ailments directly related to his excessive pursuit of sport. Many people say they admire athletes’ dedication and mental discipline. I only admire those characteristics when they’re directed at something productive or clever. Plenty of bastards throughout history put 100% effort into their bastardly deeds; you don’t admire them for it (except maybe Hannibal Lecter, but then he’s not even real).
Correction to a previous statement: my personal disinterest in sport is not the main reason I oppose government handouts for it. As you all know, that’s something I’m against period, for the usual neocon reasons. For those competitors reaching into their own pockets or riding the tide of corporate sponsorship, I say good luck to them, hope you get what you’re aiming for. But I’m not one for bathing in reflected glory and even if I was this definitely ain’t an exception to my general dislike of government subsidies.
That’s my angus. And a grumpy old Ebenezer Scrooge sour one it is too, today!
August 12, 2008, 7:17 pm at 7:17 pm
Fuckin’ A. Here I thought Peking was a God Damn Chinese Duck dinner 🙂 Things you don’t learn on the interwebby.
August 12, 2008, 10:25 pm at 10:25 pm
Great link. I see that TeamGB is doing great as usual, right behind such great sporting nations as North Korea!
Just beating Italy, Germany or France for the first time in 25 years would be nice, but highly unlikely.
August 13, 2008, 12:18 am at 12:18 am
Australia’s prominence at the Olympics keeps us “on the map” so to speak, benefiting tourism, perhaps even business.
I give that argument more weight than others do.
August 13, 2008, 2:14 am at 2:14 am
Well, Miss Ping Ping representing Tizona has one bronze in ping pong!
August 13, 2008, 2:39 am at 2:39 am
Sounds like you’ve been at bing’s bong.*
* if he had one.
August 13, 2008, 5:26 am at 5:26 am
Dminor says:
“As for the spirit of the Olympics, that went out with the original games. You know, the ones where countries would stop fighting, gather round and compete for laurel wreaths. ‘
As far as I am aware, the ancient Olympics were contests between only three nation-states, being Greece, Cyprus, and Ottoman Turkey.
Although they had laurel wreaths for the (predominantly) naked male participants, they also had gold and silver medals for first and second.
The loser got to wear a “brown” medal, basically a turd on a chain around the neck, indicating last place! This had to be worn by the loser for the duration of the games.
It was designed as an insult to the Ottomans, as the games were always scheduled during Ramadan. Shades of the 2012 London Olympics, really…..
The modern Olympics had significantly more competitor nations, and as a result, the “brown” medal of shame became the “Bronze” medal of podium status.
The practice of placing a turd around the neck of the ultimate loser faded into history.
August 13, 2008, 9:29 am at 9:29 am
That’s a shame, Kaboom. I’d like to see John Edwards have to wear a turd around his neck through the end of the Democrat Convention.
August 24, 2008, 2:03 pm at 2:03 pm
Seems I was wrong, Britain did beat Germany, France and Italy, almost beat Russia too.
I wish Britain spent as much on sports as Australia, and had anywhere near as good a sports programme, the benefits are incalculable.
August 24, 2008, 2:51 pm at 2:51 pm
Good show, old chap.
I note that the US finished with the highest total medal count, but we were second to China in points, because they won more Golds.
August 24, 2008, 5:08 pm at 5:08 pm
Well damn. Closet I could get is, we have Noritake, but hell that’s Japanese.
Are the “games” over? I didn’t watch any.
I blame Bush and his clone McCain, because the U.S. didn’t win more points.
Go to Chinatown in Frisco, B.O…you will be hailed as the new leader of China. Get use to those high neck Mao-Jung jackets.
You’ll look so cute. Ummm, can you play B-ball in those B.O.?
August 24, 2008, 5:09 pm at 5:09 pm
How many houses do you have in China, B.O.? Jus’ askin’. Seems to be important, since you brought it up, in our election.
August 24, 2008, 5:20 pm at 5:20 pm
Sir Charlie, When one expects the worst, the opposite happens. Hooray, for the Brits.