I know our american friends have their own thread regarding Bejing 2008. But I haven't heard anything from my British friends!

Are any of you watching the Olympics? I'm loving the gymnastics and running. We're not doing too bad so far..

We're not doing too bad either, I think!

I'm not really into sports and I can't get absorbed by the TV as I've got loads of coursework to get done!

Lou

Each time I catch the news I keep hearing 'gold medal'. I may get time to catch up with the news tonight if I can get my essays done!

I should be a little more patriotic, but I'm consumed by my degree at present!

Lou

Louise I'm not a fan of sports either but I've been glued to the tv too I think this is the best we've done in the olympics in something like 100 years?

I found myself hypnotised by the indoor cycling. I decided then and there, that if I was to get any decent work done, I'd better skip the Olympics altogether! I am however excited that we are hosting the 2012 Olympics. I have applied to be an Usher/Stadium hand as it's just up the road from me!

Wow really? I'd love to do the same, but being several hundred miles away I doubt it's likely

I'm loving the volleyball and runners. Incredible bodies!

And the gymnasts! One can but dream of putting in the training to get a body like that.

Hey and I've just noticed we are the same height too

Is it just me hates the Americanism of 'Team GB'??? It's 'The British Team' - how hard is that to say????

Think the whole thing is a royal waste of time and money. Put that same money into sports in school, and stop wasting my time, money and TV air time on this tosh!

I'm so sad reading your comments there phoenix! That's a very ignorant thing to say. It's not like it's just 2 weeks of one sport it's a superb array of many different sports where the best in the word are competing and raising the profiles of ther fields which enourages young athletes and their asperations as well as entertains and involves each nation who competes. Much better than bombing civilians in a warzone.

If you're not a sporting fan then fair enough. But children in schools also need athletes to aspire to to encourage them to become good at their chosen dicipline and something to aim for. If the Onlympics weren't there or on the TV then there would be alot of motivation lost. It's not like it's every year either...it's every 4 years for goodness sake!

As for the Team GB thing.....if you've got such a bug bear with the Olympics in general then I don't think fair for you to criticise this chosen turn of phrase. The Americans are a nation of outstanding athletes as proven by their over all position in the world rankings.

Why thankyou! But I can't take any of the credit

It is a shame that Phoenix has made a rather flippant comment. We don't all think that way.

I haven't been watching the olympics or reading about it in the papers as I have been very very busy studying. However I'm sure this phrase was probably coined by our very own National Newspapers, not 'The Americans

I actually spotted in the paper this morning (ok, so I have to have a break every now and then!), whilst in the cafe having breakfast, that we are ranked 3rd at the moment.

Well done Team GB

Ooh I'm off to look for that application. I may not have time for Olympics, but I do seem to find time to check facebook

I agree Kelly Holmes is a great ambasador for sport

Lou

I don;t dislike sport - ran 5K recently - but believe it's for doing not spectating. The Olympics is a waste of money, and why should we not laugh at the ridiculousness of this 'Team GB' rubbish? (The last Now Show was from Radio 4, btw - last time I looked that was put out by the BBC. And they said the same thing - spent a good 5 minutes deriding the whole thing, and I laughed myself silly so it's not an anti BBC diatribe!) It is a bit pathetic to ape the ways of a more powerful culture - and if we should use 'Team GB' because it's an Americanism and they're great athletes - as someone said above - then shouldn't we just use the term for our team thought up by whoever is the winner then? That's a daft argument! Ah the Chinese are great athletes - what's the Chinese term for 'British team'???

Also am I the only one here who thinks what China did to Tibet is repulsive - and by even going there those selfish athletes are condoning it. The minute they go home the Chinese will have their internet blocked, again, and be fed lies. But that's OK because you had a nice Olympics out of it? Morally repellent.

Did anyone catch the closing ceremony? It was spectacular!

No I won't be watching the whole embarrassing debacle that it will no doubt be... (think of The Dome....)

And I will wish the same money was spent on helping the homeless, or health education for kids and sport in schools and that schools weren't still selling off playing fields to survive financially - the whole thing is an obscenity.

And however pretty or spectacular the opening closing ceremonies at Beijing... go tell that to the Tibetan people. It's like the 1930s Olympics where we still sent a team to Germany and turned a blind eye to what they were doing - and look what happened later.

I originally started this thread about the SPORTING in the olympics as a positive - since we are all in the same boat of trying to lose weight and better our health - NOT the politics behind it. You have all put in valid points and expressed your opinions, but I'm going to close the thread now.