4gamesandcounting

So is it the red or the blue?

That's what is making me worked! The f1 situation has been a disaster.

They've just got to make sure that train line is up and running smoothly. If not they've got trouble.

Went and swam in the olympic pool this weekend. A great venue and it will be even better in a few years once all the building work on the park is done.

Hampdens coming one treat! Imlookingforward to seeing what the temporary bowls venue looks like.

Well I will certainly consider Seoul as a base with maybe a night or two closer if i can. Is the fast train definitely happening?

Will only cost me a train fair so I will be going! Opening ceremony tickets and plenty of the sports too.

They have some nice stuff in their online shop.

They need to up their domestic sponsor numbers!

Just got my beautiful Gold Coast hoody delivered! Must be the only person in the uk wearing it!

Definitely not my favourite look, I know others love it but vancouver and torino and salt lake were all better for me. Don't get me started on Hot Cool Yours I always love the winter sports, so I really enjoyed all the sporting action. It's odd though that the final weekend feels a bit flat. Surely we can squeeze some of those events that started before the opening ceremony back into the actual days of the games. Something big like slope style or snowboard cross on the final weekend would be nice! BBC coverage was excellent, it was nice to watch the games from home for a change. But missing a games makes me even more determined to go to Rio! Overall fine, sometimes excellent, not sure it will ever have a really special place for me though.

Great article from sports illustrated

I believe he is going to retire so he should have the time! I'd imagine if he wants oslo to get 2022 he will make the effort to be a good member over the next few years.

No big surprise here. It will keep switching between aus/nz and Britain for the foreseeable future I would imagine.

Bjorndalen is a great choice

Singapore could absolutely afford to put on the games, and almost all the facilities are there really.

Barcelona was my first memories. Opening ceremony, Linford Christie and Sally Gunnell, and doing a project at primary school with information on the back of Kellogg's cereal boxes. That's what got me started. Remember some of Lillehammer and atlanta. Nagano passed me by, but from sydney onwards I was properly hooked. Volunteered at the 2002 commonwealths and been to every games since, except for sochi. Was lucky to work on the london games for an extended period too. Bidding process - I remember the 2000 and 2004 bidding race in the newspapers (manchester interest for 2000 and then whether athens would take the games home in 2004) the Beijing one was nailed on from my recollection, first started getting properly into it for vancouver and london onwards.

Yep they've been the timing partner at numerous games (at Atlanta, sydney etc) but only a top partner since 2002. When they sponsored atlanta and sydney the deal was with the local OCOG which gave them domestic rights and use of the games logo but not the rings in worldwide territories - not TOP. http://www.olympic.org/Documents/IOC_Marketing/OLYMPIC-MARKETING-FACT-FILE-2012.pdf

Amsterdam would be a good option if these games must continue.

Sorry baron I am going to disagree. I know it must look odd from outside, but you will never get the four nations to unite in rugby outside of the Olympics. They'd rather not go to the Olympics than have to compete separately for the rest of the time. Rugby in Wales Scotland England and Ireland are too steeped in tradition - and rugby benefits hugely from it.

Really good news to see the flagship long term sponsors signing up to new long term deals.

It's been out for a while and can be seen on their website.

Website says diving will be in Maria lenk. But you are right I thought it was going to be at the fort. Do we know the definitive answer? Hope it's the fort.

The graphics usually stay pretty similar for a few games in a row. Sydney salt lake and athens all had very similar from my memory. I think we've had the angled flags for a while now - since torino?

I'm prepared to be corrected here but I think it was 2004 the last time that there was a dedicated media village? Maybe there was one in Beijing too? I'd be interested to work out what the rules are and why some cities go down this route and others use hotels. London used hotels because there was an abundance of accommodation already - I guess this is the primary reason to construct a media village, and if this is the case then I am surprised sochi didn't do this.