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GB 3rd in medal table? Hmmm..

Below is an extract from the current olympic medals table showing GB in a fantastic 3rd place. However can somebody explain to me how having only one more gold medal but 3 fewer silver and 4 fewer bronze and 6 fewer overall places us behind Australia? Sorry but even though I'm British I'm having difficulty accepting that one more gold alone puts us ahead of Oz! Discuss..



3 Great Britain 12 7 8 Total 27

4 Australia 11 10 12 Total 33

Comments

  • transittransit Posts: 163
    That's just the way it has always been measured. I guess it is an incentive for people who are happy to sit in 2nd place to push on for gold, to raise their country up the medal table.

























    I am obviously joking (about the second bit)
  • toadtoad Posts: 104
    I think the gold medal count should be done per person population of the country



    That would put New Zealand in first



    GO THE KIWIS and Go Bevan Doherty



    also Emma Snowsills Dad is a kiwi so we should get a half share of her gold medal as well

  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    Silver medals are only brought into play if the countries are equal on gold, which I personally think is the biggest load of crap in the history of sport. I think personally that it takes away from the people who win silver and gold as they aren't really contributing to their countries position. However its fricking brilliant for team GB! and to be fair for the americans aswell, who without phelps and his golds would be nowhere!
  • I don't see the problem. In any other sport you only count the winners - in Football they count only the number of cups or premierships you've won, and losing in two finals is definitely not better than winning in one. The silver and bronzes, whilst being pretty spectacular achievements (as is just qualifying for the games), are just consolation prizes. In other years, like 1996, we won few golds and several silvers and bronzes, and I don't think we had nearly as much to be proud of then as we do now.
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    The Aussies are taking their position behind GB in the medal table quite badly,to the extent of saying that because Chris Hoy is not English his medals don't count.The only thing that stinks worse than a bad loser is a bad winner.

    I would love to say '' LOSERS'' but that would just get me deported.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    By that logic I guess only Cathy Freemans medals count & most of the rest belong to us & the convicts we sent to populate..better shut up now I am off there on Tuesday....they might not let me in.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    ..and we are STILL ahead of the Aussies if we do that.
  • paulfitzpaulfitz Posts: 67
    And I still think we ended up ahead of them if you follow the 3 points for gold, 2 for silver, 1 for bronze etc. So basically..................GB WINS!!! ;)
  • penguinpenguin Posts: 37
    Two Words: Per capita ;)



    (and if that was the case India is in serious trouble)

  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Do you honestly think that if Australia had 19 gold and a total of say 40 of all medal types and GB had 18 gold with 41 all medal types that there would even be this discussion?



    Love the Ozzies and Kiwis but they just cannot handle being beaten and it not just the old 'we rarely lose etc' argument they just are very childish about it, when they win they are grudgingly gracious sometimes - sorry fellas think you're great and have served on operational tours with you and very impressed with you but this just has to be said.
  • toadtoad Posts: 104
    Zacnici,

    I dont think it is being childish more a friendly rivalry, as an expat kiwi I would be worried if i am in australia and not being reminded of recent australian victories over the kiwis, I think there is a similar rivalry between britain.

    As a kiwi if an australian is making fun of me, its probably because they like me however they would never admit that to my face.
  • penguinpenguin Posts: 37
    If British people did not eat so many pork pies and eat pork crackling washed down with pints of Carling.... then they would have won more medals at previous games....



    THEN..



    There really would be no reason for a Discussion on Britain’s 'rare' success.



    Agree with the Toad...friendly rivalry...



    nothing more sinister like trying to over compensate for being colonised and feeling like royal subjects of your Queen...;)



    I assume there is a little bit of friendly rivalry going on within the UK?





  • I assume there is a little bit of friendly rivalry going on within the UK?


    Hmmm, not that friendly – Andy Murray publically saying he would rather cheer any team other than England, Scots not wanting to participate in GB football team in 2012 etc etc.

    Irish, Welsh Vs English and Vice Versa I think is banter, it feels very different with the Scot’s...



    When England don’t get in any tournament’s (which is quite common) then I always gladly support the other GB nations, but Mr Murray’s delightful comments changed my opinion forever.

  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    I agree with you andy, I am actually welsh by birth and parentage but grew just over the border in Herefordshire. I support the welsh teams, but I also support England and Scotland, unless they are playing wales of course! And when ireland did really well in world cup 02 I supported them.



    However the recent comments by Murray and the scots being adament that they will will not be part of a GB football team has made me rethink what I had considered to be friendly rivalry.

    And their argument to me about their standing within fifa is so paper thin, I hate to say it but to me it sounds like they are more worried that if it is the best team selected they won't have any players in it! I can say this as being a welshman I accept that it is likely the best team would have mostly english players in it, because quite simply they are better!
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    Going back to the medals table youve gotta love the americans, they would put themselves at the top of the table whichever way they could spin it.

    They remind me of that guy at school you used to play football with who used to say at the end of the game "next goal wins" but what he meant was if my team score next we win, however if you score we will carry on playing until we score and win! hehe
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Friendly rivalry? I remember being beaten up by gangs of other boys on several occasions as a 7 year old when I lived in Australia because I was the only ‘pom’ in school, the teachers would do nothing about it and often joked about the ‘high spirits’ and I would have to explain the bruising, cuts and scrapes to my Mum on playing rugby (Aussies are very short sighted they kept mistaking my head for the rugby ball). The teachers would also mimic and ridicule me in front of the whole class because of my funny (hah, sauce) Manchester accent. However I do not hold grudges, I like Aussies and Kiwis but I am sorry Aussies in particular are childish when it comes to losing and not very gracious when they win. That is there only fault, in almost every other respect I admire them and their positive, ‘do the right thing’ attitudes. I am ashamed to say that my fellow Englishmen (and women) are degenerating into a burger eating, whiney, lazy, ‘my rights’ bunch of inebriated lardy chavs. The WHO projection for obesity in 2010 predicts that 23.7% of UK men and 26.3% of women will be obese, for the US 44.2% and 44.8% whilst surprisingly the figures for Australia are 28.4% and 29.1% and 28.9% and 39.9% for New Zealand.



    Now putting aside national character assassinations, I remember in the 1970’s my dad being disgusted when it became known that a prominent athlete had his train fare and hotel paid so that he could take part in a regional match, there was much muttering and calls for him to be disciplined as not being a true amateur. We only had winter sports teams as they were predominantly in the forces and were given career sacrificing leave from duties to train. Local Authorities for years were quite happily selling off school playing fields for housing and shops and giving planning permission to football clubs to build new stadia again so that shopping centres can be built. PC thought all but eradicated competitive sport in schools, a bit different than what happens in Australia and New Zealand. Result - sporting apathy except of course for mega hyped Sky sports football which suits said lardy chavs down to the ground.



    Along comes the National Lottery and the Commonwealth Games and a flurry of money being pumped into sport other than football – gasp, shock horror. Even so I understand that for the whole of the UK we have about 4 Olympic standard pools (as opposed to Olympic sized) whereas in Australia they have 47. Correct me if I am wrong but the only indoor velodrome in England, if not the UK is the Manchester velodrome and up to quite recently the only indoor athletics track we had belonged to the RAF etc. etc. Still better than a poke in the eye and I hope the Govt. comes good in its promise to spend more on participation sports not only for the chosen few to get shiny gongs but also so that many thousands more are encouraged into doing some activity and reducing the threatened obesity pandemic and bringing about more positive attitudes amongst our children and young people.



    Come to think of it why don't we issue an invitation to Gordo and David Cameraon to take part in next year's London or Blenheim Sprint Traithlon - what does the team think about that?

  • penguinpenguin Posts: 37
    Lets not forget the original thread was perhaps started FISHING for some friendly rivalry....



    I don’t believe the author simply selected Australia for alphabetical reasons....



    Bullying is bullying....not an isolated Australian epidemic.



    Congrats on a fantastic Olympics, I think both Countries can look forward to a more exciting competition in London – with hopefully some rivalry….



    Now I must remember to congratulate the US, Chinese and Russian teams for beating Australia….;)

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