Heather Stanning and Helen Glover - Gold for GB

[David A]

Our first Gold Medal of 2012 today, and the first ever Gold Medal for British women rowers! absolutely annihilated the competition in the Pairs, a dedicated Royal Artillery Officer and a rookie PE teacher took on the World today and won comprehensively. Amazing story and truly inspiring! Heartfelt congratulations to you both!

Heather Stanning is planning combat duty in Afghanistan later this year. Anywhere but, please, David Cameron. She is too precious an asset to risk in this utterly wasteful and pointless war. If they refuse Harry, they should refuse her too.

Heather we want you two back in one piece for the next Olympics!!! Go for it, Girls, we are so proud of you!

[Peter C]

Fantastic achievement for sure but I have to say the BBC has gone just a Tad OTT (over the top) on the tv channel coverage and have forgotten that most of their paying customers do not bother about the Olympic games.

I say the BBC have gone OTT on coverage because on freesat the BBC have coverage on

BBC 1, BBC 3, BBC 1 HD, BBC HD, then they have 24 dedicated channels from 150 to 174

That is 28 channels showing no other program other than the Olympics and news and the world must have stopped becausethe only news we here is about the Olympics.

The BBC seem to have shut down normal broadcasting for every person in the UK, if you aren't into sport you are forgotten by the BBC.

I think the Olympics are fine for those who like sport but the BBC have neglected their paying customers who have no interests in the games.

The BBC should be giving a 3 week refund or discount on next year's TV licences.

In fact its time the BBC started to pay its own way in the world, the TV liecence should be abolished and let us pay if and when we chose to watch the BBC.

[David A]

Peter,

I say that anything that helps relieve the doom and gloom for this country has to be good! remember too that three times in over a century, is worth celebrating! it would be interesting to have a poll from the licence payers themselves concerning a refund of licence fee - I'm willing to bet it would not exceed 25% of lincensees and remember too that BBC has 4 channels, and most of coverage is on BBC1

Finally, remember that these games are costing the taxpayer, and particularly Londoners a packet, so the more positives we get, the less the eventual bill, hopefully!

[Peter C]

David A,

I agree with you that anything that can relieve the doom & gloom would be a nice distraction, however.......

Giving the TV liecence payer virtually no alternative viewing is not a positive from an institution that is totally funded by an enforced liecence fee!!

Yes the Olympics are worth celebrating but come on 28 channel's dedicated to Olympic-mania. Let's be fair and unbiased if the BBC can open up an extra 24 channel's for the coverage of the Olympic games then the BBC could have left normal broadcasting on one channel for those who don't get into the Olympics.
I am fairly sure the BBC must know that they are neglecting a huge percentage of the liecence payers, most people will just go out or watch a movie, visit family & friends or most likely planned their vacation during the Olympic games rather than complain and let's face it the BBC are highly unlikely to publish complaints they are and have revieved and if they did they would play down the figures.

You said.......

"Finally, remember that these games are costing the taxpayer, and particularly Londoners a packet, so the more positives we get, the less the eventual bill, hopefully!"

You can't take a positive out a negative but since you once were in banking I can understand your thinking because isn't that what Bankers have been doing ever since the government deregulated the banks.......

Trying to take a positive out of a Negative and ended up Bankrupting the country in the process!!

The Olympic games will be exactly the same, do you remember the "Millennium Dome" now known as the O2 arena another government waste of tax payers money.

From Cameron down, they claimed the games would make money, now and, if not now, then some time in the future. This was plain dishonest. Everyone knows there is no Olympic legacy, but, as with Santa Claus, we dare not tell the children.


I can find no warning in recent years from any official body that August 2012 would be anything but a cash-rich bonanza. Last week Johnson was still hyperventilating like Big Brother over tube loudspeakers that passengers should expect "a million extra visitors a day". He must have known this was rubbish. Reports were pouring in from London business associations of trade at hotel, restaurant, theatre and other tourist venues plummeting by an average of 30%. With August always down, they had been told to greet a "games uplift". They must have a strong case for a class action against the mayor, who has been milking the games for all the politics he can.

London will not recover the cost of the Olympics and may as well forget it. Having spent the money we should at least lie back and enjoy it. But we should stop pretending.

[David A]

Peter,

I can't fault your reply and have to concede that it is a very expensive feelgood factor! Mind you, by today's count putting us in 4th place with 8 gold, 6 silver, and 7 bronze, is surely something to crow about!

I've long advocated the return of the Summer Games to Greece for ever and a day - then perhaps, their debt crisis (and ours) would be greatly relieved! Would that the politicians and sponsors listened!

[John Kelly]

David A.
It appears that Olympic officials have enjoyed a slap up chinese meal at the taxpayers expense, four officials ran up a bill of over 44,000 pounds 18k was for a bottle of 1853 hennesy cognac , so thats why the games have gone so far over budget!

[David A]

It's people like this who damage the Olympic ideal - I hope they choked!

[David A]

Brilliant rowing again today at Eton - 2 Golds and a Silver!

Tally now 14 Gold 7 Silver and 8 Bronze putting GB in 3rd place - utterly amazing first week!

Congratulations to our athletes making track and field history today!

Golds for

Jessica Ennis - Heptathlon
Greg Rutherford - Long Jump
Mo Farah - 10,000 metres

many congratulations!

[Rookery]

Of course I am delighted about our successes BUT there is something inside me that says the Olympic Games as a whole is getting out of control.   Every 4 years that host country tries to out shine the previous host country by building the biggest and best Olympic Park (which will probably get little use when the show is over), and spending more and more money on the two hour opening razz mataz.   I agree with David A  that the Olympics should have a permanent home in Greece and lets have a simpler opening ceremony - oh I forgot we now have a Hollywood style closing extravagansa too.

[Jenlo]

I agree that the Olympics should be permanently in Greece.

Although the BBC are using all their channels for the Olympics i blame the other channels for not jumping on the band wagon and providing some totally new programmes to win viewers.
However none have bothered and they are showing their usual tripe.

The BBC once again have a 'Naff' programme on after the news, bringing people up to date with what they may have missed.
The live studio of Big Ben and the medal count looks like it was put together by children.
Just like the 'Naff' live studio broadcast of the Queens jubilee.
And constantly saying "The celebration of the Queens coronation".
They are also changing our language.
They keep saying Pat-riotic instead of the English Pay-triotic.
Other words they say that get me really miffed Backrain (Bahrain),
Sarcozee (Sarcozy), Angela Merkel, we (English) pronounce it Anjela.
I am sure there are plenty of other words they mispronounce and you lot i hope, will know more.

I do think the Olympics are a waste of money.
The 2012 logo, i have never liked, and i think they paid £500,000 for that, although it isn't being used at the events.
The one-eyed horrible mascots, i haven't seen one on screen however the BBC have some sort of white dog with red and blue spikey hair on a lot of their reports.
Final word......i applaud all our participants and all the volunteers.

[David A]

Today we have added 2 Gold (well done Andy Murray and Ben Ainslie), 4 Silver, and 2 Bronze

Bringing our incredible third place tally to:

16 Gold, 11 Silver, and 10 Bronze  wow! we are so proud of you all!!!

[David A]

Another 2 Golds today - Showjumpers and Jason Kenny in the velodrome -

remarkable story continues:

now 18 Gold, 11 Silver, 11 Bronze

[David A]

Another Gold and Bronze in the Triathlon today!

Well done, Brownlee brothers!

Now 19 Gold, 11 Silver, 12 Bronze! Whew!

[David A]

Charlotte DuJardin finished off the dressage with Gold Medal for Team GB - magic!

Most successful Olympics already for us since 1908 - official!

It's 20  Gold 12  Silver 12  Bronze now!!!

Not any more, thanks to 2 Golds from Chris Hoy and Laura Trott, and a Silver for Victoria Pendleton!

It's 22  Gold 13  Silver 13  Bronze!

[Peter C]

Glad to see you are fully behind team GB

[John Kelly]

Peter C.
Yes we should all be proud of our medal winners, however please spare a thought for those who have lost out as a result of the Olympic games, like the UK tourist trade who are reporting a 30_35% downturn because those visiting the games are not visting anything else. This on top of 3 months of constant rain that killed the tourist trade even before the games started.
The lasting legasy of the 2012 Olympics will be reduced economic growth and more unemployed, as for the Olympic park , all of the accomodation is going to be upgraded for social housing, but who will benefit from this new housing, will it be indigenous brits or will immigrants take first place as is now normal practice?

[David A]

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[David A]

More joy today after yesterday's rest - Charlotte DuJardin individual Gold in Dressage, Laura Bechtolsheimer Bronze in the same, and our first boxing Ladies' Gold for Nicola Adams

Many congratulations!

Medal table now reads:

26 Gold, 15 Silver, 18 Bronze

and just when I thought we were fully spent, along comes Jade Jones aged 19 and bags another Gold off the World Champion in Taekwondo! You little beauty! as my late Australian mother would have said or sung!

Another Gold from Ed McKeever in the single kayaks today!

Tom Daley too recovered strongly from almost crashing out in the qualifiers yesterday to go through to the finals in the Diving tonight in 4th place against very stiff opposition. Well done, and very best of luck, Tom!

To think that we are going to emerge in these Olympics ahead of Russia, and only led by the US and China, is a truly amazing effort from our athletes.

We salute you all!    

Talk about icing on the cake, Mo Farah does the double 10,000 and today 5,000 metres! I'm now speechless.... Three hearty cheeers!!!

And now Luke Campbell - Bantam weight Gold! - our first since 1908!!

Tally now: 28 Gold 15 Silver 19 Bronze !!!

And now 18 year old Tom Daley, with a Bronze against superhuman competition from USA and China, against all the odds!

Today, final day, a Gold and Silver in the Boxing - congratulations Anthony Joshua and Fred Evans!

Final Tally now: 29 Gold 17 Silver 19 Bronze

[Peter C]

The Olympic games have been fantastic, however.......

Who are the real winners of these Olympic games and what will be the legacy.

I wonder if these sponsors of the Olympic games and the money generated from holding the Olympics were to be "Compulsory" given to "Charities" to help the poor or to compensate the people that John Kelly mentioned, those  who have lost out due to these Olympic games being hosted in the UK.

I wonder if these sponsors would be so readily willing to sponsor the games!!

Some how I doubt it because they only sponsor to further their own aims which is to increase their profit margins.

Who were the main sponsors again.

MacDonald's ...... Producers of Fatty, fast foods and contributes to our "Obesity" epidemic!

Official London Olympic sponsors including Coca-Cola, Cadbury and McDonald's have come under fire for choosing to spend tens of millions of pounds to be associated with the event, while many of the products they sell are high in fat, sugar and salt, which critics say is fuelling the growing obesity crisis in the UK.