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The Importance of Sport (NEW CONCEPTS)
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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Wiley is also not a big fan of the repechage. You are not good enough to go through, but you get a second chance, to prove you are truly worse than the others.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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I am a huge fan of the repecharge. An entirely different and noble concept.
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Boreades


In: finity and beyond
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Mick Harper wrote:
Now I can tell you from my days rowing round Greenwich lake (one and six for half-an-hour, half-a-crown for the full hour) that rowing's hard work.


Blimey, this AEL world is even smaller than expected.

One of the advantages of living out 'ere in the Shires, near the Megalithic Centre of the Universe (and Borchester), is we keep bumping into Rock Gods who, earlier in their careers, wrote songs full of social anguish and cries for the underprivileged common man & woman.

Latterly they've splurged their wealth and bought their farms and calmed down. M'Lady & I keep bumping into them at Village Fetes and Farmers Markets.

Just the other day, Nick Mason was just trying to interest us in a spare old Ferrari of his. Only a million quid (ono). By way of idle chit-chat, he was explaining to #1 Daughter that Pink Floyd wrote "Come in Number 51 (Your Time Is Up)" after watching some prat mucking about in a boat on a pond in South East London.

Could it really have been that Harpo was the inspiration for the start of Pink Floyd?
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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On the same subject we were in first place in the canoe slalom with only one competitor left. An Australian. Which brings me to this table

Japan
USA
China
Russia
Australia
Britain
Also rans

Since the top four are shoe-ins, this Olympiad's award of the East Germany Prize for Over-Achievement by Small Nations goes to, it looks like, Australia über alles including us. Now only a few Olympiads ago (was it Sydney in 2000?) the Diggeroos were up in arms about their lack of medals. Just as we were (can't remember when, Atlanta 1996 maybe). And we both did something about it. If word gets out what it was, we'll both be sliding down the table and be in line for the Poland Prize for Being About Average. It's a fate worse than death. I'd prefer being world champ chumps rather than that.

"Sport? It's more for school really, isn't it? More cultural icons, vicar?"
"You mean something like Missing Persons by M J Harper?"
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Grant



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Wonderful example of careful ignoral going on at the BBC. Jamaica get 1,2,3 in the women’s 100 metres. This would normally cue a debate about why the Jamaicans are so good, but Michael, Gabby and Denise don’t even raise the subject any more.

It’s not so much the elephant in the room as the large bottle of pills
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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Grant reminds us the athletics has started. So I settle down with my meat paste sandwiches and ginger beer. It's heat one, round one, event one, Brit in lane one: the women's 400 metres hurdles. First thing to say is that, not so long ago, women weren't allowed to do the 400 hurdles, it was too stressful for the poor dears. Either they've cracked on or the IOC have got the letter.

Bang goes the starter's gun, bang goes the recall gun. Out walks the man with the yellow card. I thought we'd done away with all this. But no, everyone mills round for an eternity wondering what to do, so I nip down to the shops to get some of those new space age straws all the kids are using. Bang goes the starter's gun, bang goes a British knee against the first hurdle and down she goes. The event had proved too stressful for the poor dear.

I don't mean that. Of course I'm mortified on her behalf but let us compare our recent history. She has spent four years obsessively preparing for the Olympics and has fallen at the first hurdle. I have spent four years obsessively preparing for the Sunday Times Hot Hundred and fallen at the first hurdle. The difference? I had a whale of a time. And is she going to be mortified on my behalf?
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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So our Olympics have been saved by the Man from Lewisham. I was furious. He had just perpetrated the exact same error I castigated him for when he won silver in the individual triathlon and I was smacking my lips in anticipation of a combination Told You So and Why oh Why? tirade here but he won so now I can't. Consistency, that's all I ask. And a bit of consideration for the Lewisham people back home.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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Quick addition to your Bluffers' Guide. The repecharge is referred to as 'the rep'.
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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Grant wrote:
Wonderful example of careful ignoral going on at the BBC. Jamaica get 1,2,3 in the women’s 100 metres. This would normally cue a debate about why the Jamaicans are so good, but Michael, Gabby and Denise don’t even raise the subject any more.

It’s not so much the elephant in the room as the large bottle of pills


Whatever it is, or is not, they (err the Jamaicans, not our presenters, heaven forbid!) look way better on it than those East Germans ever did.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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This is kinda important. And topical because a most extraordinary-looking 'woman' has just qualified for the (women's) 800 metres final. What people look like goes to the heart of sport because its justification, at some fundamental level, is that it rewards human genetic attributes that human beings tend to favour. Citius, altius, fortius and all that. Once that goes, sport follows. This is presumably why drugs are frowned upon (though speaking personally...).

My first memory of this aspect is the famous case of the Press sisters. Irina cleaned up all the golds and world records in sprint events, Tamara ditto in the throwing events. The extreme unlikelihood of genetic siblings being so good in such different events led to the suspicion that a) they weren't and b) they had been 'male hormoned' by the Soviets. This resulted in sporting authorities bringing in 'gender tests' and the sisters pressingly (oh, yes) having to spend more (indeed all their) time with their family. We shall not see their like again.

Until, fifty years later, for reasons I still can't quite fathom, 'transgender' was adopted as a noble cause by Young Leftists, and Old Leftists though utterly bewildered know to keep their traps shut if they don't want to be germaine-greered. (Rhyming slang for 'You'll get pistol-whipped if you come anywhere near here'.)

More later on this ludicrously hot button subject.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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My BMX Moments

1. Coming to this accidentally I watched several races while wondering how motor sport had managed to snuck into the Olympics. I had been misled by the motorbike helmets and the general velocity into supposing I was watching speedway for the post-cinders generation. On realising everything was pedal-powered I immediately switched into contempt mode: grown men still mucking around on their BMX's. What's new for Paris? Conkers?

2. I hung around -- with I confess ever less grudging respect -- as the bodies were mowed down and the Brit medals piled up.

3. Until I watched some twelve year old slip of a thing (later revealed to be twenty-five, married with three kids and considering a career in avionics) do a double somersault and bag yet another gold. My enchantment was only dimmed a little when the commentator began with 'for the first time EVER!!!' and then 'for the first time by a woman EVER!!!' and then 'for the first time by a woman in competition EVER!!!' and finally 'for the first time by a woman in an Olympic competition EVER!!!. Good grief, neither women nor BMX's had even been invented at the time of the last Olympics.

May get one, may not. A BMX, you jism.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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Final Swimming Medal Table

1. United States 11 10 9
2. Australia 9 3 8
3. Great Britain 4 3 1

Spot the common denominator? Correct. All English-speaking. More proof, if more proof were needed, that
a) the Aquatic Ape Theory is correct and
b) the human race evolved in England.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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We should get the broad principles of 'gendering' straight in our minds first. Anyone disagree with any of these statements?
1. People should be free to be any gender they want
2. If their choices impact on public policy they have to face that fact
3. Generally speaking non-clarity in one's gender is an affliction and such people should be assisted in any reasonable way available
4. It's an incredibly minor problem in the general scheme of things but not for the people involved.

So now we come to sport. Since males and females can rarely compete fairly in most sports, they are strictly segregated. But if an essentially male transgender competes against women it is unfair to the women. Unless 'he' wishes to compete with men 'he' cannot take part in competitive sports. It's a shame but since competitive sport is a voluntary and not a very significant part of life in general, there it is.

Sorted. Except you'd get crucified if you were, say, a BBC sports commentator and took this position.
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Mick Harper
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In: London
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The truly absurd aspect is that the Olympics are watched by a worldwide audience of people with a political consciousness ranging from none (Amerindians finding a battery-powered TV set) to 100% (Anglo-American students takings arts courses). Some of those people will be pleased if a transgender wins the women's 800 metre gold medal, some won't. The question before this house is "Will these combined reactions tend to advance or not advance the cause of transgenderism in general?"
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Wile E. Coyote


In: Arizona
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Mick Harper wrote:
The truly absurd aspect is that the Olympics are watched by a worldwide audience of people with a political consciousness ranging from none (Amerindians finding a battery-powered TV set) to 100% (Anglo-American students takings arts courses)me of those people will be pleased if a transgender wins the women's 800 metre gold medal, some won't. The question before this house is "Wi. Soll these combined reactions tend to advance or not advance the cause of transgenderism in general?"


Don't know, my guess is that "politics" or "rules" will have little to do with it, broadly the TV audience will be in favour as the Olympics is now watched more by a more female "reality show" type audience, who are not concerned with the rules or results, in the way that some males are.

The Olympics you ( I don't want to stereotype...) are watching and analysing as, say, more akin to a FA Cup final, the majority of viewers are seeing as more akin to Eurovision. Given that it is American TV that calls the shots, the BBC will follow behind. Transgenderism will become accepted in these sports. At which point we will probably discover that these trans athletes often finish second and third, and will suspect the winner of using drugs. Just like most runners up.
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