(edit title) Sweden was mentioned in the UK newspapers today Albeit the daily mail Options

[skogsbo]

@skogsbo"A desk worker in London is not a sound UK representative, his idea of exercise is probably walking 2 tube stops on a summer days, or walk round one of the parks ... (show full quote)

@skogsbo

"A desk worker in London is not a sound UK representative, his idea of exercise is probably walking 2 tube stops on a summer days, or walk round one of the parks on a Sunday afternoon."

And who IS a sound UK representative in your opinion and on what grounds? ... (hide full quote)

a population sample, say 10,000 people. Taken proportionally from all corners of the UK, all ages and backgrounds etc.. Sadly I just don't have one at hand. I also don't know the exact results, but I know certainly from my time in the UK and various club membership, it does go in cycles(as said above), related to ages. 20-30 were the smallest sample, 40-55 we always the biggest. Less work commitments and kids older, but still healthy perhaps? So more spare time, but now I'm the one generalising!

[gplusa]

I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. Raising kids, paying mortgages, building careers, doesn't leave a lot of space for extra leisure activities. If you've survived into the 40/50 group then you've most likely finally gotten shot of the blood sucking leeches, you have more free time, and your level of disposable income has jumped. I became much more healthy in my 40s than I was in my 30s. Due in the most part to opportunity.

I found the same when involved with athletics clubs. I was very active in my 20s, drifted away in my 30s, and got involved again in my 40s. I found that many of my former running mates from the youth grades arrived back at around the same time. So there must be something to that. Possibly a bit of a mid life crisis wanting to recapture a lost youth when we were apparently all potential Olympic champions. "The older I get, the better I was" ? Interestingly I found that it was mostly males who disappeared, the majority of women who I knew through the club in my 20s had remained active (at various levels) right through the years.

[skogsbo]

Possibly a bit of a mid life crisis wanting to recapture a lost youth when we were apparently all potential Olympic champions. "The older I get, the better I was" ?

Of course, I found myself pondering my 18yr old 200 & 400m times and wondering if I took a different career / sporting route how fast I might have got. But, then reality strikes and I move on!

[Jamtjim]

I reckon that I would have been great at the 400 m amble...

[skogsbo]

No point in rushing around the olympic track, you want to enjoy the moment. Or do as the german discus winner did and take in a few hurdles on the lap of honour. How many 18 stone discus throwers could claim to have run the Olympic 110m hurdles!

[sometimesinsweden]

I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. Raising kids, paying mortgages, building careers, doesn't leave a lot of space for extra leisure activities. If you've ... (show full quote)

I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. Raising kids, paying mortgages, building careers, doesn't leave a lot of space for extra leisure activities. If you've survived into the 40/50 group then you've most likely finally gotten shot of the blood sucking leeches, you have more free time, and your level of disposable income has jumped. I became much more healthy in my 40s than I was in my 30s. Due in the most part to opportunity.

I found the same when involved with athletics clubs. I was very active in my 20s, drifted away in my 30s, and got involved again in my 40s. I found that many of my former running mates from the youth grades arrived back at around the same time. So there must be something to that. Possibly a bit of a mid life crisis wanting to recapture a lost youth when we were apparently all potential Olympic champions. "The older I get, the better I was" ? Interestingly I found that it was mostly males who disappeared, the majority of women who I knew through the club in my 20s had remained active (at various levels) right through the years. ... (hide full quote)

Of course, I found myself pondering my 18yr old 200 & 400m times and wondering if I took a different career / sporting route how fast I might have got. But, then reality ... (show full quote)

Of course, I found myself pondering my 18yr old 200 & 400m times and wondering if I took a different career / sporting route how fast I might have got. But, then reality strikes and I move on! ... (hide full quote)

Absolutely agree.

I generally see mid-30s+ lads, alongside me, hammering our over-priced racing cycles around various circuits in the UK and Sweden. Same when I go climbing in Alps and Wales - all of us recapturing our youth before the wives and girlfriends sucked us into a life of domesticity.

Don't realise how hard those first 3 years of parenting are until they're out the way, then doing a 70km bike ride or training for a marathon seems a piece of piss in comparison...if only knew this when I was still a contender

[skogsbo]

I generally see mid-30s+ lads, alongside me, hammering our over-priced racing cycles around various circuits in the UK and Sweden.

Ah, I used to love thrashing uphill past the rich folk on their £3000 bikes, then blowing them away downhill, all on my £500 bike. Now I have a better bike and probably only 75% of the fitness, kids have alot to answer for!

Same when I go climbing in Alps and Wales - all of us recapturing our youth before the wives and girlfriends sucked us into a life of domesticity.

I think I played it the other way around, pushing the sport hard until I was 35 and then we decided we better have kids, either now or never. I was living the dream, paid to climb through work, then combining my trips abroad with a week or two of leave before or after, climbing with the lassie. Probably better for my life expectancy and responsible parenting though, to tone things down a little bit. It's unlikely I'll be able to climb as hard as I did in my 20s, so now I just climb for pleasure and zero risk. Although I have some 'ticks' I've yet to complete, would be kind of good to do these with one of kids, but need to wait another decade yet.

[skogsbo]

Sorry to burst your bubble of delight, but it is scientifically proven that the host country usually gets 40% more medals than it would do if the Olympics were hold in a different country.

Here are some more likely reasons other than more investment in training;

- Less jet lag etc for any competitor in similar time zones(although because of the influence if USA east coast TV companies, all the major athletics & swimming, plus the opening ceremony had to been done in the evening, or in the case of the ceremony almost into the European night.
- less time away in unfamiliar surroundings, change in diet, different bed etc..
- GB teams will have definitely have visited if not used the sports arenas several times. Like in the winter games 2 years ago where the host bobsleigh teeam had had chance to practice on the new run, which turned out to be especially challenging / dangerous for those without prior knowledge.

There are more along a similar line. Also you can engineer and athletic track to give the kind of records you want. I would imagine this track surface was slightly harder than average, as many sprint times were broken, but none of the distance ones (i think). Hard surfaces favour sprinters as there is zero give in the surface and when 1/100ths of a second count it does make a difference.

Whilst it matters less in massive arenas, in smaller sided stadium, placing the javelin and throwing events either against or with the wind has an impact on distance and records, also with the run and jumpers. However, all this does depend on the weather on the day and impacts all athletes equally, but a home athlete will have experience of adapting to home conditions, air temp, humidity etc..

I wouldn't say it was scientifically proven though, I don't think we host the games often enough to prove much more than a provisional theory. 64years since the last games in London, how long until the next?

[Jamtjim]

I wouldn't say it was scientifically proven though, I don't think we host the games often enough to prove much more than a provisional theory.

Yeah, I agree with you. To say that it is "scientifically proved" is absolute nonsense and belies an almost total lack of understanding as to what science actually is. The USA is the only country to have hosted the summer games four times, London the only city to have hosted it three. Samples of three or four don't and cannot provide enough data to be able to conclude the effect of a 40% greater medal return. Sure I would accept that being "at home" confers an advantage of some degree other things improve performance such as better funding.

[skogsbo]

The USA is the only country to have hosted the summer games four times, London the only city to have hosted it three. .

I could argue that the USA should do proportionally better than it did, it has 10? times the GB population and many of school are in fact sporting academies, where education and athletic ability are directly linked. But then, perhaps the UK has a greater genetic mix, as it clearly proven that different races/genetics favour different sporting abilities.
The Chinese for example, formidable in some events, but they didn't really feature at all on the track & field, that's what allowed the USA to claim the top of medal table again. Before the athletics, China were well ahead with their haul of golds.

[Rick Methven]

I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. Raising kids, paying mortgages, building careers, doesn't leave a lot of space for extra leisure activities. If you've ... (show full quote)

I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment. Raising kids, paying mortgages, building careers, doesn't leave a lot of space for extra leisure activities. If you've survived into the 40/50 group then you've most likely finally gotten shot of the blood sucking leeches, ... (hide full quote)

Got rid of the leeches by the time your in your 40/50's?

I'm in my late 60's and still not free financially, grandchildren today cost as much as kids did 30 years ago!

I am actually fitter now that I was 10 years ago though with more time to go to the Gym.

In my youth, my sports were rugby and rowing. 45 years on, watching the Olympics rowing, I saw the dedication and training that is required to get to the highest standard required to be an Olympic rower. I was clearly not motivated enough, which was why I was quickly relegated to the Beer Eight

[klubbnika]

a population sample, say 10,000 people. Taken proportionally from all corners of the UK, all ages and backgrounds etc.. Sadly I just don't have one at hand. I also don' ... (show full quote)

a population sample, say 10,000 people. Taken proportionally from all corners of the UK, all ages and backgrounds etc.. Sadly I just don't have one at hand. I also don't know the exact results, but I know certainly from my time in the UK and various club membership, it does go in cycles(as said above), related to ages. 20-30 were the smallest sample, 40-55 we always the biggest. Less work commitments and kids older, but still healthy perhaps? So more spare time, but now I'm the one generalising! ... (hide full quote)

If population same of 10 000 is the representative, how come YOU generalize here yourself?

I repeat it once again for everybody: Nowhere have I seen so many fat and obese people gathered in in the same place as in the UK.

[Jamtjim]

I repeat it once again for everybody: Nowhere have I seen so many fat and obese people gathered in in the same place as in the UK.

I would guess you feel right at home then...

Much though I am sure we all value your deliberately inflammatory and self-evidently envious view point, I for one am wondering what this has to do with the topic of this thread. You know we get it; you don't like Brits very much (my guess is that they are not too keen on you either). It is quite obvious that you have a chip on you shoulder which you find hard to get over. A crippling inferiority complex I'd wager. In any case you must enjoy the label of troll as this is exactly the manner in which you act. It is not being an individual as you mistakenly seem to think but deliberately acting like an arsehole in order to try to wind people up.

It is a good job that you do not value your username very much as it has become irrecoverablly associated with the opinions of a moron.

[skogsbo]

If population same of 10 000 is the representative, how come YOU generalize here yourself?I repeat it once again for everybody: Nowhere have I seen so many fat and obese peopl ... (show full quote)

If population same of 10 000 is the representative, how come YOU generalize here yourself?

I repeat it once again for everybody: Nowhere have I seen so many fat and obese people gathered in in the same place as in the UK. ... (hide full quote)

you'll note how I commented on the fact that was generalising, but somewhat less than yourself. Let's hope that once all the fat Brits you see, get fit, we'll win even more medals than we did this time round Slim Sweden didn't fair too well against us fat Brits in the Olympics did they? Sorry Swedes, I was generalising again.

You do need to remember you live in a city, people generally don't move to a city because they have a passion for a certain sport, or because they live active lives. They move there because of the money, food and social life. They may join gyms and get active twice a year, usually January and the month before their summer holiday, see I'm generalising again! Out of town, you'll find people make good use of the outdoors and their surroundings.

HOWEVER - I know a few GB rowers who did choose to move to London, because that's where the best clubs and coaches are, plus the majority of the teams are there, so if you want to row GB you really need to be in biking distance of the river. This is however the sporting exception to the rule.

[klubbnika]

I would guess you feel right at home then...Much though I am sure we all value your deliberately inflammatory and self-evidently envious view point, I for one am wondering wha ... (show full quote)

I would guess you feel right at home then...

Much though I am sure we all value your deliberately inflammatory and self-evidently envious view point, I for one am wondering what this has to do with the topic of this thread. You know we get it; you don't like Brits very much (my guess is that they are not too keen on you either). It is quite obvious that you have a chip on you shoulder which you find hard to get over. A crippling inferiority complex I'd wager. In any case you must enjoy the label of troll as this is exactly the manner in which you act. It is not being an individual as you mistakenly seem to think but deliberately acting like an arsehole in order to try to wind people up.

It is a good job that you do not value your username very much as it has become irrecoverablly associated with the opinions of a moron. ... (hide full quote)

Sorry, dear, the obesity of the British people is a fact. Oh yes, I am very envious of it , NOT!.
Tbh, the fysical state of other people is not my business. If you wanna be fat, be it.
I am mostly concerned because I have to fork out for the care of these people, caused by their own laziness and gluttony.
Oh, and the fact that they take more space on the Tube than they pay for.

And please dont tell me you disagree. If the UK is so wonderful, why did you move to Sweden?