2012 London Summer Olympics (27-July to 12-August) Will our Badminton be making News?

Discussion in 'Olympics LONDON 2012' started by chris-ccc, Jul 3, 2012.

  1. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    .
    Will our Badminton be getting better known/popular at this coming 2012 London Summer Olympic Games?

    I hope so. :):):)

    Just received news that Petr Koukal was named as the flag bearer for his country, the Czech Republic.
    .
     
  2. kelana

    kelana Regular Member

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    If one solely relies on the mainstream media (MSM) for news, no, badminton won't make the news! The mainstream media will focus on those sports traditionally favored by them, even the less known ones.

    Admit it, even the Equestrian will make more headlines than badminton and so on... regardless how many world population do really know or love Equestrian :D:D:D

    One should NOT allow the mainstream media to dictate his or her taste or likeness... though it takes a lot of efforts to stay awake and sober :p (free from kool-aid)
     
  3. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    Petr Koukal was named as the flag bearer for the Czech Republic

    .
    That's why I started this thread. :D:D:D

    When I heard that Petr Koukal was named as the flag bearer for his country, the Czech Republic, I was so surprised.

    I wonder if Lee Chong Wei will be selected by Malaysia to be their flag bearer too. ;););)
    .
     
  4. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Err, no. That would be, ahem, too much strain on LCW's injured leg ....... just kidding!!

    If I am not mistaken, the Malaysian girl diver Pandelela Rinong has been given the nod to bear the flag. Yup, flag bearer of the Youth Junior Olympics gets promoted to the Olympics ......
     
  5. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    :D:D:D Probably Pandelela Rinong has a better chance to win the first Olympic Gold medal for MAS.
    .
     
  6. CLELY

    CLELY Regular Member

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    Athletics and swimming as usual will dominate Olympic news ;)

    Talking about the flag bearer, Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic named as RUS and SRB flag-bearer respectively :) Just wondering who will be the flag-bearer for top-two medal standing, CHN & USA contingent?
     
  7. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    For Malaysia, BAM want Lee Chong Wei to be the flag bearer

    .
    For Spain, I read that Rafael Nadal will be the flag bearer.

    For China, it will be Lin Dan.

    For Malaysia, BAM want Lee Chong Wei to be the flag bearer.

    Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2012/7/6/sports/11613164&sec=sports

    Friday July 6, 2012

    KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) have made an appeal for Lee Chong Wei to be the flag bearer in his third and final Olympic Games in London although diver Pandelela Rinong was named for the task last week.

    Apparently, there is some confusion over the issue just days before the official flag handing ceremony at the Prime Minister’s office in Putrajaya on July 11.

    The London Games open on July 27.

    Yesterday, Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said a decision had not been made on the flag bearer although chef-de-mission Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid and National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong had jointly announced that Pandelela would lead the contingent.

    NSC had written an official letter stating the case for Pandelela, giving Chong Wei’s competition schedule as the reason for not considering the nation’s best prospect for gold in London.

    The badminton competition begins a day after the opening ceremony and NSC said they did not want to put too much strain on Chong Wei as the ceremony could be long and tiring.

    OCM, however, have the final say and insist that a decision has not been made.

    According to Kok Chi, OCM president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar had made a directive yesterday to the 19 executive board members to cast a ballot via e-mail to determine the flag bearer.

    They have to choose between Chong Wei and Pandelela and the credentials of both athletes, the 2011 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year, has been included to give the selectors a clear idea on who is the better candidate.

    The outcome of the ballot will be revealed at noon today.

    Yesterday, Chong Wei said he would attend the opening ceremony after missing out on the last two editions in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 because of the tight schedule.

    “It doesn’t matter whether I attend as a flag bearer or just a member of the contingent. I don’t want to miss the atmosphere of the world’s biggest sporting event in my last Olympic outing,” said Chong Wei.

    The group stage of the men’s singles starts a day after the opening ceremony but it is not certain whether top seed Chong Wei will get a day off. The draw will only be made on July 23.

    Being the flag bearer is a singular honour usually accorded to the star athlete of a contingent. Chong Wei’s arch-rival Lin Dan will be carrying the flag for China as will Rafael Nadal for Spain.
    .
     
    #7 chris-ccc, Jul 6, 2012
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2012
  8. abedeng

    abedeng Regular Member

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    Indeed, I think so too ...... all it needs is one bad dive each from her main opponents .....
     
  9. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    2 more Tennis players have been chosen to be flag bearers

    .
    Hahaha... If you think in this way, then probably Pandelela Rinong could be chosen. :D:D:D

    BTW, 2 more Tennis players have been chosen to be flag bearers;
    * Max Mirnyi for Belarus
    * Horia Tecău for Romania
    .
     
  10. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    2012 London Olympics: Lee Chong Wei won't be the Malaysia’s flag bearer

    .
    Latest news: It’s official. Diver Pandelela Rinong will be Malaysia’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics on July 27.

    Source: http://thestar.com.my/sports/story.asp?file=/2012/7/7/sports/11619341&sec=sports

    Shuttler Chong Wei out, Pandelela first M'sian woman flag bearer in London Olympics

    By RAJES PAUL
    The Star Online
    Saturday July 7, 2012

    KUALA LUMPUR: It’s official. Diver Pandelela Rinong will be Malaysia’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics on July 27.

    Pandelela was given the nod ahead of former world No. 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei – winning the most number of votes to become the first woman athlete to carry the flag for Malaysia at a sports meet.

    Twelve of the 19 Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) executive board members voted via e-mail yesterday with nine favouring Pandelela.

    The selection of the flag bearer should have been a straight-forward affair, with the OCM board making the decision.

    However, it became an issue when chef-de-mission Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid announced on June 29 that Pandelela had been picked ahead of Chong Wei as recommended by the National Sports Council (NSC).

    This prompted OCM to deny that a final decision had been made.

    In the midst of it all, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) submitted an appeal for Chong Wei to be considered for the task.

    Yesterday, after confirming that Pandelela was the best candidate, OCM president Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku Ja’afar took a dig at BAM, who had wanted their 2008 Beijing Games silver medallist to be given the honour as this will be his third and last Olympics.

    However, BAM’s last-minute appeal put many people in an awkward position.

    “I’m surprised with BAM’s action. This isn’t the right way to go about choosing the flag bearer. This isn’t a beauty contest,” said Imran, who was visibly irked with BAM’s last ditch effort to sway the decision towards Chong Wei.

    Tunku Imran felt BAM should focus on getting Chong Wei fit and ready for his event, which will begin a day after the opening ceremony.

    “We have good reasons for selecting Pandelela. I wish we didn’t have to come to this where the matter has been blown into a big thing,” said Tunku Imran.

    “OCM choose the flag-bearer ... not the other way around. We offered Chong Wei the opportunity to be the flag bearer four years ago but he declined because he wanted to be fully focused on his event then.

    “Chong Wei isn’t 100% fit and it is better that he stays focused on his mission of winning a gold medal in his last Olympic Games. I would suggest that the badminton team manager (Ng Chin Chai) think through on whether Chong Wei should be part of the march past. That I leave to the team manager’s discretion. They know Chong Wei’s condition best.”


    Athletes are expected to be at the opening ceremony at least four hours before the start and it could take hours before they actualy leave the venue at the end of the day.

    BAM, however, are expected to let Chong Wei take part in the opening ceremony as the top seed is likely to get a bye on the first day of the badminton competition on July 28.

    The flag handing over ceremony will take place at the Prime Minister’s office in Putrajaya on Wednesday (11-July-2012).
    .
     
  11. demolidor

    demolidor Regular Member

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    It is surprising yes but it's not for his badminton success that's for sure ;). Beating cancer and still making the Olympics will grab the news in probably any country ...

    But talking about mainstream news coverage ... -> http://www.badmintoncentral.com/forums/showthread.php/114496-CNN-SI-s-Olympic-badminton-preview
     
    #11 demolidor, Jul 11, 2012
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2012
  12. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    Who will be the 2012 Olympic Games Flag Bearer for Australia ???

    .
    :D:D:D Hahaha... In Australia, we lay bets on who would be our 2012 Olympic Games Flag Bearer. Here is an article;
    http://www.sportsnews.com.au/cyclin...ralias-london-olympics-2012-flag-bearer/38578

    Stuart O’Grady (cyclist) is now favourite to be the Australian Flag Bearer at the 2012 London Olympics, coming in from $4.50 to $2.10 with online bookmaker sportsbet.com.au.

    Cadel Evans (cyclist), who was favourite when the market opened, is still seen as some chance at $3.00, with fellow veterans Russell Mark (shooter @$5.50) and Michael Diamond (shooter @$7.00) both firming from $11.

    “If you look at the last two flag bearers, they had both competed in six Olympic Games, so we think that trend will continue with O’Grady,” said sportsbet.com.au’s Shaun Anderson.

    “Cadel obviously has the highest profile, but given he will be competing the next day, that might go against him.”

    Five time world hockey player of the year and 2004 gold medalist Jamie Dwyer is next in the market at $9.00, while Leisel Jones (swimming) has drifted from $4.00 to $26.

    Sally Pearson (100 metres hurdles) has also drifted from $9.00 to $34, with Steve Hooker (pole vaulter @$13 to $51) and Stephanie Rice (swimmer @$34 to $101) also seen as long shots.

    Market courtesy of sportsbet.com.au
    Who will be the Australian flag bearer at the 2012 London Olympics?
    (Prices in brackets from 15 May)
    $2.10 Stuart O’Grady (in from $4.50)
    $3.00 Cadel Evans (in from $3.25)
    $5.50 Russell Mark (in from $11)
    $7.00 Michael Diamond (in from $11)
    $9.00 Jamie Dwyer (out from $5.50)
    $26 Leisel Jones (out from $4.00)
    $26 Anna Meares (out from $17)
    $34 Sally Pearson (out from $9.00)
    $51 Steve Hooker (out from $13)
    $51 James Maggnussen (out from $34)
    $101 Stephanie Rice (out from $34)
    .
     
    #12 chris-ccc, Jul 11, 2012
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2012
  13. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Not 100% badminton related but this article mentions abt the $600k (RM2 mil) bonus offered by Datuk Andrew..
    ================================================================
    http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/olymp...oney-look-olympic-bonuses-220012051--oly.html

    http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...arn-600k-in-gold/story-fncvqayt-1226424058334

    Do medals mean money? A look at Olympic bonuses

    By Maggie Hendricks

    Last week, CNN took a look at how many American Olympians are struggling financially. Outside of the privileged few in marquee sports, becoming an Olympian is not a financial boon. Even winning a medal doesn't guarantee financial success.

    The United States Olympic Committee pays out medal bonuses: $25,000 goes to gold medal winners, $15,000 for silver medals and $10,000 for bronze. Those bonuses have not changed in a decade. With inflation, the bonuses have actually dropped in value by $5,429.91 in the past 10 years.

    For some sports and athletes, additional bonuses are available. Speedo gave Michael Phelps a $1 million bonus for winning eight gold medals in 2008, which he donated to charity. Depending on how he performs in London, Ryan Lochte is expected to earn six-figure bonuses from Gatorade, Speedo and other major sponsors.

    After wrestling came home with just one gold medal in 2008, supporters started the Living the Dream Medal Fund, which will give a quarter of a million dollars to any American wrestler who wins gold. Silvers will get $50,000 and bronzes $25,000. Both the sport-specific and corporate sponsored bonuses are in addition to the USOC.

    In other countries, a medal is a major windfall for athletes, regardless of their sport or marketability. No Malaysian has won gold since 1956, but if one does this year, he or she will receive a solid gold bar valued at $600,000 from a gold mine owner in Kuala Lumpur. For the 2010 Winter Olympics, Russians received $135,000 for gold medals. Russian bronze medalists take home $54,000, more than American gold medalists get.

    Meanwhile, 83 USOC executives earned six-figure salaries in 2011. Fourteen of those staff members earned more than $230,000. The U.S. has the unquestionably most successful Olympic program in the world, leading the all-time gold medal count with 1,016 and overall count with 2,549. But will it continue if Olympians aren't rewarded as well as the suits at the USOC?
     
  14. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    Petr Koukal, at 40th & final MS slot, will lead 132 athletes from the Czech Republic

    .
    For many BCers who do not know, Petr Koukal's story is very similar to Lance Armstrong's (Cycling USA).

    From The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/21/sports/olympics/21iht-oly21.html?_r=1

    By BRIAN PINELLI
    Published: July 20, 2012

    PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC — One can only imagine the thoughts and emotions that will cross the mind of Petr Koukal next Friday evening when he leads the procession of 132 athletes from the Czech Republic into the Olympic Stadium in London, bestowed the honor of carrying his nation’s flag.

    Considering the turmoil and adversity that the lanky 1.92-meter, or 6-foot-3, badminton player has been through over the past 21 months, both on and off the court, the occasion undoubtedly will be that much more special.

    Koukal, 26, who was also a 2008 Olympian, was rapidly climbing toward the upper echelon of his sport in the fall of 2010, when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Just three days before his Sept. 15 diagnosis, he had reached the semifinal of the Bitburger Open in Saarbrücken, Germany, his best showing at a major international competition.

    “It’s been more than one and a half years now, since I started my treatments,” Koukal said, following a practice at his local training facility just outside the city center of Prague. “At the moment when I felt like I was playing my best, competing against and starting to beat the top players in the world, I got this cancer diagnosed. In just a few minutes everything changed.”

    Just 16 hours after the diagnosis, Koukal underwent emergency surgery to save his life. Following a month of recovery from the operation and while nearing the end of nine weeks of chemotherapy, he gradually resumed training. His cancer is now in remission.

    “Of course, there was a lot of support from my family and friends at home,” Koukal said about the lengthy ordeal. “It was also very helpful for me that I kept playing during the treatments. There was such great support from friends, players and coaches on the circuit, and that really helped.”

    The eight-time Irish national champion Scott Evans has been one of Koukal’s closest friends and a rival on tour over the past eight years. “He just had this great result in Germany and then suddenly this terrible news,” Evans said. “At the start I didn’t actually believe it. I was extremely upset.

    “I told him I was really sorry to hear the news, but I never had any doubt that he would be able to fight through it, because the one thing that he has always been known for when he plays is that he fights until the end.”

    In February 2011, Koukal surprised many when he battled his way to a fifth national title at home in the Czech Republic, a sublime leap forward in his unlikely comeback. “It was a good sign, but it still took me a long time to fully recover,” he said. “To be honest, it’s only been a few months that I’ve felt that everything is O.K. again. The whole Olympic qualification has been filled with troubles and I was tired all the time. I just wasn’t myself.”

    After a first-round defeat at an important final Olympic qualification tournament in Portugal in late April, it seemed evident that Koukal — who has been called the “Czech Lance Armstrong” by the local media, a reference to the seven-time Tour de France winner who also overcame testicular cancer — would fall short in his bid to return to the Olympic Games.

    “After he lost first round, we went out for a nice dinner and talked about how we hoped both of us would go to London no matter what,” said Evans, who was also teetering on the cusp of Olympic qualification.

    Fortune was on their side one month later, when badminton players from New Zealand and the Netherlands were denied berths by their respective National Olympic Committees for failing to meet national selection standards, which are tougher than standards set by the sport’s governing body, the Badminton World Federation. On June 3rd, the federation notified Koukal that the 40th and final slot for the men’s singles event in London was his. Evans also sneaked in, being awarded the 39th place.

    Taking into account the immense speed and precision, stamina and lightning-quick reflexes necessary to succeed at the highest level in badminton, a sport that has been dominated by China, South Korea and Indonesia since its Olympic debut at the 1992 Barcelona Games, Koukal’s return to elite form has been particularly astonishing.

    “It was a big story all over the badminton world that he has come back from this illness,” said Koukal’s coach, Dicky Palyama, a former competitor from Holland. “No doubt about it, it has been a tough road for him. It’s amazing and I think he is even stronger than before.”

    Koukal said his dream would be to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament. Play begins July 28, the day after the Friday opening ceremony.

    “He’s looking good, his shape is quite good and it’s apparent that he’s working quite hard,” said Evans, who recently hosted Koukal and two other top players at a four-day training camp in Dublin.

    Naturally, Koukal’s first priority will be representing his nation while carrying the Czech Republic flag during the opening ceremony. “It’s a big honor, of course,” he said. “I remember that the Beijing opening ceremony was just an amazing experience, and I’ve been telling myself that it can only be better when you are bearing the flag. It’s like a secret dream coming true.”

    While competing in London, Koukal will continue to wear a yellow “Livestrong” bracelet on his right wrist, the enormously popular wristbands introduced by the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 2004, symbolic of the global fight against cancer.

    Koukal says he is unsure about his future, whether it be competing at a third Olympics in 2016 or perhaps becoming a cancer survivor spokesman.

    “After what happened, it’s hard to say what the future will be like because everything can change in a moment,” Koukal said. “Right now, I’m just enjoying being an Olympian again.”
    .
     
  15. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

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    Let's not forget Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth:cool: What will he find in LONDON before he competes his final? Mc nuggets again?:D
     
  16. chris-ccc

    chris-ccc Regular Member

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    .
    At BET365, the odds for Usian Bolt winning the GOLD medal (at the 2012 Olympics Mens 100m Sprint) is currently stated at 1.72.

    Yohan Blake is next with 2.62.
    .
     
  17. CantSmashThis

    CantSmashThis Regular Member

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    The US bets on everything. There's even a Vegas line as to "What flavor gatorade will be poured onto the winning coach".

    And Nadal will carry the flag for his country even though he is not participating?


     
  18. ctjcad

    ctjcad Regular Member

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    Lakers' 2x world champion forward/center Pau Gasol will replace Nadal as the flag-carrier for Espana..
     
  19. kwun

    kwun Administrator

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    OMG. this is going to be an eyesore...
    558209_324446847648832_287534395_n.jpg
     
  20. george@chongwei

    george@chongwei Regular Member

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    It's pink and everything is PINK/PURPLEISH.;)
     

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