I don't think I like the medals. I like the idea of them and what they stand for but if I were to win a gold medal, I would want most of it to be actual gold.

Meh, the "gold" isn't really gold anyhow, just gold plated apparently.

Did I hear correctly on the news this morning that Morgan Hamm got injured and is not competing?

I love the design of the medals, especially the silver and bronze ones.

Yes. It was also on the front page of Yahoo.

So, a Sudanese refugee will be carrying the US flag in the parade tomorrow. Heh! Take that, Chinese government! You can revoke my Cheeky Joe's visa, but you can't stop the team from making a statement.

I think those medals are beautiful and distinctive.

The gold medal reminds me of a hard-boiled egg a little, but I love the fact that they all contain jade.

Oh, I think the medals are fantastic. SO MUCH better than some they've had in the past.

The opening ceremony is just beginning, and the countdown has started. I'm giddy like a kid on Christmas morning even though I didn't think I would be...

Ok I went apeshit over someone saying the games were better with amateurs.

The Olympics are officially here.

The beginning of the Opening ceremony with the drums was amazing! It's all been great so far.

I'm watching the opening ceremony online, thanks to BBC iPlayer (the best invention EVER), and it's really spectacular. I really need to stop watching for a while and do some work ...

On the whole 'which sports should be in/out' question, I think it's difficult. All the sports are incredibly challenging to do at an elite level. Anybody dissing synchronised swimming, for example, should give it a go and see how they find it! If you were going to make a big cut in the number of sports I would say that the logical thing would be to lose any 'judged' sports - but that would mean no gymnastics, no diving, no three-day eventing (because of the dressage element)...

Personally, I wouldn't miss football or tennis if they were dropped from the Olympics, largely because they have their own elite events which attract all the top talent, whereas you don't get all the world's best tennis players at the Games. But on the whole I love the entire event - I am a sports junkie at the best of times, so the Olympics are wonderful as far as I'm concerned (and I become VERY patriotic and homesick for NZ when they're on). I plan to book the two weeks of the London Olympics off by the end of 2010!

Yeah, I have to say I generally agree with this, and yes that would include Boxing (though a KO is definitive in a way a perfect 10 in gymnastics really isn't). OTOH I think that makes it seem like subjective judging isn't part of every sport which is obviously false since all of them are governed by rules that are interpreted subjectively by referees/judges/linesmen/umpires.

Aaron Piersol's win in a sport decided by a clock was mildly put through the ringer last Olympics because his flip turn was walking the line of being illegal. And the subjectively judged sports are full of hilariously awesome drama (Hugs to you Ice Dancing), so I never want to give them up.

I had to miss an hour of the ceremony due to a meeting but can give you this report - Phelps has shaved off the pornstache. Repeat, Phelps have shaved off the pornstache.

I think all are goverened by rules and interpretations and teams have lost games because of bad decisions (helloo World Cup!) but its a lot harder. Rarely does one decision change an entire game.

Also to answer an older question, I don't consider boxing a sport. I consider it legalised assult.

I figured he would, since swimmers generally shave all body hair before competing. I think the pornstache was his way of punking everyone before the Olympics began/