Nickyc707

One of the problems for the Pacific island nations is that their players are spread around the world playing their rugby in the professional leagues of other countries. It isn't easy to build a top 7s side if you can't even get your best players together. You cannot blame the players as they have to earn a living but it does make it tough if not impossible for their national teams. Samoa is probably the biggest loser in this regard. Well done to by the way!!

cutting it fine by swimming in to the last of the non-continental quotas both days. Feel sorry for Tobias Robinson who swims 10k only to lose out to his teammate for the quota by 0.05s.

A medal in weightlifting. Apart from a single medal at one of the boycott Olympics we haven't won one since Louis Martin won back-to-back medals in 1960 and 64. At least one of the women has a chance.

I know the tenth finisher was Portugese but that doesn't help as they already had one. They didn't show any results beyond that.

I know in the UK they maintain records of the best performances in each athletics discipline both by British and overseas athletes (all-comers) on British soil.

Tennis determined to build a strong lead before the golfers start withdrawing next week. ?

I wasn't trying to suggest that all of those players were reluctant to play in Tokyo just that the appeal of Rio and Tokyo has been a little less for some players than Beijing and London. Add the health issues surrounding the Games in 2016 and 2021 together with the points issue and you have some explanation for the drop off in player participation.

If the Germans were playing games or experimenting in their last competitive row before the Games they're either exceptionally confident or exceptionally foolish. We shall see.

I see they have reigning champion Joe Clarke as 2nd favourite to win the K1 canoe slalom even though he hasn't even been selected for the Games. I wonder how many other howlers there are like that.

Would you agree that rowing may surpass boxing as Ireland's strongest sport in Tokyo?

Beijing was a first opportunity for Nadal, Djokovic and Murray to compete at an Olympics early in the period of their domination of men's tennis alongside Federer. London had the attraction and kudos of Wimbledon a known quantity. By the time we get to Rio the appeal has lessened and the ranking points have disappeared.

Rio and Tokyo haven't been helped by health issues offering players an excuse to drop out if they really didn't want to be at the Games. The Zika virus in Brazil and now Covid.

Given that the German Eight lost to GB at Lucerne in their only meeting this year why do you think that they are such strong favourites?

The British squad consists of 30 swimmers. The only possible additions will arise if they gain any quotas in this weekend's open water swimming qualifier. https://swimswam.com/stephens-hope-added-to-british-olympic-roster-for-tokyo/

have announced their men's hockey squad. https://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/latest/news/great-britain-squads-announced-for-tokyo-olympics

have announced their women's hockey squad. https://www.greatbritainhockey.co.uk/latest/news/great-britain-squads-announced-for-tokyo-olympics

You think it's food poisoning? A dodgy paella, perhaps? ? For what it is worth I don't think British no.1 Dan Evans will play either. He turned down an invite in 2016.

Does anyone have any idea when FIG are due to publish details of the quotas awarded based on performance in the WC series?

In Anderson's case I think it's more concern about her overall workload with 100 Free, 200 Free, 4x100 Free, 4x100 Medley and Mixed Medley.

Ireland won in both 1988 and 1990.

There is already a stroke play tournament for national teams of two, namely the World Cup which began as the Canada Cup in 1953, so I'm not sure how you would differentiate an Olympic tournament for teams. There also used to be an annual event called the Alfred Dunhill Cup* played at St Andrews between national teams of three who played each other one on one over 18 holes at stroke play. *https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Dunhill_Cup

The reason GB withdrew was scheduling with two other events taking place in the same session which would have involved women who would have swum in the relay. Given that it was the weakest of the seven GB relay teams it was decided to give priority to the individual events. Similar factors may have played into Poland's decision.

Agreed. Over the years the world's top hundred male players have fairly consistently split into one third American, one third European and one third from the rest of the world so unless you want to allow twenty Americans into the field it's pretty representative. Realistically apart from the Americans only Australia, GB and SA have the strength in depth at any one time to qualify more than two male players so again this helps ensure universality. Overall I think the organisers have got it right although I do think it's worth looking at match play rather than stroke play.

The battle begins between tennis and golf to see how many of the qualified players won't attend the Games.

Shooting team Matthew Coward-Holley (Men's trap) Aaron Heading (Men's trap) Kirsty Hegarty (Women's trap) Amber Hill (Women's skeet) Seonaid McIntosh (Women's 50m rifle three positions/10m air rifle) It's a small team but includes two world no. 1s in Hill and McIntosh and the in form Coward-Holley who has risen to the third spot in the rankings.