mpjmcevoy

I'd argue the Ireland new zealand match the night before was actually better. But it's close, to be fair, and both should obviously have been semis, not withstanding England's heroics when they got a shot at SA

Thin covering, usually an oxide of copper or brass that makes it look pretty on the outside but is incredibly thin.

The system allows them a patina of qualification respectability, but ultimately, with one or two breakthrough exceptions, they'll take who they want - not least as once there, they can enter anyone in an event they have the time for even if that time was NOT got at finals. Not unlike athletics, GB Swimming go hard on relays these days - to be fair, that brought 2 golds and a silver last Games, and several world golds to boot, and unlike UKA, GB swimming have overseen a general improvement. Much depends on Peaty - so far, his return has not been electric, but it has been very encouraging, he's behind the new Chinese wunderkind, but already catching others like Fink off presumably limited work - my instinct is he'll be there or thereabouts next year, motivated by a unique threepeat opportunity. The sudden religious element in his motivation I prefer not to talk about... If Peaty is there or thereabout then, even with wunderkind, both medley relays are absolutely back in the game, although America is much, much better for the mixed than last time. In addiition, barring calamity I expect GNR to qualify for 4 x 100 free M, and I think their times in 2023 are already good enough in all other relays. If that holds... ...I think GBR are gold medal favourites in 4 x 200 free, medal favourites in both medleys and M 4 x 100 free and a good outside bet in W 4 x 200 free Richards, Scott, Guy and Dean are a pretty amazing quad to be able to bring on 200 free 100 free (probably swapping Burrus for Guy and possibly whittle for Scott) and 200 IM. Freya Anderson continues to have the tools, but perhaps not the mentals, to do clown stuff on 200 free, and is a super solid 100 free leg, especially in heats Individually, apart from the above, it's hard to say - will Greenbank come back to his world class form? Will Kstie Shanahan and Freya Colbert kick on? Will one of the several good british 100 back girls break through into great?

Swimming too will leave quotas at home - only bringing those who make the GB times in the final at British trials, and then the one's they feel like picking (usually with relays in mind)

Serious hopes : W 400m Athletics Adeleke W 1500m Athletics Mageaan M 1500m free Aquatics Wiffen W 60kg Boxing Harrington W 66 kg Boxing Broadhurst W 75 kg Boxing O'Rourke M 92 kg Boxing Marley M 63.5 Boxing Clancy Team Jumping Equestrian Ireland Men's individual Golf McIlroy Pommel horse Gymnastics McClenehan LMX2 Rowing Ireland Men's sevens Rugby Ireland If 50% of these hit, it would be a great games Outside but still serious chance Michaela Walsh, boxing Wiffen M800 free Any individual showjumper Ben Healy in the Road Race M2x, M2- and top women's stroke boat in rowing Women's sevens team Woolley in TKD Puncher's chance - any other boxer who makes it 4x4 mixed relay if Adeleke runs. Mark English M 800 Corcoran M1500

In Europe, 2024 Six nations and RE Championship; the dutch are in the latter (I think) But Delta, a dutch team, are one of eight teams in the Rugy Europe Super Cup, and they start play in a few weeks.should be available free on Rugby Europe website. You can enjoy a nice Delta intercept try away to Lusitanios from a year or two back here:

Nerves. Ireland are actually excellent starters - see first try v Scotland

Not joking, where ya...

So Zharnel Hughes in M100, Matt Hudson Smith in M 400 Ben Pattison in M800, josh Kerr in M1500, Keely Hodgkinson in W800 are basically preselected unless injured or collapse of form. The Men's 800 (nd 1500 trials races are going to be something else in that case, especially 1500 - depth is lunatic in that race - Kerr, Wightman, Mills, Heywood, Giles, Gourley and I'm sure I'm missing several out. To a slightly lesser extent the women's 800 and men's 100 could be juicy too - I think Reekie will lock up spot 2 barring injury, but after that its a bloodbath. Big question now is where Trials take place - and who pays for them. Birmingham council and UK Athletics both being fundamentally broke does not lean toward the Alexander or the Olympic Stadium, but Manchester and Gateshead, while great stadia in some ways, are rather prone to interference from the elements. It is peculiar and sad to see UKA in such difficulties at a moment where the competitive depth in many events has never been better. There's a product there, but they don't really know how to sell it any more.

Slightly odd 'Additional factors' - wonder where it puts Eilish McColgan. The women's side is quite strong in depth if not in Elite talent, so Eilish is presumably going to have to do a good run in London. That said, she has 10k to fall back on. On the men's side, I think only Cairess has the time, and a top 5 place in London, so it would SEEM he's likely to get the early nod. Callum Hawkins may well have an advantage in later meetings if he can get race fit and bag a time because of his high placing history - much easier to argue top eight potential when he's been 10th and 2 4ths. After that, there are a decent number of guys coming through at slightly shorter distances who may make their mark at London.

According to todays rankings on UCI.ch, GBR have kept 5th place by a bawhair. UCI itself published this so I'm assuming they haven't screwed up... EDIT : Seems I assumed wrong.

I can absolutely see a scenario where Tarling and Ethan Hayter both double up - Tarling in TT, Hayter in RR - that said, I forsee a very busy track schedule for Hayter possibly (Madson and Omnium). Theoretically you could have Zoe Backstedt as at least back up in the team pursuit

Yep, French sprinter in London I think took this route in this scenario, GBR actually have plausible options in Ethan Haytor, Tarling and Zoe Backstedt who could double on road and track, allowing space possibly for a sprint 'substitute' in men's and women's track sprint

A big problem is that broadcast rights look to have been all but a charity donation by BBC; wildly overpaying based on mere value. Once that stopped... Birmingham 2022 and the redevelopment of Alexander was supposed to be a new beginning for Birmingham, for the Commonwealth Games and for British Athletics. Seems to have become an unmitigated disaster for all three... Buckner has effectively walked into a nightmare not really of his making, as Warner has hinted. Warner also noted the 'skinny' model used by British Swimming, which makes me wonder if all the key players saw this coming, and wanted Buckner precisely in place to run a 'skinny' model freed entirely from the home Nations (who seem to cause havoc across a number of sports, actually e.g. Basketball) - but at a price t the wider sport.

Thanks, very, very interesting to see the virtual race for Paris laid out like that. Notable with my GBR hat on is that Boulter looks in very good shape, and Burrage is on a bit of a charge, and Norrie is in dreadful trouble. Wonder if Radacanu might be eligible for the Grand Slam champ spot

It's strange how Buckner, an athlete was so successful at British Swimming, and is having such a horror show at British Athletics. Feels like UKA may go the way of its predecessor, and simply go bust. What on earth has been going on?

No way Djok misses one last chance to win Olympic Singles Gold and complete the set. He'll arrive on one leg if he has to. Suspect Rafa and Alcaraz have their eyes on the clay too, Rafa to join Murray on two singles gold

That's increasingly my call too Skupski/Evans (who are a damn good pair if Evans finds form) and Salisbury/Murray with Norrie and Draper doing singles only Will be interesting, given how highly ranked Skupski and Salisbury are whether one or other can get into the mixed doubles with a mid ranking woman

"Any bib's a bonus" - Well done, Mia.

Nah, just google hard for news! I think squash has a decent chance of staying on in Brisbane, and at that point might be able to push towards core sport, so long as it is careful on numbers and doesn't get 'greedy' - you could cobble together a full five events with not much more than 100 athletes (8 direct quota pairs in men's & women's doubles brings total number of quotas to 96, and doubles mixed can then go the tennis group and be cobbled from athletes at the games (as can extra pairs in the men's ad women's doubles i needs be)

It is interesting that the three individual sports managed to worm their way into the 'core' list, and I'm sure squash is hoping to do the same, especially if, as I suspect is likely, it hangs on to Brisbane. I see Bowls is making a pitch for Brisbane as a popular Commonwealth sport - and explicitly making its older playing and watching demographic a plus; rather like cricket/baseball, there's a family of bowling sports that probably deserve to have at least one member played at Olympic level.

It feels like flag football might be a lot more fun to play than it is to watch - I've been an NFL fan for nearly 40 years (It was the early 80's Miami superbowls that hooked me in) and remember playing a variation of 'flag football' to the consternation of Irish teachers, at school. It was amazing fun to play, but I'm sure it looked dreadful. Is Arena football too high contact for a multisport games?

Squash already confirmed it forsees 32 men, 32 women, 2 events, both sexes individual.

Breaking turned out - to no amazing surprise - to be anachronistic and tedious as a TV sport - and the affectation of the B-boy and B-girl nicknames/handles rather than addressing athletes by their ordinary name like any other normal human being just made it cringe even worse. Glad its gone, frankly. Chasing 'Yuff' sport with activities that are already a bit passé is incredibly typical of the IOC and Bach, like the Catholic Church thinking it can reach today's youth with 70's folk music. Truth is, increasingly, competitive sport is itself an anachronism for some parts of today's youth. So be it. Chasing that audience is pointless - they won't come, the few that do won't stay, and they aren't loyal. Not everyone can be converted, we need to learn to live with it. If the Olympic Church has a true enemy, it's not the non-sporty, it's the increasing global dominance of one sport, football/soccer to the increasing exclusion of all else. Obviously there are different issues in North America although the principle is the same.

Nah, he's not a king. He's a Pope, and the IOC is his Conclave. If he had his way, Lausanne would become a new Vatican of sport.