mpjmcevoy

Instant wave of dread. The overbearing and controlling parent trope. Never. Ends. Well.

I forsee a squad with an unusually high number of 'medal punts', but relatively few 'gold chances'. you're basically hoping one or two come right through the middle, and Caudrey must be a shout for that role. Hodgkinson is a fantastic talent, but it's a brutally tough era in that event. KJT will be watching the Euros - if Nafi stumbles, things get interesting, although Anna Hall seems to have the edge. And of course, it will be interesting to see if Jake and Josh and A.N. Other (the GBR number 3, given GB depth, will be no patsy - instinct says George Mill) can tagteam Jakob. Laura's not gonna beat Faith Kipyegon, and truth be told, I think the decline has probably begun - she simply doesn't look the athlete she did 2 years ago. Likewise, Dina, who I just don't see reaching those heights again though she remains a key relay member - I think all the relays could be competitive, although the Men's 4 x 4 are probably the weakest. There are 'punchers chances' in a number of events, especially the sprints with Zharnel, but you can't simply ignore 16 events in the field, plus anything longer than 5000, as UKA have done, and expect anything.

I must admit, I'm quite excited to see the interaction over the next few years of Megan Keith and Innes Fitzgerald. You get a certain chemistry when two big talents come through at once (Jackson-Jarrett/Coe-Ovett/Sanderson-Whitbread/McColgan-Murray)

They both have time for another Olympics, and I'd imagine they'd be hungry for it. Without them, of course, GB loses any realistic chance of a team medal, and loses its floor and AA threat. Wonder if this plays into Beckie's hands as a plausible - if no longer likely - UB outside medal chance? And penny for the thoughts perhaps, of her retired sister?

Whisper it quietly....possible Olympic Hoy-trick?

Men's quota always seemed unlikely tbh. Frankly, just getting a male in to be sure of a mixed pair will be a relief.

They'll be begging Fragapane to suit up again....

Finucane, straight sets, not even all that close. BC must be laughing themselves silly to have cottoned onto the increasingly uncontestible 'best female sprinter in the world' just in time for Paris, after years of Post Becky James torpour. (Becky was obviously meant, in BC terms, to lead this team for a decade, and her retirement left a vast hole...which has just suddenly filled up quite nicely!). Really did NOT see this coming a few years back...

All things being equal, the team with the leading individual sprinter tends to be favourite in these circumstances - not always, but usually. At the moment it seems incontrovertible that for the men that's Harri Levreyson and for the women it's Emma Finucane. Finucane, however, is relatively new in this position, so it is more difficult to assume she wiill carry it through. The keinin is a bit more of a toss up, and while a single supremely fit athlete can take a lot of the chance out of it - think Hoy in his pomp, there is room for ingenuity and downright sneakiness (think Kenny in Tokyo taking advantage of Glaeser's nervousness, throwing fake over the shoulders to get Glaetzer to miss him taking off - that's speed, but it also a careers worth of clever)

They've made a point of talking up the fact - perfectly legitimate - that Laura is still young enough to have LA and even Brisbane in front of her, if she so chose (I'm not sure she will, but having Jason as a coach in the Manchester system doesn't hurt). I'm guessing she'll miss Paris, come back for Worlds, and work back towards LA. Choices about brisbane will wait till after that.

Is Innes Fitzgerald set to become this era's Jonathan Edwards/Eric Liddle?

Given the first few days carnage, I'd have to say 2 + Ngamba has to be considered a decent return, and several decent shots live to fight another day. Seems to me central Asia, and Brazil, are in an ascendency at the moment. I think Ireland's return of just 1 rather more alarming.

they've started already, shameless https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/68539539

My Irish side cannot throw stones - the way we leaned into Wayne McCullough back in the day, letting/making the poor fella carry the tricolour, or the way we're going to hero worship rhasidat adeleke....

The opportunity to get an extra 'quasi-British' athlete to follow, while virtue signalling on both LGB AND refugee issues, will clearly be far, far too much for BBC to resist. You know it, I know it - and I sympathise with both causes!

As for Brunei DS, they are fans there of archery and shooting; sports relatively cheap to host but allowing them to make a contribution, and keeping our Indian friends happy.

It's clear from Malaysia OlCom website that they are all in for this - it's up to Malaysian government now, but if it's slightly scaled back, and designed to suit Malaysia in terms of sport, the chances are probably high its been rescued rfom the jaws of death, for now. The offer from CFG of 100 million to Malaysia (which they seem to like as a umber) also leaves 100m in the kitty, I would suggest, for off site Commonwealth Championships in any sports keen to have one that Malaysia can't host either itself or with Singapore - thus squaring the circle of a scaled back Games. Malaysia has athletics, aquatics, gymnastics and track cycling venues already - most of the rest doesn't require huge infrasctructure, but can always be offered elsewhere (singapore would be happy enough to take on sevens, Malayia will be happy to do Netball - bowls in Darwin, prghaps?

Of course, but as an Irish Olympics fan we understand all oo well this process of BBC adoption!

No, She'll fight for the refugee team. BBC will just make sure you know she's a multi time British champion!! Fans of Irish sport have some experience of this kind of 'adoption'!

I'd say GB are pretty content. 2 in. 2 chances left and Ngamba essentially one of theirs now too (watch how she's 'claimed' now before Paris!)

Gibraltar was a bit wild, but Jamaica certainly made sense, esp for netball and cricket, neither wildly high on Canadian agenda. IMHO sending the triathlon to Bermuda would have been another easy win, and they also have long standing links with Turks and Caicos. Gibraltar should be reserved, perhaps, for the next UK based games - with cyrpus offered beach volleyball and gymnastics, Jersey the bowls and Isle of Man the road cycling.

Singapore, like Monaco, is very good at creating room when it wants to. There are a number er of sports they d love to host given the chan e, Inc swimming and badminton ton, and possibly sevens

If they were willing to share a few events with Singapore, or even Brunei, that might work even better.

Not been a great advert for non-IBA event, this comp - it feels like the problems simply run too deep to be easily fixed.

Exactly what I thought. My suspicion is the team might well be significant enough, with only the most obvious medal chances sitting out, and a few 'punts' from people trying to maybe get an OG Q- not to mention the number who will be there because a European medal is the limit of their ambition, but a viable one. Athletics, especially at the less long distance end, do not have the tapers of say swimming or cycling. Of course 'Orangehair' is now getting into the 'my sources' bullshit which is clearly now now just daft opinhions, but straight up lying - and at that point, should be banned from the forum for deliberate wrecking of the threads