Joshi

Well to be fair the Italian pitcher who has a very important role is born and bred at least but I actually do get what you mean.

Damn...

That was the most excitement in this game ?

With this pitching lineup the Americans have in their arsenal I even think the much vaunted Japanese batting roster will find it difficult to get hits let alone runs...

That's it mercy rule coming into play. Easy win in the end for Japan.

This game will go to mercy rule if Japan keeps going like this. After a very shaky start.

Sasha Zhoya is going to bring so much joy for France in the coming years. I can see why Australia we're trying very hard to make him stay and represent them instead.

For NZ. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke. Sailing, 49er Women's Rugby 7s team. Lisa Carrington Canoe/Kayak K1 200m

Aron Baynes - Australia, Basketball. born and both parents are Kiwis. Left for Australia at a young age. Rebecca Parkes - Hungary, Water Polo born and bred but left because let's be honest NZ water polo is non existent and Hungary is a proven powerhouse and plys her trade there.

Lol why should I. When it's the old and the most vulnerable who they've invariably put at risk when they trickle back to their own communities. The UK govt has effectively put more of its own people at risk. No masks present when walking to the stadium and inside the ground on a lot of them. It's quite sad actually. As one health official said, it's like watching a live transmission feed...

The UK govt is so negligent that by allowing crowds at the Euros it has become a superspreader of the delta variant. Oh well, if it kills off a few hooligans no one will be sad.

Well it's no better time then now for Australia to finally win a medal in men's basketball. 3 4ths in their Olympic history no less...and with a very stacked playing roster they ought to do it.

Mahe Drysdale (Rowing, Single Sculls) 2x Gold and 1x Bronze Olympic Medallist including 5 golds and 3 Silvers at the Rowing World Champs all in Single Sculls has officially retired as of today. One of the greatest single oarsman to have ever competed in history. Father time has caught up with him.

Exactly. So many anomalies are thrown in this. Isolated from everyone due to covid and training as a group because they're in a bubble will either be a detriment due to no overseas competition or a blessing coz everything has been kept under wraps. But to be fair if she doesn't win the gold in her favoured K1 200 that will be a massive shock regardless.

NZ team for the Olympics Lisa Carrington - K4 500m, K2 500m [w/ Regal], K1 500m, K1 200mCaitlin Regal - K4 500m, K2 500m [w/ Carrington], K1 500mTeneale Hatton - K4 500m, K2 500m [w/ Hoskin]Alicia Hoskin - K4 500m, K2 500m [w/ Hatton]Kayla Imrie - K4 500m reserve Max Brown - K2 1000m Curtis Imrie - K2 1000m Lisa Carrington to compete in 4 events. I think this is way too much.

For NZ, Medalists from Rio and for some other Olympic Games. Valerie Adams (Athletics), her mother is Tongan her father is English . Winner of 2 golds and a silver. Mahe Drysdale (Rowing) born in to a NZ mother and an Australian father. Winner of 2 golds and a bronze. Lisa Carrington (Canoeing) has a indigenous Maori father and an English mother . Winner of 2 golds and a bronze. Lydia Ko (Golf) born in both parents are Korean, moved to NZ at age 7. Has won 2 majors and won a Silver. Alex Maloney (Sailing) born in the to a NZ mother and US father. Won a Silver. Sam Meech (Sailing) born in . Both parents are British came to NZ as child. Won a bronze. Eliza McCartney (Athletics) NZ mother, Irish father won a bronze.

NZ will challenge the big guns in the Men's 8 since they've strengthened the boat and could possibly be a dark horse at the Olympics.

I'm actually loving the internal battle for the spot in the Olympics. Just a pity that you can only choose one of them.

NZ to fail miserably at these games. A bullying culture by sports bodies, infighting, mass retirements I could go on and on ?. So all this will probably only reap 8-12 medals. On the other hand it looks like our neighbours Australia are going to bounce back with a bang 40+ for them.

I enjoyed this thread Rafal. It's your predictions and I think you did an excellent job. From a NZ point of view 9 golds would be amazing but I don't think so, it's a bit much. But in the overall medals if all perform to potential and a lot of luck we should crack the 20 mark in overall medals. Also I think this will be a resurgent Australia this time round but it all depends on their swimmers if they bomb yet again they will be lucky to finish in the top 5. I have a feeling though that it could be a bit of a rivalry with GB and it could very well hurt GB a bit but we shall see.

Going on a different tack and that everyone has thrown up all kinds of scenarios. Just imagine if it went down to ethnicities or former empires? Great Britain and Ireland could legitimately claim hundreds if not thousands more. Most of the population in the anglosphere, I'm talking about countries where English is the lingua franca are either mostly of British/Irish stock or even partial. Two classic examples are both Australia and NZ. In NZ so many of us have ties to the UK that it makes me realise how young my nation is. But would actually never go for GB or England in any sport

So we in NZ have our first case of Coronavirus, since the news broke it has caused panic buying.

I know it's early days but the Aussie men's pursuit remind me of the NZ sprint team. They've become stagnant.

I'm still quite devastated for our Aussie cousins. They really should've won that. They actually led by 10 at one stage in the 4th. But the sad thing is mainstream media a lot like NZ probably wouldn't care the slightest and will just overlook it. Even when they were winning. It's AFL season now and I see sellout crowds tonight ?

NZ have qualified for the Olympics. Beating Australia in the 3 match Olympic qualifying series by a goal difference of +1. NZ won 3-1, Aus won 3-2 and a 1-1 draw. The new coach has already done wonders when I thought they had no chance.