Joshi

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.

Even though we beat Montenegro. NZ's centers still suck. If only Steven Adams would make himself available just this once....

That was quite some devastating last 400m from the NZ W8 and even better to deny Australia

Join the club NZ is in the same boat. Pun very much intended.

It's quite obvious the US only care about the big boats. It will be interesting to see them v Ger/GB and NED in the M8+ and also v NZ in the W8+. They could walk away with minor medals in both though. Which would be a shock for their W8+ which is by far their strongest boat.

So many accusations without any proof is a bit retarded but anyway. The reason for China's shock development if you say is the appointment of perhaps the greatest rower of all time Sir Steve Redgrave (GBR) who oversees Chinese Rowing. Along with former Olympic gold medalist and multiple WC Nathan Cohen (NZL). They have taken rowing to a different ball game by making them live in camp for 50 weeks of the year. Which is I think abuse but anyway. Ireland are there because since the O'Donovan's won silver it's really catapulted rowing in that country in terms of participation and sponsorship wise. Therefore their full-time job now is just being a rower. Instead of working a full-time job and trying to be a rower. It also helps that coaches from NZ and GB are being there too. Thanks to sponsorship. If you look at World Cup results for the past 3 years the NZ women have practically fronted for NZ instead of the men. Last year's WC were an anomaly where NZ were ill and walked away with a poultry 3 medals and not one gold. Our worst result in 15yrs. So a bounce back was always going to happen. So if you think something sinister is going on well so be it. But let's just ignore the fact that NZ has always been good at rowing at WC and Olympic level. NZ men are going through a changing of the guard and it will be after the next Olympiad that we will see them up there again. GB aren't as good at the moment due to injuries particularly in the sweep squad. But what's the bet they will comeback at Tokyo 2020. I think GB have done a stellar job in qualifying a lot of boats with all these injuries.