# Olympic medals table - Britain third! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 18, 2008, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400 "2008-08-18T09:24:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/41 "2008-08-19T14:24:45Z")
[QUOTE=One And Only Wanderers] A guy who gives himself the user name red worm claims not to think in that direction? I think you have it on the brain pal 😉 [/QUOTE] Nota bene, wasn’t thinking in that direction right now - those excel-sheets sure aren’t that inspiring 😉 But on ya go Brits - glad some countries are doing well in the Olympics! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/42 "2008-08-19T14:59:55Z")
Sixteen Golds so far…SIXTEEN!! ::cue Rule Britannia:: ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/43 "2008-08-19T15:06:53Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Sixteen Golds so far…SIXTEEN!! ::cue Rule Britannia:: [/QUOTE] Best result ever for my money. 1908 is so unrepresentative of the current olympics that 2008 shouldn’t keep getting compared to it. I mean, events in which only British athletes entered? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/44 "2008-08-19T15:11:37Z")
War the Ohuruogo Dope Fiend! Admirable restrain from Steve Cram, who for sure cannae stand cheats like Ohuruogu: _Christine’s had a difficult 13 months_😉 ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/45 "2008-08-19T15:17:27Z")
I don’t know how to take Britain’s success. I remember years ago everyone looked disdainfully at the medals won by the USSR because “all their sportspeople are full time professionals supported by the government.” And now I find that Britain has invested half a billion pounds in their Olympic team, has 1,400 athletes supported by government grants and spent more on their Paralympic swim team than Australia spends on their entire swimming programme. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/46 "2008-08-19T15:19:56Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] I don’t know how to take Britain’s success. Lying down maybe ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/47 "2008-08-19T15:21:33Z")
Behave **don’t ask**. You know exactly how to take Britain’s olympic success, as Australia has been doing it for 20 years. The Australian Institute of Sport is the worldwide blueprint for how a government successfully funds and develops elite sporting performance. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/48 "2008-08-19T15:29:28Z")
I think most countries go a little sports budget crazy when they have an Olympics coming up. Gotta put up a good show, you know? Anyway, that half a billion is spread over six years, as I understand it. A lot of it is lottery proceeds. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/49 "2008-08-19T15:32:46Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] I don’t know how to take Britain’s success. I remember years ago everyone looked disdainfully at the medals won by the USSR because “all their sportspeople are full time professionals supported by the government.” And now I find that Britain has invested half a billion pounds in their Olympic team, has 1,400 athletes supported by government grants and spent more on their Paralympic swim team than Australia spends on their entire swimming programme. [/QUOTE] Come now, nobody likes a sore loser. Australia’s been thumping money into sport for decades. Phew, it’s all a bit overwhelming. Somebody slap me. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/50 "2008-08-19T15:39:11Z")
[QUOTE=SanVito] Come now, nobody likes a sore loser. Australia’s been thumping money into sport for decades. Phew, it’s all a bit overwhelming. Somebody slap me. [/QUOTE] **SLAP** ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/51 "2008-08-19T15:55:01Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] **SLAP** [/QUOTE] Nope. Didn’t work. We’re still third in the medals table. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/52 "2008-08-19T17:01:53Z")
Over the weekend, Ecuador won its 2nd medal _ **EVER** _! The men’s 20K silver, and it was won by the same guy who took the event’s gold 12 years ago. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/53 "2008-08-19T18:20:03Z")
[QUOTE=SanVito] Nope. Didn’t work. We’re still third in the medals table. [/QUOTE] Try the frying pan to the bollocks. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/54 "2008-08-20T08:50:30Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Try the frying pan to the bollocks. [/QUOTE] HA! I don’t have any… ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/55 "2008-08-20T08:57:42Z")
The thing is, we Britons never expect to do really well at the Olympics. A few golds maybe and if we are really lucky perhaps 6. To get 16 golds (so far) plus silver and bronze was beyond our wildest dreams. To push the Aussies into ::ahem:: 5th place is the icing on the cake. Good innit? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/56 "2008-08-20T09:06:55Z")
**‘The Poms are winning: call an inquiry’** > **[Poms are winning, call an inquiry](https://www.smh.com.au/national/poms-are-winning-call-an-inquiry-20080819-gdsrcy.html)** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/57 "2008-08-20T10:09:16Z")
[QUOTE=SanVito] HA! I don’t have any… [/QUOTE] Frying pans are widely available in many high street stores ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/58 "2008-08-21T06:52:52Z")
Another gold for Team GB in the sailing 17…and there’s more to come ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/59 "2008-08-21T16:16:06Z")
Shit the Russians are coming, only one gold difference. To the barricades athletes! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400/60 "2008-08-21T16:18:59Z")
[QUOTE=SanVito] Shit the Russians are coming, only one gold difference. To the barricades athletes! [/QUOTE] It was only to be expected, it’s the Aussies you have to watch out for…a late surge y’know 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-medals-table-britain-third/460400.md?page=4)