Inside the Olympics: Twitter insults, conga lines, ATMs talking Cockney

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LONDON - JULY 27: Olympic Gold Medalist rower Torchbearer 011 Matthew Pinsent lights the cauldron with the Olympic Flame
Photographer: Getty Images
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Posted: 07/30/2012

LONDON - A look at interesting facts and stories from inside the 2012 Olympics in London.

TWITTER INSULT

After his father died of brain cancer a year ago, teenage diver Tom Daley went into the Olympics determined to win a medal "for myself and my dad."

The 18-year-old Briton missed out in his first event on Monday, finishing fourth in the 10-meter synchronized platform with teammate Pete Waterfield.

What made it worse for Daley was the response from one Twitter user.

"You let your dad down i hope you know that," @Rileyy69 tweeted.

Daley retweeted the abuse and said: "After giving it my all...you get idiot's sending me this."

There was an immediate outcry, with users tweeting: (hash)GetRileyy--69Banned.

"how am i trending worldwide?" @Rileyy69 asked.

His account is currently locked.

A LEGEND SHOWS UP

Even Kobe Bryant wanted a picture with him.

Brazilian basketball legend Oscar Schmidt visited the U.S. men's basketball practice on Monday and was somewhat surprised he was recognized by players too young to have seen him play. Schmidt scored nearly 50,000 points during his career. He never played in the NBA, however, he made his mark on American hoops by almost single-handedly beating the U.S. at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis.

Schmidt led Brazil to a win over an American team featuring David Robinson and Danny Manning.

There was some debate among U.S. reporters Monday about Schmidt's point total before he was asked.

"I scored 46," he said, "35 in the second half."

You hardly missed, he was told.

"That was always the case," he said laughing.

OLYMPIC DISTRACTIONS

Soldiers dancing in conga lines, bikini-clad cheerleaders, spectators stacking plastic beer cups in tottering towers -- is anyone watching actual Olympic beach volleyball?

Even spectators taking in a match Monday between the men from Great Britain and Brazil were distracted by activity in the stands at central London's Horse Guards Parade.

As rival sections of the arena competed to build the largest beer cup tower, jumbo screens showed troops joining a conga line around the 15,000 seat venue.

Even those watching the sandy court faced distractions, including dancers in skimpy outfits who performed during each major break in play.

ULTIMATE CHALLENGE

Winning silver in the world championships of a non-Olympic sport two weeks before the games start isn't going to get you a lot of attention. But Simon Hill, chief executive of Ultimate UK, the governing body for British Ultimate Frisbee, isn't bitter.

He knows that Ultimate -- the word "Frisbee" cannot always be used because of branding issues -- will one day have its time.

That moment could come sooner if the World Flying Disk Federation is successful in gaining official recognition from the IOC. Ultimate UK estimates that about 15,000 people are playing the game in Britain -- double five years ago. In the U.S. and Canada, it has a far greater following.

But should it be an Olympic sport?

"I don't think it is played enough around the world. We need more players in other parts of the world, like Africa," Hill says. "But I do think it would be a great sport to have in the Olympics."

Team GB's men's team came second in the recent world championships in Japan.

"I think that the Olympics are great. Our sport is so small there is no point in whingeing about not getting attention for ourselves," Hill says. "There has just been so much attention on sport that it is a good thing for us. Overall, it's net positive."

STILL BIG IN WEYMOUTH, BY GEORGE

King George III is still a popular figure in Weymouth, the English Channel resort hosting Olympic sailing.

Seems that the monarch, best known in the United States for losing the American colonies, helped put Weymouth on the map with his summer visits from 1789 to 1805 for therapeutic saltwater dips.

There's a statue of the monarch on one end of the Esplanade, the walkway and road that run parallel to the beach. The inscription reads: "The grateful inhabitants to George The Third on his entering the 50th year of his reign."

A more interesting image of the king is called the Osmington White Horse. Carved into a chalk cliff outside of town, the giant image shows the king riding a horse. It can be seen for miles, including from the sailing courses on Weymouth Bay.

Legend has it that despite the carving being intended as a compliment, the king was offended because it showed him riding away from town, and he never returned.

CENTURY CLUB

Britain's men's gymnastics team has won its first medal in 100 years: Behind a powerful performance from Kristian Thomas, the men took the bronze.

They sealed it with Thomas' floor routine, and he knew it. He waved his arms to get the crowd to cheer louder as he walked off the floor. Then he pumped his fist and blew kisses.

When his score was announced -- a 15.433 that sealed it -- the arena erupted in cheers.

MY ATM'S TALKING COCKNEY

Yes, an ATM near Olympics Park just asked me if I wanted

to continue in English or Cockney.

Here's what I was up against:

-- "Sausage and Mash?" (Cash).
-- "Please enter your Huckleberry Finn" (Pin).
-- "Reading Your Bladder of Lard" (Card).
-- "Would you like your balance on the Charlie Sheen?" (Screen).
-- "We are contacting your rattle and tank" (bank).

The ATMs are run by a company called Bank Machine.

The origins of Cockney rhyming slang, heard at times in east London, are obscure. It is thought to have been used by market traders who needed a way of communicating without tipping off their customers.

It works by replacing a word with a short rhyming phrase. For example: "Money" becomes "bread and honey," which in turn is shortened to "bread." Similarly, "head" becomes "loaf of bread," and then just simply "loaf."

A few other classics: "trouble and strife" for wife and "apples and pears" for stairs.

TABLE TENNIS INTERLUDE

I'm getting so much cooperation from Ding Ning, one of the next generation of great Chinese female table-tennis players. She's outgoing, wants to talk with reporters -- and even listens to journalists trying questions in Mandarin. New breed, really.

Quick history:

Zhang Yining won four gold medals in the last two Olympics. Wang Nan won four in three Olympics -- 2000, 2004, 2008. And Deng Yaping started the string with four in 1992 and 1996.

Now comes 22-year-old Ding.

"I'm not so sure I can be like the others, but I'm trying," she said Monday after reaching the quarterfinals. "I know Zhang Yining very well. I train with her and I have learned so many things from her. ... Of course I really want to win the gold medal. But even if I don't win the medal, I have a long career in front of me and will have more chances."

And a confession: "If I get silver, I will feel a little bit disappointed."

Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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