The Rio Olympics

[Big Guy]

It seems you want a worse reality where athletes who want to compete clean get no support at all.

I believe that I tried to explain the difference between what I would like to see and reality. There are many athletes who want to compete clean and continue to do so. They enjoy their sport and take pleasure in improving as they practice and participate.

If/when, you can tell me how you can guarantee that one can impartially tell the difference between those athletes who are using no performance enhancing drugs and those who are completely "clean" then the "clean" athletes will get their level field. Until then, the chemists continue to create new performance enhancing drugs and masking agents to cover them.

My point was that it is an "arms" race that will never end. The only way to level that field is to have no drug testing.

[WestCoastRunner]

I believe that I tried to explain the difference between what I would like to see and reality. There are many athletes who want to compete clean and continue to do so. They enjoy their sport and take pleasure in improving as they practice and participate.

If/when, you can tell me how you can guarantee that one can impartially tell the difference between those athletes who are using no performance enhancing drugs and those who are completely "clean" then the "clean" athletes will get their level field. Until then, the chemists continue to create new performance enhancing drugs and masking agents to cover them.

My point was that it is an "arms" race that will never end. The only way to level that field is to have no drug testing.

BG. You espouse an incredible amount of gloom and doom going back to your experiences in the 70's! I have experienced the olympics in Vancouver in 2010 and they do not reflect the pessimism you convey in this thread.

Many, many athletes do participate without drugs but you seem to insinuate every Olympic athlete injests performance enhancing drugs.

[Wilber]

M

My point was that it is an "arms" race that will never end. The only way to level that field is to have no drug testing.

You aren't levelling anything, just giving the playing field to the best supported chemists and the governments willing to put their athletes at the greatest risk.

[The_Squid]

Sailing is an Olympic sport...... ???

[Big Guy]

Sailing is an Olympic sport...... ???

https://www.olympic.org/sailing

[The_Squid]

How do they get the poor countries into sailing? They can't afford boats!! Interesting to have such an elitist sport in the Olympics, but I suppose golf is too. I doubt many African nations (other than S. Africa... Go Louis!!) will be sending golfers either.

[Big Guy]

How do they get the poor countries into sailing? They can't afford boats!! Interesting to have such an elitist sport in the Olympics, but I suppose golf is too. I doubt many African nations (other than S. Africa... Go Louis!!) will be sending golfers either.

I agree with you. I have the same attitude to equestrian events and other events where the individual expertise is not the governing factor in competition. If everybody had to use the same boat or the same horse then I can understand a valid decision based on skill. The original Olympics had competitions based mostly without props.

[Wilber]

How do they get the poor countries into sailing? They can't afford boats!! Interesting to have such an elitist sport in the Olympics, but I suppose golf is too. I doubt many African nations (other than S. Africa... Go Louis!!) will be sending golfers either.

Most winter olympic sports are expensive.

[-TSS-]

Has sailing ever not been an Olympic-sport? One reason why a land-locked country could never host summer-olympics is because arranging the sailing-competition would be a tad difficult.

[overthere]

If Toronto hosted the Olympics they would be World Class. Maybe better than World Class.

But they could not hold any of the sailing events anywhere near the Montreal sewer outlets.

[overthere]

I agree with you. I have the same attitude to equestrian events and other events where the individual expertise is not the governing factor in competition. If everybody had to use the same boat or the same horse then I can understand a valid decision based on skill. The original Olympics had competitions based mostly without props.

Equestrian events are insanely expensive. The horses are worth hundreds of thousands of bucks per horse, minimum and have thousands of hours of training invested in each animal. The animals, all their feed and human attendants are flown in on charter aircraft well ahead of the events.....

[The_Squid]

Most winter olympic sports are expensive.

True... hockey is very expensive. I was overthinking it...

Has sailing ever not been an Olympic-sport? One reason why a land-locked country could never host summer-olympics is because arranging the sailing-competition would be a tad difficult.

Lakes? Atlanta, GA isn't on the ocean....

[Wilber]

Has sailing ever not been an Olympic-sport? One reason why a land-locked country could never host summer-olympics is because arranging the sailing-competition would be a tad difficult.

It's small boat sailing with crews no larger than two. A decent size lake will do nicely, all you need is wind. Over 60 countries compete.

[Wilber]

I agree with you. I have the same attitude to equestrian events and other events where the individual expertise is not the governing factor in competition. If everybody had to use the same boat or the same horse then I can understand a valid decision based on skill. The original Olympics had competitions based mostly without props.

Equestrian events are insanely expensive but most of the riders aren't rich. The daughter of a neighbour of ours went to Atlanta on the 3 day event team. Like many athletes, her family sacrificed a lot so she compete and she was always looking for sponsors. She had years invested in training her horse. Individual expertise is the governing factor in equestrian events. You need a good horse but if the partnership does't work, it doesn't matter how much talent the horse has.

[overthere]

Equestrian events are insanely expensive but most of the riders aren't rich. The daughter of a neighbour of ours went to Atlanta on the 3 day event team. Like many athletes, her family sacrificed a lot so she compete and she was always looking for sponsors. She had years invested in training her horse. Individual expertise is the governing factor in equestrian events. You need a good horse but if the partnership does't work, it doesn't matter how much talent the horse has.

How would she get a horse, feed, trainer, vet, attendant and herself to a place like Brazil, China, anywhere without a million or two on tap? Most of the riders and horses are on pro tours as prep for the events, and there is a qualifying circuit too.

[Wilber]

How would she get a horse, feed, trainer, vet, attendant and herself to a place like Brazil, China, anywhere without a million or two on tap? Most of the riders and horses are on pro tours as prep for the events, and there is a qualifying circuit too.

The team provided all that for Atlanta but until she made the national team she was on her own. Most people who are in this sport make their way by training horses and teaching, they drive beater cars and their biggest investment other than horses is a truck and large horse trailer so they earn extra money but transporting their students horses to events. There are no pro tours that i know of for 3 day event or dressage. A horse owner may pay someone to train and ride their horse but that isn't the same. It isn't like horse racing where all you have to do is get a horse to run, it takes years to train an jumper or dressage horse. Most event horses don't get into their prime until they are over 10 and there are very few stallions because they aren't disciplined enough. You can't even breed them. Big Ben, Canada's most successful Grand Prix horse was a gelding. My neighbour's daughter's Atlanta horse was also a gelding and she kept it all its life.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Wilber

[Big Guy]

Some athletes practicing for the Rio Olympics:

Practice

[The_Squid]

Some athletes practicing for the Rio Olympics:

Practice

LOL

Please don't tell me surfing is an actual Olympic event.....?

Edited July 29, 2016 by The_Squid

[Archduke al-Qaddafi]

How do they get the poor countries into sailing? They can't afford boats!! Interesting to have such an elitist sport in the Olympics, but I suppose golf is too. I doubt many African nations (other than S. Africa... Go Louis!!) will be sending golfers either.

Even the poorest countries have an upper class.

[Archduke al-Qaddafi]

I actually like the Olympics, and I hope that the inevitable failure of Rio will lead to the IOC picking one permanent location to hold all future games. It would take a lot of the politics and other nonsense out of it. As for the doping, I don't have any answer for that.

Edited July 29, 2016 by Archduke al-Qaddafi

[WestCoastRunner]

The women's soccer team is looking strong. Although I suppose they are expected to beat Zimbabwe.

[WestCoastRunner]

After Canada's fantastic domination of the game it is more than likely they will advance to the quarter finals. Awesome job gals!!

[-TSS-]

Isn't it so that athletics isn't even a popular spectator-sport in the USA? The world class US-sprinters take to the sport only because they are not good enough for football.

It has been suggested that those who were good enough for football could easily become world record breakers in 100m, 200m and 400m races if they had chosen athletics instead of football, which nobody does if there is an even choice.

[WestCoastRunner]

Isn't it so that athletics isn't even a popular spectator-sport in the USA? The world class US-sprinters take to the sport only because they are not good enough for football.

It has been suggested that those who were good enough for football could easily become world record breakers in 100m, 200m and 400m races if they had chosen athletics instead of football, which nobody does if there is an even choice.

No idea what you are talking about. A runner is quite different from a football player. Someone who loves to run has no desire to kick around a ball.

[Big Guy]

I watched the opening ceremonies. I will admit that the presentation referred to a history with which I was not familiar. I found it enjoyable and informative.