Big Guy Posted July 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted July 26, 2016 Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted July 26, 2016 Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted July 26, 2016 Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 Sailing is an Olympic sport...... ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guy Posted July 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 Sailing is an Olympic sport...... ??? https://www.olympic.org/sailing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted July 27, 2016 Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guy Posted July 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 27, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-TSS- Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overthere Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilber Posted July 29, 2016 Report Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guy Posted July 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2016 Some athletes practicing for the Rio Olympics: Practice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Squid Posted July 29, 2016 Report Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) Some athletes practicing for the Rio Olympics: Practice LOLPlease don't tell me surfing is an actual Olympic event.....? Edited July 29, 2016 by The_Squid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archduke al-Qaddafi Posted July 29, 2016 Report Share Posted July 29, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archduke al-Qaddafi Posted July 29, 2016 Report Share Posted July 29, 2016 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted August 6, 2016 Report Share Posted August 6, 2016 The women's soccer team is looking strong. Although I suppose they are expected to beat Zimbabwe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted August 6, 2016 Report Share Posted August 6, 2016 After Canada's fantastic domination of the game it is more than likely they will advance to the quarter finals. Awesome job gals!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-TSS- Posted August 6, 2016 Report Share Posted August 6, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted August 6, 2016 Report Share Posted August 6, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Guy Posted August 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2016 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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