The Rio Olympics

WestCoastRunner · 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.

The spectacular lighting of the torch was absolutely breathtaking.

-TSS- · August 6, 2016

For you in North-America these games must be a nice exception as they are hosted by a country on your time-zone most of the events are at convinient times, which is not the case when the games are in Europe or Asia.

For us in Europe most of the interesting stuff in Rio takes place in the middle of the night.

bush_cheney2004 · August 6, 2016

Nope....there have been many U.S. Olympic athletes who have gone on to successful NFL football careers. Also, the U.S. has a well developed NCAA athletics program supported by spectators, including indoor and outdoor track & field. Other nationals regularly attend U.S. universities/colleges for athletics opportunities, then compete in the Olympics for their country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Football_League_Olympians

Big Guy · August 7, 2016

Russia has just been banned from the Paralympic games:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/russia-banned-2016-paralympic-games-160807154251039.html

We sure do not want some guy with one arm and one leg taking performance enhancing drugs. This is a really dumb punitive action!

Wilber · August 7, 2016

Russia has just been banned from the Paralympic games:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/russia-banned-2016-paralympic-games-160807154251039.html

We sure do not want some guy with one arm and one leg taking performance enhancing drugs. This is a really dumb punitive action!

This is a really smart punitive action. The investigation showed the doping policy extended into the Paralympics as well as the Olympics. This is a state sponsored doping program, not a few athletes and coaches on their own, therefore it is the state that must wear it. Russia is number one in doping violations by a wide margin, they seem intent on taking up where East Germany left off. In 2013 they had 225 athletes test positive in 30 sports and that was before the Sochi revelations.

The Paralympic Committee and the IAAF have shown the balls the IOC could not..

Big Guy · August 8, 2016

This is a really smart punitive action. The investigation showed the doping policy extended into the Paralympics as well as the Olympics. This is a state sponsored doping program, not a few athletes and coaches on their own, therefore it is the state that must wear it. Russia is number one in doping violations by a wide margin, they seem intent on taking up where East Germany left off. In 2013 they had 225 athletes test positive in 30 sports and that was before the Sochi revelations.

The Paralympic Committee and the IAAF have shown the balls the IOC could not..

So what is smart about that decision? What does the banning of handicapped people from Russia the opportunity to compete against other handicapped people from around the world do?

The folks who did the doping have not been punished. The people who organized the doping have not been punished. The Russian competitors who took the drugs in 2012 were not penalized. I believe that only one athlete from Russia - a woman discuss lost her medal.

If the IOC had disqualified all Russians from Rio then the games would have become a joke. Russia took about 80 medals in 2012. Without Russia the games would mean as little as they did in 1980 when the USA decided to boycott and in 1984 when the Russians did the same.

Remember at one time the "pure" Olympics banned "pro" athletes but gave up when they could not control it. Time now to drop all testing for drugs and let anybody who qualifies to compete. That is the only way to guarantee that everybody has the same base for competition.

I'll also bet that during these Olympics there will be many athletes who will be using "outside chemical performance enhancing" which are yer undetectable - till next time.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Big Guy

Wilber · August 8, 2016

So what is smart about that decision? What does the banning of handicapped people from Russia the opportunity to compete against other handicapped people from around the world do?

The folks who did the doping have not been punished. The people who organized the doping have not been punished. The Russian competitors who took the drugs in 2012 were not penalized. I believe that only one athlete from Russia - a woman discuss lost her medal.

If the IOC had disqualified all Russians from Rio then the games would have become a joke. Russia took about 80 medals in 2012. Without Russia the games would mean as little as they did in 1980 when the USA decided to boycott and in 1984 when the Russians did the same.

For countries like Russia, Olympic medals are a matter of national prestige to be had at any price and the only way you can deal with it is to remove that prestige. If you want to blame anyone, blame the Russian government. What do handicapped people have to do with it? Cheating is cheating whether you have one arm or two.

Remember at one time the "pure" Olympics banned "pro" athletes but gave up when they could not control it. Time now to drop all testing for drugs and let anybody who qualifies to compete. That is the only way to guarantee that everybody has the same base for competition.

Pro athletes was about money. The Olympics are about money. You would make them about drugs. Team doping by the most technically advanced laboratories. Allowing doping won't level anything for anyone, certainly not the athletes. Pump them up with drugs and get them medals, so what if they are dead in ten years. The 21st century Olympic ideal.

Sure there will always be people trying to beat the system and some will succeed. You are playing a game of whack a mole but if you stop whacking, your lawn turns into a pile of dirt.

By not disqualifying the Russians, the IOC has made every event they are competing in a joke. The IPC and IAAF have made it clear they are not going to have their brand destroyed by Russian dopers. Good for them. Too bad the IOC can't see that far ahead.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Wilber

Big Guy · August 8, 2016

Looks like we will never agree on this one. There is major doping going on that is not being caught - yet:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rio-olympics-rocked-by-new-doping-scandal-mj63m0rw7

And the games have just begun!

Wilber · August 8, 2016

Looks like we will never agree on this one. There is major doping going on that is not being caught - yet:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rio-olympics-rocked-by-new-doping-scandal-mj63m0rw7

And the games have just begun!

But he did get caught.

Boges · August 8, 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.

That's not true at all.

The fastest 40 yard dashes of NFL players is like 4.2 seconds. If Usain Bolt ran a 40-yard dash, he'd run it sub 4 seconds.

Now some Football players did/do run track, but it's not one or the other. There was a Florida Gator (I believe he played in the CFL) named Jeff Demps who qualified for the Olympics. His thing was being fast, but to be a pro running back, you have to have other marketable skills like strength and agility. Or the ability to catch.

In fact in the US it's far more lucrative to go into sports like Basketball or Baseball than Football where you risk catastrophic injury to play in a league where you're treated like cattle and only a small percentage of the players get guaranteed contracts.

Big Guy · August 8, 2016

Is "cupping" a performance enhancing process?

Cupping

WestCoastRunner · August 8, 2016

Canadian women rock. A bronze in rugby!!

Boges · August 8, 2016

Canadian women rock. A bronze in rugby!!

Only gonna get excited when women win medals?

WestCoastRunner · August 8, 2016

Only gonna get excited when women win medals?

It's a remarkable achievement. Why wouldn't I get excited. When the men in rio start winning medals I will get just as excited.

Boges · August 8, 2016

It's a remarkable achievement. Why wouldn't I get excited. When the men in rio start winning medals I will get just as excited.

The 16 year old winning swimming medals is impressive. Especially considering Canadian women haven't won many swimming medals in recent Olympics.

Rugby not so much. It's a new Olympic sport and when you can cruise through the group phase beating teams by 30 plus points it's, evidence that the competition level isn't that deep.

An amazing accomplishment yesterday was the 12th ranked Canadian Men's Volleyball team destroying the 5th ranked USA team. May not lead to a medal, but it was certainly the highlight for me yesterday.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Boges

WestCoastRunner · August 8, 2016

The 16 year old winning swimming medals is impressive. Especially considering Canadian women haven't won many swimming medals in recent Olympics.

Rugby not so much. It's a new Olympic sport and when you can cruise through the group phase beating teams by 30 plus points it's, evidence that the competition level isn't that deep.

So you are dismissing the accomplishments of a Canadian women's team for getting a medal. Typical.

WestCoastRunner · August 8, 2016

The 16 year old winning swimming medals is impressive. Especially considering Canadian women haven't won many swimming medals in recent Olympics.

Rugby not so much. It's a new Olympic sport and when you can cruise through the group phase beating teams by 30 plus points it's, evidence that the competition level isn't that deep.

An amazing accomplishment yesterday was the 12th ranked Canadian Men's Volleyball team destroying the 5th ranked USA team. May not lead to a medal, but it was certainly the highlight for me yesterday.

Show me the medal.

Boges · August 8, 2016

So you are dismissing the accomplishments of a Canadian women's team for getting a medal. Typical.

It's like with Women's hockey. There may only be a handful of teams that even had a realistic chance to medal. I suspect the competition for the Men's Rugby will be much stiffer.

Now if the Canadian women medal in Basketball or Soccer, I'll be much more excited. If Brooke Henderson Medals I'll be very excited.

It's all relative to the level of competition.

Boges · August 8, 2016

Show me the medal.

So only medals matter? You can get a medal for competing in a handful of races (or even a single race in some sports). But the Canadians Men's Volleyball team were a last minute entry into the competition and just beat (no destroyed) one of the top teams in the world. To win a medal they have to go through a gauntlet to do it.

It's still an incredible accomplishment.

Volleyball is a way more popular sport than Rugby 7s globally.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Boges

WestCoastRunner · August 8, 2016

So only medals matter? You can get a medal for competing in a handful of races (or even a single race in some sports). But the Canadians Men's Volleyball team were a last minute entry into the competition and just beat (no destroyed) one of the top teams in the world. To win a medal they have to go through a gauntlet to do it.

It's still an incredible accomplishment.

Volleyball is a way more popular sport than Rugby 7s globally.

Of course medals matter. Why do you think the federal govt provides funding. It's all about the medals.

With this bronze medal in rugby you can expect a huge rise is girls rugby registration.

Edited August 8, 2016 by WestCoastRunner

Boges · August 8, 2016

Of course medals matter. Why do you think the federal govt provides finding. It's all about the medals.

But you have to concede that all medals aren't created equally. And all sports aren't created equally, Some are far more prestigious and the competition is way higher.

Rosie McClennan winning our only Gold medal in Trampoline last Olympics was actually rather embarrassing for Canada.

I was far more impressed with the Women's soccer team winning a bronze, especially because they took the top ranked USA too the limit and almost made the Gold Medal final.

Wilber · August 8, 2016

I think our women did great. Unlike mens rugby, it is still an amateur sport for women and that is why I think it will become very competitive.

Women's rugby is at a similar stage as women's hockey but it is growing very fast world wide and will be very competitive in quite a short time. Much more so than hockey. Rugby was a boys only sport in Canada for generations but now just about all the middle and high schools in our part of the world have girls teams. All my grand daughters play except for the two year old but her dad was an avid high school and club player so who knows. I really enjoyed watching and think Sevens is a great addition to the Olympics. Looking forward to the mens, too bad our guys didn't qualify.