Olympics - does anyone actually care anymore?

[Spark]

I'm actually kind of bummed that this is going to be ****. Despite being absolutely neck-deep in corruption and other problems, still have more than a soft spot for the Olympics.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

It doesn’t matter too much in football, but the idea of Olympic Medalists similarly picking up their own medals out of a pot makes it lose a bit of something.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Oh cool I see an "anti-*** cardboard beds" story has been picked up despite being grossly exaggerated. Can't wait for more of these WeIrD JaPaN stories over the next month.

 

[andruid]

It's starting on Friday...

 

[_Ed_]

Brisbane 2032, apparently...

 

[stephen]

Would it honestly be too hard to give every athlete and official the vaccine before the games start?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Would it honestly be too hard to give every athlete and official the vaccine before the games start?

fairly sure they have (but ppl still test positive because not 100 % effective vaccine, false positives etc etc)

 

[duffer]

Brisbane 2032, apparently...

Ok

 

[honestbharani]

false positives

This is the thing about this PCR Test, right? IT gives you a positive even if you have basically beaten the virus or something?

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Yeah for a couple of weeks I think. Still doesn't tell you exactly how far along or infectious you are unless you're symptomatic though.

 

[duffer]

Yeah for a couple of weeks I think. Still doesn't tell you exactly how far along or infectious you are unless you're symptomatic though.

You get ct values on rt pcr tests. Said to tell you the rate in which the virus is replicating

 

[honestbharani]

Yeah for a couple of weeks I think. Still doesn't tell you exactly how far along or infectious you are unless you're symptomatic though.

Yeah, I assume the reason it is so trustworthy is that you cant get a false negative and that means a lot when you are talking about such a transmissble virus.

 

[stephen]

Brisbane 2032, apparently...

We got it mostly because we've already built 80% of the infrastructure. After the debacle that was Beijing 2016 I don't think the IOC is particularly interested in playing it in places that need to build all of the infrastructure.

The best news from a cricket perspective is that the Gabba is getting a massive renovation to accommodate the opening and closing ceremonies and athletic events.

 

[Daemon]

The best news from a cricket perspective is that the Gabba is getting a massive renovation to accommodate the opening and closing ceremonies and athletic events.

All countries to send their D team there imo

 

[Burgey]

John Coates doing his bit to basically confirm what everyone suspects about anyone involved in the IOC always being a massive ****.

 

[Shady Slim]

I'm actually kind of bummed that this is going to be ****. Despite being absolutely neck-deep in corruption and other problems, still have more than a soft spot for the Olympics.

hugely agree with this tbh. the institution of the olympics and the corporate governing bodies are scumtastic to the core but keeping them disjunct from all the athletes, sports, and excitement that we're going to see and i'm always on board

 

[stephen]

All countries to send their D team there imo

I would have thought your recent memories of the Gabba are mostly fond.

 

[honestbharani]

I would have thought your recent memories of the Gabba are mostly fond.

whoosh

 

[Line and Length]

Being old enough to be regarded as a "Grumpy Old Man", I'm going to indulge in my usual rant when it comes to the Olympics.

The Olympic motto "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (Faster, Higher, Stronger) has, for too long, been sullied by the inclusion of sports that are judged purely on subjective observations. I can live with Gymnastics ... but not the Rhythmic version with pre-pubescent young things prancing around with ribbons, hoops and balls.
Diving seems often to be judged on where you are from/who you are rather than purely on actual performance.
Synchronised swimming? What a joke!
And now we add skateboarding and surfing to the events to be judged. At least rock climbing can be a race.

Continuing my usual gripe, why are tennis and golf included? Surely these sports have their Majors.
And what about football? FIFA have restricted participation of elite players in the men's tournament in various ways. Currently squads for the men's tournament are required to be composed of players under 23 years of age, with three permitted exceptions. If it's good enough for one sport to have restrictions, why not apply it to others such as basketball.

Finally, the media's fascination with medal tallies annoys me. How can you compare numbers of medals when, in some sports, competitors can walk away with a swag of medals (swimming, gymnastics for example) whilst an elite in, say, athletics might only have a couple of events plus, if they're lucky, a relay in which to compete.

I feel better now.

 

[Daemon]

I don’t mind the expansion. It means those sports have a better chance of being funded back home.