killthenet Posted August 5, 2016 Posted August 5, 2016 (edited) Amid a shower of controversy, the 2016 Rio Olympics get formally under way later tonight with the Opening Ceremony at the Maracana. Coverage starts in the UK on BBC One at 23:40. Events have already been under way in some sports, but the festivities begin in earnest tomorrow for the majority of disciplines. Of most interest to British viewers tomorrow will be the Men's Cycling Road Race featuring Chris Froome trying to follow up his Tour De France victory with a Gold. Of course there are all sorts of points of contention, with worries over the Zika virus and the Russian doping scandal highest on the list. Do you think the sport will be able to outshine the controversy? Has it turned you off watching the event completely? Those of you who will be watching, what events are you most looking forward to? And how will you be watching it? As the Olympics is taking place in Rio De Janeiro much of the action will be taking place quite late for those of us in Europe, the Men's 100m final next Sunday for instance will take place at 2:25 AM UK time, for night owls like myself the times are perfect, but it will certainly be inconvenient for many keen on watching. Personally, I love the Olympics and think despite the controversies surrounding the games we're going to see some fantastic sport over the next couple of weeks. I'm particularly looking forward to Mo Farah and Usain Bolt's defence of their titles, the battle between Jessica Ennis Hill and Katarina Johnson Thompson in the Heptathlon, Andy Murray's defence of his tennis title and watching Mark Cavendish and the rest of the track cyclists as they try to top their medal tally from 2012. Edited August 5, 2016 by killthenet
bob Posted August 5, 2016 Posted August 5, 2016 Is there going to be a dedicated Olympic board this time round @Mokong?
Shorty Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 Doesn't really seem necessary at the moment but if this thread proves popular/difficult to follow then it can be done, or just make separate threads where suitable. I actually forgot to watch the opening ceremony but I absolutely loved the London Olympics, so looking forward to supporting GB again
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 Loved the opening ceremony - and how the different peoples came to the land. Love that every athlete has a seed to plant too.
Londragon Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 I just can't gear myself up to watch any of it. All that Russian doping scandal, and other countries implied (Kenya, et.al.), the problems with sanitation, etc., has completely made me non-plussed. If I watch a race, I'll just think the winner is a cheating doper, so I'll forgoe all events. Not for me this time. I felt the same with the World Cup and FIFA being a highly corrupt organisation, missed it all.
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 I just can't gear myself up to watch any of it. All that Russian doping scandal, and other countries implied (Kenya, et.al.), the problems with sanitation, etc., has completely made me non-plussed. If I watch a race, I'll just think the winner is a cheating doper, so I'll forgoe all events. Not for me this time. I felt the same with the World Cup and FIFA being a highly corrupt organisation, missed it all. I understand, but I think that isn't fair on the majority of the athletes who are clean and have trained all their lives for this. FIFA I can understand better as everyone in that organisation are filthy rich and IMO a lot of the footballers have lost that passion most of these Olympic athletes have. My friends fighting in Taekwondo for GBR endure so much, the selection process is not straightforward and is often based on luck more than anything - they are virtually on a near minimum wage, training 20 hours min per week and have put their non-sport related career/relationships on hold - in a full combat sport in which you leave 90% of your fights with an injury. They deserve your support.
Londragon Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 I understand, but I think that isn't fair on the majority of the athletes who are clean and have trained all their lives for this. Understood, but it really makes me think this doping situation could be far worse than it seems and the majority are doing it. Tip of the iceberg. Completely left me totally dispassionate for the first time. The cheating 'minority' (those who actually got caught) have spoiled it for all. I won't be watching any of it.
killthenet Posted August 6, 2016 Author Posted August 6, 2016 It's a shame you feel that way londragon, but as King V says the majority of athletes are clean and are devoted to putting everything into making the most of their opportunities. The biggest names in sports like athletics and cycling are under more scrutiny than ever and face more regular testing than ever before, so in some ways I feel even more confidence in the likes of Usain Bolt and Chris Froome than I would have done say 10 years ago. The Russian scandal is obviously disappointing, but we need to learn from it and all authorities need to be more open about how they function as it's in their best interests to do so. I really enjoyed the opening ceremony last night, it was definitely much lower key than previous ceremonies but was still a great spectacle. I especially liked the opening of the mirrors into the Olympic rings and the overview of Brazilian history. Some of the formalities dragged on a bit, but that's more the IOC's fault than that of the organisers. The road race is already looking like it's going to be very exciting today, I think it's the first medal to be decided too.
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 Interested to know opinions on the transwomen GBR athletes who will be competing, do you think its fine/fair or should they in time have their own gender bracket?
killthenet Posted August 6, 2016 Author Posted August 6, 2016 (edited) Interested to know opinions on the transwomen GBR athletes who will be competing, do you think its fine/fair or should they in time have their own gender bracket? It's a really difficult subject. Personally I don't have a problem with it and think that trans athletes should be able to compete in their desired gender. It gets dicey when you start looking into hormone levels, but trans women who have gone through years of HRT will have hormone levels comparable to those of cis women so I don't think it gives them any particular advantage. One area that I can see it being advantageous is if a trans athlete is significantly taller than cis athletes in events like the high jump and long jump, but it's a pretty moot argument really when you have the likes of Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic who is a 6ft 4in cis woman and is taller than even a majority of the male athletes. What needs to be avoided is a repeat of the farcical treatment of South African middle distance runner Caster Semenya who faced humiliating treatment by the press and officials as she was forced to face a gender test. Semenya has a hormonal imbalance that gives her higher than normal testosterone levels but is a genetic female so there should be no argument that she is eligible to compete in the Women's 800m. It was worrying to me when the media published rumours about trans women being part of the British Olympic team as I was worried we'd get into a similar situation where the media outed athletes against their will. If an athlete is trans and wants to keep that fact quiet, having undergone treatment and lived in their preferred gender since their early teenage years then their decision should be respected. We should be focused on the sport and not the personal lives of the individuals. Edited August 6, 2016 by killthenet
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 It's a really difficult subject. Personally I don't have a problem with it and think that trans athletes should be able to compete in their desired gender. It gets dicey when you start looking into hormone levels, but trans women who have gone through years of HRT will have hormone levels comparable to those of cis women so I don't think it gives them any particular advantage. One area that I can see it being advantageous is if a trans athlete is significantly taller than cis athletes in events like the high jump and long jump, but it's a pretty moot argument really when you have the likes of Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic who is a 6ft 4in cis woman and is taller than even a majority of the male athletes. What needs to be avoided is a repeat of the farcical treatment of South African middle distance runner Caster Semenya who faced humiliating treatment by the press and officials as she was forced to face a gender test. Semenya has a hormonal imbalance that gives her higher than normal testosterone levels but is a genetic female so there should be no argument that she is eligible to compete in the Women's 800m. It was worrying to me when the media published rumours about trans women being part of the British Olympic team as I was worried we'd get into a similar situation where the media outed athletes against their will. If an athlete is trans and wants to keep that fact quiet, having undergone treatment and lived in their preferred gender since their early teenage years then their decision should be respected. We should be focused on the sport and not the personal lives of the individuals. Well put! I'm enjoying just being a bum this afternoon with the games on - what events are you looking forward to?
killthenet Posted August 6, 2016 Author Posted August 6, 2016 Well put! I'm enjoying just being a bum this afternoon with the games on - what events are you looking forward to? I'm mostly interested in the Men's Cycling Road Race today as medals are up for grabs, but will be keeping an eye on the opening rounds of the tennis and the swimming too. What will you be watching other than the taekwondoe?
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 I'm mostly interested in the Men's Cycling Road Race today as medals are up for grabs, but will be keeping an eye on the opening rounds of the tennis and the swimming too. What will you be watching other than the taekwondoe? Liking the Judo today, but booooy cant wait for the athletics, fencing, some football.....Beach volleyball, for obvious reasons. Interested in the new BMX event.
killthenet Posted August 6, 2016 Author Posted August 6, 2016 Liking the Judo today, but booooy cant wait for the athletics, fencing, some football.....Beach volleyball, for obvious reasons. Interested in the new BMX event. Yeah, really can't wait for the athletics - that's when the Olympics really starts for me. The new events should be pretty interesting too, Rugby Sevens looks like it's going to be a really exciting addition, but it'll be interesting to see what the reaction to Golf is like considering a lot of the big names aren't going to be competing. But yeah, really excited for the athletics. GB have got some great medal prospects from the usual suspects like Mo, Greg Rutherford and Jess Ennis-Hill but also from great young prospects in the sprints like Adam Gemili and Dina Asher-Smith who could well get in the medals if they perform to their best. Also good prospects with Eilidh Doyle in the 400m hurdles, Matt Hudson Smith in the 400m, Laura Muir in the 1500m and Shara Proctor in the long jump, as well as great opportunities for our relay teams, especially in the Women's 4x100m. Katrina Johnson Thompson could be the real star for Team GB if she can get over the ghosts of her poor performance in Beijing, she's better than Ennis at almost every event in the Heptathlon bar the throwing events, so it could be a really interesting battle between the two Brits in that event. And then there are the international stars, I'm really optimistic that Bolt is going to do it again and make it three in a row for the 100m and 200m and I think that Dafne Schippers is going to storm the 200m, but hopefully Asher-Smith can push her close. We could also see Kenya win their first ever field Gold with Julius Yego favourite to win the Javelin and there's going to be a real battle between Bondarenko and Barshim in the Men's High Jump. There are so many potentially great battles to come in the athletics, it could be a real classic programme.
Jonnas Posted August 6, 2016 Posted August 6, 2016 Unfortunately, I could only watch part of the opening ceremony. I'll see if I can catch the rest later on. Portugal has a better-than-usual chance at getting medals this year. That's because we've been on a roll this year in sports. We saw multiple Portuguese win get the Top 3 (or even winning) in European/World competitions (including one case of Gold&Bronze on the same race, and naturally, also the Football Euro). After our one Silver medal in London, I'm hoping Portugal will be able to walk out with a good handful this time. Our hopes include Kayak (our flagbearer, the same guy who won Silver in London), Athletics (especially Triple Jump, where we have a good chance on getting both male and female), Sailing (a veteran who's retiring this year. Best Olympic result in the Olympics is a 4th place, so hopefully he'll get at least 3rd this year), Taekwondo (our Olympic debut, I believe, and we have an European champion), Judo (we always have high hopes for these guys. This may finally be their year), Football (our C-team, but that doesn't mean we can't dream) and Table Tennis (after a very respectable and exciting performance in London, I'm hoping they can go further). As for other sports... I don't know, I don't have any plans. I've been watching Handball and Beach Volleyball so far, and I'm entertained.
Happenstance Posted August 7, 2016 Posted August 7, 2016 Looks like Russian athletes have been banned from taking part in the Rio Paralympics.
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 7, 2016 Posted August 7, 2016 As much as I'm pissed off with the news about the doping scandal, the lack of action afterwards and some of the other problems with Brazil hosting the Olympics, I still want the games to be a success. I've been watching as much as I can. My favourite events are probably the weightlifting and gymnastics. We watched the 48kg women's weightlifting yesterday and it was phenomenal. The skill needed to lift those weights as that bodyweight is insane. I feel like I can enjoy it a bit more because I know how heavy some of these weights are and how the lifts incorporate elements of the deadlift and front squat, both of which I do. Incredible efforts, basically. Hard not to get into it and to will them all to succeed. We caught some of the Judo, gymnastics, beach volleyball, football and I think some of the swimming. The gymnastics is incredible, particularly the beam and floor events. It's very artistic and elegant, which is partly why I like it.
killthenet Posted August 8, 2016 Author Posted August 8, 2016 (edited) Looks like Russian athletes have been banned from taking part in the Rio Paralympics. It's obviously difficult for the Russian athletes that are clean, but at least they know where they stand and the IPC have actually been brave enough to make a decision and not leave it up to the individual sports like the IOC did. Today has been a fantastic day of sport, just watched Peaty storm to gold in the pool and Del Potro put in a stunning performance to knock Djokovic out of the Men's Singles Tennis, both players in floods of tears at the end of a tremendous match, it's just a shame that it had to happen in the first round of the tournament. I had really mixed emotions as I felt so happy for Del Potro as he has been out for a long time with injury, but Djokovic was clearly devastated that he likely will now never win an Olympic gold. I've really been enjoying the Rugby Sevens, USA women pushed the NZ team close earlier and I think GB will stand a good chance at causing an upset against them tomorrow. The Women's Cycling Road Race was also fantastic earlier tonight, at least it was up until Dutch rider Anne Van Vleuten suffered a horrific crash on the final descent, thankfully she is okay but it was really worrying the way she went down and a real shame for her as she looked on course for a medal. As I type this Jazz Carlin has just won a Silver in the pool, so GB finally off the mark on the medal table with two in quick succession, hopefully we continue to add to it over the next few days. Edited August 8, 2016 by killthenet
EEVILMURRAY Posted August 8, 2016 Posted August 8, 2016 I'm sorry if this seems wrong, because I've not been keeping up with Olympic shizzle, just seeing what hits my Yahoo feed... Russia seems to be being fucked over in waves in this, first Russia were banned from one event. Then it was reported others would be from a different/same (but different people than before) event, then some certain atheletes were singled out for later events. Then the cycle goes again... I saw one thing about how China was being penalised in one/some event/s... But it does seem* that Russia are being royally fucked over without reprieve. Naturally they would try to defend themselves (corrupt as it may be) *to the casual/non-observer
Fierce_LiNk Posted August 9, 2016 Posted August 9, 2016 A couple of nice "feel-good" stories. A Rugby Sevens player accepts a marriage proposal from her girlfriend (who is a worker at the venue) on the pitch after taking part in a match. North and South Korean gymnasts pose for a selfie. Both countries are currently at war with each other and the photo has been applauded for capturing the Olympic spirit.
Falcon_BlizZACK Posted August 9, 2016 Posted August 9, 2016 A couple of nice "feel-good" stories. A Rugby Sevens player accepts a marriage proposal from her girlfriend (who is a worker at the venue) on the pitch after taking part in a match. North and South Korean gymnasts pose for a selfie. Both countries are currently at war with each other and the photo has been applauded for capturing the Olympic spirit. Dat North and South Korean one tho...Almost brings a tear out. Just hope the N.Korean doesn't into to trouble for it.
killthenet Posted August 9, 2016 Author Posted August 9, 2016 That's really good to see. I've been watching the Men's Rugby Sevens today and Japan look really good, they were the first team ever to beat New Zealand and they ran the GB team very close, only losing due to a missed conversion. GB have a couple of medal opportunities tonight, but we could see a gold rush happen tomorrow as we've got some rowing finals and the Cycling Time Trials.
Mr-Paul Posted August 10, 2016 Posted August 10, 2016 Anyone just watched the diving final? Absolutely amazing! Was so tense, but GB get their first ever Olympic diving gold!
killthenet Posted August 10, 2016 Author Posted August 10, 2016 Anyone just watched the diving final? Absolutely amazing! Was so tense, but GB get their first ever Olympic diving gold! Yeah, it was an anxious wait to see how China did! It's been quite a tense day overall really, the Kayak slalom is so horrible to watch - any mistake costs you dearly so I had my heart in my mouth watching Joe Clarke's run. Then there was a ridiculously tense Rugby Sevens QF with GB against Argentina that went to extra time at 0 - 0, it was a fantastic match but made better by GB scoring the winning try. Was also great to see Max Whitlock get a medal in the gymnastics and Sally Conway win a bronze in the Judo. I watched her semi-final and she was really unlucky not to win that, so it was nice to see her bounce back.
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