Olympic Games | Vital Football

Olympic Games

sedgleyimp

sedgleyimp

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So the delayed 2020 Olympic Games begins on Friday in Tokyo, a city under a strict Covid lockdown.

Normally I enjoy watching the games, but I'm really less that bothered this time around. I don't know if it's a combination of the fact that competitions are taking place with no spectators, it being held at a time of the day which means it's on early morning TV here or just being a bit 'sported' out following the Euros.

Anyone else feel the same?
 
sedgleyimp said:
So the delayed 2020 Olympic Games begins on Friday in Tokyo, a city under a strict Covid lockdown.

Normally I enjoy watching the games, but I'm really less that bothered this time around. I don't know if it's a combination of the fact that competitions are taking place with no spectators, it being held at a time of the day which means it's on early morning TV here or just being a bit 'sported' out following the Euros.

Anyone else feel the same?
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Absolutely in a nutshell sedgley, so far as I am concerned.
 
I shall watch it , alwayd have done . Especially the awimming and the track and field . MInd you the womens beach volley ball is quite pleasing on the eye . :cool::cool:
 
Athletics not my bag, really. Didn't watch any of 2012 and couldn't say where 2016 was held.
 
NottyImp said:
Athletics not my bag, really. Didn't watch any of 2012 and couldn't say where 2016 was held.
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Was it in Brazil last time or am I getting mixed up with World Cup?

Anyway, I shall doubtless watch some random sports.
Looks like Darts still hasn't been included - shocking really, must be one of the largest participant sports in the world. I do believe darts might make it in next time, really hope so.

Counter to demand for extra sports, I would actually bin quite a lot of events. I'd ditch all team sports and leave Olympics purely as a test of individual excellence.
Also less keen on the purely subjective events like synchronised swimming. I'm sure it's very difficult to do, but it's basically underwater prancing about.

And having got rid of half the events, other ones I'd then add in are chess and bowls.
 
There is cycling on. I will definitely be watching that. And I will watch some other stuff too.

I am with @HoofGrantBrown on what is an isn't a sport too. Sport needs definite winners and losers. Yes some decisions will be made by referees which will be subjective but to be a sport, the winner should score more, go faster, throw further etc. If something has to be judged, it is more art than sport.
 
impede said:
There is cycling on. I will definitely be watching that. And I will watch some other stuff too.

I am with @HoofGrantBrown on what is an isn't a sport too. Sport needs definite winners and losers. Yes some decisions will be made by referees which will be subjective but to be a sport, the winner should score more, go faster, throw further etc. If something has to be judged, it is more art than sport.
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Yep. Ballet is 100% physically demanding and takes many many years of intense training to get good at and does get used by some sports now as an activity as part of training. But ballet a sport? No because they are no winners or losers just bad dancers, good dancers and wonderful dancers.

There are some borderline ones, diving, gymnastics etc. They need judges to assess how good they are. Again, incredibly skilful activities, and they do at least have measurable grades of dive/vault etc, but unsure about them. The ones to music though are pure dance and should be got rid of.
 
And think the Cycling Road Race is during this Saturday. Read up a bit on it, over 4800m of climbing involved...tough...you would think Pogacar is strong favourite given that amount of ascending.
Geraint won't feature sadly in the hunt for medals, too many crashes in Le Tour!
 
NottyImp said:
Athletics not my bag, really. Didn't watch any of 2012 and couldn't say where 2016 was held.
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Same here.
I can watch the speed athletic events, such as the 100/200m. I find the rest pretty dull. 10000 metres is much like F1 for me, boring.
The things I really can't deal with are those that involve judges giving scores. Don't get me wrong, the skill and fitness of gymnasts is incredible. It's that the winner is decided by committee!
 
I’ve always thought that to qualify as an Olympic sport, the pinnacle of that discipline has to be the Olympics, otherwise what’s the point? So no real need for football, golf etc to be in there. Of course, it’s mainly decided by what the more influential countries want to see included.....
 
Other issue of course is the drug cheating.
Cycling massively tainted by it but fortunately cleaned up now big time.
Although one Tour team got raided for possible doping. Awaiting outcome on that.
(Said team won the team event so big story if not clean).

Athletics still though badly affected. Without pointing at any individuals, some countries seem to have far greater drugs cheating issues than others. Russia has had the book thrown at them. But USA has many cheating problems (and not just those who compete for USA but more so with those who base their training there). Kenya has also become a place of many failed drugs tests in recent times. UK has also been far from exempt from problems.

All of which makes watching 100m, all through to the longest distance events, very sad these days. Who do you trust to be clean and who don't you trust?
Athletics and other affected sports really need an even bigger effort to clean up once and for all.
I'd have all potential competitors tested week in week out from whenever they start upon their sporting careers. And the testing has to be done by outside bodies (not by people from their own federations who can then turn a blind eye to cheating or even organise such cheating).
All tests to be retained for future retesting to detect any drugs that current testing can't pick up.
And then bring in the sanction that any cheat cannot take part in any championships in the future and will forfeit any medals previously won and any records previously set.
And to help make countries police their own athletes better, at any given championship, if any national team has a failed drugs test, then all athletes in that team are sent home.
 
Some of the events do confuse me, particularly tennis and team sports like football - why is it included when there are so many other competitions it's involved in? The one that always gets me is dressage. What the hell is the point of making a horse prance around like that? It's ludicrous.

I do occasionally like watching some of the more obscure events though - shooting, archery, snowboarding at the winter Olympics. I know bugger all about them (bar doing a tiny bit of archery occasionally) but they seem good fun and have a real skilful side to them.
 
Rob the Imp said:
Some of the events do confuse me, particularly tennis and team sports like football - why is it included when there are so many other competitions it's involved in? The one that always gets me is dressage. What the hell is the point of making a horse prance around like that? It's ludicrous.

I do occasionally like watching some of the more obscure events though - shooting, archery, snowboarding at the winter Olympics. I know bugger all about them (bar doing a tiny bit of archery occasionally) but they seem good fun and have a real skilful side to them.
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Dressage indeed. Bad enough dancing humans, but judging which horse is the best dancer??
Might as well enter a bunch of dogs off Britain's got talent.
 
Plunge dive another one. Jump upright into a pool and see how long you can remain underwater for (still upright under the water).
Real lack of drowning competitors these days.
 
1928 Olympic Gold Medal for Town Planning went to a German for design of stadium at Nuremburg.
Hmmm...seems to ring a bell that one...became quite a popular place with certain germans.
 
HoofGrantBrown said:
And think the Cycling Road Race is during this Saturday. Read up a bit on it, over 4800m of climbing involved...tough...you would think Pogacar is strong favourite given that amount of ascending.
Geraint won't feature sadly in the hunt for medals, too many crashes in Le Tour!
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There should be a spread bet on how many times G crashes
 
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