Olympics Talk: A brief discussion before it goes away

[Paul Farquhar]

The bit were the swimmers were eaten by mutant sharks.

 

[Clint_L]

Watching the Olympics is fun. I love it. Although, confession time, I love the Winter Olympics more. Why? Who knows what damage was inflicted upon me for that, but that's the way it is.

Ummm...because the Winter Olympics have the best team sport, hockey, and the all the fastest sports. And because my nation, Canada, does a lot better at the Winter Olympics.

Three things-

1. What is the least impressive event to you, in terms of someone saying, "I am an Olympian."

Anything involving a gun. If that's sports, then video games are sports. And a hell of a lot more fun to watch.

I also dislike sports that have an "artistic" score. Well, I don't necessarily dislike them in themselves. But I dislike that they are treated as sports.

2. What is the coolest event that doesn't get all the press (not the 100m, or swimming, or gymnastics)?

Speed climbing, and it isn't close.

3. Finally, what other thoughts do you have? I mean, other than learning that all the Olympic swimmers pee in the pool?

A dude from my hometown, Nanaimo BC, just won the gold for the most D&D of all sports, the hammer throw. I think that's awesome! And speaking of the Haka, my colleague's daughter is on the Canadian rugby team that earned the silver against that New Zealand squad - she only found out about a month ago that she made the final cut, and now she's an olympic medallist!

 

[John R Davis]

1. Anything open to judges interpretation. There has been some awful boxing decisions.

2. I have watched a bit of archery and skeet/trap shoots and that is very skillful.

3. Rowers always look the most knackered. Kudos to them

 

[Tonguez]

3. Finally, what other thoughts do you have?

Anthony Ammirati, Pole Vaulter crashed out on his jump but still managed to impress when his other pole hit the bar!

but yeah too much corruption in commercial sport to make the Olympics a positive experience anymore

 

[Ulfgeir]

1. What is the least impressive event to you, in terms of someone saying, "I am an Olympian."

Walking, Football, and Golf. All 3 are events I don't think should be in the olympics for various reasons.
Walking = it is basically a contest of "who can whisper the loudest", and has a very unnatural set of movement.
Football and Golf = boring to watch and they are both so big in their own ways that the olympics is just a minor tournament for them. One thing that football has going for it though is that it is in theory a cheap sport that anyone can practice; all you need is a ball and a relatively flat field. But it is also a sport with severely overpaid athlethes, lots of corruption in the decision-making levels, and a sport with lots of injuries (and also lots of faking injuries).


2. What is the coolest event that doesn't get all the press (not the 100m, or swimming, or gymnastics)?

Kayak slalom & Handball.
Handball being such a fast ball-game with lots of goals, and quick changes in play. Kayak Slalom for being quite spectacular.


3. Finally, what other thoughts do you have? I mean, other than learning that all the Olympic swimmers pee in the pool?

How expensive it is to arrange; so many special arenas that need to be built (and how often these arenas afterwards often turn into urban ruins as they are no longe used after the olympics). As well as the fickleness that the local olympics comittee has in who to send, and what sports will get the coverage. We have for example had athelthes that has met the olympic qulifications limits, but that our olympic comittee has decided to not send them because they would not be expected to be top 8 (or in some cases having a chance of getting a medal)

As a follow-up on the second point, for example in Archery we have the problem in Swedish Archery organization that too much money goes towards the olympic archery (where we are not that good), whereas in for ecxample Field and 3D in Barebow we are top tier, and yet the archers often has to pay very large amounts themselves to compete in world and European championships. We have had cases where some of the best we had turned town their places in the national teams for these competitions due to the costs.

 

[Wolfram stout]

While I try not to dis any sport, cause-hey what I have accomplished-, there are some that I go "How did that sport happen?". Specifically Sychronized diving. These are obviously great athletes doing impress dives, but someone somewhere went "What if we have 2 of them doing it at the same time and score them on how close they match" Sounds like something someone thought of at a tween summer birthday pool party.

I love watching the events that I don't get to see ever. The ones they rarely show in prime time (at least in the US). The rowing, the kyaking, handball.

I would love archery but they made it too specialized. I don't know if they increased the range to account for the special bows and stablizer attachments or vice verse, but I would love to see a shorter range with more basic bows.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Ummm...because the Winter Olympics have the best team sport, hockey, and the all the fastest sports. And because my nation, Canada, does a lot better at the Winter Olympics.

Well, as we all know, that's only because the Olympics doesn't give you a Stanley Cup!

I'll show myself out now....

 

[John R Davis]

Kayak cross looks fun

 

[Stalker0]

I would argue for least impressive that you are an olympian..... Tennis.

Its not that being a tennis player isn't impressive, it is. But I mean when you have the best pros in the world playing in the olympics, its basically just a more minor Grand Slam. Its literally doing nothing that the players don't do all day every day, there's nothing special about Olympic Tennis vs watching Wimbledon or the Australian Open.

Its kind of like someone with a PHD in Physics also noting "oh i also have a master's in physics".

 

[overgeeked]

1. What is the least impressive event to you, in terms of someone saying, "I am an Olympian."

Shooting.

2. What is the coolest event that doesn't get all the press (not the 100m, or swimming, or gymnastics)?

Ice hockey. Or any event that’s actually a competition between amateurs rather than paid professionals.

3. Finally, what other thoughts do you have? I mean, other than learning that all the Olympic swimmers pee in the pool?

Pole vaulting sure is getting a lot of attention this time around.