Winter Olympics (2 Viewers)

[sfidc3]

So, now they are going to allow the Russian ice skater to continue to compete after testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. Their excuse is that she accidentally took her PawPaw's heart medicine....it just happened to be a performance enhancer....but don't get popped for marijuana, that'll get you booted. Honestly, what is going on? Russia was banned from the Olympics because of this but found a loop hole and entered anyway as the ROC. "Oh, were not representing the country of Russia, it's the Russian Olympic Committee." This has got to be the worst run Olympics in the history of Olympics. I would recommend we pull out and leave except I don't want to deprive our atheletes the opportunity to compete, they have trained so hard and for so long. I would like to see a US media blackballing of anything Russian....no interviews and just a passing mention of the results. Just interview all the other countries except Russia, no exposure.

Yup....just like FIFA and the NFL, absolute power absolutely corrupts....

 

[kizzy821]

The commentators were PO'd during her skate. Refused to say anything except her name. "All I can say is that was Kamila Valieva"

"...And she should not have been here."

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Dammit US Men Hockey Team, I want to go to sleep!!!!

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Dammit US Men Hockey Team, I want to go to sleep!!!!

Goodnight.

 

[Xeno]

Eileen Gu, the prodigious — and, depending on who you ask, prodigal — freestyle skier who chose to compete for her mother’s native China over her native U.S., has drawn critical coverage that has at times veered into plain racism and misogyny.

This is why the Olympics as we know them should be abolished. It's supposed to be about the athletes, not the country they or their families are from. In their current form the Olympics are just another vehicle for rabid nationalism.

 

[Sailorsaint]

This is why the Olympics as we know them should be abolished. It's supposed to be about the athletes, not the country they or their families are from. In their current form the Olympics are just another vehicle for rabid nationalism.

There may be something to be said about that, but, without the Olympics you just have the world competitions, and we do that anyway. I don't mind the nationalistic pride, what I do mind is the obvious incompetence of the IOC and the erratic implementation of rules and punishment.

If not for the Olympics, there are many countries that wouldn't be seen on this stage of competition. I, of course, root for Team USA, but it's also nice seeing small countries win and the pride their athletes have in representing them.

 

[Xeno]

There may be something to be said about that, but, without the Olympics you just have the world competitions, and we do that anyway. I don't mind the nationalistic pride, what I do mind is the obvious incompetence of the IOC and the erratic implementation of rules and punishment.

If not for the Olympics, there are many countries that wouldn't be seen on this stage of competition. I, of course, root for Team USA, but it's also nice seeing small countries win and the pride their athletes have in representing them.

SR/EE isn't the place for me to go too deep into why I feel the way I do about the Olympics so I'll just say there are much bigger issues we need to resolve as a species before we're capable of having these kinds of competitions without them being pissing contests for nations.

Your point about athletes from poorer nations is well received though. On the other hand, the world wouldn't be fundamentally different if say Usain Bolt had become a school teacher.

I don't hate the games themselves. I hate what countries like the US/Russia/China have turned them into.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

This is why the Olympics as we know them should be abolished. It's supposed to be about the athletes, not the country they or their families are from. In their current form the Olympics are just another vehicle for rabid nationalism.

each sport has its own world competition
i do think more attention can be paid to those individual competitions but, for instance, everyone loves curling when it comes on the olympics - how many olympics curling viewers will tune in to the yearly world curling championships?
superbowl and world cup are ratings extravaganzas much huger than the 'regular' games
people tune in for the stories/events much more than 'just' the competitions - drives me nuts but that's the way it is

the olympics still has the capacity for being the 'peaceful' way for 'warring' nations to compete - in a way it was easier to do that during the cold war
now that we're a bit more global, identities are a bit squishier - that could be celebrated, but we see it getting weaponized
it's unfortunate, but getting rid of the olympics would cure nothing

 

[Madmarsha]

The commentators were PO'd during her skate. Refused to say anything except her name. "All I can say is that was Kamila Valieva"

"...And she should not have been here."

Even Johnny? He loves the Russians. I bet he was conflicted.

 

[kizzy821]

Even Johnny? He loves the Russians. I bet he was conflicted.

Yeah, he uttered the first quote and Tara interjected with the second.

 

[Brad Mojo]

The craziest athlete's in the world must be downhill skiers.

Football players might get a concussion, and/or a torn ACL.

These skiers are always introduced as "Next up is Yngvei from Norwegia, fresh off of spine replacement surgery..."

Then their human interest/backstory piece fades in with "They said I'd never walk again, much less ever strap on another ski"

Then they laugh in the face of God by ignoring this near death experience and keep doing the same thing all over again (now with their new pig spine). Despite the work of an army of health care pros and physical therapists they go back out to break their central nervous system again.

They are nuts. You can't really tell on TV just how steep that slope is. They have some POV videos out there. While falling down a mountain at insane speeds you can't even see what's past the next blind turn.

 

[Brad Mojo]

 

[Sailorsaint]

It's the beer gut balanced delicately on the ankle that adds the stability, allowing for a more focused release.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Raising age limit for skating would end the age of the quad

The quadruple jumps that sent Russian world champ Anna Shcherbakova to the gold medal and teammate Alexandra Trusova to the silver could be a thing of the past by the 2026 Games.

apnews.com

 

[Sailorsaint]

IOC's Thomas Bach 'disturbed' by treatment of Valieva, but damage was already done

IOC president Thomas Bach expressed sympathy for Russian skater Kamila Valieva after her disastrous night. It's a nice sentiment, but he's late to the party.

sports.yahoo.com