Arena Games of the XXXI Olympiad - Official Rio Summer Olympics (8/5-21) Thread

Didn't it just expand?

Australian media so mad at the foul call on Mills!

Edit: This article basically sums up what I think about Australia's Olympic performances.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...mpic-over-achievement-is-finished?CMP=soc_567

 

You're evil, Shane. Pure evil.

 

The Nintendo Olympics.

 

To me that last sentence says it all... Aus, for its size has actually done pretty well and collected about as many medals as it can reasonably expect comparative to other countries with more resources at their disposal. This focus on failure instead of success, as if it's all gone horribly wrong, is just so unfair on Aussie sportsmen and women, many of whom actually did really well, comparatively speaking.

On a slightly different subject: I nailed my flag to the mast on whom I support in sports over 40 years ago: GB, the Home Nations in general, Ireland (my parents are from there) and my beloved Arsenal Football Club. This has nothing to do with nationalism (I despise everything Brexit stands for), and everything to do with the fact I like to cheer on one team. It does not mean, and never has meant, that I won't take my hat off to better opponents when GB et al are defeated in any given sport; the best competitors always deserve to win....

I am very happy for GB's achievements at these Olympics and I reasonably expect them to drop off somewhat in Tokyo; in fact I'll predict now a top 3 finish for Japan, four years from now. GB, hopefully will make the top 10, but if they don't, I won't be lamenting failure, but the success of those who do well, hopefully not by cheating, and condolences for those who don't. GB simply cannot expect to finish in the top three every time, it just won't happen. That won't stop me cheering them on every time however.

 

Australia spends a disproportionately large amount of money on athletes for the Olympics. It's good for patriotism and self image, as many other countries have also found. And that's where the anxiety comes from. We spent so much, made so many plans, made so many optimistic predictions...

And yeah, its not fair for it all to rely on one person having a perfect swim at that one moment, or a lucky point with 5 seconds to go. But media commenters have to comment about something.

Has Great Britain pumped up its resources in recent years? You folks used to be fairly mediocre, but this year you're Number 2 in the medals. I reckon there's half a billion spent there.

The Russians use drugs. We inject money.

Edit: Quick googling...
Aus spent $340Aus over 4 years specifically on Olympics training
The UK spend £280m, or about $480Aus
(All vague and debatable)

 

Thatcher was notoriously anti-sport. Football reached its absolute lowest ebb in terms of funding in the early 80s, even if clubs were doing well in Europe. Stadiums were dilapidated, hooliganism was rife and disasters such as Bradford happened. Other sports hardly faired well either, much of the time. Yes, the improvements have come through better funding via the National Lottery: better facilities and better training as well as the opportunity for athletes to have less financial pressures on them; these all clearly help.

It won't last; these things never do, but I'd like to think that GB won't return to the solitary Gold Medal situation that existed at Atlanta.

An example of where more money hasn't helped much however is Tennis: Yes there's Andy Murray, and a few other fairly decent players, but money has been misused badly as this article demonstrates:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/te...t-Roehampton-seven-years-after-it-opened.html

 

That Japanese bit at the end seemed very Japanese.

 

I can only hope that Mario showing up means that e-sports is coming to the Tokyo Games. Or, at least, Nintendo properties will be all over the games.

 

I wanna see Bolt race Sonic.

 

Bolt would win because Sonic would spend too much time at the start revving up his spin dash.

 

News here is that the GB team are about to land at Heathrow Airport. They're on a specially chartered British Airlines 747 that has had its nosecone painted gold for the occasion. About 10 minutes to go til it lands.

 

ESPN is reporting that Hope Solo's been suspended from the US Women's Soccer Team for her Olympic comments about the Swedish team after they beat the US.

 

Suspension? She should be flat out dropped.

 

That's amazing. Video please?

 

That's excellent. And made even better by it being Bryce Harper getting the medals and his expressions...

 

I wish she thrown it at the mascot.

 

That was a quality pitch.

 

Lochte suspeneded ten months for 'robbery' story.

 

Overreaction.