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Rio Olympics

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by tochatihu, Aug 9, 2016.

  1. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    There ought to be a thread on it. Ideally with more interesting comments than mine.

    While at least one team is housed ‘offshore’ on a cruise ship, since Opening we have not heard more about pre-game horrors. Opening Ceremony was nice I felt, but featured Brazilian music came out very weak. At my end of the pipe anyway.

    Many of televised events have ‘green-screen’ backgrounds. This seems to beg for creative background insertions. Even the diving pool went green (a chlorination issue apparently), so a down shot of divers into ??? (shark-infested waters come first to mind).

    So far with 15% of medals awarded, the team story for me has been Thailand. Fielding less than 1 athlete per million population (which is low), they lead in golds and all medals per athlete. Plucky. Keep it up.
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    been watching everyday. we like the 'amateur' sports. i can watch soccer, tennis, golf, basketball anytime, so no real interest there. i think track and field are my favorites, followed by swimming and diving. it's nice to see some of brazil, beautiful area!

    seems to me the communists have been a drag on the olympics for a long time. winning at any and all costs has been disappointing, and unfair to the athletes that keep it clean and don't get paid to train.
     
  3. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Keeping it clean was another pre-O issue, including Brazil's local drug-testing facility dropping the ball.

    Just at the moment, Phelps is getting a gold in ceremony. While any Olympic training is unimaginably hard, to stay with it for 4 more years after all the distractions he must have faced... I just don't think any of us can imagine it.

    After long Asian dominance of F gymnastics, it must have been great to see Americans ladies prevail there. My only related story is being in Beijing airport along with Chinese (F and M) gymnastics teams. While in 'team colors', they were just like any other teens - babbling and texting and yet so shy when I popped in to say "hey, you're famous!". Don't reckon I'll ever have such an experience again, but once will do nicely.
     
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  4. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I was in Colombo airport immediately after the Asian Games (or something) (in 2005, I think), waiting for a Cathay flight back to HK. The Chinese team were waiting for the same plane. A huge shot-putter was asleep across four seats.

    "Bloody hell! Look at him! He's enormous!" said my wife. "But look at all the acne around his neck: I bet he's on steroids."

    "'He' is wearing a bra," I pointed out.
     
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  5. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Performance enhancement by biochemicals mentioned above. If not already, we will soon arrive at a point of decision. Because the situation has become both broader and deeper than most may suppose.

    There is an 'arms race' between new enhancers, and detection technology, with the former clearly winning. More than that, gene editing via CRISPr (that I keep asking youse guys to wrap your heads around) makes the body itself different, without injections.

    For me there are two different paths to explore ultimate human athletic performance, and both have merit separately.

    Current way: biomechanical optimization with training and without assistive biochemicals. This addresses traditional questions of 'higher faster etc.' for humans as they are now.

    New way: open door for any enhancements. What can current human anatomy technologically achieve? Potential exists for 'spinoffs' that could help disabled folks. If progress there depends on a new (monetized) form of Olympic games, I say go for it.

    Past biochemical work has left behind 'rubble' of damaged athletes. That is obviously bad, and my proposed new way could do more of the same. I am not in a position to sort that out in terms of ethics. However, unless we separate these paths, future traditional Olympics will always be behind in terms of detection.

    All that calls for deep thought. For now, we should just enjoy Olympic games as they are. These athletes, being most personally invested, deserve our attention and respect.
     
  6. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    100-m sprint. Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin. These two gentlemen have still a few days to ponder. Absent some surprise this final will be a Real Moment. If you can't spare a moment to imagine what they might be thinking now,



    You Are Not Olympics.
     
  7. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Mr. Bolt has obviously still 'got it' and Mr. Gatlin can beat anyone else in the world. No idea how the was handled for y'all in NBC land.

    There have been many other interesting stories, and waiting to hear your words on those. Apparently I am subject to emotionalia because I thought 'diver proposal' was very nice.
     
  8. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Here, there were two core issues in the report.

    1. Usain Bolt is amazing. He is an incredible sportsman, and a brilliant showman, and pretty much perfect in every way. I have to say I agree.
    2. This is pretty much a direct quote from our local news: "In a year when the Olympics has been mired in drugs controversy, it would have been a disaster for a two-time drug cheat to win the 100m. Fortunately, the People's Champion was there to save the day." I think this is a valid point too.

    There's a brilliant picture of Bolt in the semis in today's paper. I think it tells you everything you need to know.

    [​IMG]

    Cameron Spencer takes amazing photo of smiling Usain Bolt

    Yes, that was lovely.

    I was quite a fan of the rugby proposal too.

    Rugby player accepts on-field Olympic marriage proposal - CNN.com
     
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  9. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Gatlin made a better start. About midway, Bolt just speeds up. By that I mean runs faster than anyone else on earth.

    I am apparently more willing to forgive Gatlin's transgressions. In that, I assume that the whatever-it-is board hold wisdom on what should be a 'term' versus a 'forever' ban.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's been a great week. nbc has done a fairly good and objective job with their coverage. i can't think of a particular moment, there's just a lot to enjoy. i especially like the good sportsmanship with hugs all around after a match is completed. it's nice to see such competitive personalities show true class. and also people appreciating their silvers and bronzes. incredible accomplishments that most of us will never be able to enjoy.
    ready for week two!(y)
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sad to hear about all the crime, but not unexpected i guess. i hope zika doesn't rear it's ugly head somewhere down the line. we're starting to see it in the lower u.s/puerto rico.
     
    #11 bisco, Aug 15, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2016
  12. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Probably 80% of them are doping...
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    anything is possible. i would support controlled, scientific doping, but i think it would be impossible, because some are always looking for an edge.
     
  14. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Sad, but true.

    And when did standing on one leg, and paddling a canoe become an Olympic Sport?! They got some crazy "sports", many of which they never show on TV.

    Let's see some baseball!! They eliminated it.

    LETS SEE SOME BADMINTON!! ;) Ping Pong? Hog tossing? Frog swallowing???
     
  15. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    I remember an episode of Red Dwarf (BBC sci-fi sitcom set in the future) from the late 80s or early 90s that talked about this. It has a historical account of how we first started to allow doping, and eventually created "Genetic Alternative Sports", where GM athletes engineered to be perfect for their sport would compete. This became far more popular than "clean" sport, because so much could be achieved.

    Eventually, the Scottish soccer team created a goalkeeper who was eight feet tall and sixteen feet wide, filling the whole goal. Scotland still got knocked out of the World Cup in the first round.

    Of course, this was entirely unrealistic. It suggest that Scotland would actually make it to the first round of the World Cup finals - the final 32 teams. That's never going to happen.
     
    #15 hkmb, Aug 15, 2016
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2016
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  16. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Bolt is always slow to start - I suppose it's just hard to get that much body moving. But once he hits 50 metres or so, he's unbelievable. I love that in that photo he even manages to give a thumbs-up. And everyone else has expressions of huge effort on their faces, and he's just grinning for the camera.

    As for Gatlin..... Once I can understand. But twice is really a bit much. And I find his claim for the second one - that a malevolent masseur rubbed testosterone into his buttocks - to be boundlessly creative but perhaps a little hard to believe. Perhaps he should have gone into writing rather than sport.
     
  17. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    You do know they show badminton and table tennis, don't you?

    At the risk of sending this into purgatory, Britain's former Prime Minister is a champion hog tosser.
     
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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    isn't it odd that the only people here, are the same people from fhopol?:censored:
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    doping is doping. i'm more concerned with the ones who are ahead of the game. and state sponsored doping, that's really bad form.
    one thing i don't like about the olympics is the nationalism. sure it's great to see your locals win, but there are a lot of wonderful stories from all over the world about people who have overcome tremendous odds just to be there. i don't understand why politicians care so much. a year later, no one remembers.
     
  20. Coast Cruiser

    Coast Cruiser Senior Member

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    Huh????