Atmosphere seems amazing.
Had a flick through the schedule and didn't see a single sport where I thought "oh, I'll watch that".
And Claire ***** Balding is back. What does she bring to the screen other than a fake laugh? Oh, she rode a horse.
I thought it was great today, lots of sports I would never normally watch and the level of skill was off the scale.
The blue screen studio is very impressive too. Liked the commentators they wheeled in.
I liked it.
Watching sports you know nothing about, and had no prior interest in, is essential Olympics.
I thought they didn't have many sports on BBC due to licensing deals.
I flicked through the German schedule.... Admittedly it doesn't help that I'm either sleeping or working.
Am awful lot of sports and I just think "really? Olympic sport!?"
Football?
Golf?
Road cycling?
Mtbing?
Tennis?
Aren't there enough big, well known international events for these sports already?
Ah but the poorly paid GB/Spanish/Italian team have to play Kitts and Nevis (pick a struggling less well off nation) where one of the players earns more than the entire national Olympic budget obviously the Olympic spirit in play.
I just think “really? Olympic sport!?”
Football has been part of the olympics for over century now. You'll be shocked at how central cycling has been, including road cycling, to the history of the modern olympics. Yeah, mtbing is a relatively new addition... not sure why anyone would moan about its inclusion on a mountain biking forum though.
Aren’t there enough big, well known international events for these sports already?
All the sports at the olympics also have their own international events. What's your point caller?
I can understand people arguing that some sports have their own pinnacles. Golf has the majors, tennis the grand slams, cycling world championship and tours. They arguably also have more TV coverage ordinarily than your 'amateur' athletes in track and field do in the course of a normal year. So whilst I don't begrudge any sportsman the opportunity, I do feel there's a difference. I'm not sure how many golfers focus for four years just to have the chance at winning the Olympics.
Watched a little of the surfing - kinda find it hard to see it as a sport though. Hard to do but very niche.
Balding is professional, funny and knowledgeable.
I quite like her. 🙂
The sailing is chaos! Brilliant!
The guy from Trinidad and Tobago really ballsed it up!
@caher "Watched a little of the surfing – kinda find it hard to see it as a sport though. Hard to do but very niche."
Well, if you live in the UK perhaps 😛
Well, if you live in the UK perhaps 😛
Or Austria....
Two thirteen year olds competing against someone almost three times their age in the woman's street skateboarding.... 😁
Why don't they use proper old school long bows?
Yeah, mtbing is a relatively new addition… not sure why anyone would moan about its inclusion on a mountain biking forum though.
self loathing?
Thought the skateboarding was a bit sterile and doesn't suit the Olympic format for me but good to see new sports involved to try and keep up with things.
IMO the Olympics has become bloated and ridiculous
Lots should be pruned out. its become a self perpetuating circle jerk for administrators
Loads of sports that have their own high profile world cups and the like, loads of nonsense. Anything that is not judged with a large objective part as well can go. Rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming etc etc
I find myself agreeing with tj.
If athletes can rake in large wads of cash when they compete in another world championship contest, that's a really, really big clue as to the redundancy of including said sport in the Olympics.
The non-objective judging thing is a tough one though, it's not like either of those examples have a massive other world competition to participate in.
It's about time they sacked off the finn or the laser two mens single-handers is unnecessary put something big in or a mixed crew or womens 470s.
All the sports at the olympics also have their own international events. What’s your point caller?
The point is that the Olympics have become so bloated that almost nobody can afford to host them.
I'd strip out any sport requiring expensive equipment. Sailing, cycling, horses, shooting. Then any sport where the winner has to be judged and not measured as per the motto higher faster stronger.
Then any sport where the finalists are millionaires. Golf, football.
Meh, consciously not watching, really shouldn't have gone ahead given the current situation. The IOC make FIFA look like philanthropists. The amount of money wasted and inappropriate legacy from the various games is horrendous. Look at the legacy of the last Greek games, lots of abandoned structures, outside the Olympics no one needs such huge dedicated sports facilities. Greece, a country fabled for being rich.
I find Balding quite grating, tbh, it’s some sort of faux jolly hockey sticks persona thing that annoys me. I also don’t find her particularly funny or knowledgeable, unlike say Hazel Irvine.
Yeah, mtbing is a relatively new addition… not sure why anyone would moan about its inclusion on a mountain biking forum though.
self loathing?
That made me laugh- this forum could win the gold at times, and not just MTB related.
I keep thinking there's nothing I want to watch at the topics and then 2 hours have gone by. So something is going right with the coverage.
It’s about time they sacked off the finn or the laser two mens single-handers is unnecessary
Finn is the heavyweight boat and has been in the Olympics for a very long time and is incredibly physical to sail.
Laser is the "lightweight" boat (<80kg) and is a bit meh.
it’s some sort of faux jolly hockey sticks persona thing that annoys me.
I don't think its faux. It think she really is rather "jolly hockey sticks"
Finn is the heavyweight boat and has been in the Olympics for a very long time and is incredibly physical to sail.
Laser is the “lightweight” boat (<80kg) and is a bit meh.
I know I'm conflicted my heart says sack off the laser because meh. My head says sack off the finn because the **** sails a finn outside the Olympics so it's far less accessible.
I vote for international canoe or hydrofoil moths. There should be one development class at the Olympics for giggles.
470s can stay though, they're a real boat.
I think MTB should stay. It's big for the riders with people focussing a season on it.
Road racing? Maybe it could go.
Should be a criteria somewhere that says Olympics is the biggest event in the sport. Football, Tennis, road cycling all have bigger events.
That said the road race was great. Riding as countries not trade teams mixes it up and it takes us away from the usual European roads.
Shame about coverage though, it's always fun to watch random sports and become an instant fan when we have a star!
I keep thinking there’s nothing I want to watch at the topics and then 2 hours have gone by. So something is going right with the coverage.
Yeah, watched the 3x3 basketball yesterday and initially thought 'Really?' but watched the lot. Brilliant.
The Olympics is a spectacle. Where else are many sports brought together in one big jamboree? Its supposed to represent the best of and is alot less cynical than the professional sports so the more sports the better...why should relatively small minority sports not get a shout? If we want something to inspire the next generation in whatever they choose to do then having it showcased on a big stage alongside the more traditional sports can only be a good thing to keep the kids off the streets and focused on a greater goal.
I’m not keen on clare balding, for the same reasons tbh.
But, I’m not tuning in to watch her, I’m tuning in to watch all the stuff I don’t normally watch on tv.
Also, other channels are available . .
I didn’t think much of the skateboarding, which is weird as I normally enjoy it.
Enjoyed the archery, tae kwon do, triathlon, all stuff I wouldn’t normally bother watching.
‘Sports where the winner has to be judged’ yeah I’m not a fan of this type of format generally, but how else should it be done? Removing it would do away with a fair few sports.
Road racing? Maybe it could go.
Nah I like the road racing. Its a true team race, no radios and shit.
Thought the MTB without the taped course was excellent....
For future years I wonder if a "Pop-Up" Olympics is possible without the whole infrastructure thing...
Well the women's road race at least showed that an amateur (even if she was a former pro) can still win in a sport dominated by well paid full time athletes
Meh, consciously not watching, really shouldn’t have gone ahead given the current situation. The IOC make FIFA look like philanthropists. The amount of money wasted and inappropriate legacy from the various games is horrendous.
This x 1000
The Olympics is a bloated, corrupt...
And besides, sport is for doing not watching. WTF would anyone want to spend hours of their precious life watching someone else chuck things around/ run fast ?
The point is that the Olympics have become so bloated that almost nobody can afford to host them.
Well done to Brisbane for winning the 2032 games.... as the only city that bid
And besides, sport is for doing not watching. WTF would anyone want to spend hours of their precious life watching someone else chuck things around/ run fast ?
I don't think the Olympics are for you. You'll be pleased to hear that you don't have to watch any of it.
that welsh lass, what an axe kick !!!
Couldn't work out if Tom Daley's mate shouted "mother ****ers" or "****ing bastards" on live tv when the gold was announced. Funny though 😀
Nah I like the road racing. Its a true team race, no radios and shit.
Whilst I liked the road race, simple question, are the best single stage racers training in four year programmes purely to peak for the Olympics? I'd say not. 'No radios and shit' is not a big enough differentiation for an event that already has big money elsewhere.
Bring back Architecture and Town Planning! The Olympics aren't the same with out them...
The Olympics used to have an arts competition
If someone could explain why squash is not in, despite years of trying, that would be nice.
If someone could explain why squash is not in
because it's booooring. That's why.
I think I'd settle for rules that don't allow national funding (Like the Lottery for example) if you to compete in the Olympics? Fine, knock yourself out, but it shouldn't be used as a national flag shagging competition while whole nation's folks are getting fatter and funding for local sports is being cut. I think it was Finland that pretty much decided that they weren't going to do this anymore a few years back. They never win medals anymore, but at least their population aren't turning into literal wee human globes on legs
It’s about time they sacked off the finn or the laser two mens single-handers is unnecessary put something big in or a mixed crew or womens 470s.
Finn Vs Laser are completely different events. You couldn't switch the sailors between them and be competitive. Just look at Ben Ainslie between 2000 and 2004. Like saying ditch the Sprint because Chris Hoy could just do the road race. They even get different interpretations of Rule 42.
470 is mixed this time round.
49er used to be mixed, is now separate men's/women's events.
TBH I kinda agree that sailing needs to move on from the 70s/80s when it had a boom. Change the rules so fleets have 3 Olympic cycles then then change. So the laser could be dropped in favour of an Aero, Finn for a D-One, Narca17 for something foiling. The laser (or rather the ILCA) disappeared so far up its own arse that there was actually a point before Rio when they wondered if any boats would be built for the games due to the legal bullshit between the class/builder/designer.
And bring back the keelboats/yachts and match racing! Something bigger than the dragon/star. Mixed 4 person crews. The argument for getting rid of them was cost and insufficient countries/sailors which was true. But I'm sure they could find someone to provide 4 identical 30ft boats for the publicity and not being so much about boatspeed it wouldn't be so nesecary for countries to have a full program of training and racing built arround the class.
When I were a lad, the Olympics still pretended to be the pinnacle for amateur sport, and the World Games covered all the remaining minority sports that weren't in the Olympics.
Now - at least as far as developed nations with sport funded medal targets - its effectively a pro competition.
The whole "bloated " thing cuts both ways - very few countries can afford to host it without selling its soul to advertising, but it's the only chance many kids will see some sports on TV and get inspired to give it a go. I've no problem learning about archery, rhythmic gymnastics etc, if they don't interest me, I find or do something else.
