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” she’s as loose as village golfbag ”
"Fell apart like a dropped lego-man" 😄
Anyone else struggle with a winter Olympics on all fake snow.
For me, winter Olympics are mountains and proper snow and ice.
Seeing as most of the GB entrants (who haven't been passported in from snowier places) learned on plastic hills I think we have to accept fake snow is OK from a sporting perspective.
Anyone else struggle with a winter Olympics on all fake snow.
For me, winter Olympics are mountains and proper snow and ice.
And while were at it, can we make sure we only use those naturally occuring 400mm red rubber circuits, 90 cm hurdles and banked wooden bicycle tracks when we get to Paris in a few years....!?
Anyone else struggle with a winter Olympics on all fake snow.
I struggle with the Winter Olympics as a thing really...How many different ways of sliding can you realistically hand out a medal for?
Ed Leigh , getting super excited ” she’s as loose as village golfbag "
He used to commentate on freestyle Mx with Rob Warner so has a similar turn of phrase
How many different ways of sliding can you realistically hand out a medal for?
For me it's the fact that so many of the sports are open to the interpretation of judges. Even the ski jumping where you would think longest jump wins the jumpers get marked for their style and landing.
Faster, higher, longer, closer, etc.
Anyone else struggle with a winter Olympics on all fake snow.
I'm with you. It seems very sad that most of the places winter Olympics have been held in the last would now not be viable venues. Topping up with fake snow is one thing but when it's the only snow it seems a bit tragic.
I normally love the winter Olympics but combine the fake snow with all the human rights/sports-washing stuff it's leaving me cold this time (pun intended 🙂 ).
Biathlon is amazing. Very amazing.
I struggle with the Winter Olympics as a thing really…How many different ways of sliding can you realistically hand out a medal for?
It’s not like the summer games don’t have umpteen medals for crossing the ground quickly is it!
Alpin I don’t really like “judged” sports either. But that not unique to the winter games - the summer games has its fair share of both aesthetic sports and the martial art type stuff that is subjective. I do think for TV audiences the sports need to be easy to watch and understand who won and why!
Personally I think the winter games should add some non snow/ice sports that are typically pursued in winter - cross country running, CX etc?
It's not 'fake' snow, it's artificial snow. Fake snow would have properties that are different to real snow. I agree that artificial snow isn't powder snow, but for the kind of snow racers want, it's as good as the real stuff.
Biathlon is amazing. Very amazing.
Agree, I'm watching it now. I'd love to have a go at it. Also, you could easily do an MTB version where you have an air pistol in your Camelbak. Someone organise this please.
It seems very sad that most of the places winter Olympics have been held in the last would now not be viable venues. Topping up with fake snow is one thing but when it’s the only snow it seems a bit tragic.
It's not just unfortunate though - apparently that part of China is generally arid, and even though it's cold it only gets 8" of snow a year on average anyway.
It's a bit like awarding this year's world cup to a desert nation which then has to build air-conditioned stadia.
Part of the interest in the winter games is the alpine atmosphere around the venue, there's something deeply soulless about this one.
for the kind of snow racers want, it’s as good as the real stuff.
Reductio and absurdum perhaps but how far off are we from competitors being able to wear some kind of kinetic suit/VR goggles and all just compete virtually? Would that be just as good?
It’s a bit like awarding this year’s world cup to a desert nation which then has to build air-conditioned stadia.
Indeed. It's all just part of an increasingly jarring divorce from nature/environment that we seem to be running headlong towards. I'm not into it at all.
If you're going to create virtual worlds why bother with traditional sports? You could do anything. And they do - it's called e-sports.
Not sure whether this thread is just to bitch about some of the pointlessness (I agree), the validity of 'judged' competition (I agree) or the questionable morals and ethics of the Chinese government (I agree), but I really liked this regarding the Kiwi lass on the snowboard...
Sadowski-Synnott’s father has been a continuing source of amusement in his reaction, having told the website Stuff that, in her bid for gold, his daughter made many sacrifices. “Zoi sacrificed doing the dishes, mowing the lawns, cleaning her room and getting the vacuum out, she sacrificed all of those things,” he said.
but for the kind of snow racers want
Having raced on both IMHO the real stuff is far, far more preferable to the fake. Fake is hard & doesn't have the feel that the real has. It's hard to explain exactly the difference but if you were on a course that had a mix it was difficult to setup your skis for & quite unnerving when different things started happening midturn/tuck!
biased obviously as I like cycling, but I found the virtual TdF races on zwift more exciting than some of the garbage that passes for competitive sport in the Winter Olympics 😃Reductio and absurdum perhaps but how far off are we from competitors being able to wear some kind of kinetic suit/VR goggles and all just compete virtually? Would that be just as good?
Sadowski-Synnott’s father has been a continuing source of amusement in his reaction, having told the website Stuff that, in her bid for gold, his daughter made many sacrifices. “Zoi sacrificed doing the dishes, mowing the lawns, cleaning her room and getting the vacuum out, she sacrificed all of those things,” he said.
I hadn't heard this or read it anywhere until now. Fantastic! 🙂
there’s something deeply soulless about this one.
There's something deeply soulless about China. Spent a while there in the 90s and I think this accurately describes what it felt like, although it was really fascinating in an "everything is totally alien" way. The fabricated history and oppressive atmosphere is reflected in their hosting of events.
How many different ways of sliding can you realistically hand out a medal for?
Where as in the summer games we have loads of ways for giving out medals for running round a man made circle different numbers of times. Or how many different strokes and number of lengths you can swim very quickly.
All sport is contrived
Yeah it's ridiculous. It'll all change when I'm in charge.... one medal for running, one for jumping, one for hoofing something, etc. No swimming. It'll all be over in an afternoon, like sports day. 😃Where as in the summer games we have loads of ways for giving out medals for running round a man made circle different numbers of times. Or how many different strokes and number of lengths you can swim very quickly.
There’s something deeply soulless about China.
Maybe with the modern experience but China has a massive history that infuses the modern country so you could call that a soul, if a nation were to have one.
Topping up with fake snow is one thing but when it’s the only snow it seems a bit tragic.
This is what I meant.
Somewhere that has snow that needs topping up is fine, see pretty much every ski resort in Europe below 2000m. But having to make it all from scratch in a place that doesn't normally have snow just doesn't work.
Whilst I agree that it should be held in proper ski covered mountains, the Olympics is a world event that not many countries can afford to host. China, despite everything, should have the opportunity and so far the artificial snow doesn't seem to be a big issue. So I'm just enjoying the spectacle and really looking forward to the ski cross!
"There’s something deeply soulless about China."
Maybe with the modern experience but China has a massive history that infuses the modern country so you could call that a soul, if a nation were to have one.
Whilst we know there's a history, like their alpine sport credentials there's nothing authentic there, its all fake reinterpretation and propaganda.
We've all been places that you could say have soul, South America, Africa, where it feels authentic. Someone said to me if you want authentic China you have to go to Taiwan.
but China has a massive history that infuses the modern country
Sure, but The CCP can't be relied upon to be honest about its own past, let alone the vast history beyond the last 100 years or so their existence.
All sport is contrived
T'was just a joke.
Whilst we know there’s a history, like their alpine sport credentials there’s nothing authentic there, its all fake reinterpretation and propaganda.
All of it? I'm not talking about visiting tourist attractions, I'm talking about books and stuff.
^^^ The thing I really like about skiing is getting out into that fresh mountain air...
Is that real alpin? Jeez that's depressing.
I spent some time with some Chinese tourists in Nepal and, well... the group conformity and sort of shallow, tokenistic consumption of 'culture' that most of them saw as normal was pretty unsettling to me.
Not that we are any better I suppose, just different.
^^ is that real?
All of it? I’m not talking about visiting tourist attractions, I’m talking about books and stuff.
I assure you I wasn't a conventional tourist. The books that the Party allow you to read.... I struggle to believe anything I see or hear about China. Amusingly/scarily, did you see their re-realisation of Fight Club!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-60285068
^^ is that real?
I googled. It is.
Seems to be....
Pictures on Chinese news sites.
What alpin posted certainly reflects the TV images. It's certainly a brave location!
They prefer you to share images like this I guess
Seems to be genuine (sadly). Unless LOTS of photographers are photoshopping everything coming out of that venue.
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I feel like China is trolling the world with this venue.
No doubt they will have built an authentic replica Swiss mountain village somewhere anyway, so who says there is no alpine atmosphere?
Edit: Austrian
Reminds me of the London Freeze at Battersea Power Station around 2008-2010. I think the first year it was only on for one day as all the artifical snow melted.
Where as in the summer games we have loads of ways for giving out medals for running round a man made circle different numbers of times. Or how many different strokes and number of lengths you can swim very quickly.
All sport is contrived
This is obviously true, but a lot of them, maybe even most, have an obvious evolution from a starting point. (eg let's do a running race. That's too far but that's too short. Let's do 2 running races, 100m or marathon. And the distances in between fit in an obvious fashion.)
In comparison, I caught the downhill bump-skiing thing yesterday. The idea seemed to be to get down the bumpy slope as quickly as possible, but getting points for styling it up on the two half-pipe bits. I don't understand where this came from. To me, it made as much sense as doing judo, while getting points for eating as many jam sandwiches as possible.
I did a ski race in Austria once that involved slalom racing where you stopped halfway down to have a shot of schnapps then continued down. Great fun. Are you listening IOC?
I did a similar race that involved stealing the lovely beer glasses and skiing down with them in my Campri jacket papoose pocket. Had a great collection still, 25 years later!