The Official Rio Olympics 2016 thread
Discussion
RichB said:
Russ35 said:
...5 new sports to add for Tokyo 2020, Surfing, climbing, karate, baseball and skateboarding. Not sure if any sports are being dropped.
Skateboarding! 
Surely we'll win gold at that? All those spotty oiks that skid up and down the subways clutching their redbull and eating big macs!
Skateboarding?! And yet we still don't have Olympic medals for classic sports such as squash and netball.
And yet we get to watch handball.
Quite baffling.
944fan said:
I watched some of the Modern Pentathlon in the last few days. What a gloriously wacky sport that is. I like to think it was invented by two toffs having a bet with each other over who can ride each others horse better, swim the lake, run and shoot and fence each other. Mad.
Not far off - it was invented by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern day Olympic Games.Wikipedia said:
As the events of the ancient pentathlon were modeled after the skills of the ideal soldier of that time, Coubertin created the contest to simulate the experience of a 19th-century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight enemies with pistol and sword, swim, and run to return to his own soldiers.
Rosscow said:
RichB said:
Russ35 said:
...5 new sports to add for Tokyo 2020, Surfing, climbing, karate, baseball and skateboarding. Not sure if any sports are being dropped.
Skateboarding! Surely we'll win gold at that? All those spotty oiks that skid up and down the subways clutching their redbull and eating big macs!
Skateboarding?! And yet we still don't have Olympic medals for classic sports such as squash and netball.
And yet we get to watch handball.
Quite baffling.
In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
Has this been posted? Usain Bolt late Saturday night in a nearly empty stadium practising his new event for Tokyo. The javelin. He threw 55m 
https://youtu.be/po4l0J_88YM
https://youtu.be/po4l0J_88YM
aeropilot said:
And yet.....
In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
Surely there should be cricket as well, then! Must be well up the rankings...?In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
aeropilot said:
And yet.....
In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
Squash does seem like an obvious omission. Real tennis and rackets are other racket sports not represented, but both are arcane to say the least.In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
Rosscow said:
aeropilot said:
And yet.....
In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
Surely there should be cricket as well, then! Must be well up the rankings...?In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
So Tokyo then. Going to be quite a different affair from recent Games and World Championships I think. No Bolt, No Phelps, no Ennis-Hill, no Farrah (not on the track anyway). Probably be a few more who decide to retire between now and then as well.
Wonder if KJT will think about become a single sport athlete? Her jump would have won gold (although it was a low Gold jump) but if she can do that whilst multi eventing then what could she achieve if she focused on it?
Wonder what Greg Rutherford will do. I am sure he will be in London 2017 but wonder if he has another Olympic cycle in him, or the desire?
Be interesting to see how Team GB do and can they continue the run of form. Some sports exceed their medal target and should get more funding (many which were cut after London - Swimming for example).
Wonder if KJT will think about become a single sport athlete? Her jump would have won gold (although it was a low Gold jump) but if she can do that whilst multi eventing then what could she achieve if she focused on it?
Wonder what Greg Rutherford will do. I am sure he will be in London 2017 but wonder if he has another Olympic cycle in him, or the desire?
Be interesting to see how Team GB do and can they continue the run of form. Some sports exceed their medal target and should get more funding (many which were cut after London - Swimming for example).
944fan said:
Wonder if KJT will think about become a single sport athlete? Her jump would have won gold (although it was a low Gold jump) but if she can do that whilst multi eventing then what could she achieve if she focused on it?
Jackie Joyner-Kersee won gold in both at the Seoul OlympicsThere's easily enough sports - probably too many - featured during the modern Olympics. No more are needed. Ones for the axe: Beach volleyball, tennis (Murray's already played in another comp and lost), golf, taekwondo, mountain biking... there's a few more. Hold the Olympics every 4 years in a purpose built stadium in Greece and keep to the core sports of track/field/water.
Randy Winkman said:
Rosscow said:
Surely there should be cricket as well, then! Must be well up the rankings...?
Do you think so? I'd always assumed it had a very limited spread. Handball
Modern Pentathlon
Diving
Archery
Just to name a few!
They've probably all got a long and glorious Olympic history, but surely none of them can touch cricket for sheer number of participants on a weekly basis?
aeropilot said:
And yet.....
In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
Can you give us a link to the participation figures? Very interesting.In terms of Top 100 Global sports by participation...
Skateboarding comes in at number 69, but Netball is further down the list at 80. Squash however is up at 57, so I do think that Squash still not being an Olympic sport (is it the only racket sport that isn't now?) is still somewhat baffling.
Perhaps the world squash association or whatever its called, haven't made a big enough 'contribution' to the IOC 'expenses' fund.......
popeyewhite said:
There's easily enough sports - probably too many - featured during the modern Olympics. No more are needed. Ones for the axe: Beach volleyball, tennis (Murray's already played in another comp and lost), golf, taekwondo, mountain biking... there's a few more. Hold the Olympics every 4 years in a purpose built stadium in Greece and keep to the core sports of track/field/water.
Permanently held in Greece? I think that's an awful idea. The magic of the Olympics is it going to different continents and cities for every rotation.Sure, there have been some poor decisions/management and it costs the host country a lot of money.
But take that away and it would become stagnant and people around the world would lose interest. Not to mention that it just wouldn't be fair!
Rosscow said:
Permanently held in Greece? I think that's an awful idea. The magic of the Olympics is it going to different continents and cities for every rotation.
Sure, there have been some poor decisions/management and it costs the host country a lot of money.
But take that away and it would become stagnant and people around the world would lose interest. Not to mention that it just wouldn't be fair!
Given the enormous costs involved I could see it returning more frequently to locations where the support has been good and the infrastructure remains. Even more relevant to the Winter Olympics.Sure, there have been some poor decisions/management and it costs the host country a lot of money.
But take that away and it would become stagnant and people around the world would lose interest. Not to mention that it just wouldn't be fair!
The IOC perhaps needs to part fund too, although I don't begin to know anything about their finances - hopefully not as bad as football...
popeyewhite said:
Leithen said:
Can you give us a link to the participation figures? Very interesting.
Participation figures mean nothing. I don't imagine many are involved in triple or long jump...but many thousands are involved in athletics.For example, how relevant is the current Olympic spread of sports to India?
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