Tokyo Olympics 2020 - Taking place in 2021

[PlainSimpleJoel]

I feel sorry for those folks not in Australia. The coverage here has been pretty good.

There are many sports that I normally don't watch - but I find it good to watch those athletes try to do their best in whatever sports they do. Many of them don't get regular TV - and if they success for Australia (or other countries) - I'll cheer for them.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Swimming events wrapped up last week. The gymnastics competitions were concluded a few days ago. The Summer Olympics might as well be over. I remember having the post-Olympic blues in the past. But .... if there's any comfort this year, I've already ordered my Olympics souvenirs from eBay and Team USA Shop.

I got a Tokyo 2020 gold medal replica and a Nike sport jacket, which will comprise my Halloween costume this year.

 

[Nyotarules]

Michael Johnson was talking today about the decline of Track and Field due to lack of college funding since the big money is on football and basketball. What saved competitive sports in the UK was lottery money after the disastrous showing at the 1996 Atlantic Olympics. Maybe the USA should do the same?

 

[Kilana2]

Long distance swimming (10km) ended with another gold medal for Germany.....

No German team medal in any of the team events is another matter....

 

[Shaytan]

On the other hand, France do particularly well in team events.
Handball is still the best gold medal chance. I don't think that the Basket team can beat the USA this time but they will try. Volley ball is a (good) surprise at this level.

Tomorrow women will try to reach the finale in Handball and Basket.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Michael Johnson was talking today about the decline of Track and Field due to lack of college funding since the big money is on football and basketball. What saved competitive sports in the UK was lottery money after the disastrous showing at the 1996 Atlantic Olympics. Maybe the USA should do the same?

There isn't a true "national lottery" in the US the way there is in the UK. Each state runs their own lottery, and then there's multi-state games like Powerball and Mega Millions, but they distribute money back to each participating state rather than putting it in a fund to be used nationally. It would require a major change in how the lotteries are administered for them to direct money to the USOC like you're suggesting.

 

[Orac Zen]

From a parochial viewpoint it's been a really successful Olympics for Australia. For once - for a very welcome change - completely ridiculous expectations weren't placed on the team and it seemed to have a positive effect. Lots of great performances, PBs, people making finals of events we've never featured in... Great stuff. There were disappointments as well but that's international sport, and everyone had a go.

From a wider perspective, it's been a terrific Olympics for all sorts of reasons. Thankfully - and hopefully - it hasn't (yet) turned into the Covid super-spreading nightmare that had been predicted / feared (although Japan's current situation isn't great, to say the very least). Lots of fantastic performances, the usual inspirational / exceptional people doing incredible things (even if, in the case of Simone Biles, it wasn't quite in the way people would have expected), and more nations "winning" medals than ever.

Hopefully Paris can live up to this, and hopefully spectators and family / friends of competitors will be able to attend. And it'll be three years until I have to put up with Australia's "home of the Olympics" - the latest pathetic boast of the channel that holds the broadcast rights here - with their idiotic commemorators and their plethora of ads for their assortment of moronic "reality" shows. Thankfully their digital channels weren't quite as insufferable and (incredibly) the coverage was free. I did really miss ABC radio's presence, though; hopefully that will be back next time around.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

^ I like that fact that our officials didn't set targets for them. There was interesting article in one of the newspaper today, which was a great read. Hopefully it will stay that way in the future.

So many highlights. Seeing the world smile during these times has been wonderful. Hard to signal out one moment, as there were so many great moments. All of the new sports worked so well (as those athletes loved being part of the games). Looking forward to Paris (and other multi sport events) before then.

 

[Kilana2]

Not everything went well for German athletes. Vetter not able to throw the javelin properly and Schleu mistreating her horse because her coach forced her to do so.....

If I were the horse I would have thrown all the riders off and run away... But it is typical for people - if they can't deal with horses they try to beat them into obedience - a crying shame.

Also horses tumbling to death because of spectatucar obstacle courses.....And all for the greed of fame.

Trump calling athletes with mental problems or athletes who were unable to win gold medals weak is another matter..... A bad taste is left in my mouth....

 

[Shaytan]

On the other hand, France do particularly well in team events.
Handball is still the best gold medal chance. I don't think that the Basket team can beat the USA this time but they will try. Volley ball is a (good) surprise at this level.

Tomorrow women will try to reach the finale in Handball and Basket.

The results were very satisfying in the end. France sent 7 teams and they brought back 6 medals : 3 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze.

Of course there was the handover ceremony and the prettiest Marseillaise I ever heard.
If things go according to plans, Paris 2024 should be spectacular.

 

[MacLeod]

Trump calling athletes with mental problems or athletes who were unable to win gold medals weak is another matter..... A bad taste is left in my mouth....

Missed that from him but then again I have an urge to switch off the TV/Radio or change station when he us on, don't know why. But I would love to see him do better than some of these "weak" athletes.

In most if not all competitions there is someone that will be better at some point than you, or you are carrying a slight injury going in to a competition which means you are not at your best? We also aren't perfect we can all make mistakes in our work, the same is true in competitve events. Sure some atheltes are likely to be dissapointed with their results, but if you did your best what more can you do?

I did like the idea of the mixed events however this time, more of that next time please.

But only 179 or so days until the next Olympics (WInter Games).

 

[Gryffindorian]

I'm watching the closing ceremonies now, though I wasn't that much impressed with the opening. Seeing the Olympics come to a close is always a bittersweet moment. We have witnessed Katy Ledecky, Simone Biles, Max Whitlock and countless others compete in these games, just as the Shannon Millers, Ian Thorpes, and Michael Phelpses of yesteryears wowed us with their performances, and a mixed generation of Olympians greet us in 2024.

Sayonara, Tokyo. Bonjour, Paris.

 

[JD]

Not everything went well for German athletes. Vetter not able to throw the javelin properly and Schleu mistreating her horse because her coach forced her to do so.....

If I were the horse I would have thrown all the riders off and run away... But it is typical for people - if they can't deal with horses they try to beat them into obedience - a crying shame.

Also horses tumbling to death because of spectatucar obstacle courses.....And all for the greed of fame.

The thing that bugged me with that whole thing, was that all of the news kept talking about how the coach punched the horse, but I actually was more bothered by how the rider was just kicking and beating on the poor horse with the riding crop. The way everyone was talking about a coach, I was expecting her to do a big arm cocked back, full on knuckle, punch, but she barely hit it with the side of her hand.
I know the horse was being uncooperative, but there are better ways to handle it without treating it like that.

 

[Kilana2]

Schleu was sorry for handling the situation that way. The vet should have taken the horse out of the competition. He said it was well, but it was clearly not and in distress.

 

[XCV330]

I'm watching the closing ceremonies now, though I wasn't that much impressed with the opening. Seeing the Olympics come to a close is always a bittersweet moment. We have witnessed Katy Ledecky, Simone Biles, Max Whitlock and countless others compete in these games, just as the Shannon Millers, Ian Thorpes, and Michael Phelpses of yesteryears wowed us with their performances, and a mixed generation of Olympians greet us in 2024.

Sayonara, Tokyo. Bonjour, Paris.

That is one good thing, the next olympics won't be as long away. For that matter, the Winter Olympics are less than a year away, though I wonder if it will be another empty seat situation, at this point. At some point the world just has to start functioning again.

 

[BillJ]

At some point the world just has to start functioning again.

For important things? Yes. For sporting events? No. They aren't remotely important in the grand scheme of things.