Rio 2016 Olympics

[Asmodean_]

Disclaimer: I don't think there's anywhere else to put this. There's no sports board, after all. If there's a better place to put it could a mod move it please.

So what do you all think of the Rio 2016 opening ceremony/games so far?

[ChillerInstinct]

I've heard no shortage of horror stories about the venue. Apparently one athlete got robbed at gunpoint by the local police, there's been killer jellyfish sightings near the 10 KM swimming venue, the water quality is abysmal, the Golf Course is full of dangerous animals, and many other fun little incidents, and the event proper has hardly even started.

Rio was a mistake, is what I'm saying, and I'm praying that things don't turn into an absolute disaster before it's all over.

[Rodin]

The women's soccer is the only stuff I've watched so far. Canada game was pretty great, but unfortunately I missed the USA game.

The list of teams for both men's and women's is...weird. No Japan for the women is decidedly odd, given how much of a powerhouse they've been in recent years. For the Men's...no US. No England (although they only started competing in the Olympics recently, so not really a surprise), no Spain, no Netherlands. No France, no Italy, no Belgium. Out of all the powerhouse European nations, Sweden and Denmark of all nations made it through. The whole thing is kind of a headscratcher.

The only thing I can think is that the rules for competing in the Olympics is different from the World Cup, which must have had a dramatic effect on team composition to cause the set of teams we actually got.

I will certainly tune in for the inevitable Brazil v. Germany re-match though. Now THERE is a grudge match I wouldn't miss for the world.

------

In terms of the other sports, I just hope NBC does a better job with their online streaming than last time. There were a bunch of sports I would have watched, but the individual sports streams did not have commentary. If you watched on the actual NBC channel on your TV...sure, commentary on the action to guide you through what was going on. Online? Nothing. Just a camera pointed at the action. If you're a fan of the sport you could get by, but for watching sports you're not familiar with? Utterly impossible.

Streaming has come a long way in 4 years, so I'm hopeful.

[The New Bruceski]

The list of teams for both men's and women's is...weird. No Japan for the women is decidedly odd, given how much of a powerhouse they've been in recent years. For the Men's...no US. No England (although they only started competing in the Olympics recently, so not really a surprise), no Spain, no Netherlands. No France, no Italy, no Belgium. Out of all the powerhouse European nations, Sweden and Denmark of all nations made it through. The whole thing is kind of a headscratcher.

Last time the Brits went to an international soccer tournament they got Brexit. Probably don't want to risk finding out what else can happen.

[Asmodean_]

I really wish they'd introduce proper rugby instead of just sevens.

[Slayn82]

The golf course with alligators is true, and its exactly as intended - having the local fauna and flora was the goal of the project. Hope it works better than what happened with the "onça" - a species of Brazilian Bobcat, that was supposed to be exhibited along with the torch in part of its trajectory through the country, but the animal escaped its handlers and was sacrificed. Yeah, one of the species of the mascots of the games - good thing we got two.

The thing about Killer Jellyfish probably isn't much of concern. The water quality on the place intended for open sea events is pretty bad, but it's still used by hundreds of thousands persons per year, and the incidents are exceeding rare.

Brazilians were generally pessimistic, but the opening ceremony have lifted the moods considerably. The World Cup opening was considered very underwhelming by our festivities standards. This time people feel the event ceremony was really ours.

Despite all the drumming of local media, most people felt very alienated from the event, wasn't as easy for the average Brazilian to identify with this event as was with the World Cup. There was a huge gap in communication between popular opinion and the event organization. Won't say more because it would be political.

Now, if you want to see how hilarious was the torch journey through Brazil, I will leave this
https://youtu.be/b4LfOuPjJ8Y

[Rodin]

Oh, hey, table tennis!

*loads the feed*

*no commentary*


/facepalm



WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT!!?????

[Slayn82]

Hope Solo did an awful comment about the Zika epidemic back in June. Today, in the USA female team soccer match against France, every time she touches the ball, the audience screams ZIKA! Bonus points because in Brazil, since a long time, to put a Zica on someone is to give them the evil eye. That level of rivalry is usually reserved to Argentina.

Zika is a concern, but it's outbreak is very small. Dengue fever is endemic, but we aren't on season for it. If someone needs to be wary from diseases, it's Brazil. We got 2 new viruses as the World Cup legacy, and there wasn't people from the almost every country concentrated mostly at a single city.

[Artemis97]

I liked the opening ceremonies alright. Not as elaborate as some I've seen in the past (looking at you, China), but it told the story of Brazil fairly well and had an uplifting spirit to it all. Big dance party. Lots of fun. I really liked the idea they had of planting tree seeds, and I hope the 'athlete's forest' grows strong over the years.

There was quite a mean comment made by Matt Lauer to Meredith Viera during the parade of nations. He said that Philip II of Mecedon had won some awards in the ancient Olympics, and Meredith had been there to cover it, implying she was that old. Very mean spirited and out of character for Lauer. I've watch him on TV for years, and lost a bit of respect for him at that moment. I wonder if someone else wrote the joke.

The laurel award they gave to the gentleman from Kenya (I can't recall his name) was a nice touch. Very uplifting and in the spirit of the olympics. The speech the head of the olympic committee was nice, if simple, but when you have to translate it into like 3 different languages, simple is good.

I'm looking forward to the events. Swimming's always a favorite in our house. Gymnastic's usually good. If I can catch the fencing that would be great. And my fiance's family is looking forward to the Judo competition (his dad's a coach).

I really hope things go relatively smoothly. I really, truly love the olympics and all of the good it represents. I'd hate for anything bad to happen that would mar that reputation.

[Rodin]

I've been enjoying the fencing thus far, but I'm a bit lost without commentary on some of the rules. I've been able to get that when someone's helmet flashes they scored a hit, and sometimes they both score hits and get a point. But what does it mean when someone's helmet flashes and they DON'T score a point? Was there a foul? What constitutes an illegal touch?

Still good fun to watch regardless.

Edit: I was also surprised to see a lot of people wearing wedding bands on their off-hands. Okay, you're not using that hand but then we don't let people wear rings in soccer either. It just seems like a really bad idea to have a ring that could get caught on something in a contact sport.

[Artemis97]

oh I'm trying to recall what's an illegal touch or foul in fencing. It differs from style to style. With Epee fencing, which I think was today's matches, the whole body is fair game, but in foil fencing you're restricted to hits on the torso. I can't remember the rules for hitting the head. That might be a bad hit? I'm not sure. Hope that helps a little.

[Cikomyr]

Pfff.. the Men Beach Volley Ball Canada/Brazil game was rigged

[Artemis97]

So I've discovered that the CBC's fencing broadcast has commentary, they might be a good alternative to NBC for those not wanting to watch raw footage. Of course, I don't know if CBC's streams will work in the US or elsewhere. I just happen to be in Canada at the moment.

[5a Violista]

I've loved the games so far! They were pretty cool. I watched most of the fencing matches (obviously I watched them. I'm a fencer; I cheered for the left-handed people because I fence left-handed) but I missed the soccer matches even though I love that sport too. I watched the last dozen minutes of the bike race, the gymnastics, some of the swimming, and the volleyball. I loved the volleyball, and the gymnastics were so powerful-looking. I wish I could do those. i love Brazil and I've lived there before and I want to be there right now to watch everything and experience everything.

I've been enjoying the fencing thus far, but I'm a bit lost without commentary on some of the rules. I've been able to get that when someone's helmet flashes they scored a hit, and sometimes they both score hits and get a point. But what does it mean when someone's helmet flashes and they DON'T score a point? Was there a foul? What constitutes an illegal touch?

So, they were doing épée (the rules are different with other swords, but I'll only explain épée's rules, for clarity). Artemis is right: the whole body is fair game with épée. If both people hit at the same time, then both lights go off and both people get a point. If only one hits the other, only one person gets a point. (You also get a point if you run the other person off the back, but I didn't see that happen.) There were no fouls from what I saw, and there are no off-target areas that don't count in épée. (With the exception of hitting the floor, of course.)
A foul would include something like: disregarding the judge-guy, continue fencing after a sword breaks, tackle the other person, or other similar things.

There was one or two times when I was watching that the lights went off but no points were scored, however; I think you're talking about what I saw. When the judge says "Halt" you have to stop fencing, back up, and no touches after that are counted.
A couple of times, when the fencers practically ran into each other, the judge yelled out "Halt" and then the sword hit, making the light go off. Because the light went off after the match was paused, it didn't count.
I think that's what you saw and are talking about.

[Rodin]

I've loved the games so far! They were pretty cool. I watched most of the fencing matches (obviously I watched them. I'm a fencer; I cheered for the left-handed people because I fence left-handed) but I missed the soccer matches even though I love that sport too. I watched the last dozen minutes of the bike race, the gymnastics, some of the swimming, and the volleyball. I loved the volleyball, and the gymnastics were so powerful-looking. I wish I could do those. i love Brazil and I've lived there before and I want to be there right now to watch everything and experience everything.



So, they were doing épée (the rules are different with other swords, but I'll only explain épée's rules, for clarity). Artemis is right: the whole body is fair game with épée. If both people hit at the same time, then both lights go off and both people get a point. If only one hits the other, only one person gets a point. (You also get a point if you run the other person off the back, but I didn't see that happen.) There were no fouls from what I saw, and there are no off-target areas that don't count in épée. (With the exception of hitting the floor, of course.)
A foul would include something like: disregarding the judge-guy, continue fencing after a sword breaks, tackle the other person, or other similar things.

There was one or two times when I was watching that the lights went off but no points were scored, however; I think you're talking about what I saw. When the judge says "Halt" you have to stop fencing, back up, and no touches after that are counted.
A couple of times, when the fencers practically ran into each other, the judge yelled out "Halt" and then the sword hit, making the light go off. Because the light went off after the match was paused, it didn't count.
I think that's what you saw and are talking about.

Ah! Yes, I'm sure that's what happened. Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[Ebon_Drake]

The women's soccer is the only stuff I've watched so far. Canada game was pretty great, but unfortunately I missed the USA game.

The list of teams for both men's and women's is...weird. No Japan for the women is decidedly odd, given how much of a powerhouse they've been in recent years. For the Men's...no US. No England (although they only started competing in the Olympics recently, so not really a surprise), no Spain, no Netherlands. No France, no Italy, no Belgium. Out of all the powerhouse European nations, Sweden and Denmark of all nations made it through. The whole thing is kind of a headscratcher.

The only thing I can think is that the rules for competing in the Olympics is different from the World Cup, which must have had a dramatic effect on team composition to cause the set of teams we actually got.

I will certainly tune in for the inevitable Brazil v. Germany re-match though. Now THERE is a grudge match I wouldn't miss for the world.

------

England don't compete at the Olympics. Great Britain do. That's not a petty distinction, in most other settings the home nations compete separately so it creates some tension when the separate organisations suddenly have to work together to field a team. I don't think other sports have the same level of difficulty with co-operating, but IIRC it took a massive amount of effort at the last Olympics to get the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish football associations to agree to enter a joint team - and that was pretty much a one-off just because the event happened to be in London.

Also, I'm no expert but I believe the eligibility criteria for competing at the Olympics are somewhat Byzantine and mean countries are only allowed a small number of professional players in a squad. That tends to mess up the established order in men's football, since for example the entire Icelandic team from Euro '16 would probably be eligible for the Olympics whereas the same definitely can't be said for the likes of France or Italy. EDIT: just checked and it's actually by age, but the effect is still the same in that it restricts the number of world-class players that teams can field.

[nyjastul69]

I liked the opening ceremonies alright. Not as elaborate as some I've seen in the past (looking at you, China), but it told the story of Brazil fairly well and had an uplifting spirit to it all. Big dance party. Lots of fun. I really liked the idea they had of planting tree seeds, and I hope the 'athlete's forest' grows strong over the years.

There was quite a mean comment made by Matt Lauer to Meredith Viera during the parade of nations. He said that Philip II of Mecedon had won some awards in the ancient Olympics, and Meredith had been there to cover it, implying she was that old. Very mean spirited and out of character for Lauer. I've watch him on TV for years, and lost a bit of respect for him at that moment. I wonder if someone else wrote the joke.

The laurel award they gave to the gentleman from Kenya (I can't recall his name) was a nice touch. Very uplifting and in the spirit of the olympics. The speech the head of the olympic committee was nice, if simple, but when you have to translate it into like 3 different languages, simple is good.

I'm looking forward to the events. Swimming's always a favorite in our house. Gymnastic's usually good. If I can catch the fencing that would be great. And my fiance's family is looking forward to the Judo competition (his dad's a coach).

I really hope things go relatively smoothly. I really, truly love the olympics and all of the good it represents. I'd hate for anything bad to happen that would mar that reputation.

The funny thing about the Lauer comment is that she is only 4 years older than him.

[thompur]

I liked the opening ceremonies alright. Not as elaborate as some I've seen in the past (looking at you, China), but it told the story of Brazil fairly well and had an uplifting spirit to it all. Big dance party. Lots of fun. I really liked the idea they had of planting tree seeds, and I hope the 'athlete's forest' grows strong over the years.

There was quite a mean comment made by Matt Lauer to Meredith Viera during the parade of nations. He said that Philip II of Mecedon had won some awards in the ancient Olympics, and Meredith had been there to cover it, implying she was that old. Very mean spirited and out of character for Lauer. I've watch him on TV for years, and lost a bit of respect for him at that moment. I wonder if someone else wrote the joke.

The laurel award they gave to the gentleman from Kenya (I can't recall his name) was a nice touch. Very uplifting and in the spirit of the olympics. The speech the head of the olympic committee was nice, if simple, but when you have to translate it into like 3 different languages, simple is good.

I'm looking forward to the events. Swimming's always a favorite in our house. Gymnastic's usually good. If I can catch the fencing that would be great. And my fiance's family is looking forward to the Judo competition (his dad's a coach).

I really hope things go relatively smoothly. I really, truly love the olympics and all of the good it represents. I'd hate for anything bad to happen that would mar that reputation.

That was Kip Keino. He's one of the first Olympic athletes I remember watching as a kid. It was the 1972 Munich games. He made his living at the time as a police officer, so my dad called him 'Kip Keino the Kenyan Cop'. He had a wonderful personality, so he was one of the track stars. The other two stars I remember are Russian gymnast Olga Korbut, and American swimmer Mark Spitz.

[Liquor Box]

I really wish they'd introduce proper rugby instead of just sevens.

You'd struggle to fit a decent tournament into two weeks because you need downtime between games.

[Ninja_Prawn]

There certainly have been a lot of disasters, huh? That cycling course was way too dangerous for a start, and the problems with the water and the rowing leave me worried about how the sailing will go. That's one of my favourites to watch, so I hope it's not too badly affected.

the rules are different with other swords, but I'll only explain épée's rules, for clarity

So, I don't know if Rodin was watching the men's foil yesterday (painful one for GB ), but there's a lot more of the 'lights with no point scored' going on in that. What puzzles me is how the judges determine right-of-way. I think I understand the principle, but how can you tell who's attacking when you watch it? So often, both fencers launch an attack at the same time. It's clear that the fencers themselves usually don't know who has the right...

[5a Violista]

For the people who don't understand fencing, I'll briefly explain a simplified explanation of it:
*) Remember, it's judged by a human and so is dependent on the judge's understanding and what they see.
*) With foil, hitting off target never gets you a point. Imagine a vest: hitting there is on-target; hitting elsewhere is off-target. Hitting off target pauses and resets the match at a set distance from your opponent.
*) Unlike epee, only one person is awarded a point at a time in foil.
*) Running the other person off the back still gives you a point.
*) If only one person hits, that hit is counted - whether it's off target or on target. If both people hit at the same time, the touch that is counted is the one with right-of-way. If the judge is unsure about who has right-of-way, then the judge can say "Nope, it was unclear. No points awarded."

So, right-of-way, simplified:
1) The person who clearly begins their attack first has right-of-way. In foil, an attack is pretty much defined by "extending your arm followed by doing things"
2) If the attacker hesitates or fails to threaten their opponent, they lose right-of-way.
3) If the attacker is blocked (parried), the defender gains right-of-way and the attacker loses right-of-way.

It's slightly more complicated than that (insufficient parries, compound attacks, preparations, beat attacks...), but this gives the idea.

In essence, this is what the judge is looking for:
First, watch who fully extends their arm first
Second, if the attacker hesitates
Third, if the defender parries
Fourth, if the light goes off, and what color it was (generally, yellow = off-target; red or green = on target)
in that order.

[Ninja_Prawn]

2) If the attacker hesitates or fails to threaten their opponent, they lose right-of-way.

I'm sure I saw the British guy lose a point because of this yesterday. It seems harsh - if you attack first and hit first, why should it matter that you stuttered slightly in between?

First, watch who fully extends their arm first

This is probably the main thing I'm missing as a non-fencer watching the Olympics. Probably if you spend a lot of time watching, you'd see this sort of thing without thinking. You know, they should put fencing on TV more often. I'd watch!

[Asmodean_]

You'd struggle to fit a decent tournament into two weeks because you need downtime between games.

Loads of tournaments have had matches before the opening ceremony (e.g. the women's football). The 16-day window of the games proper only have to have, maybe, the quarter, semi and finals.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Loads of tournaments have had matches before the opening ceremony (e.g. the women's football). The 16-day window of the games proper only have to have, maybe, the quarter, semi and finals.

Yeah. The cricket community has been talking for years about getting a T20 tournament into the Olympics. If there's room for cricket, surely there's room for rugby union?

[tomwalker154]

That's okay. It's even hotter than Pokemon Go :D

[Ruslan]

The women's soccer is the only stuff I've watched so far. Canada game was pretty great, but unfortunately I missed the USA game.

The list of teams for both men's and women's is...weird. No Japan for the women is decidedly odd, given how much of a powerhouse they've been in recent years. For the Men's...no US. No England (although they only started competing in the Olympics recently, so not really a surprise), no Spain, no Netherlands. No France, no Italy, no Belgium. Out of all the powerhouse European nations, Sweden and Denmark of all nations made it through. The whole thing is kind of a headscratcher.

England is not an Olympic nation. Britain is, but the four different British football associations (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) are too busy maintaining their own national pride to put a British team together. Only at London 2012 could they be forced to make an exception - and only because it was a home Olympics.

[Ruslan]

The funny thing about the Lauer comment is that she is only 4 years older than him.

Fun fact: women on average live 5 years longer than men. "Young" Matt is likely to die before "old" Meredith.

[The New Bruceski]

Fun fact: women on average live 5 years longer than men. "Young" Matt is likely to die before "old" Meredith.

Longer than 5 years when the men make comments like that.

[Liquor Box]

Loads of tournaments have had matches before the opening ceremony (e.g. the women's football). The 16-day window of the games proper only have to have, maybe, the quarter, semi and finals.

True, I suppose that could work

It would be good to have rugby league in there as well.

[mike201689]

True, I suppose that could work

It would be good to have rugby league in there as well.

It may be in the future. If I am not mistaken that every four years the Olympics added a sport.