Olympics Thread
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What is the point of the keirin?
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="605876" data-time="1471382849">
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<p>Women's 470 will start the medal race in the silver medal position. Great recovery job as they had two disqualifications. Without those they'd probably be in the gold position because they won at least one (and I think both) of the DQ races. Instead they're no chance of gold, but they're pretty clearly the best of the rest, so with a bit of luck they'll medal - it's very tight though.</p>
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<p>Yeah, I just saw that a bit earlier. I'd pretty much written them off, so I couldn't bring myself to watch their races, but they've done an incredible job turning things back around.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="canefan" data-cid="605882" data-time="1471384527">
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<p>20/20 is not an Olympic sport....</p>
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<p>India don't want it to be one anyway, they voted down a possible bid a few years back. God forbid the sport grows in other countries and possibly threaten the vice-grip India have around the sports neck.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Billy Tell" data-cid="605884" data-time="1471384674">
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<p>What is the point of the keirin?</p>
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<p>I wondered that myself. Although tow the bikes behind a Hayabusa and I reckon you've got a spectator sport!</p> -
Watching McCarthy in the pole vault. <br><br>
The super slow mo as the girls go over the bar is amazing, maybe it's the movement of the long hair that makes that shot stand out more than when watching the men's comp.<br><br>
It's like they pause at the top and then flick away the pole. Well, actually that is exactly what they do ..... Just normally can't discern that at normal, or normal slow-mo, speeds. -
<p>apparently her poles, you know that important part of pole vaulting only arrived for her to use yesterday, despite sending them supposedly with plenty of time!</p>
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<p>looks at photos. Inserts dirty pole joke</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11695370'>http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11695370</a></p>
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<p>I can empathise with this guy. I would have exactly the same problem if I tried pole vault.</p> -
<p> A few thoughts:</p>
<ul><li>Lisa Carrington sure lifts a dull day at work</li>
<li>Burling/Tuke well done you came to the party</li>
<li>Nick Willis an outside medal prospect</li>
<li>Hockey Chicks must be a fair chance for revenge<em> </em>against GB in the semi</li>
<li><em>Shit, Willis left it late </em></li>
<li>Are there any weightlifters who are clean</li>
<li>Mark Cavendish (GB cyclist who caused crash) has previous form, further taints cycling image</li>
<li>The main athletics stadium is <em>still </em>half-empty </li>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Billy Tell" data-cid="605884" data-time="1471384674">
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<p>What is the point of the keirin?</p>
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<p>The Japanese like it? </p>
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<p>Wiki tells me: <span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">A </span><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_News' title="BBC News">BBC News</a><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;"> investigation, reported in July 2008, found evidence that following admission into the Olympics, the </span><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Cycliste_Internationale' title="Union Cycliste Internationale">Union Cycliste Internationale</a><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;"> required (in writing) the </span><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JKA_Foundation' title="JKA Foundation">Japan Keirin Association</a><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;"> to support UCI projects in "material terms"; over a period of time the association subsequently gave US$3 million to UCI in consideration of "the excellent relationship the UCI has with representatives of the Olympic movement."</span><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;"> Four members of the governing body were subsequently arrested in Tokyo.</span></p>
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<p><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Still, it's better than the Madison, which is thankfully gone from the Olympics. Not as good as the kilo time trial though, which is also gone.</span></p> -
Not sure if anyone's been watching the boxing. It's the one sport Ireland have managed to get a few medals in previous Olympics. Not this time though. They've been abysmal this time round, albeit with some post-fight murmuring about quality of referees and judges from a few countries. <br><br>
It hit a high point today with the final boxer Michael Conlon losing his fight to a Russian fighter, Vladimir Nikitin. Conlan decided he wasn't happy with the verdict and has thrown the biggest hissy to any media that wants to listen (and they do). Everyone from refs, judges, the IABA and even Russian Premier, Putin have come into his firing line across various media including his Twitter account.<br><br><a class="bbc_url" href="">
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He didn't hold back in his TV interviews either - <a class="bbc_url" href="https://lovin.ie/entertainment/videos/video-michael-conlon-gave-this-explosive-expletive-laden-interview-after-he-was-robbed-in-rio">https://lovin.ie/entertainment/videos/video-michael-conlon-gave-this-explosive-expletive-laden-interview-after-he-was-robbed-in-rio</a><br><br><br>
Something tells me this will not go well for Conlan.... -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Billy Tell" data-cid="605879" data-time="1471383369">
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<p>The worst Olympic nation has to be India. 1.3 billion and not a single medal.</p>
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<p>Not really. To go all statistical on you, olympic success is a two factor regression.</p>
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<p>1. Populate</p>
<p>2. Money thrown at it.</p>
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<p>GB has really stumped up the number 2 part, additional funding in the last 20 years is unreal. Fair play to them, they have a huge rivalry with Aus, and they were bloody sick of getting towelled by them!</p> -
<p>Totty of the day. Stina Troest of Denmark in the hurdles</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Milk" data-cid="605909" data-time="1471391473">
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<p>Is there any chance he's right?</p>
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<p>I'd say there's an extremely strong chance. Olympic boxing is a joke. At the 2012 games, there was a boxer who beat the crap out of his opponent, knocking him down five times and he still lost.</p> -
<p>ooooo the Aussie javelin thrower just dislocated her shoulder</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="605911" data-time="1471392276">
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<p>Not really. To go all statistical on you, olympic success is a two factor regression.</p>
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<p>1. Populate</p>
<p>2. Money thrown at it.</p>
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<p>GB has really stumped up the number 2 part, additional funding in the last 20 years is unreal. Fair play to them, they have a huge rivalry with Aus, and they were bloody sick of getting towelled by them!</p>
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<p>That's true if you want to win big medals, but you can't say that's the case across all countries. Places like Georgia, Kosovo, Vietnam, Uzbekistan etc. have all won medals this games, and India hasn't even gotten close.</p>
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<p>It's amazing they don't have one or two stars in any sport considering their population. Obviously there are genetic factors that influence sporting success - sounding like Eugenics but maybe the subcontinental genes just aren't the best for athletic success?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="605918" data-time="1471393464">
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<p>That's true if you want to win big medals, but you can't say that's the case across all countries. Places like Georgia, Kosovo, Vietnam, Uzbekistan etc. have all won medals this games, and India hasn't even gotten close.</p>
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<p>It's amazing they don't have one or two stars in any sport considering their population. Obviously there are genetic factors that influence sporting success - sounding like Eugenics but maybe the subcontinental genes just aren't the best for athletic success?</p>
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<p>Wait until Kabbadi is introduced - well for a few Olympics anyway until the rest of the world catches up.</p>
