Were Paris games the best ones in a long time ? Your top five ?

[CaroLiza_fan]

Thank you for the reply, @4everchan . I just want to pick up on a few things.

nope.. it's the tv sponsors that bring most money. Local people will always go.. I was at Vancouver 2010 and didn't have tickets for the ceremonies.. but was downtown celebrating with so many people that they blocked the bridge access to the city. Too many people were coming in. During the Olympics, it's a big celebration for the locals, so there is no worry to have there. However, for the rest of the world, and for the Olympic movement, having ceremonies catered for global viewership via tv or streaming, paid in part by huge sponsors (broadcasting companies) is the way to go.

a stadium can contain how many people, 80K for the biggest ones ? Do the maths... It's a grain of salt in the ocean.

That does surprise me. I'd have thought that the spectators would bring in more money than the sponsors.

It just shows the difference to the sports I follow!

People were watching from their balconies etc.

Yeah, I expected that would be the case.

Comparing a niche sport like motorbike racing to a global event like the Olympics isn't really relevant in my opinion.

I know what you are getting at. But what sports are popular where varies greatly. Motorbike racing is actually one of the big sports here in Northern Ireland. It's not as big as football or the GAA sports, but it is on a similar level to rugby. Hey, in Spain, motorbike racing is second only to football! But, it is a niche sport in Canada. (I do keep an eye on the Canadian Superbike Championships, because there is a girl from Northern Ireland who competes in one of the support classes. In fact, my profile pic on Facebook is a photo of me with her!)

Apart from hockey (that is proper hockey with grass and balls; not the ice and puck type), pretty much all the sports that are contested at the Olympics are niche sports in NI. (I realise that football and rugby are included in the Olympics, but of those only the women's football is the top level game. The men's football is a youth tournament; while the rugby is a smaller team variation of the game).

Tradition. Celebration. Youth and health promotion. A lot of people only watched the ceremonies. The Olympics are more than a sporting competition. It's a cultural event.

Disagree. It's a sporting event. If you want culture, there are plenty of other things you can go to to get it.

I am glad you are not the one deciding how these things should go

The opening ceremonies are a big welcome to the world inside a city, a country, a culture. Then, for two weeks, people celebrate and compete. At the end, there is no need to showcase what we have all been experiencing for two weeks. It's just a party for the athletes and an introduction to the next hosts. It's perfectly fine that it's less elaborate.

For me, if you have to have a celebration, it should be the Closing Ceremony. It is a chance for the athletes to let their hair down at the end of the event and celebrate their achievements. Just like the Gala is at figure skating competitions. (I know you don't like galas, but this is why I feel it is a shame that an increasing number of skating events are not bothering with the gala).

But the Opening Ceremony should not be a big deal. Having a late night out celebrating before you compete is the last thing the athletes need. They need to be at peak condition for their competition(s). A small simple Opening Ceremony would suffice. It works perfectly well that way in figure skating.

Yup. Every time there is a topic about the Olympics, you have been clear about this. It's okay, we all have our biases and being aware of them allows to hear the perspective of others.

It is always better to declare your biases, so that people reading know why you are saying what you are saying. It's not good when people try to influence readers by writing heavily biased posts without making it clear that they have an agenda. I've seen other members do that, and I don't like it.

Honestly, Commonwealth Games are perhaps no longer that relevant. It's a celebration of the British Empire... do we still need that ?

Interesting bias here... so you value more the Commonwealth games than the Olympics... for many sports, the Olympics is the highest level and the only really meaningful one in terms of marketing opportunities they have... Of course, some sports like Athletics have events all year long, every year, and ways for the athletes to make a living but it's not the case for many other sports... Who really talks about Canoe other than at the olympics ???

Actually, yes, I do value the Commonwealth Games more than the Olympics. As I said, for a lot of sports it is the highest level that we can compete as ourselves. And for a lot of our athletes, it is the only opportunity they get to compete internationally. There is no skirting around it - the Team GB selectors tend to overlook our athletes. And if you switch to Ireland to improve your chances of selection, a lot of people who do not understand that this is how sports work will jump to conclusions about your political affiliation. As a result, many of our athletes prefer to compete under our own flag. Which is why the Commonwealth Games means so much to us. Because we can compete as ourselves there.

Plus, the only summer sport I like to watch is on the Commonwealth roster but not on the Olympic roster. Netball.

The costs of Olympics is variable. Montreal Olympics cost a fortune but the city used them to create infrastructure that was much needed. In some other places, it is much cheaper because the venues are already available. Again, the ceremonies were heavily sponsored.

I suppose it depends a lot on the city and the politicians. There are some cities that have benefitted from the legacy of hosting the Olympics, and the facilities are used regularly. And there are others where the only lasting legacy is debt, and the facilities have been left to rot.

For me as a motorsports fan, the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics were so sad. Because the Jacarepaguá circuit, which was the home of the Brazilian round of MotoGP for many years, was destroyed to make way for the Barra Olympic Park. Jacarepaguá was a good circuit, and produced good racing. Admittedly, the facilities for the teams and race organisers were badly in need of improvement. But my goodness, the photos that you could get there were amazing, with Sugarloaf Mountain or the city skyline in the background.

We were promised at the time that a new circuit would be built at a different site in Rio. But, it has never happened. It does make you question why could the Olympic Park not have been built at this other site, and the Jacarepaguá circuit left intact. Oh, yeah. Because the organisers of the Olympics also realised what a great backdrop the Jacarepaguá site has, and wanted to have it for themselves!

And it was all in vain, because this is one of the cases where the Olympics have not had a good legacy.

What a waste!

Hey, we are getting way off topic here. I think we should just leave it at that, and agree to disagree.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Casualsportsfan]

I was watching this topic with more detail since I'm located around Paris (I'm inhabiting in the close suburb, probably just 10-15 minutes by train and Paris, off my go) and hesitated for a little bit before deciding to finally create an account in this forum (I don't think I saw any dedicated topic for user introductions) so I hope I'm not unwittingly breaking any unwritten rules for my first post !



As for a reply, proper, to this topic ... The Olympics themselves in general ran pretty good considering the circus of the political background of my country (won't enter the details in public, but I'll say it's still spicy right now ...) in a tighter budget than previous Olympics, if the reports of less than 10 billion $ on spending budget are true. I was old enough to see how desolated it became in Athens and in some parts of London. Still not sure that some of our own areas won't become that way several years down the road, but gotta hope.

Now there's some details that on the other hand, made me unhappy :

- Cutting the costs down to having cardboard beds. Really ? Athletes looked split on whether they were good or not, and as a spectator, I found this was on the wronger (rather than good) side of cheap.
- Reading that the British breaststroker, Adam Peaty, reported seeing worms in his food. If true, what, the, heck ? I would think that the food caterer, Sodexo, would take a better care with biohazards.
- Bronze medals which are degrading at close contact with oxygen. Replacing these with newer ones is always nice, but organizers wouldn't have needed to do it in the first place if they used even slightly better material.
- Reports that some of the food items were often lacking because of the organizers bull rushing vegetables before anything else. Safe to say that there's always people who want their share of meat or bust.

There's more details I want to underline, but these aren't that critical luckily.

On the point of the opening/closing ceremonies : I will stay vague since I only overheard, not directly watched them. I don't have much to complain about, except that I'm negatively amazed about how the conductor of the Closing Ceremony thought there would be no consequences for the scene he wanted to initially depict. I do believe him that he intended no mocking, but he had to anticipate something could happen (not entering into details, again, you'll understand why)


Caroliza_fan might throw me a rotten cabbage when I'll say that (I'll take that in good sport, don't worry), but ultimately :
The Olympics can't cut down the costs at every opportunity, because when the first picture I see is that of parts of the Australian Swimming Team having to sit on a floor of a bus, no, just no. Also the event is unlikely, or will never, immediately have balanced books. The return on investment, if there's one, is more on the longer term. More jobs ? More refurbushing of the poorer areas ? A proper recognition that political parties can't do politics for the sake of it but must be ready to do compromises for the sake of the country (we gotta get inspired from Germany, there)

Phil

 

[el henry]

whole post

Thank you for sharing, @Casualsportsfan. good to hear another point of view. Bienvenue à Goldenskate, post long and post often!

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

What an interesting post, @Casualsportsfan! Thank you for writing it. And, for that matter, welcome to Golden Skate!

Caroliza_fan might throw me a rotten cabbage when I'll say that (I'll take that in good sport, don't worry)

And don't worry, you've no danger on getting hit by any cabbages. My aim is really bad.

I'm not the sort anyway. I am a great believer that we need people to think differently to each other. If everybody had the same opinions, the world would be a very boring place. (I recently watched an episode of the original series of "The Twilight Zone" that was about exactly that, and it just confirmed it!)

I was watching this topic with more detail since I'm located around Paris (I'm inhabiting in the close suburb, probably just 10-15 minutes by train and Paris, off my go) and hesitated for a little bit before deciding to finally create an account in this forum (I don't think I saw any dedicated topic for user introductions) so I hope I'm not unwittingly breaking any unwritten rules for my first post !

Once upon a time we did have a user introduction thread in The Speakeasy, a private general forum specifically for members with a certain number of posts. But, by the time you reached that number, other members had got to know you anyway. So, it kinda defeated it's purpose. Ultimately, The Speakeasy forum didn't turn out the way it was intended, and it was closed down.

But, it might be a nice idea to have an introductions thread again.

As for a reply, proper, to this topic ... The Olympics themselves in general ran pretty good considering the circus of the political background of my country (won't enter the details in public, but I'll say it's still spicy right now ...) in a tighter budget than previous Olympics, if the reports of less than 10 billion $ on spending budget are true. I was old enough to see how desolated it became in Athens and in some parts of London. Still not sure that some of our own areas won't become that way several years down the road, but gotta hope.

Yeah, the political situation is a bit of a mess. I was amazed that an election was called just before hosting a big event like this. You'd have thought that it would have made more sense to have the elections after the Olympics and Paralympics, so as not to cause any disruption to the organising at the critical last moments before they got underway. But, politicians don't think like that.

And I agree with you about being worried about the legacy. Was it worth it? It all depends on whether there is the demand for people to use the facilities, and the desire of the people in authority to keep them in working order. And only time will tell. For some cities, it does work out well. For others, it doesn't.

Now there's some details that on the other hand, made me unhappy :

- Cutting the costs down to having cardboard beds. Really ? Athletes looked split on whether they were good or not, and as a spectator, I found this was on the wronger (rather than good) side of cheap.
- Reading that the British breaststroker, Adam Peaty, reported seeing worms in his food. If true, what, the, heck ? I would think that the food caterer, Sodexo, would take a better care with biohazards.
- Bronze medals which are degrading at close contact with oxygen. Replacing these with newer ones is always nice, but organizers wouldn't have needed to do it in the first place if they used even slightly better material.
- Reports that some of the food items were often lacking because of the organizers bull rushing vegetables before anything else. Safe to say that there's always people who want their share of meat or bust.

There's more details I want to underline, but these aren't that critical luckily.

I never heard about the beds, but that is ridiculous. The athletes need to be comfortable and sleeping well if they are to perform at their best.

As for the food, different sports require athletes to have different diets to perform at their best. Trying to force a standard "healthy" plant-based menu onto them is not going to enable everybody to get the energy and strength to the places they need it for their sport. And there is just no excuse for bugs getting into the food.

I had heard about the medals, and I was shocked. Medals and trophies are meant to be a lasting reminder of your achievements. So for them to start degrading within days is not acceptable. Whilst it is a romantic story to have bits of the Eiffel Tower in the medals, the tower metal has been exposed to the elements for years. It won't be in the best condition to start with, and will potentially effect the other metals in the medal. (I'm guessing that this was part of the problem. I don't actually know if it was. And I can't check, because when you search for "2024 Olympic Medals", the results are all about the numbers of medals won. )

After seeing what has happened at previous editions, it is good that the organisers were attempting to keep costs down. But, it sounds as though they were going about it in the wrong way. Although many people think otherwise, at it's core, this is a sporting event. And you should not be making cutbacks that directly affect the athletes competing. The cutbacks should be happening in the ancilliary things that do not impact on the sport. Like the Ceremonies.

On the point of the opening/closing ceremonies : I will stay vague since I only overheard, not directly watched them. I don't have much to complain about, except that I'm negatively amazed about how the conductor of the Closing Ceremony thought there would be no consequences for the scene he wanted to initially depict. I do believe him that he intended no mocking, but he had to anticipate something could happen (not entering into details, again, you'll understand why)

I would be prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt too. More often than not, these creative types are so immersed in their work and their vision of it that they don't take the time to think about how other people will view it and interpret it. Their mind is seeing it in their own idealised version of the world, not in the real world. And then it comes as a shock to them when there is criticism.

But, somebody from the organisers should have realised the controversy it would cause. They are to blame for not stepping in.

ultimately :
The Olympics can't cut down the costs at every opportunity, because when the first picture I see is that of parts of the Australian Swimming Team having to sit on a floor of a bus, no, just no. Also the event is unlikely, or will never, immediately have balanced books. The return on investment, if there's one, is more on the longer term. More jobs ? More refurbushing of the poorer areas ? A proper recognition that political parties can't do politics for the sake of it but must be ready to do compromises for the sake of the country (we gotta get inspired from Germany, there)

Phil

And a very good summary to finish off your post!

Phil, that was an excellent first post.

Thank you for writing it. I look forward to reading more of your posts.



CaroLiza_fan

 

[skatesofgold]

Let's say the opening ceremony was reduced to the bare minimum. Are we talking about no entertainment at all and just the essentials (athlete march in, anthems, speeches, Olympic oath, cauldron lighting)? Would anyone want to watch that? I'm certain TV broadcasters wouldn't be thrilled, but what do the actual athletes actually want? I don't really remember any opening ceremonies before 2000 (besides Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron in 1996...I was 7 1/2 at the time), so what were they like before then?

 

[Casualsportsfan]

Thank you for sharing, @Casualsportsfan. good to hear another point of view. Bienvenue à Goldenskate, post long and post often!

What an interesting post, @Casualsportsfan! Thank you for writing it. And, for that matter, welcome to Golden Skate!

Thanks for the welcome ! I think it might initially be a bit slow given I'm only starting to interact proper with the forum instead of just lurking around and watch articles, but it will probably come over time

I don't think my opinion will be the most accurate given I only watched some of the events on TV, more relating how it impacted my experience. Luckily I had three weeks of paid leave to spend so I was able to avoid having to use trains/buses to go to work in Paris (I work in a print shop in the 13rd district). I'll just leave the image commuting when in my same direct line, there's the designated building for the Swimming events (Paris La Défense Arena) and the rowing events (or it was something else ?) on the other side (Bussy Saint-Georges or Val D'Europe). no, forget it !

Once upon a time we did have a user introduction thread in The Speakeasy, a private general forum specifically for members with a certain number of posts. But, by the time you reached that number, other members had got to know you anyway. So, it kinda defeated it's purpose. Ultimately, The Speakeasy forum didn't turn out the way it was intended, and it was closed down.

But, it might be a nice idea to have an introductions thread again.

I would have felt more comfortable having that kind of sections/topics because of not being that immersed into figure skating and feeling the need to explain why, but I'll gradually do it over time then (I just added a short/incomplete info on my profile about it)

Yeah, the political situation is a bit of a mess. I was amazed that an election was called just before hosting a big event like this. You'd have thought that it would have made more sense to have the elections after the Olympics and Paralympics, so as not to cause any disruption to the organising at the critical last moments before they got underway. But, politicians don't think like that.

Luckily again everybody more or less agreed on doing a political "ceasefire" to not make it worse (I wouldn't be surprised if news outlets in other countries didn't mock us by the way, The Simpsons-style). But when the curtain pulls, gloves off again. Hopefully that doesn't impact the Paralympics

I never heard about the beds, but that is ridiculous. The athletes need to be comfortable and sleeping well if they are to perform at their best.

As for the food, different sports require athletes to have different diets to perform at their best. Trying to force a standard "healthy" plant-based menu onto them is not going to enable everybody to get the energy and strength to the places they need it for their sport. And there is just no excuse for bugs getting into the food.
...
After seeing what has happened at previous editions, it is good that the organisers were attempting to keep costs down. But, it sounds as though they were going about it in the wrong way. Although many people think otherwise, at it's core, this is a sporting event. And you should not be making cutbacks that directly affect the athletes competing. The cutbacks should be happening in the ancilliary things that do not impact on the sport. Like the Ceremonies.

The real reason for the cardboard was to reduce the ****** activity between athletes (or else) during the duration of the event, but the organizers didn't grasp how negatively it would impact a not-so-insignificant amount of these athletes. One of the first articles when I looked at the BBC website was basically that. For the food, they didn't grasp either that a plant-centric menu also means it is unbalanced as lacking some items, regardless of the purported "healthier" aspect. No need for a scientist to tell them that, just common sense.
I'm fine with cost cutting, but yeah they often cut on the wrong thing, like what you referenced.

I would be prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt too. More often than not, these creative types are so immersed in their work and their vision of it that they don't take the time to think about how other people will view it and interpret it. Their mind is seeing it in their own idealised version of the world, not in the real world. And then it comes as a shock to them when there is criticism.

But, somebody from the organisers should have realised the controversy it would cause. They are to blame for not stepping in.

Talked a bit at work with some of my colleagues, they theorized that the organizers possibly knew about the potential risk, but were hoping nothing would happen. I don't know if they thought that and gambled, but if they did ... regardless of said thought process, they should have tried to prevent, rather than react, to the brewing problem

Let's say the opening ceremony was reduced to the bare minimum. Are we talking about no entertainment at all and just the essentials (athlete march in, anthems, speeches, Olympic oath, cauldron lighting)? Would anyone want to watch that? I'm certain TV broadcasters wouldn't be thrilled, but what do the actual athletes actually want? I don't really remember any opening ceremonies before 2000 (besides Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron in 1996...I was 7 1/2 at the time), so what were they like before then?

Knowing their initial goal of doing something more sober, it felt a little weird seeing on the other hand cameos from established celebrities, which probably didn't come for pennies (Lady Gaga on intro or the Tom Cruise cascading on the closing).

 

[moonvine]

Let's say the opening ceremony was reduced to the bare minimum. Are we talking about no entertainment at all and just the essentials (athlete march in, anthems, speeches, Olympic oath, cauldron lighting)? Would anyone want to watch that? I'm certain TV broadcasters wouldn't be thrilled, but what do the actual athletes actually want? I don't really remember any opening ceremonies before 2000 (besides Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron in 1996...I was 7 1/2 at the time), so what were they like before then?

I seem to remember Montreal in 76 being bare bones and I remember them being billed as “thrifty” I guess.
They have changed a lot and I don’t think anyone would want to go back. Everyone is trying to one up the host before them. I fear the LA Olympics will be very ….American. And not in a good way ….

 

[moonvine]

Thank you for the reply, @4everchan . I just want to pick up on a few things.



That does surprise me. I'd have thought that the spectators would bring in more money than the sponsors.

It just shows the difference to the sports I follow!



Yeah, I expected that would be the case.



I know what you are getting at. But what sports are popular where varies greatly. Motorbike racing is actually one of the big sports here in Northern Ireland. It's not as big as football or the GAA sports, but it is on a similar level to rugby. Hey, in Spain, motorbike racing is second only to football! But, it is a niche sport in Canada. (I do keep an eye on the Canadian Superbike Championships, because there is a girl from Northern Ireland who competes in one of the support classes. In fact, my profile pic on Facebook is a photo of me with her!)

Apart from hockey (that is proper hockey with grass and balls; not the ice and puck type), pretty much all the sports that are contested at the Olympics are niche sports in NI. (I realise that football and rugby are included in the Olympics, but of those only the women's football is the top level game. The men's football is a youth tournament; while the rugby is a smaller team variation of the game).



Disagree. It's a sporting event. If you want culture, there are plenty of other things you can go to to get it.



For me, if you have to have a celebration, it should be the Closing Ceremony. It is a chance for the athletes to let their hair down at the end of the event and celebrate their achievements. Just like the Gala is at figure skating competitions. (I know you don't like galas, but this is why I feel it is a shame that an increasing number of skating events are not bothering with the gala).

But the Opening Ceremony should not be a big deal. Having a late night out celebrating before you compete is the last thing the athletes need. They need to be at peak condition for their competition(s). A small simple Opening Ceremony would suffice. It works perfectly well that way in figure skating.



It is always better to declare your biases, so that people reading know why you are saying what you are saying. It's not good when people try to influence readers by writing heavily biased posts without making it clear that they have an agenda. I've seen other members do that, and I don't like it.



Actually, yes, I do value the Commonwealth Games more than the Olympics. As I said, for a lot of sports it is the highest level that we can compete as ourselves. And for a lot of our athletes, it is the only opportunity they get to compete internationally. There is no skirting around it - the Team GB selectors tend to overlook our athletes. And if you switch to Ireland to improve your chances of selection, a lot of people who do not understand that this is how sports work will jump to conclusions about your political affiliation. As a result, many of our athletes prefer to compete under our own flag. Which is why the Commonwealth Games means so much to us. Because we can compete as ourselves there.

Plus, the only summer sport I like to watch is on the Commonwealth roster but not on the Olympic roster. Netball.



I suppose it depends a lot on the city and the politicians. There are some cities that have benefitted from the legacy of hosting the Olympics, and the facilities are used regularly. And there are others where the only lasting legacy is debt, and the facilities have been left to rot.

For me as a motorsports fan, the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics were so sad. Because the Jacarepaguá circuit, which was the home of the Brazilian round of MotoGP for many years, was destroyed to make way for the Barra Olympic Park. Jacarepaguá was a good circuit, and produced good racing. Admittedly, the facilities for the teams and race organisers were badly in need of improvement. But my goodness, the photos that you could get there were amazing, with Sugarloaf Mountain or the city skyline in the background.

We were promised at the time that a new circuit would be built at a different site in Rio. But, it has never happened. It does make you question why could the Olympic Park not have been built at this other site, and the Jacarepaguá circuit left intact. Oh, yeah. Because the organisers of the Olympics also realised what a great backdrop the Jacarepaguá site has, and wanted to have it for themselves!

And it was all in vain, because this is one of the cases where the Olympics have not had a good legacy.

What a waste!

Hey, we are getting way off topic here. I think we should just leave it at that, and agree to disagree.

CaroLiza_fan

But most of the venues were preexisting. The Equestrian events were held at Versailles.
So cool!
The only venue they built was a pool.

 

[DemTuppesSeine]

But most of the venues were preexisting. The Equestrian events were held at Versailles.
So cool!
The only venue they built was a pool.

I think that's generally how the IOC runs things. As an example, for the winter Olympics in 2030, France had to agree to use existing venues or they wouldn't get it.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

But most of the venues were preexisting. The Equestrian events were held at Versailles.
So cool!
The only venue they built was a pool.

That was one of the good things about these Games. Paris showed that a big multi-sport event can be done without building lots of new facilities from scratch. So headway is being made in that respect. But organisers of the Olympics are still not getting their priorities right. Whilst it is admirable that Paris managed to deliver the sporting venues on a reduced budget in a way that did not affect the action, it is a disgrace that the other cutbacks they made were to things that directly affected the athletes (see this post). Yet they still blew lots of money on totally unnecessary things like an extravagent Opening Ceremony.

As I have hinted at before, I've nothing against having a party to end the event (so long as it doesn't blow the budget!) Let the athletes celebrate their achievements. But, not at the start, when the athletes should be preparing for their competitions.

Also, I forgot to reply to it at the time, but somebody earlier in the thread mentioned the half-time show at the Superbowl. That is another thing I cannot see the point in. Because everybody that is there for the sport is busy doing things at half-time. For the players, half-time is when you recover from the first half and make preparations for the second half. For spectators at the venue, half-time is when you queue up to go to the toilet and / or queue up to get food (and hope that you get back in time for the second half starting). And it is not much different for people watching on TV at home: it is a time to go to the toilet, and a time to make a cup of tea.

So, what is the point of putting on a concert at half-time? Who is there left to pay attention to it amongst those there for the sport? Just those whose bladders are not full enough to need to empty them before the match is over, and those who do not want to fill them in case they need to go before the match is over. And I can't imagine there are many people that fill that bill.

It is a waste of time and effort spending a round fortune to get these big name stars to perform during half-time at a sporting match when the only people that will be able to pay attention are those that were not actually watching the match itself! Because those that were watching the match are busy getting ready for the second half.

Again, like the Olympics, if you want to have a party, the time to do it is after the sport is finished. To celebrate the achievements of the winner, and to raise the spirits of the runner-up.

Hey, doing it like this would probably get TV viewers to stay on the channel for longer, boosting the ratings.

When will organisers of sporting events learn?!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[skatesofgold]

I seem to remember Montreal in 76 being bare bones and I remember them being billed as “thrifty” I guess.
They have changed a lot and I don’t think anyone would want to go back. Everyone is trying to one up the host before them. I fear the LA Olympics will be very ….American. And not in a good way ….

Yeah, I thought the point of the Opening Ceremony (beyond the ceremonial parts) is to show some of the culture of the host nation, although I'm not looking forward to whatever that is for LA because it'll just be about California. Either way, if the Opening Ceremony was basically only the ceremonial parts, I don't think it would be very inviting, which is probably why hosts spend so much money on them.

 

[lariko]

I loved the opening ceremony and I didn't watch the games, really, since summer sports don't really do much for me. I remember seeing a clip with a surfer guy winning in some tropical location, where he was born (Tahiti?). I thought it was cool. For Canadians, that girl in the pool was cool. Overeal though, Olympics can get canceled tomorrow and I would never miss them.

 

[Casualsportsfan]

I loved the opening ceremony and I didn't watch the games, really, since summer sports don't really do much for me. I remember seeing a clip with a surfer guy winning in some tropical location, where he was born (Tahiti?). I thought it was cool. For Canadians, that girl in the pool was cool. Overeal though, Olympics can get canceled tomorrow and I would never miss them.

Tahiti was the "best" location spots-wise for the surfing, but logistics-wise, it would have been way easier to host the events in the Western coast for ex (we have decent waves there)

In my case my family is more used to Summer rather than Winter, so gravitating towards the former looked more natural. I'm probably the only one at home to have a more serious interest towards the latter. But tbh, it's harder to watch an event when it has no meaning to the season and happens only once every 4 years.

Taking for example Swimming, since you're talking about the pool. It was great to see the sister of Brooke McIntosh grabbing several medals, but it's just medals.
- No prize pool awarded (the IOC is still opposed to it, only the Athletics Fed on its own initiative gave money to the medalists)
- No points towards Season rankings (in the swimming case, no qualifying slots for either the next Olympics or World Championships)

Some might tell me what I'm wishing for goes against the Olympic spirit, in a sense, possible. But why should the athletes compete and not get paid a single *self-censoring a curse word* - also, I became less interested for example in the Tennis events since they removed the ranking points from it (until some recent past, they awarded points equal to the Masters 1000 if I don't recall too badly)

In comparison, if I see the Figure Skating events, I see the Olympics and the World Championships awarding points (assuming I'm not misreading that column in the rankings of each discipline), so it definitely feels more meaningful.

 

[4everchan]

Tahiti was the "best" location spots-wise for the surfing, but logistics-wise, it would have been way easier to host the events in the Western coast for ex (we have decent waves there)

In my case my family is more used to Summer rather than Winter, so gravitating towards the former looked more natural. I'm probably the only one at home to have a more serious interest towards the latter. But tbh, it's harder to watch an event when it has no meaning to the season and happens only once every 4 years.

Taking for example Swimming, since you're talking about the pool. It was great to see the sister of Brooke McIntosh grabbing several medals, but it's just medals.
- No prize pool awarded (the IOC is still opposed to it, only the Athletics Fed on its own initiative gave money to the medalists)
- No points towards Season rankings (in the swimming case, no qualifying slots for either the next Olympics or World Championships)

Some might tell me what I'm wishing for goes against the Olympic spirit, in a sense, possible. But why should the athletes compete and not get paid a single *self-censoring a curse word* - also, I became less interested for example in the Tennis events since they removed the ranking points from it (until some recent past, they awarded points equal to the Masters 1000 if I don't recall too badly)

In comparison, if I see the Figure Skating events, I see the Olympics and the World Championships awarding points (assuming I'm not misreading that column in the rankings of each discipline), so it definitely feels more meaningful.

The ISU does give points for the OLympics, equivalent to 4CC or Euros... but Worlds give more points

I stand corrected... OG points are same as worlds point BUT in the rankings, only one championship can be counted.. .so very few skaters end up using those points.

Swimming is an interesting case. Swimmers do get points when racing depending on their time in the event, and there are indeed rankings that can be generated from these points... However, i don't think they are really used for anything meaningful I think that the points are based on 1000, 1000 being the world record time... and depending on the time the athlete swam that day, points are calculated in relationship to the word record. The interesting part is that those points do not change depending on the ranking in the pool that day or what event they were earned at... it can be National trials, World championships, etc... if a time of 1 minute earns the swimmer 600 points, it will be 600 points whether or not they finished first or last or if it were in a big event or a smaller one. Rankings do not mean much because swimmers do need to qualify for championships through trials. They need to reach the standard qualifying time and place in top 2 of the trials as each nation can send two swimmers only per race. Also, some swimmers are versatile and can swim in multiple events, which means that a decision must be made based on the schedule at the games. For instance, Summer did not swim the 200 Free at the games, however she may have been a contender, because it wasn't working out with the schedule of her 7 events ( 3 relays and 4 individual races).

Someone more in the loop about these ranking points can say more... I didn't swim to the level where I'd get such points LOL

Look at this profile from Summer McIntosh.

Summer MCINTOSH | Results | World Aquatics Official

The personal bests and latest results for Summer MCINTOSH

www.worldaquatics.com

 

[NanaPat]

The ISU does give points for the OLympics, equivalent to 4CC or Euros... but Worlds give more points and in the rankings, only one championship can be counted.. .so very few skaters end up using those points.

I thought Olympics was same points as worlds.

Edited to add: Wikipedia agrees with me Look for "distribution of points"
As does the ISU communication - look for point distribution

It's nice that the O's are at least equal to Worlds, since many Olympic medalists don't go to that year's Worlds.

Of course, many of them retire, and retiring athletes really don't care about their World Standing. Or maybe they do, and I just don't know about it. I personally don't put undue stock in the standings, since some teams get (what I consider artifically) high standings by going to lots of "other" competitions.

 

[4everchan]

I thought Olympics was same points as worlds.

Edited to add: Wikipedia agrees with me Look for "distribution of points"
As does the ISU communication - look for point distribution

It's nice that the O's are at least equal to Worlds, since many Olympic medalists don't go to that year's Worlds.

Of course, many of them retire, and retiring athletes really don't care about their World Standing. Or maybe they do, and I just don't know about it. I personally don't put undue stock in the standings, since some teams get (what I consider artifically) high standings by going to lots of "other" competitions.

Fair... my mistake.. maybe because the TECH mins are similar to 4CC and Euros and I didn't verify...

But the main point of my argument anyway is that that only ONE championship counts towards the world standing... and
1) if many retire that year, they won't do worlds and will not need to use their OG points
2) because many retire, the following worlds are often higher scoring events for most skaters so they do not end up using their OG points

So, OG points in skating are not that sexy when other opportunities are already available and cannot be combined.

Some other sports, for instance, a team sport like Football, points earned at the Olympics will influence greatly world standings. not so much in figure skating because it's not cumulative but alternative to other ISU championships

 

[Magill]

Toyota announced they will not sponsor the Olympics, neither the Paraolympics, any more stating the games "do not put athletes in the front" any more and are becoming "increasingly political".
Panasonic has decided the same earlier this month.
Toyota had a 10-year deal signed in 2015 and ending this December, Panasonic sponsored OG from 1987. Both decided not to extend their sponsorship contracts.
Seems like maybe they did not like Paris games so much after all....? Or is it just about weakening economy? Who knows?

Toyota ends sponsorship with 'political' Olympics

The withdrawal means Olympics logos currently carried by Toyota products will be phased out, and its vehicles will no longer be provided to assist with the event.

www.japantimes.co.jp

 

[Casualsportsfan]

Toyota announced they will not sponsor the Olympics, neither the Paraolympics, any more stating the games "do not put athletes in the front" any more and are becoming "increasingly political".
Panasonic has decided the same earlier this month.
Toyota had a 10-year deal signed in 2015 and ending this December, Panasonic sponsored OG from 1987. Both decided not to extend their sponsorship contracts.
Seems like maybe they did not like Paris games so much after all....? Or is it just about weakening economy? Who knows?

Toyota ends sponsorship with 'political' Olympics

The withdrawal means Olympics logos currently carried by Toyota products will be phased out, and its vehicles will no longer be provided to assist with the event.

www.japantimes.co.jp

Not surprised by that. I was guessing some companies (and viewers) were already disliking how the values around the project counted more (in their POV) than who should be the main protagonists (the athletes), Toyota is just more or less confirming that state. Also the fact it had a "cheap" feel might not always be a positive for them either in a corporate sense.

It could be economical but I doubt it on a personal level

 

[4everchan]

i don't know.... games have always been political... and many of the big companies are showing some of these same values in their own adverts....

 

[Casualsportsfan]

i don't know.... games have always been political... and many of the big companies are showing some of these same values in their own adverts....

Oh for sure, I won't kid myself pretending this is has never been political since ages.

But both the Government and the Organizing Committee can't get offended when some people, companies and institutions in general. decide this is not for them. It's a gamble to take, they win or lose it (and mostly, they won).

If I had to guess, in the case of Panasonic and Toyota, it's possibly due to the wider Japanese society being less sensitive (not saying insensitive) to that kind of message. Not saying it's good or bad, just that it does influence how they viewed the organizing.