Rio 2016 Olympics

[MK Shrimper]

There will be no Russian track & field athletes at Rio.....I can sense a Russian boycott of the games on the cards here. Shame, the Olympics is supposed to be above politics, but if they can't win fairly, then what else can you do?

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I suggest Russia withdraws and boycotts the next World Cup too.:facepalm:

 

[Uncle Leo]

There will be no Russian track & field athletes at Rio.....I can sense a Russian boycott of the games on the cards here. Shame, the Olympics is supposed to be above politics, but if they can't win fairly, then what else can you do?

**** 'em. Seriously. They can absolutely **** off. A rotten state, sponsoring drug cheating across the board.

More generally, I guess it's because four years ago it was in London and IT WAS UTTERLY BRILLIANT, but I can't remember the last time I was less 'up' for the Olympics. Hopefully I'll catch Olympic fever (not Zika) soon enough.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Yesterday's miracle ride in Le Tour by a young Russian seemed very suspect, especially when it is by a rider who has returned from a doping ban.

Fully agree with Uncle Leo's post above too.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Yesterday's miracle ride in Le Tour by a young Russian seemed very suspect, especially when it is by a rider who has returned from a doping ban.

Fully agree with Uncle Leo's post above too.

Was it a miracle ride?

I wasn't following it yesterday but it seemed like the type of stage where the yellow jersey would let the breakaway win. I was hardly surprised when I heard he'd won: he's had a fair few top 10s this season; hadn't done too much in this race so should have preserved his energy; climbs well; can time trial and has licence to attack; and won a similar stage in the Giro last year.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Was it a miracle ride?

I wasn't following it yesterday but it seemed like the type of stage where the yellow jersey would let the breakaway win. I was hardly surprised when I heard he'd won: he's had a fair few top 10s this season; hadn't done too much in this race so should have preserved his energy; climbs well; can time trial and has licence to attack; and won a similar stage in the Giro last year.

He did a Lance type jump from group to leaders and then some, left the breakaway, including polka dot, trailing. He had tried for a win last week but had mechanical problems. If some have doubts on other riders being clean then the Russian certainly would be on the dopers radar.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Was it a miracle ride?

I wasn't following it yesterday but it seemed like the type of stage where the yellow jersey would let the breakaway win. I was hardly surprised when I heard he'd won: he's had a fair few top 10s this season; hadn't done too much in this race so should have preserved his energy; climbs well; can time trial and has licence to attack; and won a similar stage in the Giro last year.

Racing Post tipped him up at 20/1. Did I take notice? did I ****. :facepalm:

 

[EastStandBlue]

**** 'em. Seriously. They can absolutely **** off. A rotten state, sponsoring drug cheating across the board.

More generally, I guess it's because four years ago it was in London and IT WAS UTTERLY BRILLIANT, but I can't remember the last time I was less 'up' for the Olympics. Hopefully I'll catch Olympic fever (not Zika) soon enough.

Totally agree, although I do wonder whether this is because there has been very, very little in the way of build up to it. Because we were hosting 2012 you couldn't move for coverage of the event from about six months prior. There was an awful lot of anticipation and, thankfully, it delivered.

This time around the UK media has had other things that have grabbed attention and 95% of the press coverage afforded to the Olympics, and athletics in general, has been pretty rank.

I'm sure once it's on - and with most coverage starting just as people will be getting in from work, it'll be prime time viewing - it'll start to gather momentum. A couple of early Team GB golds wouldn't go a miss.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Totally agree, although I do wonder whether this is because there has been very, very little in the way of build up to it. Because we were hosting 2012 you couldn't move for coverage of the event from about six months prior. There was an awful lot of anticipation and, thankfully, it delivered.

This time around the UK media has had other things that have grabbed attention and 95% of the press coverage afforded to the Olympics, and athletics in general, has been pretty rank.

I'm sure once it's on - and with most coverage starting just as people will be getting in from work, it'll be prime time viewing - it'll start to gather momentum. A couple of early Team GB golds wouldn't go a miss.

Five Live were all about the Olympics this morning - certainly feels like it is ramping up now.

But as you say, totally different four years ago, working in the city where it was actually happening. That buzz when (say) the Olympic signs went up at Harrow & Wealdstone station, which I passed through every day, was really tangible.

 

[Firestorm]

Yesterday's miracle ride in Le Tour by a young Russian seemed very suspect, especially when it is by a rider who has returned from a doping ban.

Fully agree with Uncle Leo's post above too.

he's 26 , he finished 4th in Paris Nice this year winning a stage, he was in the top ten at L-B-L, he is hardly an unknown, to be honest I would be more concerned about Adam Yates' rise up the ladder.

That said Katusha have doping form and are Russian , so one would be suspicious, just that I doubt if Katusha are in Russia that much, and given that it was the drugs testing stations in Russia who were letting the state sponsored dopers go unchecked, I doubt if the corruption would extend to the testing regimes in other countries which the UCI / WADA would use when testing athletes training/Racing away from home

 

[londonblue]

Five Live were all about the Olympics this morning - certainly feels like it is ramping up now.

But as you say, totally different four years ago, working in the city where it was actually happening. That buzz when (say) the Olympic signs went up at Harrow & Wealdstone station, which I passed through every day, was really tangible.

Yep, for me too. I happen to be off work, and at home for the whole of the first week. I can see a lot of telly being watched!

The best thing for me in terms of build up to 2012 was this (seen by every competitor on the approach to Heathrow):



Apart from anything, a picture that size of Jess Ennis takes some beating!

 

[EastStandBlue]

Five Live were all about the Olympics this morning - certainly feels like it is ramping up now.

But as you say, totally different four years ago, working in the city where it was actually happening. That buzz when (say) the Olympic signs went up at Harrow & Wealdstone station, which I passed through every day, was really tangible.

I distinctly remember the afternoon of the opening ceremony - we knocked off early and went to a few pubs around Farringdon and while I've only been living in central London for five/six years, there hasn't been a situation close to the buzz of the city on that day.

 

[mattitouk]

What a terrible decision from the IOC today. Sends out a clear wrong message to not only individual athletes that take illegal drugs to gain an advantage for their own personal wealth, but worse still to state sponsored doping.

As Sharron Davies said ..... "nothing has really changed since the 80's, people get caught but not punished" & "So does this decision clear the way now for all countries to build their own laboratories for drug cheats?"

 

[Pubey]

I distinctly remember the afternoon of the opening ceremony - we knocked off early and went to a few pubs around Farringdon and while I've only been living in central London for five/six years, there hasn't been a situation close to the buzz of the city on that day.

The opening ceremony was incredible, I'm not one for nationalism/jingoism and the olympics can bring out the worst of Princess Di Jubilee Henmania, but it was a fantastic national moment.

Also, I seem to remember the buildup to 2012 being pretty skeptical as well - a lot of rumours about things being unfinished and it went over budget. The opening ceremony blew any doubt away.

 

[Uncle Leo]

**** off, golf.

 

[EastStandBlue]

**** off, golf.

Golf should absolutely not be at the Olympics, but in its defence Matt Kuchar's one of the biggest ****ing planks in the game.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Sorry to go all Barna (and I'm waiting for him to post on this thread telling us he doesn't care for the Olympics) but a decent little Olympics quiz here...

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/05/rio-2016-big-olympics-quiz-games

18/25 your score to beat.

 

[MK Shrimper]

12/25 pretty poor.

 

[londonblue]

17, although one was a mis-click of the mouse and would have been correct!

 

[MK Shrimper]

Anyone bothering with the opening ceremony? It's apparantly "analogue", substantially cheaper than Danny Boyle's spectacular, and starts about midnight.

I'll be well tucked up in my pit. :smile: