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The Olympics

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by ontheropes

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I can't believe no one else has started an off-topic discussion about the Olympics yet, other than this being a tech website and all that.

What do you like the most about the Olympics?

What's your favorite competition?

I watched the opening ceremonies and really enjoyed it. The drums were awesome. The opening ceremonies cost $300 million dollars. That's a record.

From watching the opening I know that I'd like to see the judo competition. The heaviest athlete in Beijing weighs 399 lbs. and is a judo competitor. I forget what country he's from but I'll bet he's a tough one to put down. I'll have to look it up.

I also like the weight-lifting competitions. Seeing people move massive amounts of weight is interesting to me.

Then there are the track and field events. I thought it was funny this morning; NBC's Lester Holt picked up a javelin and said something like, "Oh this looks easy". :D I've seen inexperienced amateurs practically knock themselves out with a javelin. Competing at the Olympic level in any event would definitely not be 'easy'.

So, lets get a little discussion going about the Olympics. It's going to be on my big screen until it's over and done. Can't get enough. Finally, something different than the same old same old.

66 replies

by boxfiddler

I go for gymnastics. I'm amazed at what gymnasts do with a balance beam, those rings, and the floor exercise. I love it all. Entranced would be a good word for me in front of the tube and gymnastics. Swimming and diving are at the top of my list, too.

How about the pressure on that U.S. swimmer to take 8 gold medals? I'd collapse under that. Ouch.

Winter Olympics? Love the figure skating, luge, and moguls. Skating best, though.

Thanks for asking!

by boxfiddler

soccer players amaze me. The things they can do with their feet, heads and that ball. I'd love to watch a game from a dirigible. The dance!

by jdclyde

are the main ones that I am interested in.

I will have to be a disappointment for the running events because of the air conditions.

I am having a hard time getting excited about them this time around, seeing as how it was used as a political tool to showcase how horrible it is in China instead of to promote competition, sportsmanship and goodwill. China should never have been allowed to host because of the conditions there, and the committee that made that decision are a total disgrace to the Olympics.

by highlander718

... and money. They have to please the whole world sort of, that's why they alternate between continents (same as for the soccer world cup), make sure there are no countries left out or others getting the Olympics too often ...etc. Of course a poor country could never get it, just because they don't have the money for the infrastructure and logistics.

by jamesrl

Winter Olympics, downhill skiing. I was for 10 years a level one Federation International du Ski race judge. The private club where I worked produced 4 National Team members. So I have a bias. :)

Summer Olympics, distance running, triathalon, marathon.

James

by charliespencer

The Olympics feature sports I don't care about. I don't watch gymnastics, basketball, track and field, etc. any other time, although I'm aware they compete throughout the year like other sports do. I don't care about them during their regular annual schedules and see no reason to care about them once every fourth year.

I actively avoid any event that's judged. That doesn't fit my definition of sport. I'm definitely not saying the participants aren't athletes, but judged competitions should be reserved for art forms and county fair produce. Palmetto's Rule: if it's judged, it's not a sport. Speed skating is a sport measured by a stopwatch; figure skating is an art decided by judges.

Instead of the opening ceremony, we watched the Puppy Olympics on Animal Planet. Several hours of puppies falling over themselves in Olympic-style venues, similar to AP's Puppy Bowl counter-programming to the Super Bowl.

In the Winter Games I'll look at bobsleds, skeleton, and luge. They're as close as either games come to auto racing, my preferred sport for viewing.

by jellimonsta

I just don't watch it.
I am more inclined to watch the X-games, Winter-X, and sometimes some Winter Olympics sports (mostly just the boarding).

I did just see Michael Phelps break the Olympic record while qualifying for the finals. That was actually by coincidence though. :p

by jellimonsta

So I have found myself staying up until 1AM watching the Olympics. What's up with that? I have never really given a toot before!?!?! :p ;\

I have been trying to catch any Phelps event as he really is a friggin' machine! :)

by nicknielsen

And maybe some of the baseball or softball. It will definitely depend on my workload and how tired I am.

Will intentionally miss the basketball. It's no fun watching the "best players in the world" get beat by better teams.

by av .

The Chinese put on an awesome show. I loved the drums and how the entire production was choreographed. I think it was absolutely breathtaking.

I like the gymnastics and the swimming competitions, but I'll probably watch a little bit of everything when I can. I'll bet the judo competition will be good too.

Just the fact that China opened its doors to an event like the Olympics is a step in the right direction for that country. I still have my reservations though, about the Olympics being held in a Communist country.

AV

by Member 25348569

"about the Olympics being held in a Communist country."

Why? I'm really puzzled about that sort of attitude. Please explain why you think they are - I guess - "democratic", maybe "capitalist" Olympics or "fascist". Is the criteria that you haven't invaded somewhere else in the last few years or you don't keep loads of people locked up in prison or you don't torture some of them?

Neil

by av .

It should be awarded to a country that does not oppress its people like China does. Thats just rewarding bad behavior. I'm not saying the Chinese people aren't deserving of the honor, but rather their Communist government isn't deserving of it. Maybe, though, it will mark a new beginning of more freedoms for the Chinese people.

AV

Edited: left off "honor" in the title

by charliespencer

Although I don't think they really are communist as Marx would have defined it.

My problem is with a country that made promises to the IOC to get the games then promptly forgot them. My problem is with a sanctioning body with no mechanism to ensure guarantees are kept. My problem is with a country walking over it's citizens to put on an overpriced show when it should have spent the money on their well-being instead. My problem is with the other participating nations pretending to accept China's facade of well-being when everyone knows better and won't call their bluff.

Olympic sites should be awarded on demonstrated history, not cynical promises.

by Member 25348569

that any country that hosts the Summer Olympics is going to be spending a huge amount of money that some will say could be "better" spent.

I include my own town in this as, by 2012, a huge slice of MY money will have been poured into this ridiculous festival. AND I was never asked if I wanted it.

Holding them in China does at least get them out of stranglehold of "The West".

Who knows, China may benefit. China is undergoing massive and rapid change, economic growth with a rapidly increasing middle class. It would obviously be naive to expect a sudden rush to democracy, but the Olympics preparations kept the Chinese pretty quiet politically for the past few years. China has been amongst the most anti-social of regimes for far too long but they are getting to throw the party and we all get to go. They are going to have to deal with a LOT of foreigners of all attitudes and with the global commercial realities of staging the Olympics.

I must admit, I'm not particularly hopeful, though.

by boxfiddler

there are any countries that are Communist as Marx would have defined it. People tend to get in the way of ideology.

etu

by highlander718

all your problems are directly caused by the fact that China is a communist country, so you DO have a problem with China being Communist :-)

by av .

I can't think of any. To me, Communism = Oppression. I have the same reservations that you do. The Chinese people suffered for these Olympics. They closed down factories for 2 or 3 weeks before the Olympics to clear up the air pollution. Those people didn't get paid leave, they got nothing. People that cultivate rice paddies, had their water diverted so the government could make everything look good for the Olympics. It was a huge sacrifice for the people of China, especially after that horrific earth quake in Sichuan in July.

For the Chinese people, I'm happy if it is a success. They put their best face forward because they had to and endured great sacrifice. Their doors were opened and I hope it leads to more freedom and less government oppression for them. Because the other participating nations graciously accepted their facade, it might mean that a new dawn can begin in China.

I think the jury is out on whether China was a good or bad decision by the IOC.

AV

by highlander718

I read yesterday, that the fireworks were sort of faked on TV, part of them being added with the help of computers. The article mentioned that the fireworks were in fact generated but much earlier and then added to the live transmission. Apparently if all would have gone off at the transmision time, the TV helicopters would have been put in danger.

Sort of half cheat :-)

by ontheropes

Imagine being the kid singer. No emotional scars there. Damn.

Thanks for posting that. I might not like what was done but I do like to know the realities of any situation.

by ontheropes

I'm sitting here watching the USA women's volleyball team playing in China and it doesn't look like there's much politics involved in it. That's one thing I like about the actual competitions though I suppose some talking head will put a spin on it all later. I'll ignore them as usual.

Edited to add "don't". It looked real stupid without it.

by boxfiddler

in the men' 200 meter (?) swim. What a race. Broke the world record, too. He just kept moving away and away and away from the rest of the swimmers. Wow.

Watching the men's floor exercise, too. That young Chinese kid is gonna be tough to beat!

Almost as good as horse racing, for the thrill! :D

by ontheropes

4:00 am here and I'm watching the Olympic coverage, the men's floor exercise and high bar. I'm amazed at what they can do.

Regarding swimming: I like it when they put the green line across the pool that shows the world record pace while they're swimming. Yesterday there were three swimmers all quite a bit ahead of the world record pace. You're right, it's thrilling.

by boxfiddler

is a sheer treat to watch on the rings. And I caught a couple of 'our guys' on the highbar last night, too.

Blew me away. If you can catch that, do. Wow.

To borrow some horse racing terminology, Phelps had the rest of the field by about 2.5 lengths there at the finish. Awesome.

by boxfiddler

of the Olympic competition. I'm reminded why I like it. I watch the faces in the crowd, the parents of the competitors, the fans. I watch the faces of the competitors. One thing stands out. Each, in its uniqueness, mirrors the other. Hopes, fears, wins, losses, each marks a face here and there with unmistakable emotion. I'm reminded, that though we are individual, we are far more similar than distinct.

The coolest thing about the Olympics.

etu

by jamesrl

For the most part Olympic athletes are good sports. Last night's feather weight match between a Ukranian and a Russian was an exception. The Russian was a very poor sport.

James

by charliespencer

Communism is an economic model, not a governmental one. The oligarchical Chinese government claims to support a communist economic model, but it really runs things to suit the uppermost echelons of the party. It decidedly does not work to transfer wealth evenly between workers based on need. Communism and repression are NOT synonymous.

by highlander718

Hmmm, maybe in theory, but can you give me an example of a communist country that is or was not repressive ? I agree that not all repressive regimes are communist, but in my opinion all communist regimes are repressive. (So I guess, technically you are right, they are not SYNONYMOUS)

I agree with you that the Chinese today are pretend communists but all the techniques described by you were employed by the so called communist countries. I also think communism got to be known as a governamental model as well. Or how do you call a government in a communist country ?

by charliespencer

"...can you give me an example of a communist country that is or was not repressive?"

Maybe, if you'll narrow it down some for me. Can you give an example of a communist country? Not one that calls itself communist like China, Cuba, or North Korea do, but one that is truly Marxist communist? If you can, I'll see if I identify any of them as non-repressive.

My point is that there have never been any truly communist countries, at least not any that remained true to communist ideals for more than fifteen minutes.

Government is a communist country is classified the same as a non-communist country. A single hereditary leader is a monarchy. An elected parliment, congress, etc. is representative. A military leadership is a junta. Etc.

by highlander718

If you want to split the hair in 4 :-) yes you'r right. I was specifically mentioning that I'm talking about the "so called communist" countries.

Government in a "so called" communist country (see, you too are using the term although you say there are no communist countries out there) is not the same as a government in a democratic country. It does not function the same way, it is not formed in the same way, so I call it a communist government :-)

by charliespencer

Let's go back to AV's post at the top of this branch:

"I still have my reservations though, about the Olympics being held in a Communist country."

If we replace his use of 'Communist' with 'repressive', are we both on the same page?

by jdclyde

whole villages were wiped out to make room so we could play.

livelyhoods and homes destroyed for games.

That other countries HAVE accepted the "facade" is the same as granting their blessings, wink wink, nod nod.

Other than the additional generation of revenue from the influx to the country, I see no good coming from this for the Chinese people once everyone has gone home and the pollution and exploitation goes back to normal.

At least once "The Westerners" leave, they can put cat/dog back on their menus, huh?

In the mean time, we have jeopardized the health of OUR athletes by having them go into one of the most polluted countries in the world. Well, maybe some good WILL come from it and the snivelers around the world MIGHT stop their intentional lies about how the USA is the biggest offender.

by jdclyde

means you know it is a lie.

Others, like in the Clinton/Monica issue, were just passing along the lie they were told. They believed the lie, but that doesn't make it any less of a lie.

by charliespencer

"Other than the additional generation of revenue from the influx to the country, ..."

Will they turn a profit? I recall hearing the last several games lost money, including Atlanta, Sydney, and Greece.

by jdclyde

the people that were allowed to keep their homes and businesses will do very well.

The country as a whole will have a better chance of turning a profit because the labor involved to get ready is a LOT cheaper and more efficient than the union "workers" used in Atlanta. Not to mention, as per your other conversation, an [b]oppressive government[/b] is always more efficient.

by av .

The US had no choice but to show up. They finance our debt, and we've got alot of it. Its more of a have to rather than a wink wink nod nod looking the other way.

I hope China will be changed forever by the experience. Maybe thats Utopian as some of their actions during the Olympics are iffy at best.

What about the little girl who sang their national anthem that was replaced with a prettier young girl who lip-synced? Thats pretty cruel.

The Chinese women's gymnastic team that won the gold are not women after all. They are, allegedly, underage girls (younger than 16), though their Chinese birth certificates state that they are 16 and old enough to compete in the Olympics. Cheaters.

The US always gets slammed as being the biggest polluter, but we've been far surpassed by China. If they keep it up, they'll not be able to see the sun soon.

AV

by ontheropes

Smog in New Delhi was horrible when I was there. I'll bet all of India's major cities are the same way.

by jdclyde

other countries doing all the winking and nodding.

Bush is the only one of the world leaders that had the integrity to stand up and say anything, so far.

by jdclyde

Especially in countries that ARE oppressive, were the government does as they please.

Worse still is what happens to the athletes that lose and have to go home in shame to an uncertain fate. (saddams son was one to not take losing lightly)

by oz_media

Even when getting caught at it, just like they did by using CGI for some of the fireworks, they PROUDLY stated that the other girl was used because it was better for China's image? How sad and pathetic.

It's not about truth, its not about credibility, there's no half assed apology or anything, just that they have to keep China's image in mind. Now if a normal child, witha fantastic voice by teh way, is not considered part of China's image, then it just goes to perpetrate the Dictator mentality they try so hard to deny.

Looking at footage of people in China, they are rioting in the streets and declaring it to be a dictatorship government that is trying to lie to teh worl.

China is acually a pretty cool place, fascinating history etc. There is no need for them to try and be who they aren't, if they were allowed to be who they really were, it would benefit us all.

Without sounding TOO racist, it would mean fewer people are forced to move here due to repression and fear of government and would remain proud in their home country, people would have a much more positive view of the people in China, which really aren't bad people they just grow up in a really different place and wind up appearing like aliens, as far as the rest of us are concerned.

Oh well, we can't change the world, we can't tell people in other countries how to live and govern themselves, we just have to accept and be happy with the fact that that we have a lifestyle that we have chosen for ourselves I suppose.

by jdclyde

of separate the country/people from the government.

And if Iraq taught "us" anything, it is that not everyone is worth "saving". China is not a country that would be good to piss off.

by highlander718

not good to try and film a free Tibet protest, half mile from the main stadium ....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080813/wl_asia_afp/oly2008chinabritaintibetprotestmedia

and who can explain me the problem with the Spanish basketball team posing with "chinese eyes" ? What's the sensibility for ? Do not chinese have eyes like that ? And why would the American Team go home if they would've done the same ????

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/basketball/news?slug=ro-spain081308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

by jdclyde

[i]"I am just wondering where this fits in with China's solemn undertaking to allow us to report freely during the Olympics," he said.[/i]

Freely cover the olympics does not equal freely cover anything else, as he quickly found out. Bet it was a real eye opener for Ben to see that his own ideals of "freedom of the press" mean nothing while he is in China.

by oz_media

I wonder if the suicide rate skyrockets when they don't win a medal?

Kinda like the old Samurai thing about
disgracing your country.

by jamesrl

To me, if you believe its true and you say its true, you can't be lying. You can only be lying if you say something you know to be untrue.

You can tell a lie without lying.

James

by av .

I've never been to India, but both India and China are newer economies that are moving so fast they don't realize the consequences.

AV

by av .

Its too bad he is a lame duck at this point. Other countries didn't want to go there. Its a can of worms.

AV

by Tammy.Cavadias

to be honest, the Olympics has never been something I purposely watch - I will if there's nothing better on.

What's funny is I love sports - I love playing all kinds of sports, but I'm not much of a side-line watcher.

-Tammy :-)

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