The news about Russia is real juice, pun intended. That country is a mess and should be banned for all of the ass backward stuff they do. I heard today that some athletes may be allowed to compete providing they are found clean and finish training i. Other countries. The games will be very interesting.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

So basically they think that they don't need to change because their presence is an integral part of the games experience.

from the article:
"IOC President Thomas Bach said measures could include the exclusion of entire national federations under a "zero-tolerance" policy, which means that all Russian athletes could potentially be banned from participating in Rio
conflicting reports will see.

So basically they think that they don't need to change because their presence is an integral part of the games experience.[/quote]
It is in their interest to say that which is bullshit of course. See in 1984 they boycott the Olympics in LA and the Olympics went on to be just fine (one of the best ever). As travelmama said they are desperate.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/..._2518000/2518931.stm

Actually the US has said the same thing in the past, and honestly tell us what you want but the 80 & 84 games were shit but that was because it was stupid politics interfering with the conduct of the games.

It's a mess. The velodrome was supposed to be completed for trial racing to test out the facilities, but it's so far behind that a track wasn't even laid down by the time that was supposed to happen. If it even is completed, the first racing on it will the Olympics. I believe the cost is supposed to be north of $40million...for a facility that will almost surely sit unused. It's a joke, but should come as no surprise with the IOC in charge.

Wasn't there one Olympics with a death trap of a veledrome? Like a bumpy, concrete track where several riders careered off over the top? Though I guess they didn't get Zika.

i've been wondering about rio too. lots of doping hanging over the games, massive (domestic) political crisis in brazil, zika, and i think rio's just declared a state of emergency. hopefully things come together OK, but it's got the makings of a gongshow.

i think they should give give the summer games to greece indefinitely - or even just for the next 20 years.

-mike

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

No, that was a public bike path along the waterfront that collapsed killing two or three and injuring a few. The velodrome is more in land.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Why Greece? That country is just as corrupt amd in financial shambles as is Brazil. The IOC should award cities that can actually handle in the games. Cities that already have venues that can be used and hotels that can occupy masses of spectators. The games always leave cities amd countries in more than imaginable debt. Los Angeles with its maddedning traffic is the only city worth having the summer games because so much is already hear and wont go to waste. If I am not mistaken no city has yet to break even by hosting any games.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Because the Greek economy is so robust and stable?

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

I don't remember that, but it very well could be. It seems like shoehorning a boatload of events into some of these cities that aren't equipped with existing infrastructure is a consistent, colossal waste of resources for a short-term event and ends up causing problems. I really don't understand why a city would even want to host the Olympics unless they already have a ton of the infrastructure in place.

Because, if you give it to one city indefinitely, then the infrastructure continues to get use and be updated every few years, the athletes know what to expect at the competition, there's no corrupt bidding process and corrupt Olympic construction projects that go unused after the couple of weeks of Olympic games. You also eliminate the butthurt over bids, inability to put things together, politics, etc. And you prevent a situation where either only the rich well developed countries ever get the Olympics, or the less developed countries have to scramble and be embarrassed and lose money trying to build an Olympics. You give it to Greece, because they're the historic home of the modern Olympics, and then the IOC could concentrate on ensuring that that single set of venues is well built, well maintained, available to Olympic athletes or hopefuls for training, etc.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

well, the greeks invented it. and they've hosted recently, so they already have the machinery in place. they have a pretty robust tourist sector, so that's in place. economy sucks? yes. but the games could bring in some $.

if you look at the way things are going, wealthy, stable democracies don't want the games any more. there have been a handful of places recently that have actually voted against holding them: Toronto, Boston, Hamburg, etc. it's far, far too wasteful to rebuild the entire games infrastructure from scratch every 2 years, and increasingly the only countries who are willing and able to are non-democratic.

-mike

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

I get all that and I won't disagree with the premise and reasoning.

BUT... who's paying for it? The Greeks sure as fuck can't and won't.

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Why Greece? That country is just as corrupt amd in financial shambles as is Brazil. The IOC should award cities that can actually handle in the games. Cities that already have venues that can be used and hotels that can occupy masses of spectators. The games always leave cities amd countries in more than imaginable debt. Los Angeles with its maddedning traffic is the only city worth having the summer games because so much is already hear and wont go to waste. If I am not mistaken no city has yet to break even by hosting any games.
-----------------------
I agree with LA and it's not only the venues are in place but the weather is generally good too.

---

Train safe & smart
Bob

They just held the Olympics in 2004. If we decided to make it always Greece, then it might be reasonable to have each nation's Olympic committee chip in for the upkeep and renovations.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

So what if the Greeks invented the games. Do you think that back in 1896 they thought the games would be as big as they are now with over 200 nations to be represented? Athens had a much smaller population and could handle the ten or so events. Athens could not handle its last hosting and the country is still suffering due to its lost. No matter how robust tourism is in Greece, the country is poor and has been for a while now.
There are too many costs and many more losses involved which is why so many cities do not want them. Budapest? For the Hungarians to want them is surprising to me because the city is not that big. I think the IOC should allow consideration to cities that can actually handle the venues with too much more to build and that will be useful to communities afterward.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

There is very little use for many of the Olympic venues for communities afterwards. There just isn't lasting interest in velodromes, short white water kayak courses, etc. That's why so many of these cities have Olympic venues that just sit and rot afterwards. That's why picking one place and using the facilities over and over might make more sense.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I agree and think of all the past hosting cities, Los Angeles is the best.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Go look at pictures of what the '04 olympic venues look like now. They're basically in ruins and unusable. So that's not an option.

Why on earth would other nations pitch in billions of dollars to build and keep up infrastructure in another country that offers little to no benefit to the countries pitching in? That's just not reasonable or realistic.

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

See in 1984 they boycott the Olympics in LA and the Olympics went on to be just fine (one of the best ever).


They might have been good in terms of organisation but when the Soviet Union wasn't there, every gold medalist would have an asterisk beside their name, particularly in sports where the Soviets dominated. The world wants to see the best athletes compete, and it's not the same if one of the top countries isn't involved.

I loved the 1984 games because of that dumbass (in hindsight) McDonald's promotion where they gave away free food when the U.S. won a medal... and we won a lot of medals that year due to the Soviet/Eastern Bloc boycott... and my 14 year old self ate a shit ton of free Mickey D's that summer. I had a less discerning palette back then. :-)


http://badmarketing.co.uk/...d-the-1984-olympics/

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

There is absolutely no fucking way the United States would be chosen as a permanent host. Most of Europe and Asia would bitch and moan and be Uber butthurt

The 2010 Winter games in Vancouver were quite successful, but I think Vancouver would actually be better suited for the summer games.

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

BUT... who's paying for it? The Greeks sure as fuck can't and won't.

Since hosting the Olympics would benefit Greece every 4 years, and they would use Greek labour, contractors etc., they would have to pay the lion's share of costs but other countries around the world could help, particularly with maintenance and upkeep.

It makes perfect sense to keep them in 1 country every year.

There is absolutely no fucking way the United States would be chosen as a permanent host. Most of Europe and Asia would bitch and moan and be Uber butthurt
----------------
Then let them pay for it. I wonder what country put in the most $$$$$ when you consider TV rights etc......

---

Train safe & smart
Bob

No it was definitely a velodrome because I remember seeing old footage. Might not have been an olympics come to think of it.

They where awarded the 2018 world cup, which is a huge event as you know, on some levels like the Olympics.

The world cup in SA similar headlines, and the games went on. Rio will get the money somehow and the games will go on. But the cost is too high. Even Canada, a well developed country (only in the LR not), I read somewhere it tool them 30 years to dig themselves out of the Olympic hole.
Sure having it in Greece is a big prize for them. Other than having it in one location I can only think of countries jointly hosting the games.

Maybe someone mentioned this article but it makes the most sense for me, games played in the same place while supporting other cases too. Brilliant.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/...me-place-every-time/

"We could handpick architects and designers who specialize in sustainability and responsive architecture. These state-of-the-art green buildings could offer a model of sustainable urbanism to a wider world. The same site would also standardize the sporting element, providing a stable setting and climate against which to benchmark athletic performances over time."

You are right about the winter games held in Vancouver. I think in recent games, Vancouver and Utah did the best financially because many of the venues already existed. Vancouver may be a great city for the summer games too but LA is much bigger and nothing more need building. The only big expenses LA would face are retro fitting some venues and housing the homeless for a month.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

This is what recently happened in Rio. http://www.bbc.com/...tin-america-36106308

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

And so was Qatar and the world knows what is going on there. Both countrie$ were the $ame $hoes. 2018 will be interesting if Russia does not qualify.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

You think Quebec politicians are less corrupt than Brazilians... That's funny right there.

They where awarded the 2018 world cup, which is a huge event as you know, on some levels like the Olympics.[/quote]
And so was Qatar and the world knows what is going on there. Both countrie$ were the $ame $hoes. 2018 will be interesting if Russia does not qualify.[/quote]

I thought host country qualifies automatically, isn't it?

And so was Qatar and the world knows what is going on there. Both countrie$ were the $ame $hoes. 2018 will be interesting if Russia does not qualify.[/quote]

I thought host country qualifies automatically, isn't it?[/quote]You are right. They are given placement. I still wonder how it will all pan out. I am sure the Russian government will gift its players if amdvancements amd/or goals made.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

"The very recent Greek crisis provides an opportunity. The Greeks are in hock to around $271 billion to all official lenders. The government in Athens has agreed to transfer state assets of $80 billion to an independent fund. How about selling a permanent site in Greece for the Summer Olympics? An uninhabited island would be ideal, not too far from the coast accessible by ferries as well as planes.
The sale will allow an international zone to be created, provide desperately needed revenue to Greece, some relief for debtors while the necessary construction happens and could help to stimulate the Greek economy. Having a permanent site for the summer Olympics would also return the Games to their historic birthplace, and dispense with the fiscal insanity of cities overbidding for the Summer Olympics leaving themselves with debts and underused infrastructure."

If they pick one place to have it, it will never be in the US. Take LA off your list.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Only the IOC knows this, not us mere spectators.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

It's just politics. Russia, China, the Middle Eastern countries, plus plenty of Europe would all strenuously object to it being anywhere in the US, probably even in North America although nobody really hates Canada.

That's one of the reasons Greece is a good option. They're small enough that they aren't in a power position, and so nobody really cares.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Host automatically qualifies.

Actually, aside from the two arenas, I don't think Vancouver had many facilities for the Olympics. The speed skating oval was new, the Olympic park at Whistler was, I believe, new, or redone. An absolutely massive, twisting, precarious length of highway through the mountains to Whistler was completely re-done, the entire, sprawling Olympic village development was new, etc. The hotels and tourism infrastructure was there in Whistler and Vancouver, but, most of the venues were new.

Here in Victoria, we hosted the Commonwealth games in '94. Those games were smaller scale then, but we still built a very large (for the time) pool facility, velodrome, new track at the University, etc. Everything that was built for those games (minus the velodrome, which struggles to stay open) has more then paid for itself. The tracks are used by the University, the pool is still the city's major recreation centre, etc.

I look at situations like Sochi, where an entire resort town and venues were built to host the games, and are now a ghost village, and just shake my head.

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

In this day and age, that is a disgrace. Both the Contractor and govt department officials responsible should serve time. There's a good reason the lowest bid should automatically be thrown out. Corners have been cut somewhere. The question is how significant those corners are.

http://distractify.com/...ic-venues-1197627259


What a waste of money, also do we really need to still have the Olympics?

I think there are plenty of capable countries willing to host the Olympics. I'd imagine most of the recent venues would be happy to have their infrastructure re-used. I think London made a pretty good job of the last games, and there's been no noticeable bitching about the cost which turned out to be fairly modest compared with the previous one in China.

France would host the games in the blink of an eye given the chance. I think the issue for many less developed countries is that hosting the Olympics is a massive opportunity for the ruling elites to make a lot of money out of all the government contracts that get awarded. In somewhere like London or Paris where most of the infrastructure already exists, there's less scope for corruption.

I echo what Nobbie has said about London and Paris both being able to host the Olympics at fairly short notice and would also add Seoul - I was there on business in a few years ago and they have preserved and still use most of the facilities (after nearly 30 years) and seem proud of their Olympic legacy. London looks to be doing the same.

Agreed, and yes. I love the idea of the Olympics, just hate the way it's become corrupted and over-commercialized. And that's the reason why all this talk of one venue year after year is hilarious: there is zero-point-zero chance the IOC would ever agree to it, too much money in their present, corrupt system. And really, half the IOC governing body would disappear as soon as a one-host system were implemented, it's a bloated, political, corrupted group that spends half their time collecting fees and analyzing bids and half their time squeezing every last dollar out of commercial rights and organizing development. If they established one host country and got the infrastructure in place what would that massive governing body be responsible for?

I like the idea of some random island being bought by the IOC, a massive development effort to build up hotels, venues, supporting infrastructure (roads/transport), then using that as the host 'country' every 2 years and otherwise maintaining it as a tourist attraction, a giant park for visitors to ski/surf/run/bobsled/skate to their hearts content.

What a waste of money, also do we really need to still have the Olympics?[/quote]
Agreed, and yes. I love the idea of the Olympics, just hate the way it's become corrupted and over-commercialized. And that's the reason why all this talk of one venue year after year is hilarious: there is zero-point-zero chance the IOC would ever agree to it, too much money in their present, corrupt system. And really, half the IOC governing body would disappear as soon as a one-host system were implemented, it's a bloated, political, corrupted group that spends half their time collecting fees and analyzing bids and half their time squeezing every last dollar out of commercial rights and organizing development. If they established one host country and got the infrastructure in place what would that massive governing body be responsible for?

I like the idea of some random island being bought by the IOC, a massive development effort to build up hotels, venues, supporting infrastructure (roads/transport), then using that as the host 'country' every 2 years and otherwise maintaining it as a tourist attraction, a giant park for visitors to ski/surf/run/bobsled/skate to their hearts content.[/quote]

I think you summed it pretty well. There is a solution but it's unlikely to happen. IOC (and FIFA for that matter) are organization runs by committees but zero leadership.

Watopia, yes?

Paris as a permanent Olympic venue would be cool, esp since they invested the modern day Olympics. London did a great job, with the new venues are still going concerns (do you still need to book to swim at the pool?) and the others were pop-up venues which were dismantled afterwards (Horseguards for beach volleyball for example)

Rio is turning into a very bad joke. At least Putin didn't have to bankrupt the state to hold his vanity project at Sochi.

---

Swim. Overbike. Walk.

This is comedy.
http://gawker.com/...re-fucked-1782463214

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I would get all member nations to chip in for permanent facilities. As for why Greece, it's pretty obvious isn't it.

Once again... why would the other countries chip in if there's no economic benefit to them? So the USA is going to give Greece a billion dollars just because it's the Olympics? Reality doesn't work like that.

---

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One

Here is another gem from Rio:

http://edition.cnn.com/...-security/index.html

"Rio police tell tourists they won't be able to protect them"
"The state's police officers vented their anger Monday with a sign saying, "Welcome to Hell," outside Rio's main airport. "Police and firefighters don't get paid, whoever comes to Rio de Janeiro will not be safe," the sign said."


On the other hand the official Rio Olympic site has a different massage:

https://www.olympic.org/...ead-of-olympic-games

"Michael Temer, Interim President of Brazil, says the host city has been transformed and is safe and ready to show its well-proven ability to host major international events."

Both are from the last 1-2 days. It is a comedy.

The IOC is the biggest joker around now. Just because the elected officials who are constantly surrounded by security feel safe at the time of visit, what about the rest of the visitors? For as crazy as the entire situation is and has been, I am really looking forward to the Paralympics in September because the sports are much more interesting to me.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Pigs bum
Sydney, home of the best olympics ever!

It's June less that 2 months before the games start and Brazil still have organizational issues.
https://www.theguardian.com/...y-olympic-games-2016

This has become standard fare now in the run-up to all recent Olympic Games - with the possible exception of Beijing.


With Brazil the situation does seem more acute than in the past - the political and economic situation in Brazil, probably leading to a lot of the problems.


Hosting the Olympic Games and the World Cup of Soccer are massive, and massively expensive under-takings. Recent studies have shown that no matter how you slice it or dice it, no matter what positive spin the IOC/FIFA and the local politicians and proponents put on it, these sports events are a net economic negative for the host country/region.


What would be better going forward for both FIFA and the IOC, is to do one of two things:


1. Go back to previous hosts that have all the facilities and infrastructure in place.


2. Only go to countries like China, that because of it's non-democratic and totalitarian government, it can just wave a magic wand and make everything just perfect! Cost be damned

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

For the world cup, this is an easier undertaking, since you'd just have to lower the bar to which they'd accept a passable stadium. Most of the competitive countries probably have the requisite 5-6 stadiums already in place since those same countries usually have a home league. Ok - so you'd probably need more stadiums than this, and you'd really need to lower the bar in terms of size/quality, but its doable. You're favouring Europe and the Americas if you do this, but if you don't need the shiny new stadium in the middle of nowhere that will never get used again, its doable.

For the Olympics, you're right - its probably former hosts and the odd totalitarian regime who could still pull it off. How after all - how many cities, let alone countries, have a world class swim venue within driving distance of a world class velodrome? Perhaps the solution here is just to allow countries to host, rather than cities while also lowering the bar in terms of facility quality.

Or maybe just add a sustainability criterion to the selection process. Host cities lose points if they blow a ton of money on a stadium in the middle of nowhere? In order to host, you need to prove how these facilities will continue to be used long after the Olympics have come and gone...

Why the hell does the IOC care if the city can afford it or if they will properly use the facility afterwards? All they care about is that the job gets done, it is not their concern how it is paid for or if it is practical long term.

There were some good arguments in the thread in favor of having one location for the Olympics, weather it be Greece or somewhere else. Lot have agreed that's the way to go (but unlikely to happen).

There were 12 stadiums in Brazil and same number are planned in Russia. I think SA had only 10 (not sure). Let's talk about Brazil (a soccer super power). While they had some stadiums in place they all needed to be renovated. They had to build few more totally new studious. The cost was estimated a 3 billions dollars. I clearly remember the outrage of the new stadium they build in the northwest jungle are - Manaus. There is no major soccer team there! I don't know how much and if they lowered the bar but I suspect you are underestimating the significance of undertaking of a world cup.
I found an article from last year.
http://www.businessinsider.com/...ne-year-later-2015-5

edit: 7(!) new stadiums, 5 renovated in 12 cities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/...IFA_World_Cup_venues

no doubt it is adding to this Olympics burden on Brazil, and people are angry.

On the bright side, Brazil will host the Copa America in 2019 so they already have the necessary infrastructure in place (maybe more than what they will need).

I do agree that the complexity level of hosting the Olympic games are much higher.

Edit: response meant to the previous poster.

The Wall.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

It's a good video. I like the part where they have a clear wall as you drive past the brand new school but concrete when you go by the slums.

Just reinforces how the IOC are a joke. The corrupt bidding process, the money spent on facilities that will end up sitting vacant and the incredible amounts of money spent while ignoring many of the residents again shows the value in having a single host.

Open water swim anyone?
Dope your lives away, nobody cares.
Four weeks left and all is good to go for the world to see the truth. I can only imagine the commentators will point out the factoids that lead up to this international disaster rather than focusing on the athletes.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

the biggest irony on all of this fiasco, is that these Olympic games just illuminate and highlights all of Brazil's illnesses and problems as a country. A oppose to promote and enhance it. I think Rio set a new higher bar here with these Olympics.

Just reminded me of a documentary I saw couple of years ago about the Sochi winter games. They interviewed an old couple that were simply moved out of their home since it was in the way of some construction going on. I found this link in this context:
http://www.rferl.org/...-sochi/25191988.html
while searching couldn't resist this one.
http://www.nytimes.com/...i-olympics-2014.html

Reminds me of the tale "The Emperor New Clothes" by Hans Christian Andersen. Nobody dares to say anything until a kid points to it.

Check out the video on the Paralympics site. The venues are stacked and appear to be on an island of their own. Also, though the games begin in less than a month, no actually images are yet shown. Bizarre.
https://m.paralympic.org/rio-2016

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

So the Paralympics have a separate venue? I thought the whole point of having the Para's in the same city was to take advantage of the new infrastructure. Bizarre.

No, you are right, both games are held at the same venues. I saw the video on the Paralympics site and it very well may be on the Olympics site too.
If you want a good laugh, watch this one.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

The kids from the Favelas have been an issue in Brazil for many years. Did you see the movie 'city of God"?
It was known that the police were simply killing them for years. This was the case before the world cup in 2014 and possibly now. I am not taking sides but it's tragic that this problem is increasing while they host those big events.

https://www.amnesty.org/...olympics-have-begun/

Let's concentrate on the positives per this WSJ article:
http://www.wsj.com/...-olympics-1467921052

note: "a new downtown......NBA players, who will be staying on a ship in the port, are expected to make regular appearances"

I clearly remember police officers killing street kids just to rid the streets of them however, only a few were given sentences for murder. This video is telling of the crime and theft amongst street kids (who wear white flip flops):

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Most of the kids in that video are all carrying empty water bottles and sniffing glue it looks like.

If you notice they all shake them then put it to their nose. I'm assuming it's glue or something in there that they are huffing.

.

Seems as though it might still be happening.
http://www.irishexaminer.com/...killings-409358.html

Yes, those kids are huffing. Amongst the the pack, I wonder who the ring leader is because someone blows a whistle before they scatter from some they could not rob from.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

The FIFA and IOC knew about this for many years yet allowed Brazil to host the games. Brazil, South Africa and Qatar have been a big fat disaster in regards to the rights of humans.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

in my much younger days...we were coming home one morning, as in 2am, and we had stopped to get some gas. it's me and two buddies in my jeep, top off. so as i'm fueling we're chatting and this dude comes from out of the shadows with this zombie look in his eyes. he isn't walking towards us, just towards the pumps, and is carrying a milk carton. he walks up to the set of pumps that we're not at, takes the hose off the pump and puts it in the milk carton trying to drain what ever gas he may be able to extract. hits a couple of the pumps at the other bay and as he turns to go back into the dark starts taking big hits out of his milk jug.

i cant imagine how fried this guys brain must have been.

---

ΜΟΛΩΝ-ΛΑΒΕ
we're doomed

I saw this video. I found this article that probably describes the situation the best.
http://www.ibtimes.com/...zil-olympics-2353865

"But many Brazilians approve of the crackdown. Vinicius Miguel, who works with the rights group Defense for Children International, said the authorities’ harsh tactics ahead of the Olympics reflect a deep-seated animosity toward street children among the broader public".

Is that Subaru Legacy your next big purchase?

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

lol. too much tv and outdoors today, I am tired. will have to look for the article again.

Here it is:
http://www.ibtimes.com/...zil-olympics-2353865

He should get an Altima, Nissan is the 2016 auto sponsor ;)

it's for the cleaning lady. on her days off in the winter she like to go skiing up north.

I read it some weeks back. It reminded me of a documentary I once saw about those street kids who were killed by the police. There was one little black boy who had sadly been in and out of jail as if he were actually attending school. The boy had been through the system so much that it do bother him but gave him a meal for the night. I kept thinking to myself, why is this and how can people not care for the kids? With the games approaching in 25 or so days, we will all read about how bad life is in Brazil but come September 19, it will all be forgotten. Same thing happened in South Africa for World Cup.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Better yet, a Mercedes Metris would be even better so that we can all go skiing with the cleaning lady.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

sadly so true.

It Is getting even more interesting. Security Chief just quit. http://www.independent.co.uk/...-warns-a6964456.html

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I'd say that Houston is another city that could conceivably take on the Olympics without going into debt - almost everything is already in place.

twomarks

wow. Crazy. Anyone else notice the kids seemed to target all men? I was surprised by that.

At the beginning, there is a girl bothering another female (wearing a backpack). A few on the bus were females and if I am not mistaken, an older woman was knocked down in the street. For as much as I do not care for people beating on one another, the man who punched the kid was funny. Good for him!

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I want to see Part 2 of this series if the mayor gets his wish on Pokemon Go for the Rio Olympics. Talk about fish in a barrel.
Still trying to figure out why that one kid gave the stuff back he snatched from the woman on the bus.

The mayor should have just come out and said "Let's make getting mugged in Rio a bit more easier."
Perhaps the kid gave back the item taken off the bus because he realized it was a decoy.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

In general, I think you are right. Maybe not indefinitely, but it would certainly make sense to have them in one place for at least 2 Olympic games, if not 3-4. Over that time scale, between the games themselves and in between wanting to be familiar with the facilities (so they would get used) it would make a lot more sense. So instead of having been an albatross for Greece, it would have actually been an overall economic benefit.

However, back to the corruption and payoff for the IOC, a stable site would eliminate the payoffs/bribes/kickbacks every four years, so yeah, not going to happen.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/...4201e0645_story.html
As if this is new news.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

we will have to wait and see.
Here is a cool ad on the Paralympics games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk

Brilliant! The trailer reminds me a lot of the London Paralympics closing ceremony that was so beautifully performed. These games should be good.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

The Russians thought they could get away with doping. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...i-winter-olympics-s/

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Good grief, there's this...
http://www.smh.com.au/...20160724-gqcqxy.html

And then the IOC proves it has no balls...
http://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/36878983

The more of this I see, the more I think the best thing to do is give the games a pass.

These games will be Sochi revisited.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

The US basketball team would not have any of this issue to deal/worry off. to their "defense" they never stayed in the athlete village in any Olympic, but it has extra weight in Rio.

http://www.sportingnews.com/...mz4hs631ck5jwm297bzk

http://olympics.nbcsports.com/...ruise-ship-olympics/

I'll fully admit that I am an all-out Olympic Addict - or at least have been. Main reason, all the sports that are of real interest to me, take center-stage for 2 1/2 weeks ( and many other sports that I never get to watch but like to when on TV), get great coverage and often in prime-time. Of course I have been lucky to live in Canada, and the CBC, up until this Olympic Games, would have wall-to-wall, virtually all-day coverage of Olympic Games, covering as many sports as they humanly could live and in real time.

This Summer Games from Rio, may see a change for me:

1) Despite my sunny optimism, the non-stop drug stories, are starting to, finally make me a cynic. How can you not be when you have friends and people you know personally, cheated out of places in finals and even medals!

2) My contacts at the CBC tell me that, with HUGE budget cut-backs, there will be dramatic changes in what get's covered live and what does not. Most sports, from most venues will have an online live stream option, but what is shown on the network, will be greatly reduced. At this writing, they are not sure if the triathlons will get a network-time-slot. Live-stream for sure, but it just so happens, that this time around the triathlons will be competing with some other high profile competitions. That will be a big change from 2008 - when on the main CBC Network, the men's triathlon race had the highest viewer numbers on the CBC for any race/event during the Beijing games!!

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I keep hearing about how the open water swimmers will be in the pollution-filled lagoon, but according to this:

https://smsprio2016-a.akamaihd.net/...thon_swimming_en.pdf

...the 10km swim events are in the sea off Copacabana Beach.

Was the venue moved? Am I missing something? Are the sailing events still in Poop Lagoon?

ETA: Upon further research, it seems the sailing events are still being held in Guanabara Bay (should be re-named Guano-bara Bay?), but I am not sure the open water swimming events have ever been scheduled to be there. I thought I had heard that the triathlon swim would be off Copacbana beach and that the open water swimming would be somewhere else (more polluted), but that doesn't seem to be the case, at least not now.

I am not sure if the marathon swim location has been moved. However both the Triathlon swim and the marathon swim are being held at Fort Copacabana, which is also the start point for the cycle road racing.

Two years ago I spent a week in Rio and swam every day at Copacabana beach and did not get sick. Most days the swell / waves were quite large and this could have an impact on the swimmers. It is a beautiful location.

The Russians are still catching heat for the Olympics. http://www.thedailybeast.com/...e&source=copyurl

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Steve, I am the same Olympic fan and spent a lot of time in front of the t.v watching CBC coverage. I always loved the track and field coverage, which I though was first rate. They spent a lot of time covering Canadian athletes of course but I thought the focus was always on covering the best, even if a Canadian wasn't in the field.

I've been looking forward to the games again but you are right, it's not the same. I am tired of always hearing about the corruption within the IOC and a lot of that can be solved if they just kept the Olympics in Greece. No more bidding, wining and dining with delegates making millions.


For me, the Russian scandal is really upsetting because I know it isn't the only country engaging in State sponsored drug abuse. I have no proof but China comes to mind as another country (remember the Chinese women from a few Olympics past). They want to win the medal count and I know enough about how they work to be extremely suspicious. If countries like that can cheat with tacit government approval, what about all the smaller countries that want one of their athletes to win on the world stage and that says nothing about the athletes themselves, who can cheat on their own.


I'm also disappointed with the budget cuts at the CBC and suspect that the Olympics will go the way of boxing, where you have pay per view. The IOC delegates want more money and if Rio turns out to be less than a spectacular success, corporations may start re-thinking their massive contributions. They will look for more money and getting viewers to pay seems to be the next step.

Australia is off to a rough start in Rio.
TV woman reporter (near) robbed by transvestites in Copacaban beach.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/...ahern-mugged-in-rio/

in Australian TV they make fun of it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...ite-Rio-Janeiro.html

Australian athletes in the village have some drama (fire drills).
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...mes-village-Rio.html

Not really a fire drill. An actual fire, but the smoke detectors seem to have been disabled.

I predict that we will discover the Russians are behind the poor facilities for the Australians in an attempt to gain competitive advantage.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Meanwhile France has a an advise to visitors at Rio - Surrender (actually not a bad advise)
http://www.reuters.com/...-crime-idUSKCN1072MQ

And in open water swimming - keep your mouth closed
http://kdvr.com/...-keep-mouths-closed/

According to the NYT article the marathon swimming is in Guanabara Bay. Yet the official Rio Olympics web site says that the marathon swimming is being held at the Fort Copacabana beach where the Triathlon swim is being held. According to the article the water is safe at Copacabana and meets WHO standards.

https://www.rio2016.com/en/marathon-swimming

Serious question, how much did they pay the health official to say that?

In the case of Russia and China the reasons can run deeper. If u look at Chinese soccer league for example,, they are growing in leaps and bounds by spending huge amounts of money and signing foreign players (not the top ones buy still) and have huge media coverage. Reason is that the Chinese gov't recognized "sport and entertainment" as part of it's national policy. Once you label it as such then it can open doors to wrong doing. This is just an example. No question that Russia in a similar manner looking for more success and influence thru it's sport programs. When the governments of emerging countries (?) (politics) gets involved in sport it can lead to things like that. And it's particularly true in the case of eastern European countries (East Germany). Some things don't really change much.

Funny how the devious Rooskies were all doped up, doping gives a large advantage, and the difference between elite athletes is small, yet a piss-ant country like Great Britain beat them in the medal count at the 2012 Olympics. Very curious. Travelling with your own pillow and putting pineapple juice in your water must work wonders.

Security firm fired
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/...-over-221722153.html

The blame game has already begun
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...lems-foreigners.html

The Russian doping lab in pictures-http://www.nytimes.com/...i-olympics-2014.html

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Wow.

The amount of resources devoted solely to keeping athletes from cheating at a game is crazy. As is the amount of effort spent by cheaters trying to evade detection.

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

A few takes from the article.

1) I wonder how long it will take before we read that Grigory Rodchenkov does of poisoning or meets some form of "accident?"


2) I always wondered about the complicity of the athletes themselves. The article states that the athletes sent photos of their doping control forms to the lab, is that a normal procedure?


3) The IOC is a disgrace for not banning the entire team.

So far the real celebrities are from Australia. Seems like everyday they are making the news. https://www.thestar.com/...thletes-village.html

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Take away a county's guns and look what the men turn into: From Crocodile Dundee to a bunch of pantywaists whinging about mosquitoes and missing t-shirts. Next they will be making press releases about the frappuccinos in Olympic village being too warm.

Elite athletes and gov't entities with special interest in them will always be ahead of the curve. Maybe I'm cynical. But years in the iron sport (the real one) taught me drugs are easily available and hard to detect if used properly. Endurance peds are a little different in that the edge endurance peds give you isn't long lasting or as easy to maintain off it.

Anabolic benefits have always been easily maintained a month. I've heard some athletes are going 2-3 months off cycle with minimal lost power.

---

---

"In the world I see you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You'll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Towers. And when you look down, you'll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying stripes of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway." T Durden

We will still beat you in the pool and the marathon swim. Having to swim faster than the sharks in Oz is a great motivator. :)

According to the NYT article the marathon swimming is in Guanabara Bay. Yet the official Rio Olympics web site says that the marathon swimming is being held at the Fort Copacabana beach where the Triathlon swim is being held. According to the article the water is safe at Copacabana and meets WHO standards.
http://www.independent.co.uk/...almost-a7165866.html

Russia may not have a Paralymic team at the games. https://www.rt.com/...ic-athletes-ban-rio/

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Womens soccer has begun with preliminary games.
Sweden 1- South Africa 0
Brazil 3- China 0
Canada 2- Australia 0
Germany 2- Zimbabwe 0 at half time
USA plays New Zeland in a few minutes time. Unfortunately Spectrum internet provider does not offer game coverage unless on subscribes to a bundle with television, which I do not have. Flippin' NBC!

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Looks like the women will move on fairly easily. Interesting to hear the Brazilian crowd chanting Zika every time Solo touches the ball.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Ah, never mind from the other thread. I guess she said/posted some stuff that made her look paranoid. Kind of a stupid thing to chant IMO.

This will be considered overly polite in the soccer world (well at least men's soccer).

I was looking fwd for the opening ceremony...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...irector-reveals.html

the news keep coming.
Swedish tourists kidnapped, robbed and released unharmed on main road from north Rio to the Olympic village.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/...5d9dc9e6a3c7d634c531

And coming...http://www.cnn.com/...-rio-2016/index.html

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Russian diplomat expert in JJ pulls car jacker in to car and shoots him dead

Best story so far....

the opening ceremony will be broadcast no live. Only 1 hr delay on the east cost (usa) but still. The network admitted it's because of commercials to be viewed by max people. Bob Costas said he does not understand what the big deal, it's only a ceremony (will have to endure this Costas "robot" for the whole games now?)
I wonder what other broadcasts will not be aired live.

"Believed to be a diplomat".
Russian diplomat Marcos Cesar Feres Braga disarmed and shot to death a man who attempted to rob him while he waited in traffic after the Olympic torch relay today, according to Globo
??

Edit: just saw it was mentioned in the other thread.

FWIW - The CBC in Canada will be showing the Opening Ceremonies tonight live and in full starting at 6:30pm EDT

Typical with NBC - it seems few if anything from The Olympics can be actually shown live!

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

On NBC tonight, on only 1 hr tape delay, witness the spectacle of the lighting of the Olympic cauldron (brought to you by Citronella).

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

we're on schedule.


Brazil's former volleyball player Isabel Barroso Salgado, right, and Rio de Janeiro's Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta hold the Olympic torch in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue on its way for the opening ceremony of Rio's 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana) The Associated Press
http://www.usnews.com/...summer-olympic-games

http://www.abc.net.au/...-flame-hopes/7692780

Moroccan woes, Brazilian woman, Boxer to miss the games.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/...he-athletes-village/

Damn, I hope this story is not true.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

As I sit here listening to Azymuth, the anticipation is building for the opening ceremony. I have a feeling it will be superb (maybe not sd spectular as Beijing) but pretty damn festive. My only hope is that all five Olympic rings will illuminate, unlike what took place in Sochi in 2014.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I wouldn't hold my breath for success. I hope its good, but they already had to get the fire department to cut the locks for one of the soccer stadiums because they lost the keys. I'm not feeling super confident in their competence.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Es normal.

---

Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Success is relative as is my idea of the opening ceremony beig superb. With all of the problems Brazil has been facing in recent years, every little bit of nothing has been sensationalized. Not much of this has happened in previous Olympics. Rio hosting the first games in South America will do a good job because this is a big deal.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I think/hope that it will be festive. Brazilian knows how to celebrate and party, they have been doing it every year. I hope that any logistical problems (if any) won't hinder the ceremony or any competition for this matter, and we will only read about it afterwards.
But again it's a shame how divided Brazil has become as a result of hosting it. Having said that I will still be watching the games but it's really won't be the same. For me some of "the thrill is gone" as the background noise is pretty loud, clear and can't be simply ignored.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/...nment-and-the-games/

Speaking of Olympic woes, why is Johnny Weir still a thing, and why the hell is he part of the Summer Olympic broadcast team?

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

To ask such a question indicates you have no clue about fashion. He and Lipinsky are the house fashion comics/critics who are making their summer debut in Rio.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Umm, so next question. Why the hell do we need a fashion team for the Olympic Games.

Oh, also, fuck you NBC. 5,4,3,2,1,...the Rio opening ceremonies begin, here's a commercial break.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

NBC uses them for all their big events including the Kentucky Derby and the Winter Classic. Not that they add anything.

---

"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

You next question was my first when I saw those two quasi clowns glittered up yesterday. The time wasted on their nonsense should be spent on the PARTICIPATING athletes, not those of the past.
I need a doggone userid and password so that I can watch the show now. I will surely be asleep by 9p tonight and miss most of it. Flipping NBC!

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

.

You're mostly only missing commercials. We're 26 mins in and have already had 3 commercial breaks.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

They don't add anything, just like a lot of the silly NBC journalists/reporters who are down there. E! sent down a crew of gossipers to ask questions about nothing. Is Andy Cohen taking the housewives down there to argue about who gets to step out in the highest heels while visiting Sugarloaf?

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

http://mashable.com/...s-fail/#L9lji81Rl5qb
Parade is good but the first part was a mish-mash of stuff just like London did. The little bit of country history was excellent but
I think it should have lasted longer to really tell the tale. The last hour, I suspect will be 45 minutes of commercial breaks with Brazil enterering the arena in between. I need to find a way to get the South African live stream because NBC is a mess.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

DVR is a wonderful device. Fast forward though commercials.

And Johnny Weir is a hoot.

---

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

What will happen to the venues when the olympics are done ? Left to decay or be used?

Here is an article on the future of the venues but with so much corruption in Brazil as a whole, there is no telling what will reall happen. http://www.wired.com/...ot-theyll-transform/

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

What will happen to the venues when the olympics are done ? Left to decay or be used?


It will be like just about every venue in almost every city that hosted the Olympics, left to decay. No one will admit it now but give it a few years.

In the old days we just called them by their real titles: KGB Field Operative

---

Remember - It's important to be comfortable in your own skin... because it turns out society frowns on wearing other people's

Joan Rivers was much better...

I don't like the Rio tennis courts. It seems like there's an awful lot of dead space around the court, so the crowd is far away. I'm used to being able to see the crowd react. I wonder if the players like it more or less.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Hope Solo is worthless. Columbia has not scored a fucking goal in 3 prior games and Solo has wiffed on two tonight.

---

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

She played pretty well in the two previous games. That first one was definitely a whiff. I'm not sure if she could reach the second.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I cannot figure what the hell she was doing on the first. She completely misplayed the second.

Frustrating game. Spent at least 75% of the time on Columbia's side and still played to a draw.

---

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

I hope it's a kick in the ass to pick it up in the next round.

On a side note, Alex Morgan and Kristen Press are still hot. Just as an update.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Absolutely!

---

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Seems like mens beach volleyball was a better viewing choice. Womens basketball and rugby are a trip.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

no mention on the green pool...

http://time.com/...ol-green-blue-algae/

Perhaps today one of the pools will be yellow to symbolize the colors of the Brazilian flag.
What is with the Ukrainians? http://www.businessinsider.com/...-tanks-finals-2016-8

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I say cry foul on this.

Odd stuff. Unless they can come up with a pretty good believable explanation, they should probably be tossed.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

It's odd, but why should they be tossed?

Is there some competitive advantage to forfeiting the team competition?

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

The potential competitive advantage is that the athletes who should have been competing got an extra day of rest, avoided the stress of competition and potential injury, etc, and go into event and all-around finals more fresh than the rest of the competition.

Think of it like if the US soccer team had their pool wrapped up, so they decided to throw the final game in pool play so they could be fresher for the next round. The teams and athletes are expected to compete in good faith.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Perhaps today one of the pools will be yellow to symbolize the colors of the Brazilian flag.

---
Well, most of the swimmers themselves are trying to help in this endeavor...

---

---

---

Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

Eh. I don't think a day of rest is all that big of a deal for gymnasts. It's not like that ping pong thing from the last Olympics where competitors were forfeiting matches to get an easier draw.


Think of it like if the US soccer team had their pool wrapped up, so they decided to throw the final game in pool play so they could be fresher for the next round.

Teams do that all the time.

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Ok, well as a former gymnast, I'll just tell you that I disagree.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

OK. I'll just note that whatever advantage there might be, it doesn't seem clear enough or big enough that everyone can plainly see that they forfeited the team event in order to take advantage of it. If it was, there wouldn't be so much confusion about what they're thinking about.

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

I definitely agree that there is confusion, and it may be that their purpose was to make a statement, or because they were too disorganized to understand the rules for athlete substitution, but the effect is that they gain competitive advantage by not competing in good faith. Even with only two athletes, they could have gone up there and done their routines.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I won't say they should be tossed, but an argument for their elimination is that they violated the spirit of the Olympics, which is by it's very nature 'competing in sport'. They didn't compete. In not competing, but qualifying for the team finals, they denied another team the opportunity to do so, a team that was willing to compete.

I mean, this is small scale, one team...what if more teams decided to not compete, what if every team decided they'd lay down? Not much of a 'competition'.

It might be their prerogative to do what they did, and it may not violate any IOC or IGF rules, but it goes against the nature of competition.

Either way, very strange, it'll be interesting to hear what their actual motives were.

no mention on the green pool...

Something I have noted just generally with the facilities so far - compared to Bejing, London and Sochi, they all see a bit thrown together and shabby. Down a couple of standards from the most recent Olympic Games.


Understandable when you consider the Brazilians have spent considerably less on these Games than previous hosts, and even at this level the expenses are crippling the country.


Maybe, at this time the IOC will get this that this ever expanding and ever more costly 2-week extravaganza can't keep going on like this.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Maybe, at this time the IOC will get this that this ever expanding and costly 2-week extravaganza can't keep going on like this.

You still believe in Santa Claus, don't you?

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

In not competing, but qualifying for the team finals, they denied another team the opportunity to do so, a team that was willing to compete.

That, to me, is a more compelling argument- if it turns out that it was premeditated, and not the result of stupidity. (I do find it difficult to believe that the Ukrainian gymnastic team doesn't know the rules about substituting athletes.)

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Maybe, at this time the IOC will get this that this ever expanding and costly 2-week extravaganza can't keep going on like this.

The IOC members did just fine with the Olympics. They have no incentive to change anything.

Not sure if specifically relate to this pool, but someone posted a link saying that Brazil have plans to disintegrate many of the newly build structure and reuse it else ware. Kind of like Modular structure. It will remain to be seen how many white elephants will be left, one that come to mind is the Arena de Amazonia in Manaus where there is no major soccer team in that area.
And as mentioned, the IOC will unlikely change anything. It will be up to some powerful nations and sponsors to maybe force a change.

And some more.
Judo medalist from Belgium almost robbed of his medal..
http://sports.yahoo.com/...beach-234727753.html

But it should not work as they suppose to be fully hydrated..

Wait until the swimmers on beet juice get in the water

---

---

---

Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

This is why the IOC have no plans of changing anytime soon. https://www.washingtonpost.com/...s-collect/?tid=a_inl

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Beeturia next to swimmers on carrot juice could make an interesting lane coloring.

similar in the basketball court. Just saw the US beat Australia and you can hardly see the crowed. Maybe for security reasons. Australia gave the US a good fight, played physical but US only went 15 or so to the free line.

The other day I saw there are tickets remaining for nearly every event of Paralympics, some damn near free of charge. Sad.

Why is that sad?

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

It is sad because it is a loss of participating athlete support and it does not help support the local economy.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Um, if you say so. I don't get it.

Not sure how watching the paralympics supports the local economy, really. And yeah, I guess it reflects a lack of athlete support, but you know, them's the breaks. I personally don't have any interest in watching the paralympics. Most people don't. It's not sad, it's just the way it is.

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Think about this, if people have tickets to attend an event, local businesses make money for a month, not just 18 days. My pount was not just about Paralympics but the games as a whole. Paralympics are the shit!!! Check out wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby in mid-September and see some hard ass athletes busting a move. It is incredible.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

Think about this, if people have tickets to attend an event, local businesses make money for a month, not just 18 days.

I guess. Hotel rooms and such.

Check out wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby in mid-September and see some hard ass athletes busting a move. It is incredible.

Meh. I don't watch basketball to start with, and rugby is mostly a novelty to me- I watch occasionally if I happen to come across a game (match?) but I don't follow it regularly. More power to those who play in wheelchairs, but I am just not interested as a spectator.

I have noticed a lot of empty stands during these Olympics. Not sure if that's just the events I've been watching, or if it's always that way, or if it's because of the reported troubles in Rio, or what. (I watched the men's team archery with my kids, and there was NOBODY watching in the stands. I mean, I know it's archery, but it looked like their own mothers weren't interested enough to show up. They were competing in a ghost town.)

---

"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Apparently, the starting platform for the open water swimmers has collapsed and sunk.

http://www.smh.com.au/...utm_source=flipboard

---

---

---

Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

More green pool epic's
http://news.nationalpost.com/...of-visibility-issues

Can't even keep a pool clean. WTF.

Watching the track and field, it looks like they printed the numbers off the local inkjet printer on really cheap paper.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

They had the bib numbers in sheet protectors for the equestrian events.

---

check out my blog http://theswimmingtriathlete.com

Surely those cheap bibs did not slow down the Jamaican women from getting gold and bronze in the 100m. Jamaica is always a threat on the track. I would claim a DNS at the sight of them.

---

_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.

I first noticed that there was not too many people walking around outside. Then swimming a top event looked half empty. Gymnastic was about the same. Track looks looks completely empty.

Also, at the Olympic Stadium the seats are sooooooo far from the track. It looks like they could soccer fields side by side in the field.

---

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

It does look somewhat sloppy. Maybe is made of a recycled paper (?).
The medals are made of recycled silver.
"More than 30 percent of the silver used in the production of the medals are recycled from mirrors, waste solders and X-ray plates. The gold is mined entirely free of mercury. More than 40 percent of the copper used in the production of the bronze medals came from the industrial waste of the Mint of Brazil through a process that was developed internally."
http://www.forbes.com/...-medal/#59dfb7be56f3

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...a659e4b0ba7ed23f501f

What was the deal with the women's marathon today? Several people ran onto the course during the last mile or two.... One seemed like a protester (they had a sign)... I don't know about the others.... The coverage kept cutting away when someone would run out onto the course, and the news I am finding is reporting only one protester.

They should probably double baracade or something for the men's race on Thursday. Can you imagine being close to a medal and having some jerk come tackle you in the last mile of a marathon?

That's the same feeling I have every time I watch a gand tour and see spectators all over the road with the cyclists.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

What was the deal with the women's marathon today? Several people ran onto the course during the last mile or two.... One seemed like a protester (they had a sign)... I don't know about the others.... The coverage kept cutting away when someone would run out onto the course, and the news I am finding is reporting only one protester.


Professional marathon runners and cyclists, are the most exposed and vulnerable athletes competing at this level in any sport in the world. You can only make the courses they compete on so secure, and after that, . . . . really anyone can do anything. And we do see that occasionally in big marathons and on the Pro Tour. We certainly saw that a couple of times at the Tour de France - fan behaviour, impacting the outcome of a stage/race.

I am sure the guys/gals on the cameras at the Olympic Games and the producers have been told to cut away, right away, so that this sort of thing is not widely broadcast. And rightly so - why give these jerks more of an audience and attention, when that is what they want and are seeking.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Not sure if you referred to this, happened in Athens. Brazilian De Lima was leading the race when he was tackled by this Irish priest, ending finishing third.


He was chosen to lit the Olympic torch after Pele declined for health reasons.

Ryan Lochte and 3 other relay swimmers robbed at gunpoint last night....


http://www.nytimes.com/...ytimes&smtyp=cur

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

looks like they were really robbed, leaving a club at 3am or so to go to visit another Brazilian swimmer.
saw it on NPR
http://www.npr.org/...d-at-gunpoint-in-rio

Maybe. I commented on this earlier in the Spoilers thread. Lochte apparently originally denied the robbery, and now he's giving that weird statement. I wouldn't be surprised if they really got taken for their stuff at a shitty whorehouse, and had to come up with an explanation.

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

might aw well mention that too. Games bus hit by gunfire..




http://www.reuters.com/...unfire-idUSKCN10L00W

They should have just asked the US men's basketball team for directions to the brothel.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/...ist-thought-spa.html

---

Long Chile was a silly place.

the De.. brothers

the latest.
"..Overhead TV camera falls in Rio's Olympic park.."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv_6EhEyrX0