The Olympics thread

[klr]

Just posted this elsewhere, but it'll fit here too:

Gigapixel image of the stadium - you can zoom in and see who's on the other side of the stadium.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sphe ... index.html

Spooky, and neat, all at the same time.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Just posted this elsewhere, but it'll fit here too:

Gigapixel image of the stadium - you can zoom in and see who's on the other side of the stadium.

https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sphe ... index.html

And if you mouse side-to-side really quickly you can get air sick.

[klr]

I see the USA has won another gold, this time in Greco-Roman wrestling - beating an Iranian in the final. That will not go down well in Tehran. Who said sport and politics don't mix?

[mistermack]

Thank fuck for drugs testing.

I've just watched a bit of ladies' hammer throwing, and some of them are actually quite sexy. ( in a girlie way !! ).

A few years ago, they looked like they should be covered in fur.

[klr]

Thank fuck for drugs testing.

I've just watched a bit of ladies' hammer throwing, and some of them are actually quite sexy. ( in a girlie way !! ).

A few years ago, they looked like they should be covered in fur.

Some of the women shot putters are still very, very dodgy looking.

A German hammer thrower just got absolutely, utterly, royally shafted there. She threw the hammer out to something very close to the lead mark, but it got measured incorrectly for some reason. She got to throw again, but messed it up. I see a protest in the offing.

The USA has just set a big world record in the final of the Women's 4 x 100. One of the old East German record times finally goes in the bin where it belongs.

[Rum]

Thank fuck for drugs testing.

I've just watched a bit of ladies' hammer throwing, and some of them are actually quite sexy. ( in a girlie way !! ).

A few years ago, they looked like they should be covered in fur.

Interestingly the performance stats have flattened too. They seem to be tackling the issue.

I think there should be an alternative Olympics where they can get totally messed up with drugs and to 7 second 100 metres. I would pay to see that!

..I am a little drunk btw,

[klr]

...

A German hammer thrower just got absolutely, utterly, royally shafted there. She threw the hammer out to something very close to the lead mark, but it got measured incorrectly for some reason. She got to throw again, but messed it up. I see a protest in the offing.

...

The officials some managed to sort it out after all the throwing had finished, and she deservedly got bronze.

Not so good news: The Russian winner was once banned for a doping offence, as was the Turkish winner of the Women's 1500m.

[Coito ergo sum]

Merka! Masters of the precision vault!

[mistermack]

Not so good news: The Russian winner was once banned for a doping offence, as was the Turkish winner of the Women's 1500m.

What's more worrying is the statements coming out of the US camp whenever someone does well.
They make it pretty clear that as far as they are concerned, you can't improve without drugs.

Carl Lewis has been making snide comments about the Jamaicans, hinting that they are using drugs.

That is rich, coming from someone who got his gold when Ben Johnson failed a drug test. It later turned out that Lewis should never have even competed in the Seoul Olympics, as he failed drug tests on THREE occasions, leading up to the games.
The americans were simply ignoring drug test fails for their own athletes.

I always thought that Lewis was using steroids anyway. Those braces on the teeth of a man in his twenties are a dead giveaway.

[Audley Strange]

Is it finished yet?

[klr]

Not so good news: The Russian winner was once banned for a doping offence, as was the Turkish winner of the Women's 1500m.

What's more worrying is the statements coming out of the US camp whenever someone does well.
They make it pretty clear that as far as they are concerned, you can't improve without drugs.

Carl Lewis has been making snide comments about the Jamaicans, hinting that they are using drugs.

That is rich, coming from someone who got his gold when Ben Johnson failed a drug test. It later turned out that Lewis should never have even competed in the Seoul Olympics, as he failed drug tests on THREE occasions, leading up to the games.
The americans were simply ignoring drug test fails for their own athletes.

I always thought that Lewis was using steroids anyway. Those braces on the teeth of a man in his twenties are a dead giveaway.

I've probably said this before: I have known people (and known of people) with braces in their thirties and forties, who've never been into any serious sport, or used steroids for any medical reason. The problem with Lewis for me is the general one you've pointed out: There was no out-of-competition testing at the time, and the national federation testing was "preventative". Lewis would hardly have been alone. Dare I mention Flo-Jo? Don't even get me started on the Eastern Europeans.

Speaking of doping: One member of the world-record USA women's 4 x 100 team (see above) has apparently tweeted that another is on drugs.

[mistermack]

I've probably said this before: I have known people (and known of people) with braces in their thirties and forties, who've never been into any serious sport, or used steroids for any medical reason.

Ok, but I haven't known even one, and I'm sixty two now.

The problem with Lewis for me is the general one you've pointed out: There was no out-of-competition testing at the time, and the national federation testing was "preventative". Lewis would hardly have been alone. Dare I mention Flo-Jo? Don't even get me started on the Eastern Europeans.

Speaking of doping: One member of the world-record USA women's 4 x 100 team (see above) has apparently tweeted that another is on drugs.

Going by the swimming coach's comments about the Chinese girl, or Carl Lewis's snidy comments, then they should apply the same standards to their own athletes.

The only difference between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis was that Carl Lewis had a more professional chemist.
They were ALL at it, back then.

But the comments coming out of the US camp clearly shows that they still believe that you have to take drugs to win.
Nothing seems to have changed at all.

[klr]

...
Going by the swimming coach's comments about the Chinese girl, or Carl Lewis's snidy comments, then they should apply the same standards to their own athletes.

I think US swimming officialdom quickly distanced itself from that guy. 15-year Katie Ledecky (800m freestyle champion) has been improving by leaps and bounds in the past year, but if she wasn't American, some would be on her case. It's a similar story for the 15-year old Lithuanian (Ruta Meilutyte) who won the 100m breaststroke - she's been based in Portsmouth for a few years. I think the performances of those two made people a bit more reticent about accusing Ye Shiwen.

The only difference between Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis was that Carl Lewis had a more professional chemist.
They were ALL at it, back then.

But the comments coming out of the US camp clearly shows that they still believe that you have to take drugs to win.
Nothing seems to have changed at all.

Well, the likes of baseball has big problems with drugs AFAIK, so that wouldn't surprise me.

[FBM]

Stayed up until sunrise to watch S. Korea beat Japan 2-0 for the bronze. The game saw bloodshed on both sides. They seem to not like each other very much.

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

Haven't seen any of it.