11 medals for Allyson Felix!
4x4 gold, 4x4 gold!
Another gold for USA Women's Basketball!
4x4 gold, 4x4 gold!
Another gold for USA Women's Basketball!
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View: https://twitter.com/bennysaint/status/1424245565458567169
Wow, I don't think this fits well with the Olympic spirit. What a jackass.
This was such a crap move, especially given the severe weather conditions. He wasn't just being unsportsman-like, he was downright endangering other runners' wellbeing.View: https://twitter.com/bennysaint/status/1424245565458567169
Wow, I don't think this fits well with the Olympic spirit. What a jackass.
A contrasted Olympics campaign for France, and not really encouraging before Paris 2024.
We were astonishingly good in team events, but we won't reach top 5 in the medal table if we continue to subperform in the three main olympic sports that are Athletics, Swimming and Cycling (2 silver and 2 bronze in Tokyo).
Germany is disappointed with the outcome, of course, but it was to be expected, and then on top there was some "bad luck" involved in some cases which turned some planned gold medals into nothing, like in javelin throw and karate, but that's always and for every nation the case.
I like, though, that the medals are spread across many sports, honestly I don't need 15 medals in track cycling or shooting or even canooing.
So, Germany won medals in canooing, equestrians, tennis, wrestling, athletics, cycling, swimming, judo, rowing, sailing, gymnastics, table tennis, archery and diving.
It can be concluded, though, that there is still a tendency to win in sports that require expensive equipment (horses, bicycles, boats) and even more, that the medals are a result of very ambitious, talented individuals who are willing to put everything into their dream, not of good structures or any kind of program (I don't mean the clinic stuff, but some kind of organized effort and respect for sports/ athletes).
Since the structures won't change for the better I can't see Germany's results getting better in the future.
Germany is disappointed with the outcome, of course, but it was to be expected, and then on top there was some "bad luck" involved in some cases which turned some planned gold medals into nothing, like in javelin throw and karate, but that's always and for every nation the case.
I like, though, that the medals are spread across many sports, honestly I don't need 15 medals in track cycling or shooting or even canooing.
So, Germany won medals in canooing, equestrians, tennis, wrestling, athletics, cycling, swimming, judo, rowing, sailing, gymnastics, table tennis, archery and diving.
It can be concluded, though, that there is still a tendency to win in sports that require expensive equipment (horses, bicycles, boats) and even more, that the medals are a result of very ambitious, talented individuals who are willing to put everything into their dream, not of good structures or any kind of program (I don't mean the clinic stuff, but some kind of organized effort and respect for sports/ athletes).
Since the structures won't change for the better I can't see Germany's results getting better in the future.
My first Olympic watching is Seoul 1988, how the young me thought the unified Germany would have 40 to 50 golds every time...
Isn't this fairly typical, though? I mean, sports which require some kind of expensive equipment tend to favour wealthier countries and disproportionately favour the financially well-off within those countries too. It's perhaps no surprise that developing countries are more easily able to bridge the gap to the wealthier countries in the sports that don't require such significant financial investment from their participants than in things like sailing, cycling and equestrian as a result.Germany is disappointed with the outcome, of course, but it was to be expected, and then on top there was some "bad luck" involved in some cases which turned some planned gold medals into nothing, like in javelin throw and karate, but that's always and for every nation the case.
I like, though, that the medals are spread across many sports, honestly I don't need 15 medals in track cycling or shooting or even canooing.
So, Germany won medals in canooing, equestrians, tennis, wrestling, athletics, cycling, swimming, judo, rowing, sailing, gymnastics, table tennis, archery and diving.
It can be concluded, though, that there is still a tendency to win in sports that require expensive equipment (horses, bicycles, boats) and even more, that the medals are a result of very ambitious, talented individuals who are willing to put everything into their dream, not of good structures or any kind of program (I don't mean the clinic stuff, but some kind of organized effort and respect for sports/ athletes).
Since the structures won't change for the better I can't see Germany's results getting better in the future.
Isn't this fairly typical, though? I mean, sports which require some kind of expensive equipment tend to favour wealthier countries and disproportionately favour the financially well-off within those countries too. It's perhaps no surprise that developing countries are more easily able to bridge the gap to the wealthier countries in the sports that don't require such significant financial investment from their participants than in things like sailing, cycling and equestrian as a result.
The other thing that needs bearing in mind when looking at these medal counts, also, is that you have to remember that many of the countries above Germany in the medal table don't see their Olympic sports funding needing to be split across summer and winter games quite so evenly - only really Russia and the US are direct competition in that respect, and they have the financial might to be ahead of Germany anyhow. Japan has some wintersport interest, but this tends to be in specific disciplines (ski jump, for example) as they are peripheral nations in many of the other events, plus they will have invested more heavily in this Games as the host. The Dutch - and I know it hurts to be behind the Dutch on the medal table (Germany had more total and the same number of golds, but the Dutch had an extra silver) - only have one sport they pay any heed to in the winter Olympiad, although like the track cycling being focused on by the British, it does have a high number of medals in a fairly shallow pool of competition. Across a combination of both Summer and Winter games (going by position rather than total medals, as there are far more available in the summer games), Germany rank 2nd across Pyeongchang+Tokyo, after the USA - although of course this is not the easiest of cycles to fairly judge the Russians on due to the politics and controversies surrounding eligibility of athletes especially at Pyeongchang.
This is also true of other sports where participation at youth levels is 'pay to play'. In the US, swimming is one such sport and the people you are seeing in the Olympics are often from wealthy families that can tote their kids to far flung meets and early morning practices and enter them into the prestigious swim clubs. Of course, swimming is available to all in various degrees, but the path to the Olympics is much narrower. Phelps might be claimed by Baltimore, but he is from Fells Point.Isn't this fairly typical, though? I mean, sports which require some kind of expensive equipment tend to favour wealthier countries and disproportionately favour the financially well-off within those countries too. It's perhaps no surprise that developing countries are more easily able to bridge the gap to the wealthier countries in the sports that don't require such significant financial investment from their participants than in things like sailing, cycling and equestrian as a result.
Winter sports are definitely very important here... I don't have any real insight, I just know that in the winter they get broadcasted practically 24/7 during the weekends, a treatment which otherwise only football gets. I think a lot of people enjoy watching the snow... And maybe it's because people in winter sports are often from more rural areas (in southern Germany), where there's not much else to do.
Sorry, stereotypes... honestly I think most winter sports require expensive equipment, too - and of course the opportunity, so many countries don't have the chance to compete in those...
As I'm virtually half-Dutch I don't mind the Dutch being in front.
But in the end it's also a question of inhabitants, Germany has 80 million people, they "should" be ahead of some countries like the Netherlands... also of Australia...
New-Zealand! How many inhabitants does New-Zealand have?? 5 million? Slovenia is also over-performing...
Then, if we are going that route, of course India should be really up there...
Well, what I mean is, we clearly don't have structures like many anglophone-countries, with sports and school so closely connected. Usually you go to school until 1 or 2 or 3 pm, and then you can persue your hobbies, so whether you get involved in any sport is totally up to you - and your parents. It's a very private and individual decision. Sometimes there are certain clubs at school, but those are just spread here and there and usually happen on quite a low level, for fun, without any competitions. School teams and such are rather rare. So if the country says they want some elite in sports that is able to compete on a level with the best world wide, they have to support the individuals that think about going that way, but instead they are rather discouraged. I think the general sentiment here, though, is that that is not worth the money and even the support that wouldn't cost much or even nothing, isn't really there.
Well, it's a decision that society makes, but then nobody should complain about a lack of medals.
What is it like in Spain?
Well, having lived in Germany on two separate occasions, I saw where a lot of the money is going towards, especially the more recent time I was there. If that continues, there may be problems and upheaval.
In analyzing relations of the sports, state, economy, standard, etc., examples of the countries going through (political0 transition should be the most valid.
A deeper and more credible analysis can be obtained using the data mostly out of reach to an average fan, but examples of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary... offer an interesting overview of the topic.
Even the basic statistics (medals) encompassing "before" and "after" periods lead to some conclusions.
Then, the structure of success can be looked at (disciplines, requirements for development, for example, and so on...).
I think Hungary went through the transition the least affected... the economic indicators should confirm that.Compared to other pre-1990 Eastern Bloc states, the basic statistic show Hungary to be less impacted by the change. I know the difference in the spread of medal potentials - compared to, say, Romania and Bulgaria - is one thing, but is there any explanation?
(wife is half-Hungarian but she neither knows a lot about her half part or sports )
Living in Germany I'd say administration, fax machines and plastic stickers claiming "bio" on bio fruits.