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Winter Olympics 2010, Vancouver

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Big_Blue_Dave

Big_Blue_Dave

Mar 14, 2009
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elapid said:
I enjoy watching the Olympics and being there during the Sydney Olympics was one of the best times of my life. Just electric. I must admit I do get swept up in the nationalism, patriotism and pride. When an Aussie is up there getting a medal, particularly when our national anthem is played, I do get emotional. You listen to these athletes talk about competing for their country and how they would feel if they medal and win, you get what the Olympics are about for the individuals.

However, in saying all of that, I agree with BroDeal and Kiwirider. Unless you're a star or participating in a sport where medals are expected, the amount of support athletes receive is minimal. They get were they are by making huge sacrifices. Same for their families. I remember the last Winter Olympics and nearly every Canadian winner had gone outside their sporting infrastructure, on their own dime, to get the advice, coaching and experience they really needed to compete at the top level.

And I need not say more about the IOC. A corrupt old boys club. I heard during the opening ceremony that there are a number of Russian athletes who tested positive last year to banned substances that are competing at these Olympics. The Russians said they would deal with them after the Olympics and the IOC have done or said nothing. WTF? As long as the IOC members are sleeping in their 5 star accommodation, they will not give two hoots about the athletes.

In regards to the Georgian athlete and the amount of practice athletes are getting on all the courses, I do feel very sorry for both the athletes and the organizers. The weather has not been conducive and this has placed severe limitations on the availability of practice runs. While I am sure there are other reasons, the weather has been a prevailing problem.

Finally, the comment regarding the First Nation people is definitely correct. But that problem is not unique. Australia and America have an equally poor record. New Zealand probably have the best record. If anyone has any solutions, then I am sure there are many governments and agencies willing to listen.
Click to expand...

I have just seen the crash on Eurosport about 2 minutes ago, yes on TV at full speed, i'm completely angered that they have shown it, but i'm glad they did.

The reason i've bolded Elapid's paragraph is this, for what is supposed to be a dangerous sled run, to not allow other nations to practice is more dangerous than allowing people to book a number of sessions to have practice runs, especially when all the comments out of every person who has been down says it is the fastest, mst dangerous of all they have been down.

Secondly, and having seen this, I can not ever understand the reason behind having steel posts in the position they are after that curve! There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that they are required, it is not a Kreisel corner that turns greater than 270 degrees, its a 180 degree corner that does not need any covering at all! Those posts are not necessary in any way shape of form. To protect those that slide down that corner requires higer walls, now in place, a soft run off area either side of the walls, NOT IN PLACE, and NO POSTS OF ANY CONSTRUCTION!!! I hope the Georgian Olympic Federation request to both the Canadian Olympic Federation and the IOC for compensation to the poor lads family back in Georgia as there is absolutely no reason on Earth that he should have lost his life pursuing the sport that he loved.

My deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends, and I hope we see no further serious injuries now on the Whistler sled run. May Nodar Kumaritashvili RIP
 
workingclasshero

workingclasshero

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auscyclefan94 said:
Moondance, i agree that the opening ceremony of beijing was great but the actual games were pretty average.
Click to expand...

are you off your head, usain bolt + michael phelps, two of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, both setting unbelievable records.

also sammy wanjiru ran the possibly best ever marathon.

bekele proved his worth

those are just the ones off the top of my head right now
 
ak-zaaf

ak-zaaf

Mar 11, 2009
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\o/
kramer032.jpg
 
C

cartman

Feb 12, 2010
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Yeah, cheer all you like. It's not like you will in any other event than speed skating :D Who's that Lee guy anyway, ruining our bronze medal!
 
pedaling squares

pedaling squares

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This crap weather is driving me crazy. Damn el Nino! I want to watch that downhill race.

On one hand, the inequity of women's hockey is embarrassing and the sport should be pulled from the Olympics due to lack of competition. On the other hand, that would kill the sport and think of what it has done for young women throughout N.America and Europe. It sure is tough to watch at this time.
 
palmerq

palmerq

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Moondance said:
Score!!! ;)
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Are you mocking womens curling...... no I cant defend it either........ but come on how often are the olympics close to you... I have to go to omething and this was all that was left....... :cool:
 
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gloryb141

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The IOC representative for the Georgian team was interviewed the day after it happened on television. He said that his luge team spent 30 days training on the luge track at Whistler prior to the event. The luge track is built by a german engineer and he has designed and built six tracks. Whistler is different because of the terrain and different snow/ice conditions which makes it faster. It wasn't designed to be the fastest track, the steepness of it makes it so. It was an unfortunate accident. Please read the news reports on it before making blanket statements.

It was a horrible fluke accident and a tragedy. And we in Canada and Vancouver are intensely upset about it.
 
ak-zaaf

ak-zaaf

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LOL @ Kramer being interviewed by NBC after his race.

NBC: "I need you to say your name and your country and what you've just won here"
Kramer: "Are you stupid? Hell no, I'm not gonna do that"
 
M

Moondance

Jul 2, 2009
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palmerq said:
Are you mocking womens curling...... no I cant defend it either........ but come on how often are the olympics close to you... I have to go to omething and this was all that was left....... :cool:
Click to expand...

WHAT?!? How dare you impugn my character by suggesting that I would mock a bunch shuffleboarders on ice with broomsticks.[/sarc]

I, indeed, have little time for curling, but I agree with you that you should definitely go see something, it's a great experience. I went to Turin 4 years ago with my dad for a couple of days, and it was amazing. Just a shame that you can't see something a bit more spectacular.
 
M

Moondance

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ak-zaaf said:
LOL @ Kramer being interviewed by NBC after his race.

NBC: "I need you to say your name and your country and what you've just won here"
Kramer: "Are you stupid? Hell no, I'm not gonna do that"
Click to expand...

Ahhh classic. It is a little stupid though that NBC got dibs on the interview, even though they haven't covered speed skating in four years, while the NOS (Dutch public broadcasting service) who have schlepped around the world for four years; and provided the camera crew and tv director for the event, had to wait 15 minutes to get to Kramer.
 
Bala Verde

Bala Verde

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Moondance, you were right about Kramer's form! Sweet race, setting a new OR. His main competitors didn't even come close, while that Korean guy was the surprise of the day. Didn't Kramer start chewing up his fingernails when he saw Lee taking second...

To be fair, MSNBC had put speed skating in a wider context before the race started with some shorter informative clips. They had even sent a reporter to the Netherlands to delve into the history of dutch speed skating, including the 'elfstedentocht', the crazed fans, and the Thialf stadium.

There was a nice piece in the NYT about Shani Davis American Speedskater Shani Davis Belongs to the World

He does reflect your opinion about US media though :D

Davis appears to have tapped into a vein that runs through the circuit. On Friday, a German journalist sat in a seat assigned to an American newspaper and turned on his laptop. When told that seat was occupied, he scoffed, “U.S. journalists at speedskating?”
Click to expand...

1 Gold, 2 more to go according to those scientists in Groningen with their statistical analysis models?
 
M

Moondance

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Bala Verde said:
Moondance, you were right about Kramer's form! Sweet race, setting a new OR. His main competitors didn't even come close, while that Korean guy was the surprise of the day. Didn't Kramer start chewing up his fingernails when he saw Lee taking second...

To be fair, MSNBC had put speed skating in a wider context before the race started with some shorter informative clips. They had even sent a reporter to the Netherlands to delve into the history of dutch speed skating, including the 'elfstedentocht', the crazed fans, and the Thialf stadium.

There was a nice piece in the NYT about Shani Davis American Speedskater Shani Davis Belongs to the World

He does reflect your opinion about US media though :D



1 Gold, 2 more to go according to those scientists in Groningen with their statistical analysis models?
Click to expand...

Well, Davis I don't think ever forgave the U.S. sports media for calling him unpatriotic and a bad teammate for his 'pulling out' (which he never did) from the team pursuit in Turin. He's patched things up with Hedrick, but the media.... different story, I think he by default declines any interview or comment to any US news source. When the American Olympic Committee organized a press conference a week or so ago, Davis was the only American speed skater not to show up.

He loves the Dutch media though, and is always happy to talk to them, like your NY Times piece said. Although i think Nick Pearson underrates how poplar Davis is the Netherlands. I certainly am a huge fan.
 
elapid

elapid

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Big_Blue_Dave said:
I have just seen the crash on Eurosport about 2 minutes ago, yes on TV at full speed, i'm completely angered that they have shown it, but i'm glad they did.

The reason i've bolded Elapid's paragraph is this, for what is supposed to be a dangerous sled run, to not allow other nations to practice is more dangerous than allowing people to book a number of sessions to have practice runs, especially when all the comments out of every person who has been down says it is the fastest, mst dangerous of all they have been down.

Secondly, and having seen this, I can not ever understand the reason behind having steel posts in the position they are after that curve! There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that they are required, it is not a Kreisel corner that turns greater than 270 degrees, its a 180 degree corner that does not need any covering at all! Those posts are not necessary in any way shape of form. To protect those that slide down that corner requires higer walls, now in place, a soft run off area either side of the walls, NOT IN PLACE, and NO POSTS OF ANY CONSTRUCTION!!! I hope the Georgian Olympic Federation request to both the Canadian Olympic Federation and the IOC for compensation to the poor lads family back in Georgia as there is absolutely no reason on Earth that he should have lost his life pursuing the sport that he loved.

My deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends, and I hope we see no further serious injuries now on the Whistler sled run. May Nodar Kumaritashvili RIP
Click to expand...

+1 for the most part. Practice sessions aside, when I first saw the photos of this horrible accident my first reaction was why in the hell do they have pylons instead of a wall? While I still cannot understand this because it looks so damn obvious from the images, the track was designed according to all the accepted standards so no one will be legally culpable. Furthermore, his death was very tragic but his chosen sport is not exactly the safest in the world. Hurtling down a tube of ice on your back at 150kmh is bound to result in accidents every now and then. Same as racing crits, it is not if but when are you going to crash. I look at most of the winter Olympic sports and so many of them have an element of danger which does not exist in summer Olympic sports, some of them so dangerous that death is possible (luge, skeleton, and even downhill skiing and ski jumping). These athletes choose and compete in their sport knowing the potential risks and dangers. This is in no way to lessen the tragedy of Kumaritashvili's death. RIP.
 
zapata

zapata

Jul 19, 2009
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Good win for Lamy Chappuis in nordic combined. And good to see Magnus Moan honoring the norwegian tradition of jumping like cement and then skiing faster than anybody in the race, in order to finish ninth.
 
palmerq

palmerq

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Moondance said:
WHAT?!? How dare you impugn my character by suggesting that I would mock a bunch shuffleboarders on ice with broomsticks.[/sarc]

I, indeed, have little time for curling, but I agree with you that you should definitely go see something, it's a great experience. I went to Turin 4 years ago with my dad for a couple of days, and it was amazing. Just a shame that you can't see something a bit more spectacular.
Click to expand...

it is a bit gay... I should have tried earlier.. but I had no job for along time :S and I am living near vancouver for the year so once i got a job I wanted to go to something.... The way they seel tickets is a bit rubbish too for the gold medal events they put them on auctions instead of a random draw like the football world cup.. so its thousands of dollars.... They also allow guys who have bought tickets to sell them to others but again it is not like when I went to the world cup in germany they can name their price and they are stupid again.... So curling it is for me.. I'm actually really looking forward too it... britain are playing and they have a scottish women on the team :cool: The ice hockety should be cool to watch in some bars too..(I'm supporting the russians. americans and jagr in this... no canada for me)
 
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