Rio 2016 (The Olympic Games)

[Weaver]

The 2016 Summer Olympic games takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It begins on Friday 5th August and ends on Sunday 21st August.

The following sports will be taking place this year:
Aquatics: Diving, swimming, synchronised swimming, water polo
Archery
Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Boxing
Canoeing: Slalom, Sprint
Cycling: BMX, Mountain biking, Road, Track
Equestrian: Dressage, Eventing, Jump
Fencing
Field Hockey
Football
Golf
Gymnastics: Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline
Handball
Judo
Modern Pentathlon
Rowing
Rugby Sevens
Sailing
Shooting
Table Tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Tennis
Volleyball: Normal, Beach
Weightlifting
Wrestling: Freestyle, Greco-Roman

I'm reminded the Olympics is coming up because the football draw takes place in an hour.

Discuss all things Olympic here!

[Jimmy Floyd]

Too much future tense there, not enough conditional. Brazil are being a predictably all-encompassing shambles.

[Giggles]

I really thought this had been on. Must be thinking of the world cup.

[Disco]

Are they going to use that pointless stadium they built in Manaus for anything? Anything other than parking buses in I mean (that's not a joke, that really is what it's been used for).

[Jimmy Floyd]

I wonder if it will be like the South African World Cup stadium in Rustenburg, which they came back to for the Cup of Nations a couple of years later and it was like an overgrown cemetery.

[Weaver]

The Men's Football Draw:
Group A: Brazil, South Africa, Iraq, Denmark
B: Sweden, Colombia, Nigeria, Japan
C: Fiji, South Korea, Mexico, Germany
D: Honduras, Algeria, Portugal, Argentina


Are they going to use that pointless stadium they built in Manaus for anything? Anything other than parking buses in I mean (that's not a joke, that really is what it's been used for).

The football is dotted about the country, like it was for London 2012, and Manaus is on the list for that.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Says it all about Olympic football that of the four European qualifying berths, two have gone to Denmark and Sweden.

The golf will be good, with a particularly villainous American quartet currently looking set to qualify and the even more villainous Patrick Reed hot on their heels.

[Pepe]

Looking forward to the dressage.

That group might end up being tricky. Germany is obviously going to be a challenge, but those pesky South Koreans might be up for a surprise. Fiji though. :drool:

[Lewis]

That would be a good way to keep crap countries out of the bidding. If you don't already have the stadiums, get lost.

[Disco]

I bet you'd correct a job application if it said 'stadiums'

[Giggles]

I'll watch the golf and the 100m. Maybe some soccer.

[Lewis]

I'll change it to 'grounds' so that Australia doesn't have to have every game at Stadium Australia.

[Baz]

I wonder how many drug cheats they're letting take part.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao apparently want to compete at Rio.

Although GB have said they don't want to take any pros.

[Pepe]

I wonder how many drug cheats they're letting take part.

How big is the Russian delegation?

[Pepe]

Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao apparently want to compete at Rio.

Although GB have said they don't want to take any pros.

Going to the 10-point system is a good move IMO. Not sure about the pros joining, although a tournament with all the top dogs would certainly be great to watch.

How many rounds will the fights be?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36116954

Swimmer deemed not 'disabled enough'.

[leedsrevolution]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36116954

Swimmer deemed not 'disabled enough'.

Good opportunity for the lass to show her commitment by chopping off a leg or sumat.

[Ian]

The thread for the last one on the old board was ace. A load of dickheads like myself suddenly getting interested in (and becoming experts regarding, obvs) shit like horse-dancing.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm able to officially become the board's most knowledgeable member on archery having taken 14 hours of lessons (and achieve a fucking certificate) since the last Olympics.

I'm predicting that the South Koreans do well.

[Magic]

We need to talk about Mahow.

[Byron]

I'd rather jam a rusty nail in my eye.

[Lewis]

If they did have to move it, who could step in at such short notice other than us, the Americans, and presumably the Chinese once they mobilised their prison population?

[GS]

They'll never have the bollocks to move it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They will if enough of the big name athletes pull out. At the moment it's only been a few golfers though.

[Lewis]

If the big name athletes (and one in particular) refuse to participate then wouldn't the rest of the field have more incentive to go?

[Magic]

Aren't the rest of the field banned?

[GS]

They'll never pull out of it. It's a non-starter.

[Lewis]

Then let's discuss Mahow's fucking certificate. :sick:

[ItalAussie]

It'll go ahead. Like all ill-advised major events, there's too many big financial players involved for it to not go through.

The athletes will be totally fine, incidentally. They'll be given every possible precaution against the transmission of insect-borne diseases. It's the crowds who are at risk, and who are likely to take it back with them.

[Shindig]

Djokovic says its fine but he's Charlie Jesus who won't abort any crushed-head children.

[Spikey M]

Britain to bring all the golds and mosquito's home.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36446717

Bolt could lose a relay gold after Nesta Carter failed a drug test due to retesting.

[Pepe]

I read that Tejay van Garderen decided to not go to Rio because of the zika virus.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Someone tweeted earlier that following Nesta Carter's positive test, only Usain Bolt in history has now run sub 9.8 and never tested positive (his world record is 9.58).

Hmm.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He's wrong.

Maurice Greene never tested positive.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36542577

Anti-doping officials in Russia are being stopped from testing athletes and threatened by security services, says a World Anti-Doping Agency report.

[Pepe]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/17/482468037/watch-decision-on-whether-russian-track-athletes-can-compete-at-the-rio-olympics?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160617

Track And Field Authority Bars Russian Athletes From Competing In Rio Olympics


The report, which was commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), said that "top Russian athletes had been systematically using drugs to win medals, including in London at the Olympics in 2012,"

[Shindig]

Rio's asking for financial help so they can declare bankruptcy after the games rather than during it. Fuck sake.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Russians can just piss off with their whining. I refuse to believe any of their athletes are clean.

[Jimmy Floyd]

McIlroy has pulled out of the golf, and many more are expected to follow. He and they are all claiming Zika, but personally I'm declaring an official state of :sherlock:.

[Pepe]

This will turn out a shambles, won't it? Velodrome isn't built yet, Zika, doping before the Games even begin. Between this, Russia, and Qatar we have a lot to look forward to. At least Tokyo should go smoothly.

[Mazuuurk]

It's all about womens beach volleyball :drool:

[Pepe]

Lol at the lad who got in trouble (on Twitter) for posting the arse of a gymnast who turned out to be sixteen at the time.

[Shindig]

At least I can get a Rio lanyard for my work badge. Almost better than being there.

[John]

Lol at the lad who got in trouble (on Twitter) for posting the arse of a gymnast who turned out to be sixteen at the time.

His response to that was good. Just told everyone whinging at him to fuck off.

[Reg]

I'm not the biggest Olympics fan but I watched a fair bit of the fencing last time. Good stuff. I'll watch the tennis, football and maybe some of the table tennis.

What's archery like on tv? As shit as I'm imagining it?

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's surprisingly fun, for what is a deeply boring sport. They arrange it in such a way as to have you yelling 'Six? Fucking six? You're shit!' at the TV.

[Reg]

:D I'll catch some of that then.

Imagine Germany will win the football because of their stupidly large pool of good young players.

[John]

Getting right into sports you normally wouldn't even consider watching is what the Olympics are all about. I got quite invested in fucking kayaking last time.

[Ian]

The downside of the archery is going to be Mahow trying to lord it over us because he's watched the extended edition of Prince of Thieves.

The sport I got right into last time was judo but the day when we a load of us were all in the thread getting right behind Nick Skelton was a highlight.

[John]

I might give Mahow a preemptive ban for that, like Saint for the South Africa World Cup.

[Reg]

Getting right into sports you normally wouldn't even consider watching is what the Olympics are all about. I got quite invested in fucking kayaking last time.
I do like flicking the telly on and just happening upon something cool. There are a few things I'll try and be prepared for, although I have no idea what time things are.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The downside of the archery is going to be Mahow trying to lord it over us because he's watched the extended edition of Prince of Thieves.

The sport I got right into last time was judo but the day when we a load of us were all in the thread getting right behind Nick Skelton was a highlight.
4 lessons mate.

Anyway, Ital knows more than me but I've just always had a deep love for archery.

[Jimmy Floyd]

If Korea are the dominant world force in a sport it probably needs viewing with extreme caution.

[Reg]

Sports that don't involve a lot of movement would always be right at the bottom of my list if I were to take up something new. I'll be gutted if I break a leg or something and have to play golf and darts for the rest of my life.

[Lewis]

I might give Mahow a preemptive ban for that, like Saint for the South Africa World Cup.

You should do it anyway seeing as he kept cursing us last time.

[ItalAussie]

I'm not the biggest Olympics fan but I watched a fair bit of the fencing last time. Good stuff. I'll watch the tennis, football and maybe some of the table tennis.

What's archery like on tv? As shit as I'm imagining it?
Close matches are weirdly intense, especially if you're invested in any way. The semifinal in 2000 between the Australian guy and the Dutch guy was one of the most intense things I've ever seen on TV.

Went to the archery in person in London, and it was excellent. That and the gymnastics.

[Pepe]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/25/sports/olympics/rio-drug-testing-lab-is-suspended-by-wada.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

What a shitshow this will be.

[Magic]

Can't we just accept that carcinogenic PEDs make otherwise BORING sports far more entertaining?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36631261

Kemar Bailey-Cole claims he has the Zika virus.

[John]

Usain Bolt has torn his hamstring, but he reckons he'll be fit to run come the time. He's on the gear.

[Magic]

Lol at this neutral country shit.

[Shindig]

Usain Bolt has torn his hamstring, but he reckons he'll be fit to run come the time. He's on the gear.

It starts August 5th. A hamstring's not doing you in for a month.

[Pepe]

He's missing the qualifying competition though. He'll need a medical exemption. Or at least that's what I gathered, didn't really go through it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

He's missing the qualifying competition though. He'll need a medical exemption. Or at least that's what I gathered, didn't really go through it.
They said he would need one and they will oblige.

[Shindig]

I wondered if you could get a backdoor entry from times you've ran this year but it seems like its all through trials.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/athletics/36623817

Anniversary games are on.

19:40 - Jessica Ennis-Hill & Tiffany Porter in 100m hurdles heats (final at 21:15)
20:05 - Christine Ohuruogu in 400m
20:15 - Dasaolu, Gemili, Ujah in 100m heats (final at 21:39)
20:39 - Eilidh Doyle in 400m hurdles
21:52 - Usain Bolt in 200m

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Every single time I see Kim Collins in a race I'm stunned that he's still around.

He's only 40 somehow.

[Shindig]

Man, Yelena Isimbayeva really did go through a time when she broke the world record every week. Surprised she hasn't broke it in 7 years, though. I mean, she was probably doping until 2012.

[Pepe]

When is this starting. Can't wait. :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Opening ceremony is on the 5th of August.

I love a good bit of Olympics.

[Giggles]

Is it not at least a week until everyone pretends to be a fan-of/expert-on athletics then?

[Pepe]

I've been brushing up on my genetics lately. Expect me to drop some gems as the games progress.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Is it not at least a week until everyone pretends to be a fan-of/expert-on athletics then?

Mate, I have a CERTIFICATE in archery.

I'm the resident expert.

[Giggles]

Mate, I have a CERTIFICATE in archery.

I'm the resident expert.

:( I've been donned.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

American female hurderler has just set a new world record, one of the oldest records, in the 100m hurdles.

She's not going to Rio because of America's lol selection process too.

Previous record stood since 1988.

[Pepe]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/21/sport/russia-rio-2016-cas-doping-olympics/index.html?eref=rss_topstories


"It's time to disband the IAAF," said Russia's Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko on Twitter, who also tweeted '"Corrupt judges! How can you deprive clean sportsmen of their dream, and what's more WADA didn't present either facts or evidence."

:harold:

[Magic]

Lol paralympian doping?

[Reg]

American female hurderler has just set a new world record, one of the oldest records, in the 100m hurdles.

She's not going to Rio because of America's lol selection process too.

Previous record stood since 1988.
Why isn't she going / what's their selection process?

[Magic]

She's black, isn't she?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Why isn't she going / what's their selection process?

All athletes who meet the A standard (and some who meet the B standard) have to take part in Olympic trials. If they don't place in the top 3 they're out.

She has been their best hurdler this year and almost broke the world record earlier in the year but she had a bad final and finished sixth (she also clipped the last hurdle which slowed her a bit).

Almost every other country pick and choose from the athletes who meet the A standard to try and maximise their chances of a medal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1lvUn9ZyeQ

She pissed the field (0.37 seconds ahead of second place), originally they marked it at 12.58 but that was actually the second placed time.

[mugbull]

She's black, isn't she?

All sprinters are fucking black tho

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

All sprinters are fucking black tho
http://api.rue89.nouvelobs.com/sites/news/files/assets/image/2011/12/lemaitre_medaille_bronze.jpg

Although he wishes he was black.

[mugbull]

I remember him. Wasn't he studying electrical engineering and retired from athletics?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

No, he's the first whitey to run sub 10 seconds.

He's regressed since then though, he was 5th last night in the 200m which Bolt won.

[mugbull]

No, he's the first whitey to run sub 10 seconds.

He's regressed since then though, he was 5th last night in the 200m which Bolt won.

I know he's the first white guy to run under 10, I just thought he retired to finish his degree.

[Disco]

All athletes who meet the A standard (and some who meet the B standard) have to take part in Olympic trials. If they don't place in the top 3 they're out.

She has been their best hurdler this year and almost broke the world record earlier in the year but she had a bad final and finished sixth (she also clipped the last hurdle which slowed her a bit).

Almost every other country pick and choose from the athletes who meet the A standard to try and maximise their chances of a medal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1lvUn9ZyeQ

She pissed the field (0.37 seconds ahead of second place), originally they marked it at 12.58 but that was actually the second placed time.

Makes Gatlin's comments about Bolt all the more lol.

In our system we wouldn't be taking Usain Bolt to the Olympics

Great thinking there mate.

[Reg]

Just saw a men's 400m contestant disqualified for starting before the gun went off. Seems harsh to not just be given a warning. Do they just always interpret it as cheating?

[Disco]

I think the logic was that allowing warnings before disqualification only encouraged people to try and anticipate the gun because a warning is effectively no penalty at all. Messes with the schedule you see, which is probably why it's applied to all false starts.

[Reg]

Fair point. They could have some sort of accumulative punishment system, like 5 yellows = ban in football.

[Pepe]

It used to be that you were disqualified on the second false start, but then some runners would false start on purpose to mess with the concentration of the others. Then they changed it to allow one false start but the second one (regardless of who was at fault) meant a disqualification. Now they just go straight to the DQ.

[Pepe]

/expert commentary

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36878983

The IOC have pussied out of a blanket ban for Russia.


The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will leave it up to individual sports' governing bodies to decide if Russian competitors are clean and should be allowed to take part.

Apparently the tennis athletes will be fine but the track and field people are all out.

[niko_cee]

It's fairly disgraceful they've not gone full ban. Lord only knows what you'd have to do to get one. Probably refuse to accept VISA.

[Raoul Duke]

Such a bunch of pussies, although I suspect having FSB people threatening to 'umbrella' them would probably make them more lenient.

[SincereTheRebel]

Sucker move that is

[GS]

I don't know why anybody is surprised. When organisations like this are required to make a decision, assume they'll take the most cowardly one available to them.

[Shindig]

Beanspiller will not compete. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36889171)

I fucking love this.

[Pepe]

Stepanova was sanctioned for doping in 2013 and has always claimed she was trapped in a Russian system and had no choice but to comply. The IOC said it took this into account when deciding to ban her from Rio.

Yeah, fuck off.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36909409

Fucking hell.

[Giggles]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36909409

Fucking hell.

Close it all down to fuck. The new FIFA.

[Shindig]

You're surprised the IOC is nuts?

[Jimmy Floyd]

If I were a major athlete likely to win a medal, I'd just get my sponsors to tweet such things constantly and dare the IOC to strip me of a medal for it.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Men %27s_team_squads

Football squads.

John Obi Mikel to lead Nigeria to gold.

Oh and our boy Roy Krishna is there :cool:

[Pepe]

'Cubo' Torres. :sick:

[Disco]

Football, golf, and tennis being included is all you need to see in order to work out what a joke the IOC is. That and it's full of grasping hypocrites like Seb Coe.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

'Cubo' Torres. :sick:

You forgot to add 'The Great' in there.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Golf's inclusion has been absolutely lol. Rory McIlroy in particular has played a blinder, first spending years publicly debating whether he'd play for Britain or Ireland, then choosing Ireland, then pulling out citing Zika, and then doing a press conference saying he thought it was a waste of time and he felt no obligation to 'grow the game'.

People on the wrong side of 300 in the world rankings have pulled out because it's more lucrative to play at the Wank-Wank Maldives Open or some shit in the same week. Meanwhile the Zika virus hits Florida and the PGA Tour has cancelled... oh no, wait, it hasn't.

[niko_cee]

This Olympics feels like the least interesting one since, well, probably Atlanta, and even that had Johnson. Absolutely no interest in it whatsoever at this point, which feels weird.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Sydney and London were the best ones. I can't see this or Tokyo being anything like as good.

2024 is between Paris, Rome, Los Angeles, and Budapest. How odd.

[Giggles]

Why is it odd?

[Shindig]

I never understand why skint cities go for these. I mean, I know there's a ton of commercial interest but back-to-back global events won't do Rio any favours.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Why is it odd?

All based in successful democracies (well, just about, in Italy's case), no mad dictators or oil wealth anywhere... running against the current trend of who hosts big sporting events.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've just spotted a Paralympian with a proper American name, Dartanyon Crockett.

God bless America.

[ItalAussie]

I know someone named Dartanyon. I haven't been game to ask if his parents weren't big readers.

[Weaver]

Just had a look at the schedule and the Men's football starts on Thursday, even though the Olympics doesn't begin until Friday.

Looks like there's a different game kicking off every hour as well.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just had a look at the schedule and the Men's football starts on Thursday, even though the Olympics doesn't begin until Friday.

Looks like there's a different game kicking off every hour as well.

They always start the football early.

[Spikey M]

Who's in the GB team? Can't see any team worth a fuck letting their playes go swaning off for the entirety of pre-season.

[Disco]

There isn't one.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Team GB are too shit to be allowed into the Olympics.

[Spikey M]

Lol

[Disco]

More like the other home nations are too small time to get behind it, not that I'm complaining because it has no business being there in the first place.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

More like the other home nations are too small time to get behind it, not that I'm complaining because it has no business being there in the first place.

There's that but also the fact that they didn't actually qualify.

England's youth team finished bottom of their group in the U21 championships.

[Disco]

How does that work then, because England wouldn't be going anyway as there isn't an English Olympic team.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They last qualified for the Olympics in 2008 by getting to the semi-final of the U21 championships. As they declined Portugal and Italy had a playoff to see who took the spot.

[Disco]

But England don't compete at the Olympics is what I'm getting at. Which of the four teams that would make up a GB side would need to meet the criteria, one? Two? All four?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just one of the home nations needs to finish in a qualifying spot. They could then compete either as a unified team GB or send a team full of English etc players but compete under the team name Great Britain.

Scotland (who have qualified twice) almost sent a Scottish team to the Olympics in 1996 but decided not to as they didn't want to play under the GB name.

[Disco]

Scotland (who have qualified twice) almost sent a Scottish team to the Olympics in 1996 but decided not to as they're irredeemably small time wankers

Fixed.

It would be worth sending a full team (no matter who actually qualified) just for the seethe from the other associations.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fixed.

It would be worth sending a full team (no matter who actually qualified) just for the seethe from the other associations.

England wanted to send a team this year (with the other home nations) but it fell through because the other nations all felt that FIFA would then want to unify them.

England should have just sent a team on their own but after they asked permission from the other nations FIFA said it's all of you or none of you.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/36933897

A guy from the GB Bobsleigh team has run the third fastest 100m by a British athlete.

Fastest time this year by a Brit and only the seventh to run sub 10 seconds.

[Pleb]

Baseball/Softball, Sport Climbing (lol), Karate, Surfing and Skateboarding confirmed for Toyko 2020 apparently :harold:

[SincereTheRebel]

Watching womens football right now. Brazil slaughterd china 3-0 and now germany who are a full meter taller on average than the female zimbabweans

[Reg]

Baseball/Softball, Sport Climbing (lol), Karate, Surfing and Skateboarding confirmed for Toyko 2020 apparently :harold:
USA gold with no competition then?

Surprised karate wasn't already in.

Surfing and skateboarding could be cool but they don't ring 'Olympics'.

[SincereTheRebel]

Zimbabwe have just scored against ther germans to make it 1-2. Commentators went bonkers.

[Foe]

Nice to see nobody bothered to turn up to watch Iraq v Denmark in the football.

[bruhnaldo]

watching the Brazil-South Africa game.

that's literally all I have to say about it. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Shindig]

I keep thinking Brazil might be better without Neymar.

[Pepe]

We're donning Germany.

Good opener for the main event of the night: Fiji vs. South Korea.

[bruhnaldo]

So glad the Olympics are on the right side of the Atlantic this year ... (:D)

That Beijing shit was no bueno.

[Pepe]

I thought I was going to be able to watch everything on NBC, but apparently it was only good for thirty minutes and now I need a cable subscription. :face:

Any good ways to watch this shit?

[Pleb]

Mexico should be ahead with the amount of chances they just had for fuck sake.

If you could get a good proxy Pepe use the BBC website.

[Pepe]

Is the BBC streaming it all?

EDIT: Seems like they are. :drool:

[Pleb]

How the fuck have NBC still got rights to show this?

Didn't they fuck up streaming the London games or something?

[GS]

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

[Shindig]

Can someone do some serious detective work here? I've turned on Portugal v Argentina and I SWEAR it's Roger Thames on commentary.

EDIT: It is. Wow. I thought he was long retired.

[Reg]

Is the BBC streaming it all?

EDIT: Seems like they are. :drool:
It's on TV here but think they have it all online and they're doing a highlights programme every morning that'll be online too.

[Pleb]

Pepe :drool:

What a header that.

[Pepe]

Oribe. :drool:

[Pepe]

Decent start I guess.

[Kikó]

Olympic football is so pointless.

[Kikó]

Nice goal by Pazienza though for Portugal.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Roy Krishna to don the Koreans here :nodd:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36970627


Russia will have 271 athletes eligible to compete at the Rio Games, says the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

This is more than two-thirds of their original entry list of 389 athletes, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) recommending a blanket ban after a doping scandal.

That really is taking the piss, what a joke the IOC is.

Also lol at the Korean hitting the post from the penalty spot.

[Luca]

No doubt there was some transfer of money there to let all but the most egregious cases slide (which, if I'm correct, is still something given how many got banned).

[Shindig]

Just send Lizzie Armistead into their part of the village with some syringes and shoot to kill orders.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No doubt there was some transfer of money there to let all but the most egregious cases slide (which, if I'm correct, is still something given how many got banned).

I imagine it's more about pressure from the IOC partners to reach the Russian TV market.

[-james-]

Nigeria - Japan was a laugh last night. Ended 5-4. Playground football.

[bruhnaldo]

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/451/501/9f4.gif

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Opening ceremony is about to start.

It's going to be glorious.

[Pepe]

My stream is cutting every two seconds. :moop:

[Pepe]

This is complete shite. Fuck off BBC.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The favela shit has really brought it down.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

This song sounds like a Brazilian version of something like Agadoo.

[Pepe]

I'm just staring at the yellow loading circle.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I'm just staring at the yellow loading circle.

It's pretty much turned into a party from the 90s with shit music and loads of pissed up people attempting to dance.

They've now moved on, seamlessly, to a piece about global warming.

[Pepe]

I'm all for Dubai sinking.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The Germans :drool:

[Pepe]

S. Africans look like Ninja Turtles.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Angola are fucking bossing it with those suits.

Proper swagger.

[Pepe]

Botswana looking sharp too.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's nice that Burundi have sent the local tribe.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Cyprus :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Wozniacki :drool:

[Pepe]

Mahow. :harold:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I was actually seething when I saw the news article saying he would be the flag bearer. I'm not a fan of certain sports providing the flag bearer unless that sport is what that country does. Tennis, football, basketball, golf etc. Make the flag bearer be an athlete from a proper Olympic sport.

I'd have made it Nicola Adams or Greg Rutherford.

Whilst I'd usually blacklist boxing, female boxing was just added to the Olympics last time so it gets a freebie this year.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Liberia with the worst outfits.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Tonga's flag bearer seemed to have about 10 bottles of baby oil slathered on him.

[Magic]

Why don't you keep these inane observations in your head?

[Spoonsky]

The board runs on inane observations.

[Ian]

Roy Krishna to don the Koreans here :nodd:

Didn't realise The Crush was going to be involved in this. :drool:

[Kikó]

Why don't you keep these inane observations in your head?

Less of this. There would be literally 6 posts if we did that.

Literally. I've counted.

[ItalAussie]

http://m0.joe.ie/YToyOntzOjQ6ImRhdGEiO3M6MTY3OiJhOjM6e3M6MzoidXJsIj tzOjEwNToiaHR0cDovL21lZGlhLWpvZS5tYXhpbXVtbWVkaWEu aWUuczMuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZH MvMjAxNi8wOC8wNjA4MjUxMy9pcmVsYW5kb2x5bXBpY3MuanBn IjtzOjU6IndpZHRoIjtpOjY0NztzOjY6ImhlaWdodCI7aTozND A7fSI7czo0OiJoYXNoIjtzOjQwOiJjZDQ1ZDA2MzQ5Y2QzMTcz NjZkNjk5ZGU3ZTM5NGU5YmMxODNiMTEyIjt9/irelandolympics.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/2ebg8ph.png

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Why don't you keep these inane observations in your head?

You'd be especially fucked if we only did this.

[Reg]

Ital :D

Couple things I'm looking forward to today:

Start of the fencing in a few minutes - women's epee (the entire event in one day).

Men's doubles tennis - Croatia (Cilic & Draganja) v Serbia (Zimonjic & Djokovic).

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Archery, Judo and Weightlifting for me.

Looking forward to watching some of this guy later in the week:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNkYJp_qHrg

A 5 foot North Korean who can lift more than 3 times his bodyweight, absolutely mental.

[Shindig]

He used to be six foot. Tragic, really.

[ItalAussie]

I'm watching the road race at the moment. The Olympic road race is always good fun.

Cavendish isn't in it this year, which is a tacit acknowledgement that trying to shepherd a sprinter to the last fifty meters of the road race is a stupid idea that has never, ever worked. That said, quite a bit of the media is still treating it as a team event, even though it's almost always won by individual efforts in a breakaway.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They've fucked the judo a bit by making it a disqualification if you touch an opponents leg.

Some Israeli lass just got disqualified for moving her arm towards her opponents leg to defend herself, touched the leg with her elbow and was thrown out.

[Reg]

Might interest one or two:

Tennis
Edmund (GB) v Thompson (Aus)
Dimitrov (Bulgaria) v Cilic (Croatia)

Both due to start in ten minutes. The latter probably being the pick of the draw after Djokovic v Del Potro.

[Pepe]

I'm watching the road race at the moment. The Olympic road race is always good fun.

Cavendish isn't in it this year, which is a tacit acknowledgement that trying to shepherd a sprinter to the last fifty meters of the road race is a stupid idea that has never, ever worked. That said, quite a bit of the media is still treating it as a team event, even though it's almost always won by individual efforts in a breakaway.

Have you seen the course profile? Definitely not a sprinters day. Doesn't mean sprinting will never work. A sprinter will almost certainly win this year's world championship, for once.

Not watching right now as I'm outside but the break had some strong riders in it. Doubt they'll make it though, they didn't have enough time before things get rough.

[niko_cee]

Stannard.

:cool:

For a sprint approach to work you really need three or four nations in on it seeing as the teams are so much smaller than pro teams.

[Pepe]

Really hard to call this one. Guess Froome could do it.

[Pepe]

What a course. :drool:

[Pepe]

Porte. :(

[Pepe]

The Italians to bottle it.

Those bikes and helmets that change color. :drool:

[Pepe]

Is that Cancellara back? Fuck me. :drool:

[Giggles]

Who are you taking to? Did someone delete a host of posts?

[Pepe]

To the whole world.

[Pepe]

Not sure he can close that gap.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

A French gymnast just borked his landing on the vault and it looked like he broke his leg in about 4 places.

[Pepe]

Fuck yes, GVA. :cool:

Gutted for Majka but holding Kangert and Van Avermaet on the flats is a lot to ask for a climber. Surprised to see Nibali fuck up the descent, he's usually spotless. Guess he was trying too hard.

Top, top race.

[Pepe]

A French gymnast just borked his landing on the vault and it looked like he broke his leg in about 4 places.

I thought you would be balls deep into the archery.

[Giggles]

Just copped that RTE are giving 18 hours a day to this shit :moop:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I thought you would be balls deep into the archery.

I watch two things at the same time.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

For anyone who fancies seeing his leg here it is:

http://static1.uk.businessinsider.com/image/57a63477dd089553398b479f-1280/gettyimages-586431666.jpg

The commentator actually screamed when she saw it happen.

Edit: Video for those who want to watch it:

https://streamable.com/jyct

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

In the archery.

The Netherlands put up a terrific showing against the Koreans but Korea had enough to see them through to the final. USA looked pretty good in their semi too but you'd expect South Korea to take the gold, especially based on how they've been shooting today.

Edit: Australia even, the Netherlands got battered in the previous round.

[Shindig]

"Oh dear" is about as British a response you could hope for.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Australia with a big upset there.

First medal in team archery and only their third medal in Olympic archery. Wobbled a bit in the third set but donned it in the fourth.

[Magic]

For anyone who fancies seeing his leg here it is:

http://static1.uk.businessinsider.com/image/57a63477dd089553398b479f-1280/gettyimages-586431666.jpg

The commentator actually screamed when she saw it happen.

Edit: Video for those who want to watch it:

https://streamable.com/jyct

"Oh dear oh dear, that's not a good landing"

:D

That's the most British commentary ever.

[Magic]

"Oh dear" is about as British a response you could hope for.

Beaten. :(

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

60-57, 58-57, 59-56.

Ku Bon-chan hitting 6/6 arrows for 10.

Fucking brilliant final that.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mathias Tulyoongeleni Hamunyela donning the reigning Olympic youth champion after losing the first round :cool:

Namibia bitchslapping people in boxing, awesome.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Professional boxer, Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam, who is ranked 8th in the world at middleweight and former interim WBA and WBO champion just got lolled out of the ring by a Brazilian amateur.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Just switched on the handball and Taz would appreciate the Angolan keeper:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/03/article-2183111-145C4105000005DC-645_634x421.jpg

She appears to have put on more weight since that picture was taken 4 years ago too.

[ItalAussie]

Got up specifically to watch the end of the road race, and the archery medal rounds. Fantastic decision.

Outstanding ending to the cycling, although you have to wonder how it would have gone if Nibali stayed upright. The road race is one of the real highlights.

Archery is a surprisingly fantastic spectator sport, and it was brilliant to see Australia come from nowhere to grab a medal. A brief wobble in the third set, but they brought it home. But the Koreans in the final were just a class above everyone else. It was something like 15 of their 18 shots were 10 points. That's just crazy. The new archery format is a fantastic setup.

[ItalAussie]

Other interesting things I've seen today:

Mac Horton winning the 400m with his massive nerd glasses. Taking a thinly-veiled pop at the Chinese silver medallist, who'd been done for doping in the past.

Katinka Hosszu smashing the 400 IM world record, which everyone assumed was going to stand for a long, long time yet.

Massive upset in the fencing, with the nobody Hungarian upstaging the world champion Italian.

I really love the Olympics. Just waiting for the 4x100m freestyle relay now.
EDIT: Australia won it, with Bronte and Cate Campbell putting together the fastest two splits of the event to bring it home.

[ItalAussie]

Have you seen the course profile? Definitely not a sprinters day. Doesn't mean sprinting will never work. A sprinter will almost certainly win this year's world championship, for once.
In the world championships, the sprinters have more riders on their team to baby them to the finish line.

Sprinters just don't win road events at the Olympics, because four riders can't control a race. Even the sprint paradise which was the London track couldn't make that happen. If you go back, and it's always classics stars or breakaways who win the road race. Sprinters have their place on the track.

[ItalAussie]

Also, I wasn't awake for it, but apparently the Australian archery quarter-final against France was a nail-biter. The were 2-0, then 3-1 down, before coming back to win 5-3.

[Baz]

When's the men's 100m and 200m?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

A Zambian judoka just DONNED THE FUCK out of the bronze medallist from the World Championships.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201606010577.html

He barely even qualified.

[-james-]

Fiji leading Mexico in the football. :cool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Our boy Roy Krishna too :cool:


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4nn3ca_roy-krishna-goal-hd-fiji-1-0-mexico-07-08-2016-hd_sport

Hero.

[Pepe]

Even I'm happy about that. :drool:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Richard Kruse :cool:

Just carved open an American in the quarter final of the foil fencing.

[Byron]

Does one of the cycling people want to tell me the strategy behind these races? Why all this business with Chase Groups and Pelotons?

[Magic]

So many tings on the gymnastics. :drool:

[Byron]

Big crash from the Leader on the descent of the Women's Road Race, she's not moving either.

[Magic]

Pretty sure she's dead? Neck hit the kerb.

[Spikey M]

She's Christopher Reeve'd it I reckon.

[Byron]

Yeah I'm heading little snippets to say she's died. No update from BBC suggests it's a bad one.

[Magic]

Apparently Dutch TV reporting she's ok.

RIP then.

[Byron]

Come on Magic, you're the one with these liveleak links usually.

[Magic]

It's all over Twitter.

[Magic]

Apparently she is ok.

[-james-]

Germany - South Korea is another good game of football. Lovely Gnabry goal there to equalise. These games have definitely been more enjoyable than the Euros, on average.

[Reg]

Richard Kruse :cool:

Just carved open an American in the quarter final of the foil fencing.
That other American in the semi seemed very good.

Bit annoyed that the highlights programme is like four hours long or whatever. I'd like an hour programme please.

[Jimmy Floyd]

That crash was awful. Obviously wasn't dead though. Who puts that sort of rumour out?

[Magic]

Diving is good.

[Magic]

These American gymnasts are absolutely incredible.

[Pepe]

If they don't bring Taz back I don't know what will.

[niko_cee]

Can you get a penalty try in sevens? The yanks should have had one for that late tackle/trip which stopped an obvious try. Good to see they are just as bad as the men for cheating. Hands in everything.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

That other American in the semi seemed very good.

Bit annoyed that the highlights programme is like four hours long or whatever. I'd like an hour programme please.

Really the BBC coverage is just one big fucking highlights package.

I was watching the fencing on my PC with Judo on the TV (red button). Once the Judo ended I thought I'd stick it on BBC One as they would surely be showing him live. They weren't, they were showing the fencing match he had about an hour ago whilst I was traversing the awful red button menu to catch him live.

The little Korean is about to go in the weightlifting for anyone interested.

Best thing about today has been the judo thus far, the Zambian donning the shit out of the bronze medallist at the Worlds was great but the Italian geezer who won the gold was amazing. He was pulling off some really awkward techniques and even slapped out the gold medal favourite.

Women's weightlifting was also pretty good with the Chinese gold favourite bombing out with no lifts in the clean and jerk as she started way too heavy.

Oh and proper lol at the Polish lot conceding twice to the Brazilian keeper. The Poles kept switching their keeper at bad times (it also cost them another 2 or 3 goals) and he just lobbed it straight at their goal from his goal.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've got to the age now where it's hard to kid myself any longer about some Olympic sports. Fencing is completely pointless and unwatchably bad. Beach volleyball is not a sport and should not exist, and as for synchronised diving...

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I maintain that, outside of a lot of the athletics, weightlifting is actually the best Olympic sport.

It's fucking brilliant.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Chinese lad fucks up 135KG but decides to go to 137KG which is an Olympic Record because he knows that Om (the little North Korean) is a clean and jerk expert.

He nailed the fuck out of it too. Hero.

[7om]

Beach volleyball has been the best sport so far. I don't know why but it's hypnotic to watch.

[mugbull]

The Croatia-Spain game is a fucking good game. Neither team knows how to defend, so it's just one Croatian 3 followed by a Spanish 3 followed by a Croatian 3. If these other nations learned how to coach properly, there's no reason they couldn't produce some top, top players. Which come to think of it is precisely the issue with American soccer too,

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What an ending to the weightlifting.

2008 champ smashed the North Korean by managing to beat the World Record for total weight lifted and an Olympic Record for the clean and jerk.

It was glorious.

[7om]

Yeah just been watching it. Thought the North Korean lad had fucked himself going for 169 but he pulled through amazingly.