The Olympic Trivial Thing Thread.

[Stephenite]

A couple of weeks ago i knew nothing about the Olympics. Now i can't wait til next years

 

[Night Train]

A couple of weeks ago i knew nothing about the Olympics. Now i can't wait til next years

I am looking forward to the Paralympics, mainly the events that take place on wheels!

 

[Night Train]

Why are men not allowed to compete in a couple of the Olympic events?
That should be challenged, especially as women are competing in every event.


I am sure Speicher would enjoy watching the events.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I was useless at spot at school

No wonder you didn't get it, you were getting yourself confused with sport and Art!

I rather like the idea of blokes having an unpaid day off their normal work to compete like they used to.

Yes just like the amateurs up and down the country!

 

[Archie_tect]

Ironic isn't it that all the mega-sponsorship and prizes + money in sport go to the very few successful ones after they've made it.

 

[Night Train]

Ironic isn't it that all the mega-sponsorship and prizes + money in sport go to the very few successful ones after they've made it.

That always bugs me in competitions.

Photographic ones for example. Expensive camera prizes go to the winner who has taken a great photo using expensive equipment.

 

[srw]

Why are men not allowed to compete in a couple of the Olympic events?

More pertinently, why are events like rhythmic gymnastics, synchronised swimming and diving even held at the Olympics? Someone performs something vaguely artistic (but very difficult), the judges make up a score based purely on judgement and no-one knows whether the best competitor has really won.

I'd can anything that wasn't primarily based on objective measuring criteria. I'd also can things that are being held because they're trendy - yes, BMX and Mountain Biking, I'm looking at you - and things that are random variations on other sports - yes, that's beach volleyball.

 

[Archie_tect]

Now Olympic tandem racing- where was that this year?...

Tri-dems or even quad-dems or whatever they'd be called- that would be fantastic - [like the triple and quad kayaks] ... even I'd pay to watch that!

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilyQ7dYxLWk&feature=fvwrel

 

[Arch]

I don't see the problem with having some events that are artistic. It's something for everyone. Personally, unless there's a home interest or a final, I find some of the running (and the cycling!) a bit dull. Whereas I enjoy watching something with artistic content for itself, regardless of whether GB are going to win a medal.

Incidentally, the synchro swimming, and the gymnastics, and dressage, all have technical parts that have to be fulfilled. It's not just down to a panel of old ladies saying "ooh, I like this one" randomly.

 

[Night Train]

More pertinently, why are events like rhythmic gymnastics, synchronised swimming and diving even held at the Olympics? Someone performs something vaguely artistic (but very difficult), the judges make up a score based purely on judgement and no-one knows whether the best competitor has really won.

I can understand the sentiment but having just watched it I am in awe of the effort involved in the achievement.

There might be the argument over the artistic events but they are there for the time being* and so I think the pertinent question should be the equality!


*eta: And they have to meet certain criteria much like other competitive activities, as Arch says.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Yes, did you see the Syncronised Swimming? It is part of the rules that they cannot touch the bottom, so all the lifting and jumping things must really require a LOT of strength just to do, and then, they have to do it all in time with each other and with the music, often under the water, so they can't really hear it, so they need to count the beat and know EXACTLY where they are in the routine!

Making it look like they are effortlessly dancing on the bottom of the pool when it is actually a 3 meter deep pool and the bottom is over 2 meters below them must require a lot of skill to do!

 

[Night Train]

Yes, did you see the Syncronised Swimming? It is part of the rules that they cannot touch the bottom, so all the lifting and jumping things must really require a LOT of strength just to do, and then, they have to do it all in time with each other and with the music, often under the water, so they can't really hear it, so they need to count the beat and know EXACTLY where they are in the routine!

Making it look like they are effortlessly dancing on the bottom of the pool when it is actually a 3 meter deep pool and the bottom is over 2 meters below them must require a lot of skill to do!

Certainly looks harder and more skillful then running the 100m and 200m sprints. I used to do that competitively once and I found just treading water for an extended period was much much harder to do.

 

[srw]

Now Olympic tandem racing- where was that this year?...

The clue's in the video title - it's a paralympic event - sighted pilot and blind stoker. It's on something like September 3rd. There's also tandem road racing.

 

[srw]

Yes, did you see the Syncronised Swimming? It is part of the rules that they cannot touch the bottom, so all the lifting and jumping things must really require a LOT of strength just to do, and then, they have to do it all in time with each other and with the music, often under the water, so they can't really hear it, so they need to count the beat and know EXACTLY where they are in the routine!

Being part of a corps de ballet or an opera chorus is physically challenging and demands a lot of skill, but I don't see the massed Mozart or the team Tchaikovsky being part of the Olympics any time soon.

 

[sheddy]

What is this special Olympic venue called the 'Accelerena' ?
I guess the events held there are really really fast...