The Olympics 2020/1 Japan.

[Big Tabs]

Watching the women’s gymnastics. The Beam looks beyond painful. Four inches wide, they must smack themselves a bit learning that discipline. The American team seem to be a bit off, which I find surprising. Always expect Russia, China and America to rule the roost. The Floor is odd as usual I find, a bit like ice-dancing. The Tumbling is great though.
I once saw a video of gymnasts doing a high-jump competition, but their rules (two feet jump, rather than the one foot take-off stipulated in the High Jump rules) and they were astounding.

I used to like doing the High-Jump at school. Got told off for trying to Fosbury Flop the bar, the school favoured scissor-jumps.

 

[gintonic]

but the other two disciplines are very fascinating.

it was a slow version against a clock, where clearly planning skills for the route up the wall are as important as agility, strength and technique. We were fascinated by it.

 

[Big Tabs]

Biles replaced by Chiles in the U.S. Women’s gymnastics team rounds. She did okay on the beam. Strange to see China behind at this point. Nice to see the French and Italians doing well.

 

[Big Tabs]

Glad I watched the Women’s Team Gymnastics. GBR got third! excellent result. Shocked.


edit: the team dressage is on now. Dancing Horses, fabulous.

 

[Tony L]

This posh people slowly tormenting horses to cheesy music stuff is a bit much isn’t it?

 

[notaclue]

This posh people slowly tormenting horses to cheesy music stuff is a bit much isn’t it?

If they had their way, posh people would have hunting as an Olympic sport.

Dressage is an abomination. Worse than skateboarding. Not even riders falling off to provide a laugh. This sort of outdated nonsense needs kicking out of the Olympics.

I would have sent the skateboard kids out during the dressage in order to improve both events.

 

[Big Tabs]

This posh people slowly tormenting horses to cheesy music stuff is a bit much isn’t it?

I don’t watch a sport and think about whether they are ‘posh’ or not, although I assume people who are competing in sports were the sport itself is expensive to do come from some money.

I enjoyed the Dressage - I find the Kitch element (that isn’t there for everyone) most amusing.
Also the legs of the horses transfix me, especially when doing the slow stuff.

Each to his or her own.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Russia should not have been allowed to participate. Changing the name from Russia to Russian Olympic Committee is fooling no one.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

If they had their way, posh people would have hunting as an Olympic sport.

Dressage is an abomination. Worse than skateboarding. Not even riders falling off to provide a laugh. This sort of outdated nonsense needs kicking out of the Olympics.

I would have sent the skateboard kids out during the dressage in order to improve both events.

I initially misread that slightly... but hunting posh people works for me anyhow! Release the hounds Smithers!

 

[deebster]

Timothy Smith Smythe Smith being chased by a pack of dogs? Now that I might watch.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Timothy Smith Smythe Smith being chased by a pack of dogs? Now that I might watch.

Rees Mogg et al!! A little bit of wee nearly got out there...

 

[tqineil]

Taekwondo is an odd sport. Quite engrossing despite this.

Enjoyable but I can't help thinking that the scoring seems a bit inconsistent, a couple of the female GB players seem to have had no luck with dodgy officialing but the sport doesn't lend itself to complaining after the bouts are over

 

[Tony L]

Taekwondo is an odd sport.

I watched it for about half an hour and other than it being very kicky I have absolutely no idea what was going on.

 

[lordsummit]

An amazing result for the women in the gymnastics. The coverage was rubbish, appeared the producer had written them off, and then their dramatic overtake of the Italians was missed in the drama of the floor competition between Russia and USA. Looks like it was a competition too far for Biles. Very sad when someone who genuinely is the best of all time isn’t able to replicate their performance on the highest stage. There’s something wrong because she was amazing at the American trials.

 

[Woodface]

Enjoyable but I can't help thinking that the scoring seems a bit inconsistent, a couple of the female GB players seem to have had no luck with dodgy officialing but the sport doesn't lend itself to complaining after the bouts are over

No, it seems very traditional & ordered in its approach. The refereeing does seem a little inconsistent.

 

[Big Tabs]

An amazing result for the women in the gymnastics. The coverage was rubbish, appeared the producer had written them off, and then their dramatic overtake of the Italians was missed in the drama of the floor competition between Russia and USA. Looks like it was a competition too far for Biles. Very sad when someone who genuinely is the best of all time isn’t able to replicate their performance on the highest stage. There’s something wrong because she was amazing at the American trials.

I was watching that unfold live.
The Biles substitute Chiles did very well at short notice.

 

[Joe Hutch]

Everybody (almost) who does not like football hates it, I've found. Probably because it takes a huge share of sports coverage in the media, to the detriment of other sports. Personally, I often feel as if it is imposed on my attention, by TV and newspapers, by violent fans wounding and occasionally killing each other, by motorcades of howling and honking fans rampaging through the streets half the night when a team wins. And, as said above, by the presumption that one HAS to follow football, otherwise being considered a social reject, a lunatic or a snob. It is a big-money operation with little sense of fair play, the classic opium of the people making lots of money for a few, mostly cynical, people.

The only sports I actually hate are rugby and cross-country running, not coincidentally the two sports I was forced to participate in at secondary school. Plenty of other sports leave me cold, but I wouldn't say I even dislike them; they just don't impinge.

As for football, it's many years since I last went to a match, but if a match is on TV I'll happily watch it and have a good understanding about what's happening.

Two more games to add to the next Olympics: korfball and alehouse futsal.

 

[Big Tabs]

Russia should not have been allowed to participate. Changing the name from Russia to Russian Olympic Committee is fooling no one.

It is a shame that a ban doesn’t mean a ban. The Russian gymnastics were worth watching though. That woman who did the floor piece to win was very good.

 

[PaulMB]

This posh people slowly tormenting horses to cheesy music stuff is a bit much isn’t it?

Don't know what I'm talking about, really, but I seem to remember that lots of competitors are in their respective army. The army maintains horses, for ceremonial stuff, and goes in for competition. So the taxpayer is paying. But certainly people who grow up around horses are usually not from the proletariat.

 

[lordsummit]

I was watching that unfold live.
The Biles substitute Chiles did very well at short notice.

She wasn’t necessarily a substitute! They’re a team, they all have to do some pieces, they all have to sit out one piece, so in essence the three left all had to replace Biles. She did the vault, so that meant that one had to do the beam and one the floor. The one having to step up to the beam would have been exceedingly grateful!! The one who took the floor spot won a silver at the Worlds. She’d not done so well in qualifying, so has been rested. It’ll be interesting to see whether Biles competes in the all-round and individual pieces.