HanoiVillan Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Just watched the diving, I'd forgotten what a negative moaner the summariser for that one is, he pissed me off in 2012 as well. The entire sport is just basically 'don't make a big splash'. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Gold or silver in the hockey...we're going to finish 2nd aren't we! And by the moaning commentator do you mean the bloke who's about 3 years behind Daley in coming out? The diving a been the strange one, even stranger than the gymnastics, me and the missus watch it..."nah that was shit" that bloke goes wild, they get a great score..."ooooh they nailed that" shit score... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 27 minutes ago, villa4europe said: Gold or silver in the hockey...we're going to finish 2nd aren't we! And by the moaning commentator do you mean the bloke who's about 3 years behind Daley in coming out? The diving a been the strange one, even stranger than the gymnastics, me and the missus watch it..."nah that was shit" that bloke goes wild, they get a great score..."ooooh they nailed that" shit score... I can't be certain, but I'm fairly sure that's him. As I say, it's simple to work out whether it's a good dive or not, literally the only thing that matters is the quantity of water they appear to displace. Everything else is just noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbauer24 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 The Olympics always kicks off an argument in my head as to what quantifies as sport. I've come up with a shaky definition that I use that doesn't dismiss activities, simply relabels them. As it happens, I'm not a fan of one category but I still recognise its merit. So, in my opinion, There's SPORT - events that have a score created by player action, either distance, height, speed or getting an object in a target zone. To be a sport you MUST need to be PHYSICALLY tired/strained to complete it. Examples being football, cycling, running, field events. Outside Olympics, I'd include motorsport in this category. Then there's GAMES - as above but without any need for great physical prowess. It may help but it isn't essential. Examples are snooker, golf, darts and shooting. Finally, there's ART - this is any event that is judged. Prime examples are gymnastics and diving. It doesn't diminish the skills required but results are open to interpretation by different people. So that's my opinion. I'm sure people could think of some sports that don't fit in to any category well; it's a working theory! I personally have no interest in ARTS at all, like GAMES but don't think they belong at the Olympics and think it should be reserved for pure SPORTS. Now I await the first person to highlight the fact it's called the Olympic GAMES... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 (http://crookedtimber.org/2012/07/29/olympics-trolling/) 'In general, sports in the upper-left quadrant are those with international federations or true professional leagues of their own (Rugby), or high quality but strictly local interest (Hurling), together with a couple of semi-interesting sports that dilute the Olympic brand and really belong in the lower left corner except for the fact that I sort of like them (Mountain Biking) Sports in the upper-right quadrant, meanwhile, are securely Olympian, by and large, although some of them are a little suspect (e.g., hammer, shot putt) whereas others (Tug-of-War) clearly meet quality and Olympishness criteria but are excluded for no good reason. Most of them are the sort of niche, perhaps borderline absurd events that you don’t think about at all for four years but then find yourself completely fascinated by when you accidentally catch the final on TV—e.g., rowing, weightlifting, table tennis, or archery. In many ways these are the purest Olympic sports. The bottom right quadrant is the interesting space of successful failures—sports that seem to belong in the Olympics, and which ought to be excellent niche events, yet are not. They are the sporting equivalent of Calvin Trillin’s “New Yorker Trap”—the out-of-the-way, unassuming little restaurant in Brooklyn that no-one knows about, and which serves shitty food. As for the non-included cases in this quadrant, this is the sphere of technically correct failures—events like Ballroom Dancing, which seem to meet all the formal criteria for inclusion as Olympic events, but which must be excluded on the grounds that inclusion would just make everyone look ridiculous. Finally, the lower left quadrant is the sphere of bad-faith success: class warfare sports (Dressage, Sailing), accidentally effective social movements (Trampoline), things that should have been eliminated back in the 1920s instead of Dueling (the Walk), and bullshit California weekend activities that can’t believe their freaking luck (beach volleyball, BMX, probably Ultimate Frisbee soon, and Quidditch eventually as well).' 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) Quote Exclusive: Team GB member held up at gunpoint at Rio Olympics A member of the British Olympic team in Rio has been held up at gunpoint while enjoying a night on the town. The news has caused deep shock among British athletes and officials – many of whom were looking forward to enjoying Rio’s nightlife after finishing their competitions. It has also led to an unprecedented warning to Team GB members that it is “not worth the risk” to leave the athletes village because of fears they might be targeted if they are seen wearing a British kit. Details at this stage are sketchy but news of the incident, which happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning, spread quickly among athletes in Rio. It is understood the person in question was in shock but was not seriously hurt. On Wednesday night British track and field officials responded to the news by sending an email to athletes warning them that if they left the village they would do so at their own risk. The letter told athletes that “following a significant security incident overnight,” they must follow a number of protocols, including not wearing Team GB kit out of the village and not taking taxis, for their own safety. The letter, which has been seen by the Guardian, also warns athletes they must “avoid leaving the village after dark in anything other than British Olympic Association/Local Organising Committee/UK Athletics transport – taxis cannot be considered safe late at night. If you are planning on going out after dark and have no way of returning other than via taxi, do not go out.” It also tells them of the dangers of going out on the town, and tells them they must inform officials before they go out. “Do not go out of the village wearing TeamGB kit or carry anything of value unless absolutely unavoidable – this makes you too big a target for theft/crime,” it adds. “You MUST inform a member of team management if you are leaving the village and planning on staying out overnight – please do this BEFORE you leave.” British athletes have also been told they must attend a BOA security briefing once they have finished competing. “This is absolutely essential – there are no excuses for not attending. If you can’t make the morning after you finish, go the morning after that – this is for your own safety.” The letter then concludes by warning athletes that they might be better not going out in Rio because of the dangers of crime and theft. “Rio is NOT a safe environment, and the level of crime has spiked in the last few days,” it adds. “Think very carefully about whether it is worth the risk of leaving the village to celebrate after you have finished competing – BOA/UKA staff cannot guarantee your safety when away from the village/British School/British House. Our strong advice is that it is simply not worth the risk given the current climate in Rio.” British athletes have been told that other National Olympic Committees have put a curfew in place due to recent problems with security. The BOA has stopped short of doing this but the letter warns “if further safety/security issues arise it is likely that an outright ban on leaving the village after dark will be introduced”. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/17/british-athlete-held-at-gunpoint-robbery-rio-olympics Edited August 18, 2016 by sne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 18, 2016 Moderator Share Posted August 18, 2016 11 hours ago, jackbauer24 said: The Olympics always kicks off an argument in my head as to what quantifies as sport. I've come up with a shaky definition that I use that doesn't dismiss activities, simply relabels them. As it happens, I'm not a fan of one category but I still recognise its merit. So, in my opinion, There's SPORT - events that have a score created by player action, either distance, height, speed or getting an object in a target zone. To be a sport you MUST need to be PHYSICALLY tired/strained to complete it. Examples being football, cycling, running, field events. Outside Olympics, I'd include motorsport in this category. Then there's GAMES - as above but without any need for great physical prowess. It may help but it isn't essential. Examples are snooker, golf, darts and shooting. Finally, there's ART - this is any event that is judged. Prime examples are gymnastics and diving. It doesn't diminish the skills required but results are open to interpretation by different people. So that's my opinion. I'm sure people could think of some sports that don't fit in to any category well; it's a working theory! I personally have no interest in ARTS at all, like GAMES but don't think they belong at the Olympics and think it should be reserved for pure SPORTS. Now I await the first person to highlight the fact it's called the Olympic GAMES... Then there's a mix of your definitions. Boxing you would think would qualify under 'sport' by being physical and having some kind of scoring system, yet it is completely at the whim of judges (amongst other things...), making it 'art' aswell. There's a recurring discussion on VT about things like darts and whether they constitute a sport or a game. I've no strong objection to either definition, but I think those who flat out refuse to acknowledge any sporting prowess in a dart player don't seem to put any value into muscle control i.e. the ability to consistently and accurately use a muscle within its own limits, rather than things like we'll say javelin where it's an attempt to use the muscle only to its maximum. I think there's a skill in the control of muscle in some sports where others are only concerned with 100%. Which is why to me they all have a merit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 26 minutes ago, BOF said: There's a recurring discussion on VT about things like darts and whether they constitute a sport or a game. darts is often dismissed, but darts with high tech throwing kit made from kevlar is often seen as legit darts is archery without the extra equipment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 (edited) 7 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: darts is often dismissed, but darts with high tech throwing kit made from kevlar is often seen as legit darts is archery without the extra equipment ... And with beer. Don't get this with archery either Edited August 18, 2016 by sne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 ah you haven't been looking hard enough! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 Thankfully golf has for some reason made it to the Olympics... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted August 18, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted August 18, 2016 Brownlee brothers going for gold. Local lads where I live, I often get overtaken by them when I'm out for a run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 US Olympic swimmers in Rio de Janeiro invented a story about a robbery in an effort to disguise a dispute over a damaged petrol station door, police sources have told the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37115778 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 10 minutes ago, bobzy said: US Olympic swimmers in Rio de Janeiro invented a story about a robbery in an effort to disguise a dispute over a damaged petrol station door, police sources have told the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-37115778 Well Ryan Lochte is not the brightest boy so no surprise he's involved in something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbauer24 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 6 hours ago, BOF said: Then there's a mix of your definitions. Boxing you would think would qualify under 'sport' by being physical and having some kind of scoring system, yet it is completely at the whim of judges (amongst other things...), making it 'art' aswell. There's a recurring discussion on VT about things like darts and whether they constitute a sport or a game. I've no strong objection to either definition, but I think those who flat out refuse to acknowledge any sporting prowess in a dart player don't seem to put any value into muscle control i.e. the ability to consistently and accurately use a muscle within its own limits, rather than things like we'll say javelin where it's an attempt to use the muscle only to its maximum. I think there's a skill in the control of muscle in some sports where others are only concerned with 100%. Which is why to me they all have a merit. Fair comments, like I said it's a 'working model'! However I would judge Boxing as an 'Art' in my system as it is scored by judges. And I don't like Boxing anyway! Yes, there is some blur because a KO is a definitive action which would class it as a sport. As for many 'Arts' there is stil plenty of athleticism required and does not diminish the skill required. I couldn't do a back flip on a beam... The argument for muscle control is weaker though. Snooker could be considered even greater skill in that area as there is much greater variation between power screw back and touching ball accuracy. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's a great skill - if I hit any of 5, 20 or 1 I'm doing well! It doesn't diminish the merit in it exactly (snooker is one of my favourite pasttimes) but I've seen a mate hit 180 occasionally with moderate ability. Never seen an amateur throw a javelin 80/90meters as a 'fluke'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted August 18, 2016 Moderator Share Posted August 18, 2016 36 minutes ago, jackbauer24 said: Never seen an amateur throw a javelin 80/90meters as a 'fluke'! I've thrown one or two that distance. But I was an absolute boss at Daley Thompson's Decathlon back in the day. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 4 hours ago, mjmooney said: Brownlee brothers going for gold. Local lads where I live, I often get overtaken by them when I'm out for a run! And I bet they haven't even broke sweat... Class acts getting the one two.. The younger must be pissed never to beat his older brother though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 22 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: Just watched the diving, I'd forgotten what a negative moaner the summariser for that one is, he pissed me off in 2012 as well. The guy is a tool, acts like he knows everything, but half the time only gives his score when the judges score are already on screen and then says "see like I said"... Just, a girl did an inward dive and he was like remember she has hair so it looks closer to the board than others... What are the others bald? (She only had short hair anyway) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meath_Villan Posted August 18, 2016 Share Posted August 18, 2016 the womens diving .....question for rob .....have any of the female divers swimsuits ever just tore off after hitting the water ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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