Winter Olympics 2022

[Minion]

No thread for this yet? Yes it's in China. China are bad. But let's concentrate on the sport, it's not the athletes fault it's in China.

 

Anyway I love Snowboarding so I'm watching the Woman's slopestyle final on iplayer catch up, qualifying is also available. It's an amazing huge course, seeing these boarders hit these huge features is incredible. You need a lot of courage to be doing what they're doing. Love it. Rad!

 

 

What are your favourite events?

[glb]

Love the insanity of the luge and skeleton. Skeleton in particular must be one of the scariest sports it’s possible to participate in.

 

Speed skating and, of course, curling also fun to watch. The latter I stuck on the other day, much to my better half’s dissatisfaction. Five minutes later she’s glued to it.

 

Good luge POV vid.

 

 

[Minion]

6 minutes ago, glb said:

Love the insanity of the luge and skeleton. Skeleton in particular must be one of the scariest sports it’s possible to participate in.

 

Oh yes I love these too! Anything where you're hurtling at huge speeds in thrall to gravity is my bag. Let's add downhill skiing to the list too.

[glb]

Yup, and I completely overlooked the ski jump, which is clearly a sport for fearless people. Not sure how you get into it but can’t help but admire the courage to do so.

[ryodi]

The Skiathlon and Biathlon look the hardest sports in the world and they were doing it in -15c temperatures at these games.

[choddo]

Just watched Kamila Valieva in the team ice skating. Perfection. Absolutely beautiful. And I suspect I was one of only 8 people watching it.

[glb]

Watched some skating too! Heart in mouth for every jump, even though they probably land them 999/1000.

Can’t think of many more graceful sights in sport. Lovely seeing what has likely been a lifetime of dedication being realised on a the biggest stage of all.

[Marlowe]

I've enjoyed the events themselves but as with the summer games, the BBC's coverage is rubbish again. It's not just because they are limited in what they can show live, it's the incessant focus on the personal stories of the British athletes and endless inane chatter in the CGI studio. Even the highlights package spends ages covering this stuff. Just show us the action! 

[MrPogo]

I always look forward to them and wonder why I didn’t watch much of the last one, then it begins and I’m swiftly reminded it’s because about 95% of BBC coverage is dedicated to curling.

[merman]

The mixed doubles curling is an interesting addition though - 3 stones each, and the new “power play”.

[Minion]

5 hours ago, MrPogo said:

I always look forward to them and wonder why I didn’t watch much of the last one, then it begins and I’m swiftly reminded it’s because about 95% of BBC coverage is dedicated to curling.

 

Luckily iplayer repeats of the stuff on overnight has been ok, I've been able to watch the snowboarding slopestyle in full. But yeah they really overdo the curling. Tomorrow I'll be watching the slopestyle mens final and the mens downhill skiing hopefully!

[Gringo]

I’ve been enjoying a bit of the woman's ice hockey. Thankfully I have Eurosport so can avoid BBC coverage.

[Timbuktu]

I just want to say that short track seems ridiculous.  

[McFly]

On 06/02/2022 at 12:57, glb said:

Yup, and I completely overlooked the ski jump, which is clearly a sport for fearless people. Not sure how you get into it but can’t help but admire the courage to do so.

We did a summer bike a trip to northern Italy, and we saw ski jumps there. Although it was off season, it seemed like you could turn up and have a go along with the more normal skiing stuff.

[Sidewaysbob]

I love all the Olympic games, but anything that required a panel of judges to consider if it was better artistically than the next person over the jumps.. is always suspect.

 

Give me big granite rocks sliding down the ice to target any day of the week.

[Waggo]

It is worth checking out ‘The Price Of Gold’ on BBC I Player, which is a documentary about the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan shenanigans prior to the 94 Olympics.  Fascinating stuff especially if like me you are old enough to remember it at the time.

[glb]

7 hours ago, McFly said:

We did a summer bike a trip to northern Italy, and we saw ski jumps there. Although it was off season, it seemed like you could turn up and have a go along with the more normal skiing stuff.

That’s cool! Did you have a go?!

 

I guess there’s smaller slopes to start out on? Or do the jumpers just get on with it? I suppose if you start young you don’t have as much fear anyway.

[McFly]

57 minutes ago, glb said:

That’s cool! Did you have a go?!

 

I guess there’s smaller slopes to start out on? Or do the jumpers just get on with it? I suppose if you start young you don’t have as much fear anyway.

I'd be happier on the bike than on skis

 

Iirc there was a smaller "beginner" jump and larger one also on a separate nearby hillside. It was near/between Dimaro and Tonalè, which were amazing places. There was a lot of new hotels etc being build when we're there, plus there was an awesome rafting course there and a golf course in the valley between the mountains.

 

For the football fans we passed by the summer training of Juvè in one of the small towns also, some stunning places in that area.

[filecore]

As a teacher I see my form every day for 10mins in the morning. For the last couple of weeks (as well as doing the register) we've been doing Wordle. I like to cover current affairs and stuff that is relevant to them. Today I had the live BBC stream of the Olympics on and it was great.   Biathalon blew their minds. "How can that be a sport?" They said.  We got in to Speed Skating,  Snowboarding, as well as ethics and other topical stuff (is that real snow?). . None of my 16yos knew there was an Olympics on. My mornings for the next week are sorted and I feel that I am enlightening some youngsters at least!

[choddo]

On 06/02/2022 at 15:30, choddo said:

Just watched Kamila Valieva in the team ice skating. Perfection. Absolutely beautiful. And I suspect I was one of only 8 people watching it.

 

Oh ffs https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/feb/10/kamila-valieva-russian-skater-positive-test-winter-olympics-trimetazidine

 

[glb]

Still think they’re incredibly graceful. They just glide with enhancement.

 

One of those where I imagine plenty would be mystified at the need for a skater to dope, but trimetazidine gives endurance advantages at a level where marginal gains can be the difference between medals.

[Minion]

I think what's troubling in this case is she's so young someone has made her do this, bloody Russian system again, can't help but feel sorry for her, she may not have needed this drug they've given her.

 

Anyway on a more positive note the mens snowboard halfpipe final was great for the runs which were landed, I won't spoil it here but I enjoyed it. Snowboarding slopestyle, cross and halfpipe have all been so fun to watch. Now just big air left.

[glb]

No, you’re right, my initial comment is tone deaf. A teenager shouldn’t be subjected to PEDs.

 

Won’t edit but do acknowledge that bit of my post is crass.

[Minion]

58 minutes ago, glb said:

No, you’re right, my initial comment is tone deaf. A teenager shouldn’t be subjected to PEDs.

 

Won’t edit but do acknowledge that bit of my post is crass.

 

Oh my comments weren't aimed at you or anything, my initial reaction was the same until I gave it some thought, a 15 year old is going to be influenced and at the mercy of their coaches/team.

[glb]

No drama, I should have been less facetious so even if not directed my way, your comment makes a valid point that I overlooked.

 

Must admit my interest in the games has waned a little the last couple of days. Think the weekend will raise that interest again but there is some fantastic sport to enjoy over the next few days so spoilt for choice.

[MrPogo]

On 06/02/2022 at 21:19, Minion said:

 

Luckily iplayer repeats of the stuff on overnight has been ok, I've been able to watch the snowboarding slopestyle in full. But yeah they really overdo the curling. Tomorrow I'll be watching the slopestyle mens final and the mens downhill skiing hopefully!

I wondered when it was finally going to end, and discovered it basically doesn’t. There’s so much curling it starts two days before the opening ceremony and is taking place from 9am to 10pm every day until the Olympics are over. No wonder it’s the default airtime filler whenever there’s nothing else going on.

[Minion]

1 hour ago, MrPogo said:

I wondered when it was finally going to end, and discovered it basically doesn’t. There’s so much curling it starts two days before the opening ceremony and is taking place from 9am to 10pm every day until the Olympics are over. No wonder it’s the default airtime filler whenever there’s nothing else going on.

 

 

Yeah it's too much! I enjoyed the mens giant slalom this morning, that was good, exciting! Hoping the big air goes ahead these next couple of days.

[ryodi]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/60371282
 

Quote

 

Kamila Valieva can compete again at the Winter Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) decided that no provisional suspension should be imposed on the 15-year-old after she failed a drugs test.

Cas said preventing the Russian figure skater from competing would have caused her "irreparable harm". 

"The athlete should benefit from the following exceptional circumstances: She is under 16 and a protected person under the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) code," added Cas' Matthieu Reeb.

 

Understandable because she’s a protected person but I expect this to mean she’ll be disqualified after the games when no one’s watching anymore and whatever the Russian team is called will be allowed to carry on as if nothing happened.

[choddo]

Yeah probably, or they'll wait until she's 16 to retrospectively disqualify her. What a shame they resorted to betablockers, she's absolutely incredible.

[choddo]

Oh man, that poor Japanese speed skater Katagi