The Olympics - Tokyo 2021

[LadyS]

Thought I'd start an Olympic thread...

I've always looked forward to the Olympics even though I'm not much into sports. Love the worldwide cooperation and individual country pride.

Very much interested how the Tokyo games will play out during the pandemic. Hope everything goes well...

 

[Judge]

When are the opening ceremonies for the Pacific time zone?

Advertised here at 7:30 pm PST, tonight on NBC.

 

[LadyS]

The ceremony was this morning so it'll just be a replay of it tonight.

 

[Judge]

Watching the single skulls (rowing) competition right now. Ramming speed!

 

[Tony Ramirez]

I'm skipping it this year since 2004 (reason was nothing was broadcasted live like the 2000 Olympics) because I just can't watch the announcers and athletes wear face masks. I hate face masks and avoid anyone outside wearing them by looking away. I developed a phobia with all the exposure. I avoided the Grammy's and Oscars too.

 

[Jorg]

Im "dissapointed" not even Goku appeared in soem form in the ceremony, c'mon Japan even named oficcial ambassador years ago! but anyway.

Tonight I will be watching male road cycling, my country has 1 cyclist qualified, Andrey Amador from INEOS Granadier team. I'm also looking forward to BMX (Kenneth Tencio), surf (two female athletes), and some other I can't remember right now. In total my country has 13 athletes qualified, not a lot but more than I can remember.

In other countries I'm waiting for skateboarding, specially watch Sky Brown from UK, that girl is pure talent at only 13yo. And also Leticia Buffoni from Brazil, beauty and talent XD

 

[Sherlock77]

I'm going to a classic car cruise night tonight... I rarely watch sports...

 

[Butterfly88]

I'm not a huge sports fan but I have always enjoyed watching the Olympics.

 

[Streetwise]

I watched a few minutes of a rerun because they were honouring for the first time at an opening !ceremony! in 49 years ,the Israeli delegation who were murdered in 1972.

 

[VictorR]

I like it in the sense that some sports that show up in the Olympics don't otherwise get much media time. Of course, there are also some sports that get the double whammy of low recognition and not part of major competitions either.

 

[Judge]

How was the opening ceremony? My daughter's out at a scout event, So I'm waiting to watch it tomorrow morning at breakfast time.

It was a little disconcerting mainly in the rollout of the nations. Done in Japanese alphabetical order.

Just a tad confusing...but I survived.

 

[LadyS]

Watching Skateboarding Olympic debut. Always interesting when new sports get added.

 

[Jorg]

Ahh I'm kinda sad, it sucks. Yesterday a portuguese surfer retired from competition because if a positive (C)ovid test so the Olyimpic comtetee send an invitation to the next surfer on the list, it was a guy from my country (Cali Muñoz) but he was here in Costa Rica, at night and like 100km from the international airport, also my country has been suffereing floods this week so the roads were closed, even a firetruck gave him a ride so he could arrive at the capital, San José, make a PCR test and he departed to LA in the morning, from LA he had to take a plane to Tokyo.

Anyway, the flight from Costa Rica to LA was late and he couldn't take the flight from LA to Tokyo in time, I guess he is on the plane right now, but the Tokyo organizers scheduled the 2nd phase of competition right now so he will not make it on time even if Superman takes it there...

As I have read minutes ago, he will arrive to Japan and since he is there and has a lot of experience he will coach the 2 female surfers from my country: Brisa Henessey and Leilani Macgonagle. (Interestingly both of them are born from american parents but since they live here and were born here they decided to represent my country.)

 

[Judge]

Gotta love watching events like Olympic level table tennis, badminton and skateboarding. Anything but mundane.

Where you have to be incredibly precise...or lose.

Something I know well having played an "aggressive" style of badminton in high school and college.

 

[LadyS]

Wow, if I had Titmus's coach, I'd probably swim fast enough to beat Ledecky too. Scared for my life.

 

[LadyS]

Gotta love watching events like Olympic level table tennis, badminton and skateboarding. Anything but mundane.

Where you have to be incredibly precise...or lose.

Something I know well having played an "aggressive" style of badminton in high school and college.

Love badminton too, probably only sport I excelled at in high school gym class.

 

[Judge]

Can't say I'm surprised to see the kids excel at the Street Skateboarding event. When so many talented contestants are resisting gravity to perform some amazing "tricks", I suspect it's those with the least body mass who likely stand the greatest chance of pulling them off.

While I was an avid 60s skateboarder as a kid, had I tried such stunts with my 22" Hobie Super Surfer or my 20" Roller Derby wooden skateboards, apart from killing myself it would have probably snapped either board in half.

 

[LadyS]

Congrats to the Phillipines for winning their very first gold medal ever! They've been in the games since 1924 and never won one and now have one in women's weightlifting. These are the moments I watch for

 

[Jorg]

Can't say I'm surprised to see the kids excel at the Street Skateboarding event. When so many talented contestants are resisting gravity to perform some amazing "tricks", I suspect it's those with the least body mass who likely stand the greatest chance of pulling them off.

While I was an avid 60s skateboarder as a kid, had I tried such stunts with my 22" Hobie Super Surfer or my 20" Roller Derby wooden skateboards, apart from killing myself it would have probably snapped either board in half.

Yep, I think the short height and body mass helps a lot to be able to rotate and make good tricks; many of the new kids making 1080s, 1260s are young ones, the physics really help there.

I searched for Ryssa Leal first videos, it is so cute to see her at 8yo dressed as a fairy while doing grinds and kickflips. (Sorry I think that's my fatherhood instincts starting to kick in at my 30s).

Minutes ago the last surfing athlete from my country was eliminated by Caroline Marks, anyway she entered with the first 8 best female surfers of the world. I must say surfing, competitive surfing, is a lot harder than it may seem, not only you are fighting with your oponent but you are doing it in a field/court chat is changing every second, you have to wait and choose for the correct wave. In other sports the field you are playing doesn't change at all even across several days, in the sea you really don't know.

 

[LadyS]

A bit disappointed about the Simone Biles withdrawal. Part of me wonders how much of it was injury-related and how much of it was mentally psyching herself out. I had a feeling when seeing her before the competition started, she looked worried. Sometimes when everyone puts you so high on a pedestal, there's too much pressure to be perfect. Still think she is the best though.