Paris Olympics 2024

[StatesideToffee14]

31 minutes ago, MikeO said:

Beat an Evertonian into second place, fuck off yourself

Didn't realize Tommy Fleetwood was a Toffee supporter. 

[Hafnia]

32 minutes ago, StatesideToffee14 said:

Didn't realize Tommy Fleetwood was a Toffee supporter. 

Seriously? Yeah he's a big toffee. 
 

my brother asked Ian snodin to introduce Tommy for a photo at the open in birkdale. Top lad. His caddy is a bitter blue, the best kind - my mate was on the bag on tour for a year or two and finno gave shit to all the kopite golfers (there's a few). Finnos wife is Rachel Finnis brown / the ex goalkeeper and pundit. 
 

very popular and rightly so - good lads who haven't forgotten their roots. Would have loved Tommy to win gold - he's got a major in him - if he wins one he will get more. 

[StatesideToffee14]

1 hour ago, Hafnia said:

Seriously? Yeah he's a big toffee. 
 

my brother asked Ian snodin to introduce Tommy for a photo at the open in birkdale. Top lad. His caddy is a bitter blue, the best kind - my mate was on the bag on tour for a year or two and finno gave shit to all the kopite golfers (there's a few). Finnos wife is Rachel Finnis brown / the ex goalkeeper and pundit. 
 

very popular and rightly so - good lads who haven't forgotten their roots. Would have loved Tommy to win gold - he's got a major in him - if he wins one he will get more. 

Yeah I knew of quite a few Toffee supporters, especially here stateside. Roger Bennett being the main one I was aware of (though granted he was born in Liverpool and became a naturalized US citizen in the last decade). 

[Hafnia]

 

that's that then. Oh well IOC / you really have shot yourselves in the foot.  By the way the Chinese swimmers being allowed to swim is a disgrace too. 

[Matt]

1 hour ago, Hafnia said:

 

that's that then. Oh well IOC / you really have shot yourselves in the foot.  By the way the Chinese swimmers being allowed to swim is a disgrace too. 

Do they identify as dolphins? That would be taking the piss a bit to be fair. 

[Hafnia]

1 minute ago, Matt said:

Do they identify as dolphins? That would be taking the piss a bit to be fair. 

Tbh Matt - the whole double standards going on in the world right now is a farce. Wouldn't surprise me if they were ok'd cos of that

[Matt]

6 minutes ago, Hafnia said:

Tbh Matt - the whole double standards going on in the world right now is a farce. Wouldn't surprise me if they were ok'd cos of that

I've given up trying to understand all this shit to be honest. We have freedom yet only within ever increasing constraints. Freedom of speech but not certain words.

The hypocrisy has been there for decades, it's nothing new mate. 

[Cornish Steve]

31 minutes ago, Matt said:

I've given up trying to understand all this shit to be honest. We have freedom yet only within ever increasing constraints. Freedom of speech but not certain words.

The hypocrisy has been there for decades, it's nothing new mate. 

Let’s hope we don’t return to the traditional and cruel policy: freaks not allowed. “A civilization is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable in society.”

[Matt]

21 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

Let’s hope we don’t return to the traditional and cruel policy: freaks not allowed. “A civilization is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable in society.”

But the freaks were allowed at the Olympics, that was the whole point

[Hafnia]

37 minutes ago, Cornish Steve said:

Let’s hope we don’t return to the traditional and cruel policy: freaks not allowed. “A civilization is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable in society.”

Freaks? Thats appalling - no one is or should be calling the female athletes with XY chromosomes freaks.

However, they shouldn't be competing with XX females - anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't got a clue about the difference in power that XY chromosomes have over XX. 
 

Its not difficult but it is being made difficult by people with no common sense 

[Romey 1878]

It’ll be interesting to see how the IOC and the athletes respond, and if they maintain that the IBA are wrong. 

[Palfy]

I like females with xxx chromosomes, oh sorry that was meant to be xxx films  

[Hafnia]

1 hour ago, Romey 1878 said:

It’ll be interesting to see how the IOC and the athletes respond, and if they maintain that the IBA are wrong. 

The IBA offered them money towards the appeal. 
 

personally I think they have dug a big hole for themselves the IOC, what are they gonna do? DQ them? 

[Romey 1878]

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/15234/13191547/olympics-2024-how-ibas-chaotic-conference-unfolded-amid-boxing-eligibility-row-at-paris-games

[Hafnia]

1 hour ago, Romey 1878 said:

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/15234/13191547/olympics-2024-how-ibas-chaotic-conference-unfolded-amid-boxing-eligibility-row-at-paris-games

The whole thing has been a shambles the truth will be out after the games and rules will be changed. 
 

Why would a fighter not appeal the results of a test that hit their bronze medal cancelled - even when offered costs towards it?

the Olympian who was imprisoned on sex abuse charges must be delighted that he's gone under the radar. 

[lacedupshoes]

I thought this article where Piet Hoebeke (a Belgian urologist and dean of the Medicine Department at one of Belgium's universities) offers context was very interesting: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2024/08/02/ophef-boksers-op-olympische-spelen-khelif/

It's in Dutch (from Flemish version of the BBC), but I'm sure Google or some website can translate it for you if you're interested.

[Hafnia]

Hazel Irvine - absolute treasure of a sports journalist. Can literally talk about any sport and engage the panelists. Criminal how underused she is.   Balding and Logan have been solid - loved the vibe in the pool and athletics commentary boxes. 
 

Football can learn an awful lot - it's not about quotas - it's about quality. 

[StatesideToffee14]

Scary moment in the men's steeplechase final earlier today:

https://x.com/sisu_esse/status/1821275028786471411

The Ethiopian runner was stretchered off the track after the fall but reports are that he was conscious, able to speak to others, and is recovering in the hospital.

[Hafnia]

3 hours ago, StatesideToffee14 said:

Scary moment in the men's steeplechase final earlier today:

https://x.com/sisu_esse/status/1821275028786471411

The Ethiopian runner was stretchered off the track after the fall but reports are that he was conscious, able to speak to others, and is recovering in the hospital.

Don't think I've ever seen such an impact. Really hit hard didn't he. 
 

In 5000m I Think Danny mills son got away with one myself - I didn't see much wrong with the tangle, he got boxed in and looked like he had badly timed his move. 
 

The mens cycling was a tough watch - that lad had too much responsibility and leg work on him. His whole body went - look closely at his face, his mouth was dribbling and I thought he looked like he was nigh on collapsing. 

[Romey 1878]

12 hours ago, Hafnia said:

The mens cycling was a tough watch - that lad had too much responsibility and leg work on him. His whole body went - look closely at his face, his mouth was dribbling and I thought he looked like he was nigh on collapsing. 

He finished first in his event today so he recovered well. 

[Hafnia]

33 minutes ago, Romey 1878 said:

He finished first in his event today so he recovered well. 

He would have recovered in 20 minutes. When they train they hit the wall like that and it's pure lactic acid, Chris Hoy spoke in depth about it last night. Rowers have been doing the same except they do fall out of boat, one rower admitted they literally had nothing in tank for last 100m and teammates were carrying them 

[MikeO]

Lovely to hear the USA national anthem without someone doing a "bleeding Gums Murphy" vocal performance over it

[StatesideToffee14]

Man, that U.S. men's basketball team with all those NBA players sure had quite easy games in the semifinals and gold medal game. 

[Palfy]

2 hours ago, StatesideToffee14 said:

Man, that U.S. men's basketball team with all those NBA players sure had quite easy games in the semifinals and gold medal game. 

They were the first team in any Olympic sport to win 8 consecutive gold medals in any sport, says it all really when you allow a team of the best players in the NBA to take to the court for the USA there’s only ever going to be one outcome. Well done USA. 

[StatesideToffee14]

40 minutes ago, Palfy said:

They were the first team in any Olympic sport to win 8 consecutive gold medals in any sport, says it all really when you allow a team of the best players in the NBA to take to the court for the USA there’s only ever going to be one outcome. Well done USA. 

So the fact that the talent gap between them and the rest of the world is closing still isn't relevant?  

[patto]

14 hours ago, MikeO said:

Lovely to hear the USA national anthem without someone doing a "bleeding Gums Murphy" vocal performance over it

I once stayed on an American Air Force base many years ago down in Suffolk. 
I was amazed how patriotic they were to their National Anthem they tended to play it on a number of occasions each day it was quite touching really. 
I think they were still involved in Nam at the time. 

[Palfy]

8 hours ago, StatesideToffee14 said:

So the fact that the talent gap between them and the rest of the world is closing still isn't relevant?  

Would you bet against them winning in 2028 or even 2032?

[dunlopp9987]

2 hours ago, Palfy said:

Would you bet against them winning in 2028 or even 2032?

Maybe not 2028 due to homefield advantage, but by 2032? Absolutely. Serbia pushed them to their limit in the semis

[StatesideToffee14]

4 hours ago, Palfy said:

Would you bet against them winning in 2028 or even 2032?

They'll have the home court advantage in 2028 but the U.S. team is gonna look vastly different then. This was the oldest U.S. team ever in a FIBA tournament since they started allowing pros to play in the Olympics, even older than the 1992 Dream Team, whose oldest player was Larry Bird at 35. LeBron is 39, Steph Curry is 36, and Kevin Durant turns 36 next month so I'd be surprised if any of them returned in L.A.. Durant I'd put the odds at about 50/50 at best at playing in 2028. Then they also have guys like Jrue Holiday who will be 38 at the time of the next Olympics and Derrick White will be 34 by then, and he was only added to the roster late because Kawhi Leonard opted out. Anthony Davis will be 35 and Joel Embiid will be 34 in L.A., but both of them have injury issues so who knows if they'll be healthy by the time the next Olympics come around. 

[Palfy]

2 minutes ago, StatesideToffee14 said:

They'll have the home court advantage in 2028 but the U.S. team is gonna look vastly different then. This was the oldest U.S. team ever in a FIBA tournament since they started allowing pros to play in the Olympics, even older than the 1992 Dream Team, whose oldest player was Larry Bird at 35. LeBron is 39, Steph Curry is 36, and Kevin Durant turns 36 next month so I'd be surprised if any of them returned in L.A.. Durant I'd put the odds at about 50/50 at best at playing in 2028. Then they also have guys like Jrue Holiday who will be 38 at the time of the next Olympics and Derrick White will be 34 by then, and he was only added to the roster late because Kawhi Leonard opted out. Anthony Davis will be 35 and Joel Embiid will be 34 in L.A., but both of them have injury issues so who knows if they'll be healthy by the time the next Olympics come around. 

Not knocking the elder statesman of the NBA, but it feels like USA treats the Olympics in men’s basketball as a showcase of players like the Harlem Globetrotters, I think if the USA picked players that were up and coming in the NBA who would be more team players than a group of old over paid big time Charlie’s more interested in their own game than a team game, then the USA would truly show their dominance of the game, which we may start to see as you rightly pointed out most have seen their last Olympics. 
I think the USA will continue their dominance of the sport, after all the best players in the world play in NBA, and by far the biggest percentage of those players are Americans.