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  1. LOL this has always struck me as amusing in the first place. The regional council of mayors were like "We thought the Olympics were a good way to bring necessary PT upgrades to the region", as if thats a thing. I know transport planners in QLD who were fuming at it (I work in policy in that area). If you want upgrades, advocate for them on their own merit -don't use them as bait for something that will take funds away from the BAU services that are actually needed. And yes, the Brisbane Metro/CRR were going ahead regardless of the Olympics.
    4 points
  2. I would rather Italy first focus on actually figuring out how they're going to host the sliding events in less than 2 years before even thinking of another Olympic bid... (also, were they not interested on the 2028 YOGs? that would mean hosting three different Winter Olympics within 14 years!)
    3 points
  3. @sebastien1214 This is why
    3 points
  4. The utter irony in all of this is, if the IOC had not rushed in to anoint 2032 so rashly, they could've avoided a lot of this mess. They would've had plenty of time to vet everything & everyone properly, & then make a much more informed decision. But no, they had to quickly rush in & crown a smallish city with a dubious plan at best, all at a time when the world was in the grips of a global pandemic & thus dealing with the one year postponement of Tokyo 202One because of that. All the while, completely ignoring 2030, too. Go figure. But most us already know why that was anyway.
    3 points
  5. She put much better what I'd been saying about the original Gabba plan - it's a lot of money for not a lot of stadium. If you're going to spend a lot of money, get yourself a lot of stadium, because the current Gabba doesn't stack up against Perth or Adelaide, never mind the big two. And there shouldn't be anything wrong, even in the "New Norm" with a city that needs a new stadium whatever happens, & would like a high quality, large one to improve its standing, seeing the Olympics as a chance to get one & doing it. Without sounding too much like AF, I thought the New Norm was supposed to be about fitting new spending & building to the city, not just "don't spend anything". That's why that Archipelago proposal for 70k in Victoria Park really felt like the only one that truly made sense, and would fit the Olympics and Brisbane's ambitions - as I said before it's not like you're agonising over building something that won't get much use, any Brisbane Olympic Stadium that isn't the current daft plan will join Melbourne and Sydney as one of the most used of all Olympic Stadiums the moment it opens. Now they want to spend at least as much, possibly more, to get far less, and still need to eventually build a new Gabba anyway as even Hobart overtakes it...
    3 points
  6. Oh Queensland doesn't get embarrassed. You need a certain level of self awareness for that
    3 points
  7. Honestly - as a long term Brisbane resident (shudder) - this plan is fine. Just wait until the sexy, sexy QSAC renders come out. The only issue I see is transport. Still it's next to a major freeway, has the busway close. Trains are out as Banoon is a slog. Suncorp is a great stadium. It'll get a moderate capacity increase but will be a fine ceremony venue. They can easily hang cables, most seats are undercover and access is decent. I've rarely had dramas getting out of a concert/event there The Gabba plan was always stupid. The Brisbane Live plan across the rail lines was also fanciful. Just moving it North is.. fine. The white water stadium plans are diabolical though.
    3 points
  8. Earlier today there was a hearing of the Minister of the Interior by the Senate, concerning in particular the security of the Olympic Games and more particularly the opening ceremony. It was an opportunity to provide details on security elements, but not only that, and it also unintentionally answered certain questions asked here, in particular the question of disembarking athletes after the end of the parade. On the few points which may interest you and which are the most important: - The ceremony will last three and a half hours, from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (UTC+2). The original idea was to start at 8:24 p.m., but that certainly had to be abandoned due to logistical constraints linked to the evacuation of the public by transport. Sunset time in Paris is around 9:45 p.m., so we can say that about half of the show will take place during the day and the other half at night. It seems like a long time since an opening ceremony had its daytime artistic spectacle? - The number of spectators is set at 104,000 people on the low quays, 222,000 people on the high quays, and around 200,000 people in the buildings which have a view of the Seine, which makes nearly half a million people who will attend the ceremony (knowing that the number of spectators on the high platforms can always change) - There will be around thirty floating structures on the Seine for the purposes of the artistic show (and the athletes' boats will also be decorated). - On the boarding and disembarkation of athletes: the pontoons will be spread over 2-3km at each of the two ends. If I understood correctly, for the arrival, there will be shuttle buses so that the athletes furthest from the Pont d'Iéna return to the bridge. There were many other points raised but if I had to put everything in this post, it would be far too long (and it would probably not interest you because these are really points of detail which mainly concern Parisians). A small image anyway to show the presentation of the "stadium". This is a map that shows the distribution and use of bridges and quays for this opening ceremony. - the platforms in orange are the low platforms (paying, 104k) - the bridges in orange are those which welcome the public and are included in the 104k of low platforms - the platforms in green are the high platforms (free, 222k) - the bridges in blue are the bridges which remain accessible to pedestrians to cross both banks, but still with safety checks. It will be impossible to go from one bank to the other by metro or vehicle. - the bridges in red are those which will be used for the artistic part of the ceremony. Either for logistical reasons or for scenes to take place on these bridges. (and you will have noted the two most iconic bridges in the city, Pont-Royal and Pont des Arts, will maybe be used for the artistic part...)
    3 points
  9. This is the 12th and final scene planned: the destruction of all the bridges of Paris in order to make this OOC even more spectacular than Beijing 2008.
    3 points
  10. Your opinion doesn't matter until we learn the outcome of the review. Right now, everything is speculation. Also noting your slight shift in tone - you've previously railed hard against the "upgrade/refreshed" option and shouted down other users (including myself) for suggesting it is a viable compromise. Just want that on the record in case you try and suggest its been your pick all along (as its possibly going to be the preferred recommendation of the review). You were all in, 100%, on the rebuild as soon as Palaszcsuk blindsided the IOC with it.
    3 points
  11. Which still boggles the mind then, why Brisbane was "chosen" ITFP, since the whole Gabba debacle came AFTER Brisbane was hand-delivered the 2032 Games. And the regional transportation upgrades that were supposedly key as to why Brisbane "raised their hands" for the Games TBW, still left in limbo.
    3 points
  12. Today on a visit to a museum here in Glasgow they had the medal ceremony uniform on display.
    3 points
  13. Hello, I'm new here; allow me to make my contribution to the discussion by providing you with some information on the artistic content of the OOC as they were recently revealed in the French press and which, it seems, has not been not mentioned here: First of all Thierry Reboul*, the executive director of the ceremonies, who was interviewed in a major French sports media: “The opening ceremony will be twelve scenes, twelve scenes which will follow one another. And there is a great novelty which was brought by Thomas Jolly, which is to say that we were going to take the artistic segments, that we were going to take the parade of athletes which is the backbone of an opening ceremony, and we are going to mix all that." "In fact the parade of athletes will cross these twelve scenes. And the ceremony will take place along the water following this parade. We will go from one scene to another." And another article** (this time paid) in which Thomas Jolly was interviewed where we learn that the first of these scenes was to take place on the Quai de Béthune, but the fragility of this quay requires that this scene either adapted or moved elsewhere. Also, the facade of the Hôtel-Dieu in Paris (just next to Notre-Dame) was to have scene planned on its facade (probably dancers? light shows?), but the discovery of asbestos prevented its use. The other information is that the Trocadéro will host the arrival of the Olympic flame, Macron's speech (thank God he will not make a parade on the Seine with the athletes) and the last scene; which probably means that there will be 11 scenes spread over the 6km of the Seine. The TV director has also been chosen since January and is working with Thomas Jolly's team. ---- * https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/jeux-olympiques/jo-de-paris-2024-douze-tableaux-un-film-de-trois-heures-on-en-sait-plus-sur-le-spectacle-de-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-sur-la-seine_AV-202402270044.html ** https://www.telerama.fr/theatre-spectacles/thomas-jolly-je-suis-triste-qu-on-ne-puisse-pas-partager-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-avec-plus-de-public-7019339.php
    3 points
  14. Which is where I think Brisbane is a textbook example of that. There’s little doubt that either of the more expensive options would represent better legacy and long term value for the city. I certainly do give the IOC some credit for taking concrete steps to pushing hosts towards more sensible plans. And yeah, much of the heat, this week especially, is more the doing of the local politicians than the IOC (though Coates played his part). But there’s no one size fits all formula for hosting plans, and much of the marketing of the “New Norm” was how it would introduce greater flexibility and work with the cities to produce what’s best for them. In some cases, however, a blanket “we want the cheapest plan” is exactly NOT what’s best for the host.
    2 points
  15. Which again shows why the bid process was better. Let cities decide what is best for them, with input from the IOC, then the IOC decide what would be the best plan for the Olympics. If the New Norm had been in place for 2012, they'd have probably told London to use Crystal Palace for athletics & swimming, Manchester for cycling, more of Excel (or maybe Brum's NEC) for the other indoor sports in the Park. I don't know what the total cost would've been. But I think we do know the Lower Lea Valley would now either be the same derelict industrial site it was in 05, or a Battersea-esque Wild West of tower blocks with no green space or public facilities. I don't think anyone would say that'd be better for London than what we got.
    2 points
  16. Big information that has just come out: according to l'Equipe*, the Olympic cauldron would be installed in the eastern part of the Tuileries garden. It's located between Place de la Concorde and the Palais du Louvre, in the "extension" of the courtyard of the Louvre (you know, where the pyramid is). The location is also located in the “royal axis”: the alignment of the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées, the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre Palace. To give you an idea of what it looks like in terms of perspective, a photo taken from the Tuileries gardens: One question still remains to be decided: will the flame be lit, during the OOC, directly in the Tuileries garden, or will it be lit at the Trocadéro (then "moved" during the night to its location definitive)? *https://www.lequipe.fr/Jo-2024-paris/Tous-sports/Actualites/Les-tuileries-favoris-pour-accueillir-la-flamme-olympique-pendant-les-jeux-olympiques/1455898
    2 points
  17. Got tickled seeing this posted on SSC Here is the main bus transport interchange at the moment at QSAC. Ready for the Olympics!
    2 points
  18. You still get the medal as an individual, but it doesn't count for a nation. Rest assured, Putin will do his best to try and propagandize those medal winning athletes
    2 points
  19. I think every time it's got into the public eye here by hosting something it's had a different name - so until they do the decent thing & name it after Cathy Freeman, Stadium Australia it stays
    2 points
  20. Surely an Aldi Olympics is one where the organisers fall out and end up splitting the enterprise in two? Hmmm...maybe it is an apt description actually. I look forward to seeing Brisbane's two logos, one adorning each of their Olympic Stadiums.
    2 points
  21. When I read „Aldi Olympics“, I‘d just like to point out that Aldi was founded and is still seated in Essen, central to the Rhine-Ruhr area of course. Oh the irony…
    2 points
  22. And Bingo! We have lucky stadium number four!
    2 points
  23. Just use Suncorp for ceremonies & Carrara (it's a bit nicer facility than QSAC anyway) for T&F, and just be done with it. Just figure out the best way to get the people in-&-out. I know T&F is usually an Olympic marquee event, but at this point, beggars can't be choosers. It's not like the core of the Games will be right there anyway. Le Fin.
    2 points
  24. Jeezus! Go out for an hour and come back to find we’re onto our third Olympic Stadium in less than 24 hours! You couldn’t make this stuff up!
    2 points
  25. I think that in the end, what will happen is that the IOC will confirm its principle of "neutral athletes", which will effectively reduce to only a few dozen eligible athletes, and that to avoid being humiliated Putin will decide on the boycott. In a certain way both parties will save their honor: the IOC will be able to say "we tried an intermediate solution, it is not our fault if there are no Russians" and Putin will be able to say "we are not going to be humiliated by accepting these IOC conditions." Either way, I find this story about neutral athletes completely stupid. The IOC demands that Russian athletes not support the war, but how can they be 100% sure that all eligible Russian athletes are opposed to this war? If a Russian athlete wins a medal and starts making the Z sign on the podium, what a monumental humiliation that would be for the IOC. This story should have been resolved since February 24, 2022 by prohibiting any presence of Russians (& Belarusians) as long as the war is in progress. And if the IOC needed an justification, they only had to say “since you broke the Olympic truce*, then we are punishing you”. And again, they wouldn't even have needed to come up with a justification because it seems so obvious. (*indeed, it happened 4 days after the end of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. But it was also before the start of the Paralympic Games; they can imagine an “extensive” version of the Olympic truce which also includes the Paralympic games)
    2 points
  26. Courier-Mail has the full report Paywall cracked -> https://archive.md/ZB4QD Coates QSAC option rejected over cost ($1.6 billion) --- KEY RECOMMENDATIONS: VICTORIA PARK A new $3bn-$3.4bn 50,000-seat stadium be built here, on a site to be determined, to host Olympics and Paralympics track and field events – and AFL, cricket and concerts into the future. ROMA STREET PARKLAND A new $2.5bn 15,000-plus seat indoor arena be built on an existing carpark and maintenance depot at the northwestern corner of the parklands. ROMA STREET STATION That the arena not be built here, due to cost constraints, but a new pathway be constructed to link the station to the new arena site, 500m away to the north. SUNCORP STADIUM No upgrade is recommended, but a new bridge from Roma Street Parklands over Countess St to the top of Caxton St would better connect it to the city. THE GABBA The stadium be maintained to a minimum standard until the new Victoria Park stadium is constructed, after which the Gabba would be demolished and the site “repurposed”. QUEENSLAND SPORTS AND ATHLETICS CENTRE, NATHAN Not to be used as an Olympic and Paralympic Games venue to host the track and field events. ALBION PARK RACEWAY The government does not proceed with building an indoor sports centre at this site. BOONDALL/ZILLMERE A new indoor sports centre to be built here to service Brisbane’s northern suburbs. SLEEMAN SPORTS CENTRE, CHANDLER Proceed with building a new indoor sports centre here, as well as expand the site and upgrade existing facilities. REDLAND WHITEWATER CENTRE, BIRKDALE Proceed with the project as scoped, and scrap the consideration of Penrith in NSW as alternative option. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS # Proceed with the Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre project, but increase its size. # Continue with planning and delivery of the Logan Indoor Sports Centre. # Progress the investment decision for the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sports Centre. # Proceed with the Wyaralong Flatwater Centre near Boonah as a competition venue. # Progress the investment decision for the Sunshine Coast Stadium upgrade. # Continue with the Barlow Park project in Cairns as scoped. # Do not proceed with the Toowoomba Sports Ground project. # Continue with the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre upgrade as scoped. # Consider what works are needed to ensure the Queensland Tennis Centre is fit for purpose.
    2 points
  27. i had a dream last night where i watched the opening ceremony. it was a basic boat parade with people doing random dances on barges that slowly floated along the river. i hope the actual ceremony is much more exciting than that!
    2 points
  28. It's like all new things, unfortunately. But be sure that if this OOC is a great success, if ever another city (LA?) wants to have its own OOC in the heart of the city, surprisingly there will be much less criticism the next time. What's the funniest thing about this is that ≈80% of the critics aren't even on questions of "taste" (like "the artistic segments will be less beautiful than if it were in a stadium ", etc) but on logistical questions (like "we will never be able to use lots of boats it's impossible"), giving the impression that according to these critics the average people were much more competent, that they already know everything, and and that according to them the organizers are the incompetent people who have never worked on the subject (even though it is their job). lol
    2 points
  29. I love the posters - Paris hasn't really put a foot wrong with the design of the Games, except maybe the stubby torch. I still say that's actually an escaped high-end perfume bottle
    2 points
  30. It should come close to covering the operational costs. And to be honest, the Commonwealth Games hosts shouldn't really be taking on massive capital costs anyway - with the notable exception of the athletes village, which can serve as social housing after the games. Since Guilga has already compared the Commonwealth Games to the Pan-American Games, it's worth noting that the Pan-Ams work perfectly fine with a temporary athletics stadium seating only 13,000. An 18,000 seat Kuala Lumpur Stadium should be acceptable. Kuala Lumpur also has a decent aquatics center, a velodrome, a cricket stadium, and so on. They shouldn't really need to build any new venues.
    2 points
  31. Speaking of Opera and Venice, just one name pops up.. Vivaldi! And his winter suite oc.!
    2 points
  32. Just saying, Panam Sports got a default from Colombia and even them didn't need to openly offer money to beg someone to host their games. Actually, they managed their condrum amazingly as noted by the article, in six weeks. (It helps that 1, Lima was the winning bidder and they had hosted already recently in 2019, and 2, unlike the commies, the PanAms are directly and indirectly related to the Olympic Games, which does help.) How many months there was since the Dan was pulled in Victoria?
    2 points
  33. Well, it's better to have someone ready in a special case like this, right? In the end, let's be honest, Lima is already better anyway than a city who would need to build literally everything in half the time needed. Asunción really had a chance?
    2 points
  34. The ceremony will begin at 19:30 local time. Sunset in Paris that evening is 21:37. So the ceremony will begin in daylight and it will conclude past sunset.
    2 points
  35. Some photos of the Palace of Versailles which is the most advanced site regarding temporary sites. This is where the horse riding and pentathlon events will take place.
    2 points
  36. This all is part of the problem in today's society. People find 1 thing they don't like about something and they want to shun the whole thing. That's not the IOC's fault. There are plenty of perfectly valid and understandable reasons why some people want nothing to do with the Olympics anymore. But then plenty more create whatever narrative they want to insert and blow it out of proportion.
    2 points
  37. That’s Lydia Williams from the Matildas
    2 points
  38. And anyone who uses the word 'woke' is basically this guy... Yes, about two or three years ago every right-wing outlet started using it, seemingly within a few weeks of one another. Now it's hard to avoid. My 'favourite' use of it so far was The Scum's take on a BBC documentary about dinosaurs... The right-wing on both sides of the Atlantic have undergone mass lobotomies. It's the only logical explanation.
    2 points
  39. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_persecution_complex The worst thing about this is the BBC is giving these morons coverage.
    2 points
  40. Don't show them the 1924 Olympics poster where the Sacré-Coeur was shown without its cross on top.
    2 points
  41. As. much as i know London will put on a great championships I wish that the event would go to other places rather than back to the same, ie beijing again, london again. would be nice to see the championships in South America or Australia. (Although i get the season timings etc of that is an issue)
    2 points
  42. Lol! “Apply now for our special offer - you’re choice between a free Olympic eGames or IOC Session hosting* One per customer“ * Limited time only. Offer not available in Russia or Belarus
    2 points
  43. You know we love you really (But seriously, that's the kind of crassness that seems to follow Saudi wherever they go on their takeover of global sport. I guess money still doesn't buy class...) Btw it'd be really beautiful if they incorporate the completion moment of Notre Dame into the ceremony. Something like turning the lights on for the first time.
    2 points
  44. Don’t forget the Russian troll farms will likely also be going overtime during the event yelling at every Olympic tweet.
    2 points
  45. There are the LA 2028 games which come after. Even if it is obviously not the norm to see American presidents at the OOCs, could this push Biden to come at the OOC ? For Zelensky, I would be very surprised if he came. The Ukrainians do not really agree with the solution adopted by the IOC concerning the presence of Russian athletes. And the military situation of Ukraine (& politic for Zelensky after the dismissal of Zalouzhny who is almost adored by the Ukrainians) is not good at all and I don't think the Ukrainians would appreciate it if Zelensky made the trip abroad just for a moment of celebration (all his trips abroad have been, until now, in order to to have more military support).
    2 points
  46. In relation to certain questions which had been legitimately raised about the risk of delay caused by the river parade, the newspaper L'Equipe today published an article* on the subject. In summary : - the organizing committee called on the help of the organizers of the Vendée Globe and the Route du Rhum in order to benefit from their experience - during the technical rehearsal on July 17, 2023, there were two tests: the first ended with a delay of 20 minutes for the arrival of the boats at the Pont d'Iena, the second of 4 minutes. Note that new rehearsals are planned with more boats (but it was already planned anyway). - 186 boats are currently planned, including 94 for delegations, with an additional backup fleet (not included in the 186 boats) - the race director of the last Route du Rhum race is confident that it will be okay, even if he recognizes that it is an unprecedented challenge (because on a river and not on the high seas) From what I understood from the article, it was after the first technical rehearsal that Paris 2024 called on this external help. It is, I find, reassuring to see that between just two tests they have considerably reduced the delay and that in addition they are also calling on professionals to help them. But we must not forget that the first technical rehearsal was only carried out with around forty boats. Let's see how it will go when there are all the boats. (I put two photos taken during last year's technical rehearsals below) -------------- * https://www.lequipe.fr/Jo-2024-paris/Voile/Article/Les-dirigeants-de-la-voile-apportent-leur-expertise-pour-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-des-jo-de-paris/1451944
    2 points
  47. I cannot for a second see the Review seriously recommending either QSAC or Carrara for the Olympic/Paralympic Track and Field Competitions even with lots of temporary grandstands. With two athletics sessions per day, a crowded, shamble and conga line of buses and coaches to get everyone in and out twice per day would be an international embaressment. There are no train or light rail lines to either of those venues. In my opinion, I think the Review will recommend the central, blue ribbon location of an upgrade/refreshed or rebuilt Gabba, which has its own train station. There is plenty of time to do that.
    2 points
  48. As for people's expectations, at least in France, I admit I have difficulty expressing it clearly. Because for the moment, there is not a huge enthusiasm around the Olympics and we mainly talk about the problems around it (very often in a sarcastic and mocking way, we are in France), but that will probably change in the days and weeks which will precede the opening ceremony. But I remember well that when the idea of an opening ceremony on the Seine was made official with the visuals shown, I saw a lot of people on social networks saying that the idea was on paper incredible, but in terms of security it would be something else entirely. As for my personal opinion, I think it's very simple: given the scale of the project, it will either be the best opening ceremony in history or the worst. I'm still rather optimistic and I think it will be a success. It is especially on the artistic aspect that I am very confident, on the security aspect we still legitimately have more fears but given the information we have about the security system that will be put in place, I think that we also have the possibility of win the security challenge. Tell yourself that the Seine sector will be almost confined during the opening ceremony: ticketing for the high platforms (free seats) will not be managed by Paris 2024 but by the Ministry of the Interior on a dedicated site, in particular in order to identify if some of the spectators would represent a threat, all those who live in the area will have to declare themselves to the authorities in order to obtain a QR-code in order to be able to enter the secure area... Above all, I think that the real security risk will actually be elsewhere in Paris, not really in the area of the opening ceremony. On the artistic part, to answer the question precisely: there is clearly the potential to be even more grandiose than Beijing. Because : - the monuments that the ceremony will visit are still grandiose for show settings. Few cities in the world can boast of having such a density of monuments. - there will undoubtedly be very strong emotionally moments, particularly with Notre-Dame. The reconstruction of the cathedral will be completed by the end of 2024, and the new spire is being installed. Thomas Jolly himself has said that the cathedral will be part of the "celebration", and given the emotional impact that the Notre-Dame fire has generated, we can expect it to be a defining moment of ceremony. - Paris being known as the City of Lights, I expect to see a grandiose fireworks display at the end of this ceremony, probably at the Eiffel Tower or throughout the city in the style of Sydney 2000. Annual fireworks displays on July 14 at the Eiffel Tower are very often great successes. - the duo Thierry Reboul (executive director of the ceremonies) - Thomas Jolly (artistic director of the ceremonies) is certainly the best possible duo for such a challenge. The first has 20 years of experience in events and has made himself known with multiple successes in his career (it was notably he who had the idea of the athletics track on the Seine during of Olympic Day 2017, right in the heart of the campaign to win the games). The second is surely the best French director currently, who manages to produce shows that are both popular and grandiose in their style (such as a 24-hour non-stop theater show, the entirety of Henri IV and Richard III by Shakespeare) So, without guaranteeing that everything will be a success, I think that in any case the conditions are met for it to be a real success, with people who are indisputably extremely competent and who have the capacity to achieve such a challenge.
    2 points
  49. The Paris 2024 Megastore (1500 m²) will be located at Place Clemenceau, between the Champs-Élysées and the Grand Palais. It will be opened from July 1 to September 15.
    2 points
  50. In addition to @sebastien1214's list, I'd say Le Monde. It's a generalist newspaper so there's not a lot of articles about the Games, but it has an English version so you can read some articles with a French perspective but in English. Here is the link to the English section about Paris 2024.
    2 points
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