reindeer

Lima is at the coast, it has zero altitude.

It's not Iraq but Iran so there's no all-Arab connection really there, especially as Morocco is also quite far from the Middle Eastern nations both culturally and geographically.

Probably that and the fact that they would have to play at noon or in the afternoon as happened in 2000-2008 when the final was played at the main stadium. Also there might be a desire to include more venues to the Games, even if it's at the cost of a smaller crowd. Also, if the expansion plan goes ahead, in 2024 PdP will have a capacity around 60k so the loss will be only 15k spectators.

Of course attending Olympic Games isn't cheap especially far from home but seeing only a couple events doesn't have to break the bank. For me the biggest obstacle apart from the money would be Japan's hot and humid monsoon season which I don't find ideal for travelling to the country.

I don't know what he has said about Tokyo before but I'd be curious to know if CAF is planning on going there in 2020. Like I said earlier, there can't be bigger contrast than between London-Rio-Tokyo.

Also I want to add that by the end of last week I was feeling a bit exhausted after having spent most of my time awake glued to the TV screen or my computer. It's something of a relief having more time for normal things. I don't know if I could have continued in the same manner for a third week in a row.

Yeah, it's pretty much universal I guess, at least in cultures with a western linear concept of time or something similar. The exact reasons aren't known but I remember an experiment where persons of different ages were asked to guess when a certain duration of time, maybe 10 minutes, had passed by without seeing the clock, and the younger the persons were, the more impatient they were to wait. Older persons were more likely to instead underestimate the speed of time. As a teenager four years felt an eternity but yes, it does seem like London ended just yesterday but now Rio is also well behind us. Like you say, the good thing about all this is that Tokyo is just around the corner. I don't know if it's the age thing but I don't really feel the post games blues yet, unlike after London and Beijing when it hit pretty hard but I would say it's due to a major life change that I find myself in which is quite stressful and is taking most of my mental energy and focus for sometime now. Back in 2012 and especially 2008 I was much more idle so the end of action led to a bigger emptiness.

I would like to know the reasons for this, rising temperatures, rising sea level or what? Even now I feel the IOC:s insistince on a strict July-August timeframe is somewhat limiting. Even Tokyo with its monsoon rains and sticky humid heat is far from ideal in hosting at that period. The most limiting aspects are set by the IOC itself. They really need to start downsizing the games. Instead of adding new sports reduce the amount of them to 15-20 core sports with a few rotating/changing options depending on the preferences of the host country and less strict venue requirements. That way they could make smaller cities interested again.

Because they were boorish pricks?

That's a pathetic excuse if you've paid for the ticket. There is a roof and it's not even cold out there! Would they leave the World Cup final with Brazil playing if it started raining?

Yes, it does have some effect if the public seems disinterested. The Brazilians simply don't care about these games. We can discuss about the reasons for that and whether it's legitimate in another topic.

Couldn't get too excited while seeing the stadium less than half full for a Brazilian gold medal and the crowd booing at Lavillenie. Not the athlete's fault of course, he did an exceptional job.

I don't know the sport's code of conduct but whether or not that was legal he was the biggest asshole in any discipline I've seen in a long time. I hope there are some mitigating circumstances.

I'm pretty sure uncle Vlad will keep the hooligans in order on his home soil. He doesn't want the image of Russia tarnished in that way or problems on Russian territory. What happens in foreign countries is a different issue. Also, ironically the most frightening thing about Russian hooligans is that they probably prefer to function without alcohol.

Sochi's OC was the most beautiful and harmonious for me too, combining different elements perfectly. Beijing's grandeur was a bit overwhelming and almost mechanical.

I think it's precisely that the look isn't that bad, just that they should have applied it more widely and not been so lazy. Also like you say the colors might not look as good on TV as in person.

This issue has been discussed before but I can't find the thread. Like you I would love to see a longer games but there must be a reason why they last only two weeks. The handling of organization during the games must be a very demanding 24 hour job. The logistics, security etc. place a very big burden on the host city and wouldn't be any less even if the amount of simultaneous events would slightly decrease. I don't know if the media companies would like to dedicate themselves to the games for one more week either.

Like you I'm ready to forgive many issues if the atmosphere is good but the worst thing is indifference. The World Cup was a success not because of organizational smoothness but because of the passion of the public, although it was also in big part thanks to traveling South American fans from Argentina, Colombia, Chile etc. The Olympic stadium looks a LOT better today though, I would say at least at 80 percent capacity which is good for a morning session in almost any city. I wasn't expecting a full house for morning events anyway, London was almost like an anomaly. I guess the warmer weather has attracted more people today. Honestly I wouldn't pick the first day myself either if I could choose which one to attend in person.

Disappointing seeing the stadium almost empty. If you look at videos Seoul also had an almost empty stadium on the first day of the athletics competitions but it got more full later. In advance the programme wasn't the most interesting one on the opening day despite of what happened in the 10 km race. Hopefully the following days spark more interest but it will look really bad if the situation doesn't improve a lot. It's obvious that Brazil and World Cup was a much better combination than this one because the Olympic Games aren't just that big in South America, although until this I thought the atmosphere seemed ok, with some exceptions. Ironically the emptiest venues have probably been in football. Makes me wonder does this make the decision not to go to Rio more regrettable or a good one. On the one hand it seems tickets would have been easy to get, as a total opposite to London, but with the lack of atmosphere is attending the events really worth it?

I don't usually pay too much attention to these details, at least not as much as some others here, but the tennis venue does look incredibly bare. There's the court level banners but otherwise only grey concrete. Basketball was almost equally bad. The boards at the side are like very simple individual pieces without any flowing continuity. It's not a make or break issue but you can't be so cheap that something so simple as decorating the venues should be ignored for the sake of saving a few reals. Otherwise I think the look isn't bad and looks fitting to Rio, especially the font is superb, but it isn't the most striking and memorable either. It's just a case of bad finishing and amateurism.

Will be interesting to follow this and other blogs from Rio. I hope you find time to keep us up to date on events despite busy schedule. I also went to my first Olympic Games in London but ended up not going to Rio. Despite all the problems there have been I have started to regret I didn't find a way to get there as I fear this might be a unique opportunity. Although I'm less familiar with Brazil and never have been to Rio, I previously lived in one of the neighbouring countries of Brazil and otherwise know the continent quite well plus speak Spanish and Portuguese which I guess could have made a real difference to most people's experience. I'm sure the contrast to London is huge and should you go to Tokyo in four year's time the difference will be even bigger, no wonder considering that the three cities couldn't be much further from each other and in case of Tokyo and Rio they are literally on the opposite sides of the globe.

That's surprising considering that FIFA requires all-seater stadiums at international matches but IOC seems more relaxed about the issue.

Does this mean that standing terraces are allowed at Olympic football matches?

Yeah, but that was a great team that also won the WC at home 1998. The first trophy winners from France who won the previous European Championships organized in France in 1984 were also a great team. These teams were of course led by the two greatest French players, Zidane and Platini respectively. This current equipe is just normal in comparison, taking full advantage of home advantage. And yes, Portugal has had quite an easy path but I don't know why people forget to mention that the same applies largely to France too. Portugal did however meet Croatia, one of the strongest teams in the group phase who came on top of Spain. Portugal would have also met Belgium but they were eliminated by Wales, winners of their own group ahead of England.

I really, really hope for Portugal to win. Not being a Francophobic here but I'm not particularly thrilled about this French team and their easy path to the semi-finals without any quality opposition until they met Germany and were very lucky to win that match. Not that this is the best Portuguese team in history but in the past Portugal has often entertained but failed to deliver. This time their approach is more minimalistic, Italian style, and that often wins tournaments. The team is compact and has mental strength. Portugal deserve a trophy after so many near misses and although I'm not an actual fan of him, Cristiano Ronaldo is a great athlete and footballer. I admire his skill. France winning yet another tournament at home soil sounds a bit dull and anticlimactic. * I see the correct term is Francophobe but what ever, the point remains.