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5 hours ago, zekekelso said:

Nonsense. Complete crap. Here on the ground, live is pretty darn good. There are probably 1,000,000 things going on. As with all Olympics, 0.001% are glitches. The media can set the narrative my focusing only on the 0.001%. This is the same media that predicted we would all die o Zika. Ignore them. 

Exactly! The view from the ground at a games is usually far different from the armchair critics who nit-pick to fit their preferences. From someone who walked the ground from Peach Street to the Georgia Dome in 1996 games time, Atlanta was not the hell on earth many like to paint it now. It was warm, spirited, joyous and efficient. It was a pleasure and a privilege to attend. Ditto, I'm pretty sure (backed up by what the likes of Zeke and CAF say) that Rio is not the seventh level of purgatory with people cringing behind their gun shelters or an utter mess with the attendees shaking their heads in shame because a few banners are askew or hoardings haven't covered up the views of the surrounding landscape completely enough.

I'm seeing a games that were pretty well exactly as I (and I'm sure the IOC) expected - a pretty good competition in a lovey location hosted by a proud and excited population with some local quirks and a few expected and understandable glitches that haven't marred them anywhere near irredeemably so far. Bravo Brazil!

I still think it's important that the games have been shared beyond the developed borders of the world. This talk of train wreck and disaster is just hysterical armchair ignorance and prejudice.

By far the best organised, most smoothly running and (arguably) most beautifully painted and presented games of the 21st century so far have been in Sochi. No worriesome human problems or aesthetic shortfalls there. Yet I'd rate them as the most negative and damaging games to the Olympic brand of this century. Go figure.

At this stage, I'm rating Rio on about a par with Athens amongst recent games. And Athens is still many people's favourites when the endless debate resurfaces here as it I often does.

3 hours ago, Ikarus360 said:

In retrospective, I think Jacques Rogge got conned very hard by Brazil and Lula's promises, much like all of socialism in the region which ended up tanking badly, specially in my native country. They will think it twice before doing the same mistake again. Good thing they didn't got conned by either Madrid or Istambul in 2013 and picked a more realistic/grounded to reality option.

 C'mon Ikarus. Could you quit with your continuing "Right is always right, left is evil" commentary you've been pontificating about in just about every second post of yours lately. Many of us disagree.  Yes, I'm a committed leftist, but I'll recognise that both conservatism and liberalism have their times and places, and allowing them to act as a check on each other is what makes a good democracy work. Rio 2016 is most definitely not a cautionary tale to the world of the evils of socialism.

Edited by Sir Rols
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31 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

 

By far the best organised, most smoothly running and (arguably) most beautifully painted and presented games of the 21st century so far have been in Sochi. No worriesome human problems or aesthetic shortfalls there. Yet I'd rate them as the most negative and damaging games to the Olympic brand of this century. Go figure.

1

Are you serious? Sochi was a muddy mess leading up to the games. They were woefully unprepared in terms of accommodations, hotel rooms were falling apart or simply not ready when visitors arrived. Corruption and kickbacks to Mr. Putin's friends sent costs skyrocketing in addition to anti gay laws passed in Russia and all the criticism they faced from that are hardly signs of the best-organized games of the 21st Century. I'd strongly recommend Sydney or London for that title.

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2 minutes ago, olympicdreamin said:

Are you serious? Sochi was a muddy mess leading up to the games. They were woefully unprepared in terms of accommodations, hotel rooms were falling apart or simply not ready when visitors arrived. Corruption and kickbacks to Mr. Putin's friends sent costs skyrocketing in addition to anti gay laws passed in Russia and all the criticism they faced from that are hardly signs of the best-organized games of the 21st Century. I'd strongly recommend Sydney or London for that title.

Did you read or listen to any of the commentary during the games about how within the Olympic "bubble" organisation and operation was totally flawless? That they ran as smoothly as a games could run? That the ceremonies and look were the best and most beautiful that (tainted) money could buy? There were certainly no banners askew that are supposedly making Rio an unfit host.

The anti-gay and corruption issues are totally different issues outside the day-to-day running and broadcast presentation of those games. Yes, they are at the top of the list of what put Sochi in the negative bracket.

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20 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

Did you read or listen to any of the commentary during the games about how within the Olympic "bubble" organisation and operation was totally flawless? That they ran as smoothly as a games could run? That the ceremonies and look were the best and most beautiful that (tainted) money could buy? There were certainly no banners askew that are supposedly making Rio an unfit host.

The anti-gay and corruption issues are totally different issues outside the day-to-day running and broadcast presentation of those games. Yes, they are at the top of the list of what put Sochi in the negative bracket.

 

I don't recall nearly such praise from NBC and in the American press, every journalist was covering their broken hotel bathrooms and being locked in when their keys wouldn't work. Not to mention the whole games were painted with a broad brush of corruption- the $51 billion price tag was a focal point with individual seats costing thousands and thousands of dollars.

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"Bubble" was the trending word during Sochi - for all its positive (and negative) aspects. It became the cliche. As I said, the price tag and the corruption were the broader issues that tainted Sochi so badly, not the day-to-day running and presentation.

 

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21 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

"Bubble" was the trending word during Sochi - for all its positive (and negative) aspects. It became the cliche. As I said, the price tag and the corruption were the broader issues that tainted Sochi so badly, not the day-to-day running and presentation.

 

 

Rols, out of curiosity from you or any other members, I was young when the games were in Athens and I have vague memories of news reports about unfinished stadiums but really remember some great athletes and an overall great games. Of course we know the legacy problems Athens is having but how was the organization of the games as a whole and how does it compare to Rio. I'm taking away similar impressions of Rio and Athens: great, soulful games in a unique city that were a joy to attend but marred by poor organization and legacy that ultimately caused more problems than it was worth.

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6 minutes ago, olympicdreamin said:

Rols, out of curiosity from you or any other members, I was young when the games were in Athens and I have vague memories of news reports about unfinished stadiums but really remember some great athletes and an overall great games. Of course we know the legacy problems Athens is having but how was the organization of the games as a whole and how does it compare to Rio. I'm taking away similar impressions of Rio and Athens: great, soulful games in a unique city that were a joy to attend but marred by poor organization and legacy that ultimately caused more problems than it was worth.

Yeah, you and I are not the only people who are getting an Athens vibe from Rio. And that's, to me at least, not a negative - Athens did well. It just shows that organisation and the odd glitches aren't everything that makes a games good or bad.

As for legacy - yes, the Greeks overspent. They went too far in trying to impress. I think Rio should be congratulated for not going as overboard in that regard - they've had to be more frugal, at least in inconsequential aspects like the ceremonies and clad dings. And you have to remember, the Olympics didn't cause the Greek's financial crisis. They were a symptom of the country's problems, but ultimately were a blip in sheer money terms of the overall problems that got it into a mess. The thing is they were a very visible and high profile way for the media to illustrate the Greek crisis. But the games' ultimate contribution to the crisis was negligible.

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3 hours ago, Sir Rols said:

C'mon Ikarus. Could you quit with your continuing "Right is always right, left is evil" commentary you've been pontificating about in just about every second post of yours lately. Many of us disagree.  Yes, I'm a committed leftist, but I'll recognise that both conservatism and liberalism have their times and places, and allowing them to act as a check on each other is what makes a good democracy work. Rio 2016 is most definitely not a cautionary tale to the world of the evils of socialism.

I know I can be quite pedantic with my sentences and I apologize, but you have to understand my country is going through a very hard time thanks to these people who call themselves "socialists" but they really aren't...I am not really attacking socialism overall. I admit leftism had also many pros and I'm myself not entirely a conservative person at all and I appreciate their hard work on making society more progressive and tolerant. Whenever I do my comments, I'm mostly focusing on the branch of "socialism" which began in Latin America after Chavez victory in 1998. In the end, everything went wrong and they used it mainly as an excuse to drive the masses who were (with good reasons, to be honest) angry at the previous governments which often ignored the poor classes. People like Chavez, Lula and Cristina, in the end, only cared for their own interests and to get a tighter grip in power. There is a reason why most of Latin America has started to change again to more right winged governments.  

Anyway. I don't want to deviate this thread so I guess I will keep my political views for myself, at least for now. My apologies. 



Now, back to the main theme of this thread....back in 2004 I felt Athens, despite its very rocky way on its preparation for the Olympics (delays, workers strikes, etc), didn't do a bad job during the actual games and they didn't had as much glitches as Rio had through these 5 days of competition so far. I also thought the look of the games was executed much better, despite having a very simple typeface, as opossed to Rio's (which I think is the strongest element of their look). 

I think the issues with Rio are by both economic and social reasons. We're having olympics in the middle of a serious political crisis which has divided brazilians, with an also unpopular interim leader who has skeletons on his closet, much like Dilma's. I also think the strain of wanting to host the two largest sport events in the world almost in a row also caused a sense of exhaustment in the preparation for the Olympic Games. I've always said that hosting both these events so close to each other was never a good idea, specially considering how these have grown up so fast on the recent years. Mexico managed to back in 1968-70 because the events weren't as big as now. And Spain waited 10 years between their WC and Olympics to get the job done. Giving the Olympics to Rio based just on what they did on the Pan Am Games (which was also full of a couple of glitches when you look at them retrospectively, they just managed to raise the standard of the Pan Ams back then which wasn't very high to start with) was probably a bit too rushed. By that logic, the other candidate cities deserved the honor to host more, since their countries had a much larger experience than Brazil. 

Anyway. What's done is done. They will have to finish the job now. I just hope these games actually end up being of real benefit to the country.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Ikarus360 said:

Anyway. I don't want to deviate this thread so I guess I will keep my political views for myself, at least for now. My apologies. 

 

No apologies needed Ikarus.  I just got a bit frustrated, as a leftist and with a partner who was a victim of and refugee from Pinochet's Chile, at some of the comments I've read through gritted teeth in past months. Amigos, Si? :) I apologise myself for my rant at you.

 

Ads for the games themselves. Hey, I'm actually glad we're having some heated debates about them now. I thought the commentary had been a bit muted up to now. You'd expect any games to throw up some polarising views and opinions on GamesBids.

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53 minutes ago, Sir Rols said:

No apologies needed Ikarus.  I just got a bit frustrated, as a leftist and with a partner who was a victim of and refugee from Pinochet's Chile, at some of the comments I've read through gritted teeth in past months. Amigos, Si? :) I apologise myself for my rant at you.

 

Ads for the games themselves. Hey, I'm actually glad we're having some heated debates about them now. I thought the commentary had been a bit muted up to now. You'd expect any games to throw up some polarising views and opinions on GamesBids.

I understand. Pinochet was one of the worst things which happened to South America and no one wants these horrors to repeat ever again. I'm deeply sorry for what your partner had to face through, but i'm happy he is doing well now. :) You don't need to apologize, i'm glad we could talk in a civil form.

Anyway...despite the organization issues of Rio 2016, at least we have stuff to talk about to keep us from being bored :lol: . Makes you wonder what could happen on the next days. I personally hope they fix all issues before then or that at least nothing very serious like that bus incident happens again. 

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An example of a situation which should have bee safe but was not.  We were taking a taxi to Jardim Oceanico at about 6:00 am.  Within a half a block of the station there was a gang of 40-50 people ripping the clothes off someone.  There was also a large pool of blood right outside the station.  NO security was around.

You would think that they would have had some security around  major station like that.

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Just came across an interesting fact regarding Michael Phelps - a new Olympic record which is probably also escaping many:

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Phelps, now with 26 Olympic medals, 22 of them gold, is laying claim to so many Olympic superlatives that he is re-writing the record books from a time before record books.

His victory Thursday gave him his 13th individual Olympic title, breaking a first-place tie with Leonidas of Rhodes, who won 12 individual titles in the stadion, diaulos and hoplite races at the Ancient Olympic Games (the 164, 160, 156 and 152 BC editions).

More than two millennia after the reign of Leonidas, Phelps earned the coveted center lane for Thursday’s 200 IM final. Lochte was on side of him, in lane 5, and Brazil’s Thiago Pereira was on the other, in lane 3. The crowd was in full-throated roar throughout the race.

Pereira led at the end of the opening butterfly leg but faded to seventh.

TeamUSA.org

 

 

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On 4 August 2016 at 11:59 AM, zekekelso said:

Hope has said more dumb things than the rest of team USA combined, ever. It's like she needs the attention and was born without a filter (hmm, reminds me of a presidential candidate.)

But she's not just a very good player , she the most successful and decorated goalkeeper - man or woman - in history. And while some of that has to do with the team in front of her, she's made key save after key save. No denying her talent. 

Oh, and she's gorgeous.

 

Yeah, she is gorgeous, but... You're right about her mouth

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-2016/hope-solo-calls-sweden-cowards-as-usa-stunned-in-rio-womens-football-20160812-gqrnqz.html?google_editors_picks=true

 

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Another collapse.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/Rio-Platform-for-open-water-swimming-collapses/articleshow/53697197.cms?from=mdr

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Rio: Platform for open-water swimming collapses

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An urgent meeting has been called by the organisers to see what changes must be made so that the event can go forward as scheduled from Monday, reports Efe.
Kiko Hervas, head of the Spanish open-water team, said on Saturday after observing the situation on Copacabana beach where the swimming match was to take place, that they are waiting to see how the Olympic Games Organising Committee will deal with this setback.
According to Hervas, the tide knocked the platform down and they hope that all will be remedied as soon as possible.
A powerful tide destroyed the immense cement structure on the shoreline, a misfortune the organisation is trying to remedy and which could mean that a new starting point for the sport will have to be arranged.
All Saturday morning, Olympic Games employees with special boats have been trying to remove the cement structure from the shore.
Swimmers, who planned to get in some training this morning in the area, switched from the sea to a swimming pool to train on Saturday.

 

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...draining the pool to replace bad water before synchronized.

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Olympics organizers battled an array of persistent problems as the Games entered its second week on Saturday, from a lurid green diving pool to competitors taken to the wrong venue, and a long-distance swimming pontoon swept away by the waves.

The refusal of the Olympic diving pool to return to a more appealing blue hue has baffled technicians and competitors alike after it was pumped full of chemicals since turning a cloudy green color on Tuesday.

The colour and acrid smell of the pool have prompted jokes on the Internet and complaints from competitors and have become a symbol of the organizational problems dogging South America's first Games, which come as Brazil struggles with deep recession and political upheaval.

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USOC says Ryan Lochte, three other swimmers, robbed in Rio at gunpoint

Four U.S. swimmers, including Ryan Lochte, were robbed in Rio Saturday night, the USOC said Sunday morning.

"According to four members of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team (Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger, Jimmy Feigan and Ryan Lochte), they left France House early Sunday morning in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village," USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement. "Their taxi was stopped by individuals posing as armed police officers who demanded the athletes' money and other personal belonings. All four athletes are safe and cooperating with officials."

Ryan Lochte, three other U.S. swimmers robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning

That caps off a strange day filled with "Yes he was" and "No he wasn't" regarding what happened to Lochte.

The morning began with Ben Way of Fox Sports Australia reporting that Lochte's mother, Ileana, said that her son had texted her and said he was robbed at gunpoint after a taxi he was in stopped to get gas. His wallet was taken but he was otherwise fine.

Not long after that was reported, the IOC, the USOC and Ryan Lochte himself said the story was untrue (with no explanation as to why his mother was saying such things). 

So, false alarm, all is well. Except USA Today then contacted Lochte's mom, who told them that yes, indeed, her son had been robbed at gunpoint. Ileana Lochte said she was on her way to see Ryan. "I’ll be OK when I see him,” she said.

Not long after that, Brazilian swimmer Thiago Pereira’s representative, Flavio Perez, told the Washington Post that Lochte was indeed robbed.

That was followed by Ryan Lochte telling NBC Sports it was true.

Now everyone appears to be on the same page and unharmed, which is a good ending no matter how we got there.

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(sounds like Lochte tried to cover the story up to help Rio save face but finally the USOC, Locte and everyone involved including a Brazilian athlete fessed up.)

Ryan Lochte, three other U.S. swimmers robbed in Rio, USOC confirms -The Washington Post

Earlier reports conflicted: Before the USOC’s confirmation, Mark Adams, the IOC’s director of communications, initially told reporters in Rio that the report of the robbery was “not true” while Lochte’s personal coach also denied it to USA Today. Meanwhile, Lochte’s mother confirmed it. Later, Lochte detailed the event to NBC, including having a gun pressed against his forehead:

“We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over,” Lochte said. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground.

“And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, “Get down,” and I put my hands up, I was like ‘whatever.’ He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.”

Edited by paul
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Olympic volunteers quitting because of long hours, lack of food

Organizing committee 'uses us for free labour,' while IOC makes billions

Kim Brunhuber · Los Angeles correspondent · CBC News 8 Hours Ago

This is how it starts. At 2:20 a.m., 23-year-old Aisha Marcelina tiptoes quietly to the bathroom so she doesn't wake her family. She lays out her uniform, gets dressed, has a quick breakfast, then she gets on a bus and travels almost two hours to start work at 6 a.m. For free.

"Before I started volunteering here, I used to sleep in until really late," she says. "But now I'm getting more into the habit."

Marcelina had planned on buying tickets to the Olympics. Now as a volunteer, she's here four days a week, though she doesn't get to watch a single event. Her job is to chauffeur officials and athletes around the city. Shortly after 6 a.m. she punches in and grabs the keys to the black car covered in Rio 2016 decals. Marcelina says she's enjoying the cultural exchange, even learning some new words.

----The IOC says about 30 per cent of the volunteers aren't showing up, which means those who do face longer shifts. (Kim Brunhuber/CBC)

"Xie xie, arigato," she says from behind the wheel, and laughs as she tries out "thank you" in Mandarin and Japanese. 

She's a cog in the engine that drives the Games‚ among the more than 50,000 volunteers who have come here, on their own dime, from around the world. It can be a boring, often thankless job. And, Marcelina says, problems have started cropping up.

"They ask us to come to work really early and then hold us back when it's time to go home," she says.

That's because Olympic organizers are scrambling to fill holes now that about 30 per cent of the volunteers aren't showing up.

----Rio 2016 spokesmann Mario Andrada says they're 'fine-tuning' some of the issues affecting the volunteers. (Olympic Broadcasting Services)

Outside the volleyball venue at Copacabana beach, Luis Moreira is waiting for the night session to start. Last week, he might have been the one holding the neon stick waving ticket-holders in. He had volunteered for these Games to be part of history‚ but his work schedules were always jumbled and there wasn't enough food. So he quit.

"Many volunteers had to quit because they had to work two weeks in a row, schedules were messed up, lots of people quit because of the food: they were told to work eight, nine hours and were only provided with a little snack," Moreira says.

"I don't think the organizing committee had enough consideration for people's lives and welfare. It was as though the organizing committee was doing us a favour. The committee uses the volunteers to make money, uses us for free labour."

The IOC has made more than $5.6 billion US in the last four years. But paying workers, they say, is against the spirit of the Games even though, critics point out, IOC executives in Rio pocket $900-a-day per diems.

'Backbone of the Games'

"Volunteers are the backbone of the Games," says IOC director of communications Mark Adams. "We could do it a different way. But I think volunteers are something we really do appreciate."

Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada says they're trying to fix the problems.

"We've got a task force we are working on for volunteers, and in the same way we are now fully focused to fine-tune the volunteer programs," Andrada says.

But with all the complaints, organizers now seem to be clamping down on what volunteers can say.

Volunteer Thamiris Francisco, 24, spends her days in the hot sun on top of what looks like a life-guard chair, helping ticket-holders find their venues.

She would love to tell you herself that, yes her shifts are getting longer, yes there's not always enough food, but the sacrifice for a chance to mingle with the world has totally been worth it.

But she can't, explains her supervisor. She's not allowed. 

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/olympic-volunteers-1.3721404

If you're not gonna pay the staff, at least feed them!

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Camera falls from cable at Rio Olympic park, injures multiple people

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  An injured woman is taken away after being struck by an overhead television camera that fell from wires suspending it ... An injured woman is taken away after being struck by an overhead television camera that fell from wires suspending it over Olympic Park in Rio on Monday. Photo:

"This thing is big, and it shot through the air. It came down at such a speed that they wouldn't see it. They weren't expecting it," Adams said.

The cable and camera are operated by the Olympic Broadcasting Service - the host broadcaster for the International Olympic Committee.

OBS released a statement late on Monday afternoon (Rio time) to explain what had happened.

"This afternoon at approximately 13.30 the pulling rope of the Olympic Park cable camera, which is responsible for its movement, was down in the Olympic Park. At that time OBS dispatched a unit to investigate the situation," OBS said.

"A determination was made to clear the area and start recovering the pulling rope. At that time the camera was at the height of 10 meters above the concourse, supported by the two independent guide ropes, each one could carry the full load of the camera. Immediately OBS requested a cherry picker to arrive at the area to access the camera. A few minutes later, both ropes simultaneously broke. This resulted in the camera falling from a height of 20 meters onto a lower concourse. Rio 2016 Security and National Forces mobilised immediately and provided assistance.

"According to local medical authorities, there were seven minor injuries that have received medical attention. A full investigation has been launched".

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39 minutes ago, Rob. said:

BREAKING: IOC member and Irish NOC chief Pat Hickey has been arrested at the IOC hotel

"Pat Hickey arrested in Rio over involvement in the irregular sale of tickets for the Olympic Games"

 

Well, well, well. Rio IS becoming even rather more difficult for the IOC then. This is gonna be interesting to see how it develops.

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