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Rio 2016: Your verdict


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Oh well, I always forget how quickly two weeks of Olympic excitement go by... It's verdict time - this time on the Games of the XXXI Olympiad (and, if we want to expand this topic later, maybe also on the XV Summer Paralympics)! How did you perceive these Games and how do you rate them? My verdict will follow. ;)

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For me the sport definately won the day...... i cant help but think what could have been in general if Brazil was in a better state than it is.

All in all, not the games i had hoped for a few years back, certainly no where near the best. I would say that Glasgow 2014 had a better organistation and enthusiasm.

If the sporting competition wasnt first class and amazing i would have likened these games to a commies or a pan am/asian

But the sport was defo Olympic and perfect....

the sports 10/10, Overall score for me......5/10 - just too many negative things happening to ignore...

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Okay. I can't wait. had most of it done anyway. Here's my report card.

Ceremonies: I’ve got no beef with these at all. The opening was, as I said at the time, about how an opening ceremony should be in this day and age – not over-the-top, modest by comparison with many preceeding it, but still delivering passion, fun and spectacle. My only, slight, niggle was the global warming message in the middle, only because I think it jarred with the tone of the rest. The cauldron was beautiful – pity it wasn’t more high profile during the games themselves. I liked the medal ceremonies – just thought they missed the flowers. Closing? Well, we’ll see how that goes. Maybe I might update and re-score after that event. Altogether though, so far, a great example that you can still impress without an eye on trying to out-spectacle and out-spend what’s gone before. Bravo Brazil. My score – A.

Look: How we react to the look is always going to be subjective. Purely aesthetics-wise, it grew on me. In fact I quite liked it by the end of the competition. I actually quite liked that it used some vibrant colours – flouro greens and oranges, though I can see many might find the hues off-putting. And they made full use of perhaps the most impressive part of the brand – the great wordmark. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was the best look ever, or the best used or most innovative. But it was solid. And it was backed up by the best asset the city had – it’s landscape. Be it the road races, triathlons, marathons and walks, the beach volleyball or the views of the bays from rowing an sailing, the true star attraction of taking the games to Rio shone as it was always going to. That more than made up for any shortcomings in how widely or extensively the banners or hoardings were applied – honestly, it’s not make or break for me whether a top tier in a venue didn’t have banners on it. My score – A.

Venues: Serviceable. Nothing flash. No great architectural legacies. No great flops either. History will tell if any become white elephants, but I think already the organisers made good use of existing venues without going overboard on anything new – if they had to build new facilities like the velodrome, the Ifs need to take some of the responsibility if they become future dead wood. And, contrary to doomsayers, they were all ready on time. From talking to CAF, reading the GBMod and watching on TV, the Olympic Park wasn’t that impressive and seemed to lack things like seating or shade that might have made it a more attractive and popular celebration zone or focal point. Again, Rio shone best when moving to the natural settings – the roads, beaches and bays (and we didn’t end up spotting any floating garbage or corpses!). My score – B.

Operations: Haphazard. What did anyone expect? You go to Rio, and you know you’re not going to get a games run with Swiss efficiency. And there’s nothing wrong with that – I for one was waiting for that lackadaisical Latin charm to give the games some identity of its own rather than a cookie cutter games that could have been in Oslo or Osaka for all anyone would know. So, yes, there were unclean bathrooms on athlete arrival, the pool turned green, a few banners were gone with the wind and the queues to get in stretched patience a bit. On the other hand, no-one complained about the transport (unless they were getting shot at). At the end of the day, no major impacts to the successful operation of events – just perhaps a confirmation of stereotypes or prejuidces. My score – B.

Security: Okay, let’s address the first of the contentious issues – yes, there were robberies (even of the real, non-Lochte, athletes behaving badly kind). There were some mysterious shooting incidents. But again, it was Rio. What did anyone expect – that the IOC would fix all Brazil’s social ills in the past seven years. EVERY NOC would have advised their teams about the risks to personal security ahead of the games. Every Government would have warned travellers of the same. And it’s not like other games in the past had no petty crime happening during the event. But no-one was killed. The games didn’t have a death toll like some in the past. And the biggest bogey of all – a mass terrorist incident, thankfully failed to happen. It may be a sigh of relief rather than satisfaction, but they made it. My score – B minus.

Crowds/Atmosphere: I suspect what will be the other contentious mark of these games here. Now, as I’ve said elsewhere during the games (and many times over the years), I believe it’s how the local crowds embrace and celebrate the games is what sets a good games apart from a great. I have to say, I don’t think the cariocas went that step to take them to the next level. It’s a tough one – I think poverty and lack of familiarity with sports beyond football and maybe volleyball contributed to it, but until the end, and then really only in the football and beach volleyball, there didn’t seem to be much of embrace of the games. Those empty seats really do bother people. Then there’s the booing. Listen, I respect that a lot of people were just downright put off by it. I also respect, from comments by Brazilians before the games and on other media during the games, that Brazilians genuinely can’t understand the fuss, were surprised by it, and to them it’s just the way they spectate. I suspect it’s their lack of familiarity with many of the sports means that they just approached them as they do the sport they know – football. It’s hard to balance those two conflicting thoughts about the crowds while not wanting to come across as an arrogant first worlder. Still, a bit of a disappointment. I wanted to see more passion and embrace. My score – C.

Sports: Here’s where I can confidently say I think it far exceeded all expectations. I’d go as far as saying it’s probably the best sports performance I’ve seen in my life in a Games. Maybe ever in a Games (though I’m sure many would argue that toss for other games). Truly, truly vintage. Phelps. Bolt. Farah. World records in the pool, velodrome, weightlifting, track, elsewhere. Great moments like the Brazilian pole vault win (yes, I know, but as I say above, I can forgive the boos a lot), the football final. Bolt being Bolt. I can truly say we were privileged to see what we did in these two weeks. Don’t know when or if it could be surpassed. And of the new events? Rugby was a tremendous success. Golf was at least picturesque – I’ll leave a final judgement on that for the future. First ever golds to the likes of Fiji, Singapore, Jordan (and a few others I can’t remember off the top of my head). I could keep gushing, but you get the idea. I think it was truly special in this regard. My score – A plus plus.

Overall. I doubt this will ever be regarded as one of the “great” or best games, here at least. I think it may be remembered in the future most by its sporting achievements, and thus take on a great aura. In terms of how we judge games, I’d say there was no way this was a failure (or train wreck, as many here were quick to dub it early on). Sure, it wasn’t a Barcelona, Lillehammer, Sydney or London. It’ll probably sit in many people’s regard here alongside or somewhere around an Atlanta or Athens. In all, though, I loved them. For all their imperfections – maybe even because of them. A great antidote to the Sochis and Beijings of the past decade or so. Well done Rio– maybe you could have done better, could have been great, but you succeeded where you needed to succeed. Obrigado!

Oh, a few awards.

Man of the Games: Bolt. Who else?

Moment of the Games: For me a toss up – Bolt and De Grasse chatting as they won their 200m semi-final. Or, perhaps, Brazil’s football win, for the sheer emotion it gave to the home crowd. They needed and deserved that.

Douche of the Games: Easy. Lochte. Frat house jerk. Liar. Willing top sabotage the hosts’ reputations to cover up his brattishness. Made Hope Solo look like a diplomat.

Edited by Sir Rols
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Well, where shall I start?

Maybe I should start with the most important thing: The overall enjoyment

I really, really enjoyed watching the Olympic events in Rio on TV - and sometimes regretted I wasn't there in person. Okay, that's probably nothing new since I pretty much enjoyed watching all recent Olympic Games (some more, some less). But this time around, we saw dramatic, exciting, impressive and sometimes simply annoying performances yet again. For me, these were two weeks filled with lots of differents sports (albeit only passively, not actively :D) and with a considerable lack of sleep, due to the time shift between Brazil and Central Europe. ;)

My home team Germany

delivered splendid performances, even if it's (yet again) a mixed bag: The swimmers and the track and field athletes were almost a total disappointment. Okay, one had to expect this from our swimmers who are simply pretty much out of the world top class since the start of this century and failed miserably already in London. But the track and field athletes had recovered considerably in recent years and thus it was very surprising to me that strong medal contenders like shot putters Christina Schwanitz and David Storl failed miserably as well.

On the other hand, we had great and sometimes also surprising successes in canoeing, equestrian and rowing (as usual), the team sports (if our handball team wins bronze today, Germany will have scored a medal in every football, handball and hockey event they participated in!) and shooting (what a comeback, compared to London!). And how great it was that Fabian Hambüchen was able to finish his great career with the gold he always had dreamed of - just like our football girls and their successful manager Silvia Neid!

Germany's total medal count is only slightly below their result in London, and with 17, Germany has scored the highest number of gold medals in any Olympic Games (summer and winter) since Atlanta 1996. So, while these Games reminded us that we have to invest a lot more in our athletes and also fight psychological problems (the swimmers have an outright Olympic trauma now, I reckon) in order to keep up with other countries, the overall result is a positive one. Well done - if it was achieved by fair means! So this leads to

The doping issue

inevitably hovered above these Games - and I was truly disgusted seeing former and repeated cheaters (Justin Gatlin, Yulia Efimova, Ivan Tsikhan etc.) winning medals yet again. And there are so many more reasons to be disgusted or at least sceptical. I couldn't help but notice how many medals were won by former Soviet countries like Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in boxing, judo, wrestling and weightlifting. The fact that the weightlifter from Kyrgyzstan was stripped off his bronze medal already during the Games already hints that their might be further doping revelations coming along, especially in that sport which is highly infected with doping. And I don't want to put the focus only on the Eastern European countries and Russia (which still has an appallingly high medal count, despite its severely downsized Olympic team). I'm not blind or naive and as I said, I don't even exclude my own country's athletes from some kind of healthy scepticism (I don't want to call it general suspicion).

Thomas Bach opened a can of worms with his and the IOC's cowardly behaviour due to Russia's blatant criminal energies in terms of doping, sports in general are hugely infected, and it will be very interesting to see what will be discovered and what will happen in this regard after these Games. And, by the way: It's appalling to read that at these of all Olympic Games, the doping tests apparently were the most amateurish and flawed in Olympic history. And this leads to the big question...

How did the host nation fare?

Oh well. I'm so torn about this. On the one hand, I was really happy throughout these Games that Rio and Brazil (some of the most beautiful cities and countries in the world) got the chance to present themselves to the world. Rio was the hugely scenic Olympic city I always expected it to be. I really enjoyed the opening ceremony and the warmth and enthusiasm it exuded. Overall proceedings were organised neatly and the venues looked great, at least judging by how it came across while watching the events on TV.

But: One sometimes simply could not evade the thought, "Somehow Olympic Games are still one size too big for them". The empty seats, the sometimes really unfair or indifferent audience, the transport problems, the queuing problems, the pollution of Guanabara Bay despite all promises to clean it up, the embarrassing green water incident at Maria Lenk Aquatic Centre and now the aforementioned report about the bad doping tests sadly cast not the most flattering shadow on these Games. And this impression wasn't improved by the fact that Brazil is in a serious political and economical crisis. I can understand very well that most Brazilians are gloomy, if I were in their situation, I would feel the same. But seeing how many problems Brazil currently faces and how even former members of the middle class are living in poverty, surrounded by crime and sometimes also dirt, I sometimes thought, "Somehow we shouldn't be there right now and burden them with that hugely expensive and logistically straining sports event."

On the other hand, I would feel reassured if these Games still gave Brazilians some distraction and some more reasons to smile (by the way, I'm always amazed what a joy of life many Brazilians still exude, despite all their problems). And even if it hurt a bit to lose so narrowly on penalties against them, I'm really happy for them that they won the football gold medal they longed for so much.

So did they do a good job? Well, if you bear in mind the problems they had to face in the past few years, they certainly gave their best in many regards and hosted very decent Games. But there are simply flaws (especially the problem with doping tests and their own doping laboratory in the weeks before the Games) which are inexcusable. In some regards, they seem to have overburdened themselves with the Games - and in that regard, I would compare them to Greece in 2004. These were not bad Games and by far not the worst, but they weren't the best either. I would rank them somewhere in between.

In any case, I want to thank Brazil and the people of Rio de Janeiro for being a warm and welcoming host! We know from football that supporters don't mean whistles and boos personally, and it seemed to me that even after events where the audience behaved unfairly, everyone started to be friends again. And this is the most important aspect of the Olympic Spirit (if it is still alive in times of cowardly IOC officials and blatant greed and cheating): Harmony, friendship and a friendly get-together of nations. Obrigado, Brasil for providing the world a venue for this Olympic Spirit and for giving us at least a bit of distraction from the troubles the whole world faces right now!

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I knew that I would forget something. ;)

Of course there were also impressive athletes from other nations, and here let me first point out how surprised I am about that super strong showing of Team GB. I believe it's a premiere in Olympic history (maybe besides the sports super powers USA and formerly the USSR) that a team is able to maintain its strong showing from its home Games also in the following Games. It's now apparent that Team GB's success in 2012 was far more than "home advantage" and I'm truly impressed by the results of their strong investment in their athletes in the past ten years or so. That said, even if it sounds repetitive and annoying, I really hope that they played fair.

And yes, what else can one say about the likes of Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Mo Farah that they were impressive? I never was a fan of Usain Bolt and still raise doubts about his allegedly "clean sheet" in terms of doping, but one has to recognise the impact he had for athletics and sports in general in the past eight years. And one can say the same about Michael Phelps for the past twelve years. Even if they sometimes get overly glorified by the media the advertisers and the general audience, sports somehow needs icons like them - let alone for raising the interest in doing sports oneself or at least in watching the Olympics and other sports events.

And yes, there were douchebags or simply un-championlike attitudes: Christoph Harting making a fool of himself during the medal presentation in the men's discus throw, Renaud Lavillenie compaing Rio 2016 to Berlin 1936 and himself to Jesse Owens just because he was too sensitive to the boos and whistles and then, of course, Ryan Lochte who just confirmed that he is a pompous a**hole and should never be associated with Olympic glory again.

I concur with Rols that the overall level of sports performances was very high in these Games. There was true excitement and there were great achievements. And yes, despite my constant nagging (;)) I think that there were also great achievements completely free of doping. At least I cross my fingers for that. ;)

And regarding the look of the Games: I think it was very appropriate, even if it wasn't extremely innovative. I think it was the look many of us simply expected, since it's Brazil and you always associate many vibrant colours and flowing shapes with Brazil. So: Nicely done!

And now I try to shut my gob. ;)

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I think Rio has been to the Olympic Games what Delhi was to the Commonwealth Games in 2010, albeit to a lesser extent. First time hosts, organisational failures, expected to be a poster games for the next generation of potential host cities, but failing to nail it...

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There have been some significant problems such as the village issues, the green pools and the open water swimming platform being destroyed by the sea, and it's true there could have been more crowds at the venues, but I think it all turned much better than expected by an important part of the media just some weeks ago. The opening ceremony was obviously cheaper than London and Beijing, but I think the artistic segments were more than correct, especially "Pindorama". I hope the closing ceremony will be a big carnival party! If I'm not mistaken, with the exception of the green pools than affected diving and waterpolo, all sport competitions ran properly without major problems. As for my country, I still hope Spain can win one or two medals today so we'll get our expected 15-20 medals, but, in any case, this is already our second best performance ever in terms of golds, so well done #TeamESP!

Congratulations, Rio! It's Tokyo's turn now. I'm already looking forward to 2020!

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I'll maybe write a longer review later. My thoughts at the moment are it was a good Games which I enjoyed immensely. The sport wasn't really affected by any crises, and the backdrop was gorgeous for the sports which are played in the wild. Nothing BIG went wrong. But in almost every aspect - opening ceremony, organisation, attendance, the Look - things weren't quite as good as we've been used to.

That said, if spending money fixing last minute Olympics glitches means we see a cannibalised Paralympics my verdict will end up being much harsher.

So, based on what I've seen "Good, but not quite as good as we're used to". Full verdict depends on how the Paralympics goes.

Edited by Rob.
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1 hour ago, Scotguy said:

I think Rio has been to the Olympic Games what Delhi was to the Commonwealth Games in 2010, albeit to a lesser extent. First time hosts, organisational failures, expected to be a poster games for the next generation of potential host cities, but failing to nail it...

Funnily enough - and this was influenced a lot I think by the more modest opening ceremony with a jarring "good deed" message incongruously in the middle - I was initially getting a more Glasgow vibe from Rio. Even with Rio's glitches, I never got the Delhi vibe where I think by the end it felt it had only just limped over the line raggedly. Rio I felt had hit its straps and started to feel more polished by the end.

One thing I'd like to append to my earlier comments, particularly regarding the crowds and atmosphere. It might seem self evident, but it bears mentioning that a Games can feel totally different when you're there in person compared to how it comes across on TV. Despite its popular reputation, for example, I found Atlanta vibrant, warm and joyful. For all the comment in these threads about lack of atmosphere and crowds, people like CAF, Zeke, Gotosy and Hobart posting from Rio have painted a very different picture of passionate, buzzing party-mode Rio. All we at home have to go by is footage zeroing in on empty seats and news reports looking for the latest glitch or flapping banner. It's not always an accurate reflection of the reality, or at least the vibe, on the ground.  

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1 hour ago, Scotguy said:

I think Rio has been to the Olympic Games what Delhi was to the Commonwealth Games in 2010, albeit to a lesser extent. First time hosts, organisational failures, expected to be a poster games for the next generation of potential host cities, but failing to nail it...

From a Kiwi perspective it was the sportsmen and sportswomen that stood out. They were brilliant. They always are and considering the sheer negative build up to the games...It looks like the focus really moved towards them.

2012 focused on the spectacular occasion.

Rio itself didn't really jump out as a standout venue. I fear the legacy will be another sad one. Seeing an empty stadium every night disappointing. IOC needs to allow for a glove fit to suit not just the city...but the host nation.

Yes there are comparisons to New Delhi but not overly that bad. This was a wakeup call.

Another positive is seeing nations burst forth as true Olympic participants. As usual the European/Anglosphere/Asia Power nations dominated but looking at the table, some developing nations are coming to the fore.

Which asks the question... To allow a host to be successful, and to take Baron's suggestion mentioned elsewhere...Should a ten year bid to host cycle be enacted?

 

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^^ I'm curious why you think the legacy will be a sad one. They've opened up the waterfront, built a new metro and new parks and the venue legacy plans seem to be far more sensible and thought out than Athens or Beijing, let alone Delhi (I find it hard to swallow that comparison, those Games were a total clusterf*ck). The Brazilian financial crisis isn't the Games' fault either, just very unfortunate timing.

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3 minutes ago, Rob. said:

^^ I'm curious why you think the legacy will be a sad one. They've opened up the waterfront, built a new metro and new parks and the venue legacy plans seem to be far more sensible and thought out than Athens or Beijing, let alone Delhi (I find it hard to swallow that comparison, those Games were a total clusterf*ck). The Brazilian financial crisis isn't the Games' fault either, just very unfortunate timing.

Totally. Couldn't agree more.

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30 minutes ago, Rob. said:

^^ I'm curious why you think the legacy will be a sad one. They've opened up the waterfront, built a new metro and new parks and the venue legacy plans seem to be far more sensible and thought out than Athens or Beijing, let alone Delhi (I find it hard to swallow that comparison, those Games were a total clusterf*ck). The Brazilian financial crisis isn't the Games' fault either, just very unfortunate timing.

Sad being the build up to the games and the OTT negative media perception of it...Noticed how the Zika Virus has suddenly vanished?  

The Brazilian government now in turmoil and the nation in debt. 

Surely you're not denying Brazil's Olympic and Fifa WC an over reach? 

Yes they'll have facilities for the future...but looking at the Paralympics being restricted in the use of facilities and staff cut backs to run them, how affordable will they be?. 

It's no use sitting there all smug and lying in a sea of medals as a legacy of a near billion pound sports program thinking everything is going to be alright because your country hosted the most successful Olympics so far...

I don't want to see an Athens like "look at everything now" 2026 TV report showing weeded abandonment.

 

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Great performance from Great Britain!!!
Great landscape beaches mountains!!!!

but when they insert clips from London 2012
the London look was so much sharper and the crowds and atmosphere so much better!!!

but there have been plenty of inspiring moments!!!
even if the Brazilian crowds do boo any one thats not Brazilian.

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To me, the only people who can give honest and fair verdicts are the athletes and attendees of the Rio 2016 Games. 

In any case, just for the fun of it, here goes my opinion: I think these games have had exciting stories, the sports have been fun to watch, and Rio seems a lot more colourful than previous Olympics (Athens, Beijing or London). I can only recall Sydney having the same atmosphere. 

I have been following all the action from NZ. If I was to depend on the local media to form my opinion, I would have a screwed up, manipulated view about it all. Luckily, I've got friends who are in Rio atm and are raving about it. I've also visited that city 5 times (though it's been a few years) and I have many Brazilian friends. They are having a great time! Only complaints have been accommodation costs. In any case, judging on the photos they are posting on Instagram, the money spent has been worth it. 

The empty stands is something is still don't understand, given that Brazil has sold almost 90% of the Olympic tickets. I wonder if this has something to do with the European ticketing mafia (have you guys heard about an Irish official being arrested in Rio?), but my theory is that the sensationalist Western media put off too many tourists from going to Rio. I don't think we have the rights to complain about empty spaces in the stadium when we contributed to bad mouthing Rio (fear talk, that mostly did not mount to reality). 

Oh, and my Brazilian friends are telling me how much Rio has changed. The new waterfront (man, when I visited Rio last time that downtown was shabby - I can't wait to see how they revamped it), new museums, new schools, new transportation system, new sporting equipment, new recreational areas and parks - when you take an honest look, a lot of positive changes have taken place in a short time thanks to the Games. These legacies alone show us that the Games were effective. 

So, overall, I believe Rio Olympics have been successful and its sporting events (which are the real reason for its existence) will be cherished and remembered for many years.

Rio joins the elite group of 21st century host cities and it can stand proud.

 

  

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9 minutes ago, Alexjc said:

I don't want to see an Athens like "look at everything now" 2026 TV report showing weeded abandonment.

Rio built temporary where they couldn't see a use for venues after 2016, in the same way London did. I really don't expect to see this.

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23 minutes ago, gamesnz said:

The empty stands is something is still don't understand, given that Brazil has sold almost 90% of the Olympic tickets. I wonder if this has something to do with the European ticketing mafia (have you guys heard about an Irish official being arrested in Rio?), but my theory is that the sensationalist Western media put off too many tourists from going to Rio. I don't think we have the rights to complain about empty spaces in the stadium when we contributed to bad mouthing Rio (fear talk, that mostly did not mount to reality).

Except the stats don't square with the pictures on our screens. At least 70% of Olympic tickets are put on sale to people within the host nation. If your theory was true, the emptiest venues would still have been two thirds full. Many times I saw venues which were far, far less than two-thirds full. I think the economy has had a far bigger impact on ticket sales than anything else, which is again another aspect of the unfortunate timing. And of course, the Paralympics will be even worse in this respect.

Edited by Rob.
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I think the verdict will come when they submit their Official Report to the IOC.  Will it be factual?  Will it be on time?  

My amateur assessment, having seen the host city on the ground, I think the city was too big for the Games and/or vice-versa (the Games were too big for such a vast city--if there is such a thing.)  All glitches (the "fake" cauldron) and hostile crowds notwithstanding, there simply weren't enough competent people to have run this thing smoothly.  

Was watching the men's 10m platform diving yesterday -- and it kept bugging me why the semi-finals and finals were on the same day, and on the last full day of the Games?  Why did they wait until the last minute?  I don't remember that happening before.  Then it struck me, that yes, the green pool episode happened -- and it pushed the last 2 days of diving forward -- to the penultimate day of the Games.  That must've messed up Diving media and all the FINA and divers' families' schedules somewhat, resulting in a domino effect on everyone's closing plans...their hotels, their flight arrangements, etc.  

These were just a badly planned Games.  God forbid the mess they will make of the Paralympics and the handicapped sector of our population.  a B- (the "Brasilian" way of doing things  ;) )  for the regular Games, so far. .  

Edited by baron-pierreIV
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28 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

I think the verdict will come when they submit their Official Report to the IOC.  Will it be factual?  Will it be on time?  

My amateur assessment, having seen the host city on the ground, I think the city was too big for the Games and/or vice-versa (the Games were too big for such a vast city--if there is such a thing.)  All glitches (the "fake" cauldron) and hostile crowds notwithstanding, there simply weren't enough competent people to have run this thing smoothly.  

Was watching the men's 10m platform diving yesterday -- and it kept bugging me why the semi-finals and finals were on the same day, and on the last full day of the Games?  Why did they wait until the last minute?  I don't remember that happening before.  Then it struck me, that yes, the green pool episode happened -- and it pushed the last 2 days of diving forward -- to the penultimate day of the Games.  That must've messed up Diving media and all the FINA and divers' families' schedules somewhat, resulting in a domino effect on everyone's closing plans...their hotels, their flight arrangements, etc.  

These were just a badly planned Games.  God forbid the mess they will make of the Paralympics and the handicapped sector of our population.  a B- (the "Brasilian" way of doing things  ;) )  for the regular Games, so far. .  

better than Atlanta, undoubtedly ;)

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38 minutes ago, Baptista said:

better than Atlanta, undoubtedly ;)

Oh boy, you shouldn't have said that!!  Atlanta only had 3 marks -- like the 2 bus drivers who walked away, the results system which broke down, and the over-commercialization atmosphere which was OUTSIDE any of the official venues).

Where do I begin with Rio?

- Village not ready when athletes were checking in

- critical subway line NOT READY  

- cheap, unfinished venues (I could NOT believe how cheap and unfinished the flooring was in the upper reaches of the gymnastics stadium.  At that time in April, and the seats were already in place, it was ROUGH, unfinished concrete.  What about the other venues???)  

- UNSAFE venues (the collapse of a biking bridge; one of the triathlon platforms . . .) 

- the uncertain domestic political situation 

- messy attendance of Russian athletes (banned in Athletics; should the rest have been allowed to participate?) 

- Zika virus causing many athletes and visitors NOT to come 

- tacky little logo souvenir given the medallists.  So cheap.  Couldn't even afford flowers.  

- polluted waters

- Athletes and media belongings robbed (even already in the Village)

- low ticket sales and EMPTY seats...only to be filled with BOORISH, IGNORANT, DISRESPECTUL crowds...

- Volunteers deserting; the remaining ones NOT being fed

- "fake" cauldron of not even an ORIGINAL design  :blink: 

- major diving pool water snafu 

- maybe tainted drug tests? 

- greatly diminished Paralympic schedule 

- what else DON'T we know about? 

DO you want me to go on???

Edited by baron-pierreIV
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In general , the games were ok ! Before the games we saw a lot of news ( from  North american and European newspapers ) about water quality , safety , the inability of Brazil . Well, all with a lot of hype from reality . The opening ceremony was  pretty cool and about sports this  Games were spectacular . As less positive aspects : empty seats and Lochte novel. Well done Brazil . Vai Brasill!!!

In Portugal, we will never forget  the support from te brazilian crowd.

 

OBRIGADO!!

 

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There is no such thing as "best games". All this nonsense started in the 80s with Samaranch and it really has to stop. Of course people may have personal favorites based on completely diverging criteria.

Rio games were highly enjoyable. Yes there were issues but they didnt spoil the enjoyment of the sporting spectacle.

Thank you Rio!

 

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28 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:
28 minutes ago, baron-pierreIV said:

Why should it be?  Atlanta only had 3 marks -- like the 2 bus drivers who walked away, the results system which broke down, and the over-commercialization atmospher which was OUTSIDE any of the official venues).

Where do I begin with Rio?

- Village not ready when athletes were checking in

- critical subway line NOT READY  

- cheap, unfinished venues (I could NOT believe how cheap and unfinished the flooring was in the upper reaches of the gymnastics stadium.  At that time in April, and the seats were already in place, it was ROUGH, unfinished concrete.  What about the other venues???)  

- the uncertain domestic political situation 

- messy attendance of Russian athletes (banned in Athletics; should the rest have been allowed to participate?) 

- Zika virus causing many athletes and visitors NOT to come 

- tacky little logo souvenir given the medallists.  So cheap.  Couldn't even afford flowers.  

- polluted waters

- Athletes and media belongings robbed (even already in the Village)

- low ticket sales and EMPTY seats...only to be filled with BOORISH, IGNORANT, DISRESPECTUL crowds...

- Volunteers deserting; the remaining ones NOT being fed

- "fake" cauldron of not even an ORIGINAL design  :blink: 

- major diving pool water snafu 

- maybe tainted drug tests? 

- greatly diminished Paralympic schedule 

- what else DON'T we know about? 

DO you want me to go on???

h Why should it be?  Atlanta only had 3 marks -- like the 2 bus drivers who walked away, the results system which broke down, and the over-commercialization atmospher which was OUTSIDE any of the official venues).

Where do I begin with Rio?

- Village not ready when athletes were checking in

- critical subway line NOT READY  

- the uncertain domestic political situation 

- messy attendance of Russian athletes (banned in Athletics; should the rest have been allowed to participate?) 

- Zika virus causing many athletes and visitors NOT to come 

- tacky little logo souvenir given the medallists.  So cheap.  Couldn't even afford flowers.  

- polluted waters

- Athletes and media belongings robbed (even already in the Village)

- low ticket sales and EMPTY seats...only to be filled with BOORISH, IGNORANT, DISRESPECTUL crowds...

- Volunteers deserting; the remaining ones NOT being fed

- "fake" cauldron of not even an ORIGINAL design  :blink: 

- major diving pool water snafu 

- maybe tainted drug tests? 

- greatly diminished Paralympic schedule 

- what else DON'T we know about? 

DO you want me to go on???

And Atlanta had a bomb!!!

Well some Atlanta issues:

 - Coca-Cola Games (Athens, sorry but see you in 2004)

 - Transport problems (also)

"No one wants another Atlanta. The 1996 Games provided a cautionary tale of Olympic travel woes — with bus drivers getting lost, athletes arriving moments before their events and overloaded trains that couldn’t get residents home. It prompted the International Olympic Committee to lay out demands to make sure it didn’t happen again.

 

“Atlanta was an unmitigated transport disaster,” rail expert Christian Wolmar said. “

 

 - Informatic problems

This is from wiki but it´s ok:

"A report prepared by European Olympic officials after the Games was critical of Atlanta's performance in several key issues, including the level of crowding in the Olympic Village, the quality of available food, the accessibility and convenience of transportation, and the Games' general atmosphere of commercialism.[17] At the closing ceremony, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said in his closing speech, "Well done, Atlanta" and simply called the Games "most exceptional." This broke precedent for Samaranch, who had traditionally labeled each Games "the best Olympics ever" at each closing ceremony, a practice he resumed at the subsequent Games in Sydney in 2000."

Don´t be mad, just open your eyes. Maybe Atlanta Games were not so cool as you believe.

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