Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 Well, got to see some of the new sports in the games now. What’s people’s thoughts? For me, a bit of mixed reaction so far. I’ve watched a fair bit of the skateboarding street event, and was a bit underwhelmed. Not quite as spectacular as I’d expected - looked highly technical and few wow moments. Best thing to me was seeing the two 13-year-old medallist’s in yesterday’s women’s (girls) event. Cute. Maybe the park events will be a bit more spectator-worthy. Surfing? Hmmm. First few days too was a bit tedious to watch. Most of it was watching a few people out in the surf waiting for waves. A bit like watching the tide come in. That said, by theta me it came today to watch some Aussies in the quarter and semi finals, and getting a bit of an idea about the scoring and tactics, it did start to have some excitement. Probably would be even better under bluer skies, in bluer waters against whiter sand. I still like Paris’ idea of having in in Tahiti. I’ll keep my eyes out for the others. Climbing sounds intriguing. Quote
MisterSG1 Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 1 hour ago, Sir Rols said: Well, got to see some of the new sports in the games now. What’s people’s thoughts? For me, a bit of mixed reaction so far. I’ve watched a fair bit of the skateboarding street event, and was a bit underwhelmed. Not quite as spectacular as I’d expected - looked highly technical and few wow moments. Best thing to me was seeing the two 13-year-old medallist’s in yesterday’s women’s (girls) event. Cute. Maybe the park events will be a bit more spectator-worthy. Surfing? Hmmm. First few days too was a bit tedious to watch. Most of it was watching a few people out in the surf waiting for waves. A bit like watching the tide come in. That said, by theta me it came today to watch some Aussies in the quarter and semi finals, and getting a bit of an idea about the scoring and tactics, it did start to have some excitement. Probably would be even better under bluer skies, in bluer waters against whiter sand. I still like Paris’ idea of having in in Tahiti. I’ll keep my eyes out for the others. Climbing sounds intriguing. Ah, skateboarding, seen as a crime and nuisance in most cities and now is an Olympic sport. Surfing, what exactly is the point of that? I do know one thing, the fact that a surfing event is in the Olympics means that a Toronto bid is basically impossible now. There’s a lot of cities I would assume would have this issue as well. Sport climbing is to be head to head, almost like “The Wall” from good old American Gladiators I thought. Karate fits in with all the other combat sports, I remember witnessing it myself during the Toronto Pan Am games. Baseball/softball is of course back and you can’t forget that one. Just wish the IOC presentation showed us pitches in MPH as it’s what we are used to even in Canada. Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Posted July 27, 2021 6 minutes ago, MisterSG1 said: Surfing, what exactly is the point of that? I do know one thing, the fact that a surfing event is in the Olympics means that a Toronto bid is basically impossible now. There’s a lot of cities I would assume would have this issue as well. The surfing beach for these games is around 100 km from Tokyo. Paris is talking about holding its surfing events in Tahiti! Every landlocked host has to solve the issue of where to place sailing - it’s more often a way, way away from the host city than not. The IOC is showing itself to be more than flexible to countenance creative and distant venues for various events. So what’s the prob? There’s no beaches with breaks anywhere in BC or even the east coast? You’re just fishing for issues. and the point - surfing’s a pretty huge sport worldwide. btw - baseball/softball is back on the outer in Paris. I guess LA will probably bring it back, through. Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Posted July 27, 2021 Actually, there we go. One very quick google check. Tofino BC is apparently Canada’s surfing capital. Quote
MisterSG1 Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 1 minute ago, Sir Rols said: The surfing beach for these games is around 100 km from Tokyo. Paris is talking about holding its surfing events in Tahiti! Every landlocked host has to solve the issue of where to place sailing - it’s more often a way, way away from the host city than not. The IOC is showing itself to be more than flexible to countenance creative and distant venues for various events. So what’s the prob? There’s no beaches with breaks anywhere in BC or even the east coast? You’re just fishing for issues. and the point - surfing’s a pretty huge sport worldwide. btw - baseball/softball is back on the outer in Paris. I guess LA will probably bring it back, through. Well, it would seem awkward if it’s a so called Toronto games and the surfing is in Tofino, my god the water must be cold there. And forget about that Tahiti example, it’s a bad example for games trying to shrink its footprint. Although unlikely to happen, let’s float the idea that for example Chicago were to get the Olympics, it would seem incredibly silly for a game to be called Chicago whatever and have the surfing in Florida. I think it’s very important that the Olympics remain as being associated with cities moreso than countries as it fits closer to what the Olympic ideals are. I’m not saying all events must be in Toronto proper, but within reasonable proximity, the literal opposite side of the world for Tahiti is silly. Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Posted July 27, 2021 12 minutes ago, MisterSG1 said: Well, it would seem awkward if it’s a so called Toronto games and the surfing is in Tofino, my god the water must be cold there. Again, fishing for non-existent problems. We surf here year-round. Winter too. That’s what wetsuits are for. Cold water. 13 minutes ago, MisterSG1 said: .Although unlikely to happen, let’s float the idea that for example Chicago were to get the Olympics, it would seem incredibly silly for a game to be called Chicago whatever and have the surfing in Florida. No more silly than Beijing hosting equestrian in Hong Kong, Munich putting sailing in Kiel and Moscow’s sailing in Tallin. Or football, which traditionally gets farmed across a country. And that’s just off the top of my head. I’d actually think a hypothetical Chicago hosting would put surfing in California. Would make sense to me. 16 minutes ago, MisterSG1 said: I think it’s very important that the Olympics remain as being associated with cities moreso than countries as it fits closer to what the Olympic ideals are. I’m not saying all events must be in Toronto proper, but within reasonable proximity, the literal opposite side of the world for Tahiti is silly. Well, Brisbane’s recent win was based on a plan that was purposefully regional. It does seem the IOC recognises it needs to be open to such bids in the future. There’s few, if any, cities in the world that can do it all alone these days. To me it seems inevitable regionalism will be more common in games in the future. Quote
Olympian2005 Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 Skateboarding was cool but was not as exciting as i thought it wold be. Surfing, i did not mind watching, was a bit boring to start but once they ride the waves it is awesome to watch I am so sad that Baseball is not included in Paris 2024 but i am praying that it will be included in LA 2028 otherwise i may have to change sports to become an olympian haha Quote
MisterSG1 Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 20 minutes ago, Sir Rols said: Again, fishing for non-existent problems. We surf here year-round. Winter too. That’s what wetsuits are for. Cold water. Haha, are you serious. You guys don’t get winter, not in a long shot! Tell me the next time you receive a foot of snow or temperatures are at -20C and then we’ll talk about “winter”. 24 minutes ago, Sir Rols said: No more silly than Beijing hosting equestrian in Hong Kong, Munich putting sailing in Kiel and Moscow’s sailing in Tallin. Or football, which traditionally gets farmed across a country. And that’s just off the top of my head. I’d actually think a hypothetical Chicago hosting would put surfing in California. Would make sense to me. Apples to oranges, sailing in Kiel isn’t nearly the distance as it would be from Toronto to Vancouver Island. In the cases you mentioned does sound reasonable, the anchor city relatively speaking isn’t “that” far away. 8 minutes ago, Olympian2005 said: I am so sad that Baseball is not included in Paris 2024 but i am praying that it will be included in LA 2028 otherwise i may have to change sports to become an olympian haha That’s the IOC for you, they don’t like baseball, but yet have that silly handball that no one on this side of the world plays. Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Posted July 27, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, MisterSG1 said: Haha, are you serious. You guys don’t get winter, not in a long shot! Tell me the next time you receive a foot of snow or temperatures are at -20C and then we’ll talk about “winter”. Apples to oranges, sailing in Kiel isn’t nearly the distance as it would be from Toronto to Vancouver Island. In the cases you mentioned does sound reasonable, the anchor city relatively speaking isn’t “that” far away. That’s the IOC for you, they don’t like baseball, but yet have that silly handball that no one on this side of the world plays. You’re right. Sydney will never host a cross country ski comp. but were not talking about that. Water temp today at Tofino is 14.8 c (58 f). That’s more than acceptable.and people already surf there in Canadian summer. Now, Toronto may or may not at some stage host a summer games. But they’d probably host it more easily than many other places, and the trivial detail of how or where they’d host surfing is not a deal breaker in their ability or chances. And whether or not you think a sport is silly has no bearing on how seriously other people in other nations regard it. Edited July 27, 2021 by Sir Rols Quote
yoshi Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_surfing Could this work though? Check the first pic, the city in the background looks kinda familiar... Quote
StefanMUC Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 6 hours ago, Sir Rols said: btw - baseball/softball is back on the outer in Paris. I guess LA will probably bring it back, through. As is Karate again in Paris, but we’ll get breakdancing instead… Wasn’t impressed by skateboarding, seemed very unspectacular and hard to see the nuances. Haven’t seen much of surfing, but it also felt a bit underwhelming to me. Quote
MisterSG1 Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 9 hours ago, Sir Rols said: You’re right. Sydney will never host a cross country ski comp. but were not talking about that. Water temp today at Tofino is 14.8 c (58 f). That’s more than acceptable.and people already surf there in Canadian summer. Now, Toronto may or may not at some stage host a summer games. But they’d probably host it more easily than many other places, and the trivial detail of how or where they’d host surfing is not a deal breaker in their ability or chances. And whether or not you think a sport is silly has no bearing on how seriously other people in other nations regard it. 14.8 degrees Celsius....yikes. I'm generally not comfortable in any water unless the temperature is in the high 80s F, (yup, the weird mixing of units in Canada). And yes, of course it is summer in Canada right now. If Canadians did surf there, then how come you don't see a single Canadian surfer competing at the Olympics? One did win a bronze medal at the last Pan Ams, but still only 7 competed out of 88 competitors at the Pan Ams. I have seen people attempt to use surfboards at Sauble Beach, but with my experience at that beach watching the waves, they don't seem high enough for surfing. Quote
FYI Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 14 hours ago, MisterSG1 said: Ah, skateboarding, seen as a crime and nuisance in most cities and now is an Olympic sport. IKR! It's more like punks on wheels, if you ask me. Not very inspiring. Quote
FYI Posted July 27, 2021 Report Posted July 27, 2021 14 hours ago, MisterSG1 said: Although unlikely to happen, let’s float the idea that for example Chicago were to get the Olympics, it would seem incredibly silly for a game to be called Chicago whatever and have the surfing in Florida. Not anymore unlikely than Toronto. Especially when you said that Toronto has "wised up" on wanting the Olympics & told the IOC a big "FU". That's what basically held back another Chicago attempt. The people there hardly wanted the first 2016 bid ITFP. Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Posted July 27, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, MisterSG1 said: 14.8 degrees Celsius....yikes. I'm generally not comfortable in any water unless the temperature is in the high 80s F, (yup, the weird mixing of units in Canada). And yes, of course it is summer in Canada right now. If Canadians did surf there, then how come you don't see a single Canadian surfer competing at the Olympics? One did win a bronze medal at the last Pan Ams, but still only 7 competed out of 88 competitors at the Pan Ams. I have seen people attempt to use surfboards at Sauble Beach, but with my experience at that beach watching the waves, they don't seem high enough for surfing. And you call Aussies wimps about cold ! i’d guess the reason you don’t see Canadian surfers in Tokyo is the same you won’t see many Aussie cross country skiers at a winter games - it’s just not part of our sporting psyche. Doesn’t mean there aren’t any Canuck surfers or Aussie cross country skiers. Anyway, it’s a moot point. I’m not totally up to speed on how the IOC’s new sporting program changes work exactly, but I do know there is now discretion by individual hosts in what optional sports they can drop and add to their games. Hence why baseball/softball and karate wont be in Paris while breakdancing will. Now, while I’d imagine LA and Brisbane would certainly retain surfing, if Toronto were to host after that, there’s nothing stopping Toronto with dropping it and breakdancing and replacing it with Lacrosse or log rolling or e-sports or whatever would more please a Canadian audience. Or keep it and hold in at Tofino or Nova Scotia or wherever and no-one would blink an eyelid. Anyway, let’s stop derailing this thread and get back to discussing to what people feel about the new sports, not 100 reasons why you would be personally offended by Toronto ever bidding for an Olympics. Edited July 27, 2021 by Sir Rols Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 27, 2021 Author Report Posted July 27, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, StefanMUC said: Wasn’t impressed by skateboarding, seemed very unspectacular and hard to see the nuances. Yeah, my thoughts exactly. My expectations were much higher. Hope the park events are a bit more engaging. Edited July 27, 2021 by Sir Rols Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 28, 2021 Author Report Posted July 28, 2021 By the way, just checked and, yes, we ARE going to Tahiti in 2024. The IOC in March 2020 approved and confirmed the Teahupo'o break as the surfing venue for Paris - that’s just 15,700 km from the Champs D’Elysee! Quote
MisterSG1 Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 5 hours ago, Sir Rols said: Anyway, it’s a moot point. I’m not totally up to speed on how the IOC’s new sporting program changes work exactly, but I do know there is now discretion by individual hosts in what optional sports they can drop and add to their games. Hence why baseball/softball and karate wont be in Paris while breakdancing will. Now, while I’d imagine LA and Brisbane would certainly retain surfing, if Toronto were to host after that, there’s nothing stopping Toronto with dropping it and breakdancing and replacing it with Lacrosse or log rolling or e-sports or whatever would more please a Canadian audience. Or keep it and hold in at Tofino or Nova Scotia or wherever and no-one would blink an eyelid. The fact that you are saying cities can introduce and remove events at will, revolving door events is even worse and is kind of hypocritical if this only applies to the 2020 events. This means the French may think they’re too civilized for baseball but any North American games would have to have handball. As for Canadian events, even field lacrosse is more or less a fringe sport here, the most popular form of lacrosse in Canada is called box lacrosse and is played inside a hockey rink with the ice removed. I know as I’m a season ticket holder for the Toronto Roxk. By this logic of breakdancing, perhaps a Canadian summer games should Introduce Canadian Football, a version of gridiron played nowhere else but Canada. :D Quote
StefanMUC Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 20 minutes ago, MisterSG1 said: The fact that you are saying cities can introduce and remove events at will, revolving door events is even worse and is kind of hypocritical if this only applies to the 2020 events. They can NOT introduce anything at will. The core sports (most, including handball) remain, the rest is up to IOC decisions and their approval of proposals by the host. There’s still a limit in number of events and a certain degree of universality, i.e. practicing of that sport on a high level in many countries/continents still factors in. That said, I’d love to see Lacrosse added. 1 Quote
Sir Rols Posted July 28, 2021 Author Report Posted July 28, 2021 What Stefan said, and what I should have mentioned. Host proposed sports still must be approved by the IOC and meet universality criteria. Lacrosse I’d imagine would well meet that criteria if ever it came up. Quote
Rob2012 Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 (edited) 7 hours ago, MisterSG1 said: and is kind of hypocritical if this only applies to the 2020 events I think you've got it entirely backwards. Baseball wouldn't even be on the 2020 roster were it not for the IOC saying hosts could propose optional sports to add. 7 hours ago, MisterSG1 said: This means the French may think they’re too civilized for baseball but any North American games would have to have handball. Paris isn't dropping baseball. It's Tokyo and LA who chose to have it because it's part of their sporting culture and they have the existing infrastrcuture for it. It's a bit of a coincidence that two games out of three are in nations where baseball is a thing. Paris isn't really the anomoly here and I expect that'll become clear with many baseballless Games from 2032 onwards. Anyway, as I understand it, the IOC would discourage hosts from selecting optional sports they don't have the facilities for. Last time I checked France wasn't blessed with many baseball stadiums. Even if France wanted it, it might have a hard job getting in. Edited July 28, 2021 by Rob. Quote
AmaniS Posted July 28, 2021 Report Posted July 28, 2021 I don't really care for judged sports so I haven't watched any of the skate boarding or surfing. I am looking forward to the climbing. Surfing is done all up and down the east coast, so there would no reason to think you would have to go as south as Florida. We have beach bums in NJ, so I am sure there is surfing in Canada. Baseball stadiums in France? I am sure they have fields/pitches. We have them in Germany. Thirding/fourthing. Cities can not just add and subtract what they like. I would hope the subtracting would be more according to viewership. 1 Quote
Sir Rols Posted August 4, 2021 Author Report Posted August 4, 2021 Caught up on a few more of the debut sports, and pleasantly surprised. Skateboarding Park events was more what I expected to see. A lot more spectacular and fast paced. A pleasure to watch. I’ve only seen the women’s events, so I expect the men’s tricks will get even more spectacular. And BMX Freestyle was similar - loved it (helped by getting an Oz gold medal in it of course). The eye-opener for me has been the climbing. Intriguing and attractive to watch, and a good mix between the fast and furious speed climbing and the tactical and mental approaches in bouldering and scaling the incline (forgot the technical name of that last one). Look forward to see some more. Still haven’t caught any karate - has it been run yet? Quote
StefanMUC Posted August 4, 2021 Report Posted August 4, 2021 Karate hasn’t been on yet. Still not super impressed by skateboard, but at least it looked better today than the other events last week which were quite boring to me (and my kids even). Quote
yoshi Posted August 4, 2021 Report Posted August 4, 2021 Basically agreeing with Rols on these - skateboarding park was more of a spectacle than street although that was entertaining in a watch-through-fingers way seeing who would stay on the board, especially as someone whose encounters with skateboards have only ever ended on the ground . The BMX freestyle was AMAZING, incredible to watch. Charlotte Worthington's gold medal run, nailing it after falling on the first go is probably my highlight of the whole games (along with the shared gold and Italian love-in!), I was screaming at the screen at 4am lol - goosebumps thinking about it. Surfing didn't really grab me at all, but then I've never got sailing either (I know that's British Olympic heresy but oops). Saw some climbing today, it's very impressive to see but I'm still not really sure how the scoring works. And I've never understood baseball but then that's out again in Paris, right? I guess it's back in LA though. I was a bit sceptical about the new sports at first but they've really added to it overall. I should probably check those X Games out, I'm always really into the snowboard stuff at the winter games too - is that actually a Games as such or more like the tennis tour, as it always seems to crop up on BT Sport... Quote
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