Controversy: At THIS Olympics?!

[Leeds]

On 7/29/2021 at 12:52 AM, ShellsandCheese said:

It’s really not that complicated. And there a gazillion articles and think pieces about it. Cliff notes: 

It’s RUSADA that was found to have engaged in a doping program with other Russian state agencies. This mostly stems from the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. 

WADA recommended that Russia be banned from the 2016 Olympics and the IOC rejected this and allowed about 200 Russians who’ve never had issues with PED’s to compete in Rio. In 2017 however, the IOC decided to ban the country of Russia from the 2018 Olympics and allowed Russian athletes with no PED issues to compete under the moniker of Olympic Athlete from Russia. Again, it’s the “country” that’s receiving the punishment not individual athletes. 

WADA later pushed for a four year ban for Russia for the cover-up to the initial scandal - but it was reduced to two. So for the 2020 and 2022 games Russian athletes cleared for competition will compete as the Russian Olympic Committee instead of as Russia the Country. 

Basically they are trying to do a collective punishment of the country - no Russian anthem, no Russian flags, etc while allowing individual clean athletes to still participate in the games. 

For what it’s worth, I’m a firm believer that doping is still pretty rampant in the summer games, mostly in swimming and track and field. In fact WADA did some anonymous survey in 2017 or 2018 and something like half of the athletes competing in international admitting to doping. It’s just not being sanctioned by the state as it was in Russia. See also the former East Germany.   

 

Sorry, but it's not really Cliff Notes for me when I have no idea what WADA is.

On 7/29/2021 at 9:15 AM, ShellsandCheese said:

 

There’s no way in hell Los Angeles should be hosting the Olympics. I mean California and LA in particular  is dealing with draught and a massive and growing homeless population - but yeah let’s spend 10 billion dollars on the Olympics. Once you account for inflation and the fact that every host goes over budget it’s going to be at least 10B. Let’s not kid ourselves. 

It's 90 degrees in my apartment right now -- I'd love a draught.

12 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Swimmer Ryan Murphy voices concerns about coping in his sport. He wouldn't name names, but if I had to venture a guess, he's implicating Russian Evgeny Rylov. Rylov beat Murphy in the 200 back. 

AFAIK, nobody has failed a drug test, so Murphy should have kept his suspicions to himself.

"Coping"?  

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, Leeds said:

 

"Coping"?  

Doping. Stupid autocorrect. Everyone else got the gist. 

WADA is the international anti-doping body (World Anti-Doping Agency).

Edited July 30, 2021 by emmawoodhouse

[ShellsandCheese]

12 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Definitely would make me want to compete in surfing in 2024, though.

I really wish they had taken this approach.  I think this is pretty much what they did in Rio.  Because it really isn't fair to basically allow Russia to compete and it wouldn't be fair to ban Russian athletes who can prove they have no history of doping.

 

Nope. Russia competed as Russia in Rio. In 2018 they competed as Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) and for Tokyo and Beijing they are competing as Russian Olympic Athlete (ROC). I agree that the punishment was a joke but I’m also not surprised. I’ve always felt that doping continues to be a huge issues in some sports. As for the LA games, I’m sure that LA is capable of handling them, my belief is that considering all of the issues it’s probably not the wisest idea to host them.

But I also think in general that the Olympics are a bloated overpriced mess and that most host cities and countries end up with all kind of issues post Olympics. I also still firmly believe that the Tokyo Olympics should not be happening and that the Olympics should be canceled next year or countries should boycott on account of what is happening with the Uighur people in China. 

Edited July 31, 2021 by ShellsandCheese

[Bill1978]

22 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

So how is Tahiti hosting surfing for the Paris games? That's not even remotely close.

This news excites me, cause Tahiti is closer to Australia so I could organise a holiday to go to the Olympics and if for some reason I can't see the surfing it doesn't matter cause I'm in Tahiti. But still at the Olympics. Haha

[Vermicious Knid]

Two of my first cousins honeymooned in Tahiti :). The first one to go loved it so much his sister just had to go there too.

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Doping. Stupid autocorrect.

Sometimes doping is coping. Autocorrect knows what's up.

22 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

Now, do I want to be here during the Olympics?  Umm, no, probably not.  The traffic will be beyond ungodly.

One of my favorite TV shows from the 80s had episodes that took place in Europe that year expressly because everyone wanted to get out of dodge during the '84 Olympics.

[SnideAsides]

Russia only ever won one swimming gold medal between Sydney and Rio. I'm not sure it's the focus of their doping program.

[merylinkid]

In 1984 everyone was worried about smog and traffic for the Olympics.   neither turned out to be a problem.   Guess everyone got out of dodge that could so the only folks driving were those dealing with the Olympics.   The weather cooperated and didn't invert RIGHT OVER LA so there were clear skies the whole time.   It really was wonderful.   I was in San Diego and it was great having them just up the road (not that I went).   

[Minneapple]

I will say that if I lived in LA I would get the hell out of dodge during the Olympics, put my house up for rent and escape to a hotel somewhere. My brother used to live in LA and traffic is a nightmare on a regular day. 

[Chaser]

I remember my first time in LA, I wanted to go to this place 18 miles away from where I was staying. It took 2 hours. 

[Daisy]

I don't know if this is a controvery or not but i found this so sad

 

they finished 4th, you don't know when your sport is coming back to the Olympics so you just trash your uniform?

[emmawoodhouse]

2 hours ago, Daisy said:

I don't know if this is a controvery or not but i found this so sad

 

they finished 4th, you don't know when your sport is coming back to the Olympics so you just trash your uniform?

They claimed there wasn't room to pack them with the other equipment. 

Sure Jan.

[Daisy]

39 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

They claimed there wasn't room to pack them with the other equipment. 

Sure Jan.

Yeah that's what my friend told me. Like. okay you don't have room to shove your uniform in there. 
then wear it dumbos. 

[xaxat]

 

[Lady Whistleup]

Holy shit. Belarus athlete being "forcibly repatriated" after criticism of the government.

 

[Danny Franks]

Like I said in the track and field thread, the rest of the Belarussian team should claim political asylum in Japan and make as big a stink of this as they can. The IOC would hate it but, fuck them.

[SnideAsides]

This is giving me sad flashbacks to Munich. Like obviously the reason behind the situation is different and there's only one athlete involved, but Christ the parallels...

[xaxat]

3 hours ago, Lady Whistleup said:

Holy shit. Belarus athlete being "forcibly repatriated" after criticism of the government.

 

Update: EXCLUSIVE Belarusian sprinter says she won't return home

Quote

"I think I am safe," Tsimanouskaya said. "I am with the police."

 

[NUguy514]

4 minutes ago, xaxat said:

Update: EXCLUSIVE Belarusian sprinter says she won't return home

 

Thank goodness the Tokyo police and the IOC got involved before she was forced onto that plane.

[Lady Whistleup]

Oh thank god. Prayers for her.

[emma675]

Thank goodness she wasn't forced onto the plane. I hope she's able to stay safe and her family and friends back home are safe.

[Danny Franks]

Thank fuck these Olympics are being held in a country that values freedom, due process and human rights. We won't always be able to say that....

[xaxat]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

Thank fuck these Olympics are being held in a country that values freedom, due process and human rights. We won't always be able to say that....

Like next winter. 

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

Thank fuck these Olympics are being held in a country that values freedom, due process and human rights.

I like Japan and Japanese culture, but Japan values none of that. Among other things their legal system can be described as 'presumed guilty, no one is innocent', they force schoolchildren to dye their hair even if it's naturally not black and the Supreme Court has affirmed married women must take their husband's family name. With the IOC and the eyes of the world on them they have no choice but to help her.

Also, 10 Nigerians are protesting their disqualifications over the number of drug tests performed.
 

Quote

 

The Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent body founded in 2017 to combat doping in athletics, announced the decision Wednesday: Nigeria had failed to meet the minimum testing requirements in the months leading up to the Olympics.

Specifically, the country didn't live up to "Rule 15," which requires "at least three no-notice out-of-competition tests (urine and blood) conducted no less than 3 weeks apart in the 10 months leading up to a major event."

 

 

[blueray]

I have a minor compliant not sure where to post it so I'll put it here. 

I just went on to youtube and the first square says in huge letters who won a specific event that is airing tonight on primetime. And it's from the NBC sports channel which I did watch so "past" videos. I understand there is a time difference and I have to work so can't watch TV at 4 in the morning.  Anyhow I know this isn't a big deal and I probably will still watch later but still seriously I was spoiled by NBC?

[cambridgeguy]

4 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

I like Japan and Japanese culture, but Japan values none of that. Among other things their legal system can be described as 'presumed guilty, no one is innocent', they force schoolchildren to dye their hair even if it's naturally not black and the Supreme Court has affirmed married women must take their husband's family name. With the IOC and the eyes of the world on them they have no choice but to help her.

If the goal is to host the games in a country that doesn't have anything to provoke some sort of moral outrage then maybe it's time to give up and cancel them?  Or move them to Antarctica since that's neutral territory?

[galaxygirl76]

19 hours ago, xaxat said:

Update: EXCLUSIVE Belarusian sprinter says she won't return home

 

I read that she's seeking asylum at the Polish embassy in Tokyo and her partner and child have fled Belarus. 

[Arynm]

6 minutes ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I read that she's seeking asylum at the Polish embassy in Tokyo and her partner and child have fled Belarus. 

Oh my, how scary for her and for them. I hope they are safe and got out of Belarus. It's too bad she won't be able to compete, but I guess she has bigger things now to worry about.

[galaxygirl76]

 

[blackwing]

2 hours ago, blueray said:

I have a minor compliant not sure where to post it so I'll put it here. 

I just went on to youtube and the first square says in huge letters who won a specific event that is airing tonight on primetime. And it's from the NBC sports channel which I did watch so "past" videos. I understand there is a time difference and I have to work so can't watch TV at 4 in the morning.  Anyhow I know this isn't a big deal and I probably will still watch later but still seriously I was spoiled by NBC?

Unfortunately, I think in today's digital age, for events like the Olympics and anything being played in a different time zone (World Cup Soccer, Wimbledon, etc.), if you cannot watch at the time the event is actually being played and if you want to remain spoiler-free, you have to stay completely off the internet and all forms of social media.  And you would be best if you tell everyone you come in contact with that day (family, friends, co-workers, etc.) that you are trying to remain spoiler-free.

Many people actively seek out knowledge of the winners in advance so I don't think NBC or youtube is doing anything wrong in this situation.

[scarynikki12]

2 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Unfortunately, I think in today's digital age, for events like the Olympics and anything being played in a different time zone (World Cup Soccer, Wimbledon, etc.), if you cannot watch at the time the event is actually being played and if you want to remain spoiler-free, you have to stay completely off the internet and all forms of social media. 

Yep. I’m fine being spoiled for gymnastics because I get so stressed out but I haven’t had to put any effort into finding the results since it’s the first thing I’ve seen when I open up Twitter this Olympics. The age we’re in raises the risk of getting spoiled. At least social media sites allow for words to get muted so we can make an attempt if we want but the only guaranteed way to avoid it is to stay away from social media and the news (which has also been freely revealing results) until prime time.

[TexasGal]

3 hours ago, blueray said:

I have a minor compliant not sure where to post it so I'll put it here. 

I just went on to youtube and the first square says in huge letters who won a specific event that is airing tonight on primetime. And it's from the NBC sports channel which I did watch so "past" videos. I understand there is a time difference and I have to work so can't watch TV at 4 in the morning.  Anyhow I know this isn't a big deal and I probably will still watch later but still seriously I was spoiled by NBC?

I do feel like this Olympics it's been harder to avoid spoilers.  In past years I've turned off my news alerts, and it seemed like online news sites segregated Olympic coverage so you'd have to chose to click through to get spoiled.  This year I've learned results about the "major" events when my alarm comes on with my local NPR station.  It's odd.  Maybe it happened in the past couple too but it's really struck me this year for some reason.

[proserpina65]

On 7/30/2021 at 4:25 PM, ShellsandCheese said:

Nope. Russia competed as Russia in Rio. In 2018 they competed as Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)

Thanks for the info.  I was clearly confusing the Summer and Winter Olympics because, quite frankly, it's been so long since Rio in 2016.

[selkie]

2 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I read that she's seeking asylum at the Polish embassy in Tokyo and her partner and child have fled Belarus. 

Her partner (and presumably any children) have checked in safe in Ukraine on the way to Poland. 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58052144

[emmawoodhouse]

Polish visa granted.

[Vermicious Knid]

I hope she chooses to move on after getting her bearings, because Poland is on its' own slide into authoritarianism.

[merylinkid]

On 8/2/2021 at 7:08 PM, Vermicious Knid said:

I hope she chooses to move on after getting her bearings, because Poland is on its' own slide into authoritarianism.

I hope her flight path there doesn't take her over Belarus' airspace.   I wish she had gotten to the US and gone EAST instea of West.

[selkie]

I feel sorry for the employees at the Australian quarantine hotel where their rugby team ends up upon returning to the country. Apparently there was drunken destructive revelry from that team in both Olympic village and flight home after they finished play. 

[Vermicious Knid]

No worries, most airlines will no longer fly over Belarussian air space.

Most of the times I've run across Australians they've been drunk and loud.

[selkie]

Japan Airlines complains to the Australian Olympic Committee about Aussies behaving badly

https://loyaltylobby.com/2021/08/04/japan-airlines-complains-to-australian-olympic-committee-after-athletes-stole-alcohol-from-the-galley-got-severely-drunk-vomited-in-the-toilet/

[Bill1978]

So as an Australian, clearly our drunk athletes are all over the news. But I just can't help but think about perspective. A team gets drunk and vomits, breaks a cardboard bed and leaves a hole in the wall and makes headlines around the nation but the Belarussian athlete's story barely registers a blip. I'm not condoning our athletes behaviour but I know which one is more shocking and newsworthy and worthy of discussion.

[Vermicious Knid]

Tsimanouskaya has landed safely in Warsaw. Polish officials decided for security reasons to route her through Vienna first instead of have her fly direct. Two other athletes have also defected.

Quote

Amid Tsimanouskaya’s rift with team officials, two other Belarusian athletes announced their intention to stay abroad.

Heptathlete Yana Maksimava said she and her husband, Andrei Krauchanka, who won silver in the decathlon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, would remain in Germany.

“I’m not planning to return home after all the events that happened in Belarus,” Maksimava said on Instagram, adding that “you can lose not just your freedom but also your life” in her homeland.

 

[NUguy514]

I'm not sure where else to post this, but it truly, truly abhorrent that NBC still gives Shaun White airtime.  I saw Mike Tirico with him, and I've never hit the fast-forward button so quickly.

[MaryMitch]

14 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

So as an Australian, clearly our drunk athletes are all over the news. But I just can't help but think about perspective. A team gets drunk and vomits, breaks a cardboard bed and leaves a hole in the wall and makes headlines around the nation but the Belarussian athlete's story barely registers a blip. I'm not condoning our athletes behaviour but I know which one is more shocking and newsworthy and worthy of discussion.

To be honest, the only place I've heard about "drunk Australian athletes" is on this site. But I've had several conversations with friends about the Belarussian athlete.

Edited August 5, 2021 by MaryMitch

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, MaryMitch said:

To be honest, the only place I've heard about "drunk Australian athletes" is on this site. But I've had several conversations with friends about the Belarussian athlete.

It has been all over Yahoo and MSN.  To be fair, it probably didn't take much to break a cardboard bed, especially if one is a rower or rugby player.  The rest, however, . . . .  although I was amused by the kangaroo and emu mascots going walkabout.

[choclatechip45]

11 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

I'm not sure where else to post this, but it truly, truly abhorrent that NBC still gives Shaun White airtime.  I saw Mike Tirico with him, and I've never hit the fast-forward button so quickly.

Yes. I'm also surprised Mike Tirico has someone avoided the whole reckoning about Me too with his history. Hopefully Maria Taylor replaces him going forward.

[blueray]

18 hours ago, Bill1978 said:

So as an Australian, clearly our drunk athletes are all over the news. But I just can't help but think about perspective. A team gets drunk and vomits, breaks a cardboard bed and leaves a hole in the wall and makes headlines around the nation but the Belarussian athlete's story barely registers a blip. I'm not condoning our athletes behaviour but I know which one is more shocking and newsworthy and worthy of discussion.

"breaking a cardboard bed" well it wasn't a table... 

[AimingforYoko]

Sad, but not surprising.

[NUguy514]

7 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Sad, but not surprising.

Yep.  I hope the harassers are exposed, and then I want those men to be pilloried.

[kittykat]

Fucking hell.  After the last five years of progress and attention and the solidarity with victims, it is so damn infuriating that there are men out there with the confidence that they will STILL GET AWAY WITH IT!  Oh wait, that's what happens when you allow predators on your team because you think they have a shot at a medal *coughUSfencingcough*. It's not just individual accountability a systemic overhaul is needed.