Olympics Small Talk

[Anduin]

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, Anduin said:

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

I love this idea.  In the meantime I'm sure we'll just have to put up with what NBC does - focuses solely on events where American athletes dominate and spends any time that might have been devoted to an actual sport/event to sob stories.

Edited July 27 by Ancaster

[Palimelon]

If they can combine the event where American athletes dominate with a sob story then you know a NBC producer of the Olympics just had an orgasm.

[Ancaster]

1 minute ago, Palimelon said:

If they can combine the event where American athletes dominate with a sob story then you know a NBC producer of the Olympics just had an orgasm.

If they could make that an Olympic sport without violating FCC regulations, you know they would.

[Anduin]

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

I love this idea.  In the meantime I'm sure we'll just have to put up with what NBC does - focuses solely on events where American athletes dominate and spends any time that might have been devoted to an actual sport/event to sob stories.

Aussie coverage is much the same. So frustrating.

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, Anduin said:

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

I know this is adding a sport, but I can think of more than a couple (anything that requires rictus grins, makeup, and clothespins on noses) that I wouldn't miss in favour of underwater basket weaving.  

Edited July 27 by Ancaster

[Ancaster]

4 hours ago, Anduin said:

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

Excellent.

I'm thinking golf + fencing could be fun.

In fact, pretty much anything + fencing is going to be a win.

As long as they're not forced to wear bikinis when they compete.

Edited July 27 by Ancaster

[Palimelon]

Imagine if they combined the long distance running with fencing.

[Ancaster]

26 minutes ago, Palimelon said:

Imagine if they combined the long distance running with fencing.

They kind of do in the Winter Olympics with the biathlon.

And then there was this:

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/OLYMPICS-2020/HISTORY/oakpedqbgvr/

"Since the 1900 Olympics in Paris, a series of demonstration sports have featured as part of the Games, with no medals awarded to winners. Competitions like Pigeon racing involved 166 participants, while Angling attracted 600 participants. Many others were mainly for exhibition purposes like the 18 ballooning events; kite flying, and even firefighting, were among the options for spectators to enjoy."

[Shrek]

6 hours ago, Ancaster said:

They kind of do in the Winter Olympics with the biathlon.

And then there was this:

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/OLYMPICS-2020/HISTORY/oakpedqbgvr/

"Since the 1900 Olympics in Paris, a series of demonstration sports have featured as part of the Games, with no medals awarded to winners. Competitions like Pigeon racing involved 166 participants, while Angling attracted 600 participants. Many others were mainly for exhibition purposes like the 18 ballooning events; kite flying, and even firefighting, were among the options for spectators to enjoy."

I like the thought of angling as an Olympic sport on one condition, we get the fish view & can see them swimming around the hooks meant to catch them. 

[Lugal]

17 hours ago, Anduin said:

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

Also, combine equestrian and archery:

 

[Palimelon]

Pole vaulting and diving too.

[Ancaster]

52 minutes ago, Lugal said:

Also, combine equestrian and archery:

 

That's brutal.  It's not like I'm a rabid PETA member or anything, but you have to wonder about the safety of the horses.  Unless I'm missing something - like they're those magnetic things that kids have.

Edited July 27 by Ancaster
"a" not "an"

[Lugal]

10 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

That's brutal.  It's not like I'm an rabid PETA member or anything, but you have to wonder about the safety of the horses.  Unless I'm missing something - like they're those magnetic things that kids have.

According to the video description: Video Footage Permission obtained by Altan Nergui, owner of Namnaa Archery Club and champion of Mongolian mounted archery of 2019. The shield used had extra layers and the bow used was light for safety.

And I noticed that they seemed to keep close so he could aim pretty well.  And they're just that damn good!  In another of Altan Nergui's video's you can see his upper body is completely stable.

 

[proserpina65]

On 7/26/2024 at 6:18 PM, Anduin said:

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

In the vein of biathlon (shooting and cross country skiing), skating and shooting.  It would make the jumps and spins really exciting.

 

[meep.meep]

On 7/26/2024 at 3:18 PM, Anduin said:

There are a lot of events at the Olympics, perhaps too many to fit into the allotted schedule. Further, there are always more sports that want the spotlight. Therefore, I suggest merging a few. Let's merge fencing and equestrian into jousting!

If you want to see fencing and equestrian together, watch the modern pentathlon:  fencing, dressage, running, swimming, and pistol shooting

[Palimelon]

Quote

If you want to see fencing and equestrian together, watch the modern pentathlon:  fencing, dressage, running, swimming, and pistol shooting

But we want to see some of these done at the same time, not one after the other. Like, I want to them running while also fencing each other as they run down the track. Or have them try to shoot down their rival's discus throws. Stuff like that.

[meep.meep]

It's unlikely that it will be a spectator sport, but go right ahead and invent something like that.

[Palimelon]

It would certainly make things more interesting. Given that they are doing some revamping to the pentathlon to make it more appealing (ie get more people to watch) at the next Olympics, maybe our ideas have some merit?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited August 2 by Palimelon

[andromeda331]

8 hours ago, Palimelon said:

But we want to see some of these done at the same time, not one after the other. Like, I want to them running while also fencing each other as they run down the track. Or have them try to shoot down their rival's discus throws. Stuff like that.

I'd pay to watch that.

[SVNBob]

9 hours ago, Palimelon said:

Like, I want to them running while also fencing each other as they run down the track

You say that, and all I can picture is the trope prevalent throughout Japanese media (and Western media paying homage to Japanese media) of the two swordsmen facing each other, swords drawn, and running sideways...often through a forest or stalks of bamboo.

 

It would be one hell of an event.

[Palimelon]

Imagine it with 8 to 12 runners, depending on the length of the race.

[Lugal]

18 hours ago, Palimelon said:

Like, I want to them running while also fencing each other as they run down the track.

So, kind of a modern version of the medieval tourney mêlee?

 

[Palimelon]

That's a bunch of people from 2 teams and I don't see any track & field style running....so, nope.

[DoctorAtomic]

I want a Crouching Tiger event where they fence in the treetops. 

[Lugal]

Since we're on fencing combinations, combine fencing with rhythmic gymnastics into something like sword and cloak.

 

[Souris]

What are in the boxes that all the medalists get on the podium?

[shoregirl]

Its a art print from a French Artist

[Souris]

Thank you @shoregirl! That’s neat.

[surfgirl]

On 7/27/2024 at 1:34 AM, Palimelon said:

Imagine if they combined the long distance running with fencing.

Biathlon: Non Snow Edition 

They run around the Equestrian Cross Country trails at Versailles. And they have to stop and shoot at specific intervals. Instead of doing a penalty loop, they have to wait in a penalty area until another penalty comes in and then they fence to win the eight to go back out on the course and the loser has to wait for thr next penalty to come in.

They could combine all the BMX into one, and all the kayak snd canoeing into one. 

Then 86 rhythmic gymnastics (do they even have that anymore?), synchro swimming, break dancing, rock climbing, and trampoline. Also, I LOVE surfing but I don't think it's a good fit for the Olympics. There, I said it. Ditto sailing, love it but if we're paring down it can go.

*settles into the cage so you all can throw bean bags at me and dump me in the water tank.

 

Edited August 6 by surfgirl

[Salacious Kitty]

Hor do you feel about rec room ping pong or backyard badminton? 😂

[surfgirl]

8 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Hor do you feel about rec room ping pong or backyard badminton? 😂

Actually I've spent a lot of time in Asia and I get that these are actual sports over there. I mean, table tennis in the Olympics is nothing like playing ping pong in your basement with your drunk Uncle Kenny after Thanksgiving dinner.

Edited August 6 by surfgirl

[surfgirl]

This whole situation and related convo here is really interesting, thank you to those of you who know much more than I do about this stuff!

I did want to say that while I personally consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ community, I also have questions when it comes to trans athletes competing under their gender indentity category. It's mostly in relation to trans women  competing against cis women because if having male testosterone and the ability to develop one's muscles like a Cis gendered man, that seems like an unequal playing field to cis-gendered women in the same sport. I really don't know what the right thing is in cases like this, and wondered if anyone here has any thoughts on this as it's sort of related to the above convo. Also, just to be clear, I'm not anti anyone, I just wonder if situations like I described above are truly fair, let's say in boxing since that's the sport that brought this topic up.

 

Edited August 12 by surfgirl

[Notabug]

12 hours ago, surfgirl said:

This whole situation and related convo here is really interesting, thank you to those of you who know much more than I do about this stuff!

I did want to say that while I personally consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ community, I also have questions when it comes to trans athletes competing in their preferred gender. It's mostly in relation to trans women  competing against cis women because if having male testosterone and the ability to develop one's muscles like a Cis gendered man, that seems like an unequal playing field to cis-gendered women in the same sport. I really don't know what the right thing is in cases like this, and wondered if anyone here has any thoughts on this as it's sort of related to the above convo. Also, just to be clear, I'm not anti anyone, I just wonder if situations like I described above are truly fair, let's say in boxing since that's the sport that brought this topic up.

 

I think what is needed is some decent research into whether transwomen have a distinct athletic advantage over cis women and we don't have that yet.

We can speculate all we want that transwomen, especially those who've gone through puberty, are at an advantage, but we don't really know that.  The few studies I've seen have compared cis women athletes to transwomen who were not necessarily athletes.  The studies showed no significant differences, but it's apples and oranges.  We could compare non-athletic cis and trans women and probably get an entirely different result. We need comparison of similarly trained athletes representing the same sport.  The problem is that there are not very many transwomen who are athletes at this level, despite what you hear on the news, and it would be tough to find a large enough cohort.

Even if it seems intuitive that a transwoman has an advantage in strength or endurance; it hasn't been proven and is just an assumption and we all know what happens when you make those.

We also then get into athletes who are particularly physically gifted for the sports in which they participate.  Michael Phelps with his very long arms, giving him a huge wingspan when stroking. Simone Biles, very petite with broad shoulders and narrow hips are two examples.  Do we need to prevent them from competing because their body types give them an unfair advantage?  Should they be docked points or time in competition to try to level the playing field?  The fact is, no two people are going to be exactly the same when it comes to athletics and some people are always going to have inherent advantages.

Edited August 6 by Notabug

[satrunrose]

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

I think what is needed is some decent research into whether transwomen have a distinct athletic advantage over cis women and we don't have that yet.

We can speculate all we want that transwomen, especially those who've gone through puberty, are at an advantage, but we don't really know that.  The few studies I've seen have compared cis women athletes to transwomen who were not necessarily athletes.  The studies showed no significant differences, but it's apples and oranges.  We could compare non-athletic cis and trans women and probably get an entirely different result. We need comparison of similarly trained athletes representing the same sport.  The problem is that there are not very many transwomen who are athletes at this level, despite what you hear on the news, and it would be tough to find a large enough cohort.

Even if it seems intuitive that a transwoman has an advantage in strength or endurance; it hasn't been proven and is just an assumption and we all know what happens when you make those.

We also then get into athletes who are particularly physically gifted for the sports in which they participate.  Michael Phelps with his very long arms, giving him a huge wingspan when stroking. Simone Biles, very petite with broad shoulders and narrow hips are two examples.  Do we need to prevent them from competing because their body types give them an unfair advantage?  Should they be docked points or time in competition to try to level the playing field?  The fact is, no two people are going to be exactly the same when it comes to athletics and some people are always going to have inherent advantages.

This is really useful! I've read some anecdotal suggestions that hormones change the lean muscle vs fat balance, but it makes sense that finding a big enough cohort for a robust study is going to be tricky (and even trickier when you think about how young trans women are going to feel about pursuing high level athletics after watching this fiasco). 

I also agree with your point about other differences in body types. I'm not an athlete for nature and nurture reasons, but I've really noticed this year that even if I could have a life do-over and be more athletic, I still wouldn't have that super slender long-legged build of a runner. There are tons of reasons other than genetic sex that can make athletics a massively uneven playing field. 

What we do until the science is more settled, I don't know. Part of me says that you could do something like "If you swim faster than Katie Ledecky, you're in this group; if you swim slower than Katie Ledecky, you're in this group", but I don't like implying that being a woman = the "b" group. 

[Notabug]

10 minutes ago, satrunrose said:

 

What we do until the science is more settled, I don't know. Part of me says that you could do something like "If you swim faster than Katie Ledecky, you're in this group; if you swim slower than Katie Ledecky, you're in this group", but I don't like implying that being a woman = the "b" group. 

And, in the case of Katie Ledecky, she'd be in a group all by herself.  She owns the record for the 20 fastest times in the 1500m freestyle.  Nobody else has come close to her.  The Olympic race where she won by a bunch was typical for her.

One of the other swimmers commented that she herself knew if she was swimming well if she could still see Katie's feet in the last lap since, most of the time, Katie is so far ahead she's out of sight.