Rio Olympics? Are you looking forward to it?

[MrGlass]

I am in no way a sports fan, but I really enjoy watching the Olympics (both summer and winter) - there is just something special about it.  Although I am steadily getting more disappointed with the coverage over here.  With each successive games, they spend more and more time focusing on the Australian athletes only, showing a single Australian complete in one event before jumping straight onto another event with another Australian competitor.  And when we don't have anybody competing at that particular minute, we get to watch a replay of an earlier Australian competitor.  Although that only lasts until the swimming is underway - then we get to see the replay of every Australian race where they did well about 20 times each day.

[El Presidente]

3 minutes ago, Miner said:

Synchronised swimming - now that's a real sport . I bet the ancient Greeks are looking down wondering wtf happened to the Olympics.

Cheers

You just miss the nude Greco-Roman wrestling 

[Dara]

I think it's become a cynical exercise lately, especially with the flip flopping the IOC did on Russia....although I think if they banned them from all events then someone would be bound to bring up the fact that China gained a very impressive medal haul at Beijing and focus would turn to that....I'm sure the big sponsors like visa coke and McDonald's are feeling they're not exactly getting the same bang for their buck these days.

 

its particularly irking to see the IOC come out and say that while they won't ban Russia that any Russian athlete who had a previous ban for doping can't compete...excludes one of the 2 female runners who were planning to compete under neutral flags but it's perfectly OK for Justin Gatland to compete for the USA despite his multiple bans.

i also think letting professional boxers into this olympics has made a mockery of the guys who didn't turn pro so they could have a shot at a medal as an amateur.

 

bring it back to the old format where Ireland used to regularly bring home the gold for painting & poetry

[polarbear]

Australia only cared about the Olympics when were dominating the medal counts

Now that we've settled into the middle of the pack its less interesting to watch

I'll throw it on during the day but I doubt I'll sitting at home with my mates to watch the finals like I was during Sydney

[MIKA27]

Not interested in the Olympics. I always prefer the Winter Olympics

[Jeremy Festa]

Absolutely.

Mainly because I don't watch any sport anymore.  So every 4 years is nice.

And, I could write about this for ages. But will keep it short. 

I deal in absolutes. Fastest, heaviest, best. Nothing wishy washy or too teamy. 

Obviously watch the 100, 200 & 400m sprints.

Love the long jump and high jump.

Pole vault is awesome. 

Bits of the Decathlon too, like the javelin etc

One of my favourites is track cycling. Especially the Keirin. Wish it was as brutal as the Japanese events.

Don't mind the table tennis and badminton in small doses. Total ninja sports. 

Swimming is super boring. 

Archery is rad, but boring as hell to watch. 

The martial arts are fairly fairy. But I do like the wrestling. 

Anything with the horses is not a sport. 

While I enjoy viewing the wicked stunts in diving and gymnastics, I believe the subjective nature of actually judging them makes it difficult to be classed as a sport and would prefer them be described as a performing art. 

And this is cool FYI...

Whatever. 

[Williamos]

I don't know how the Olympics are reported in other countries, but it's the jingoism of Australia's participation that gets rammed down your throat that's cringeworthy.  The whole movement seems tired, corrupt and struggling for relevance. 

[dicko]

Not gonna watch. I already watch and enjoy the sports I'm actually interested in. I also am disappointed around the drugs and corruption issue and I feel for the Brazilian people who are footing the bill.

[gweilgi]

2 hours ago, Williamos said:

I don't know how the Olympics are reported in other countries, but it's the jingoism of Australia's participation that gets rammed down your throat that's cringeworthy.  The whole movement seems tired, corrupt and struggling for relevance. 

I've watched the courage of past Olympics in several countries over the decades, and it's not really any different anywhere else.  Sports reporting always seems to concentrate heavily on the home nation competitors.  Some of it may be jingoism, but I suspect that it also has to do with loadsamoney: that specific broadcasting rights have to be bought/licensed from the IOC, and to buy additional footage of other nations competing adds massively to the cost without necessarily adding to the viewing figures.  

[Ken Gargett]

i've lived in various countries and of course it is the same. make no sense otherwise. you are spot on re money. 

but seriously, why would aussies want to watch or read about some bloke from peru winning a gold if a local wins a silver. or fails badly or whatever. same everywhere. and always will be. a competent sports coverage would also report or show other major events (when did an aussie last run in the 100 metres final, yet it is always one of the events most closely covered?) as there is interest. and we certainly get that. 

[Hypersomniac]

20 hours ago, raymond5737 said:

How can anyone resist Women's Gymnastics? My Favorite...

You mean teenager gymnastics?

[Hypersomniac]

I'm not really excited for this year's Olympics. BUT, it is one of the few times that wrestling gets televised and I am excited for that.

[Fuzz]

The only good reporting on the Olympics is from Roy & HG.

 

[Jeremy Festa]

You mean teenager gymnastics?

Brutal

LMAO




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[perkinke]

The coverage here in the states has been so bad the last few olympics that I don't pay attention anymore. One time they show every heat of every track and swimming event and nothing else. The next olympics they jump from final to final to final so it's impossible to know what's happening and then the last one they buried the coverage on their specialty stations so that unless you paid 300 bucks a month for cable you saw nothing. I'd support the athletes but not if it means getting royally screwed by NBC and Comcast at the same time.

[JohnS]

20 hours ago, Miner said:

I bet the ancient Greeks are looking down wondering wtf happened to the Olympics.

Well, if the Modern Olympics were organised like the Ancient Olympiad, you would get some more interested viewers on account of the fact that athletes wore no clothing!

From my point of view, pity they were all male!

[JC67]

I will get some interest back into this great event

 

 

[JC67]

[Lant63]

Super pumped for it. Really excited to see Jordan Burroughs and Molinaro compete for the USA in wrestling. Very competitive fields this years, as always.


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[Fuzz]

[SmittyinAZ]

Summer is simply too short and I have too many good beers to drink an CCs to smoke. Now winter, sure, stuck inside anyways. 

[Jeremy Festa]

Honestly?

4 hours ago, JC67 said:

I will get some interest back into this great event

 

4 hours ago, Fuzz said:

 

I thought cigar smokers were proper chaps, gentlemanly, even chivalrous.

Show a touch of decorum guys. 

[trike]

Archery & Track Cycling, Handball, Women's Field Hockey, Boxing.  Table Tennis is cool too.

All beat the hell out of lame U.S. reality TV programs that inundate us in the summer months.

[Danimalia]

I always enjoy the Olympics. I don't follow too closely, but I do enjoy watching the different events. I especially enjoy track and field and gymnastics events. And as a Golden State Warriors fan, I'll enjoy watching 60% of our starting lineup play for the USA Men's Basketball team.