146 replies to this topic

[sdwright.vic]

^edited to remove southern hillbilly out of my typing. 😛

[jonny]

Walk downtown holding your partner's hand in Russia or wherever the 'redneck Oprah' is viewed and your odds are about the same. 

 

Absolutely not true. I grew up in the US south and still spend quite a bit of time down there, and this is absolutely a false statement. Houston Texas has an openly gay mayor, for crying out loud. I don't think we'll be seeing that in Russia anytime soon.

[Sparky]

Fair warning.

 

I started this thread in order to discuss OLYMPIC topics. If you want to talk about gays, hillbilly's, or terrorism I suggest you find another forum to spout off on.

 

Please this thread is about sports, not politics.

 

I mean it.

[sdwright.vic]

^ I have to say, in my own opinion, the topic "2014 Winter Olympics" does leave it open to the political side if the Olympics as well. Just saying.

Edited by sdwright.vic, 09 January 2014 - 06:31 AM.

[lanforod]

Not having Lindsay Vonn to compete is going to lower the medal count for the US, and possibly Canada may snag some of those medals.

[Sparky]

There is a young snowboarder from Quebec that has made the Canadian team. Freestyle board jumping is a somewhat new event for the games.His name is Sebastien Toutant. He is known as "Seb Toots". I am going to make an effort to watch this kid.

 

Have a look.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ofc9hh0NWe8

[Bernard]

Here are the national teams ranked by how many athletes there are sending to Sochi

 

United States 224

Canada 222

Russia 216

Germany 169

Switzerland 168

Japan 137

Norway 134

Austria 123

Sweden 112

Finland 110

[Mike K.]

13% of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Games athletes were from Victoria, apparently.

 

Does anyone know how many are from Victoria in 2014?

[Sparky]

Is that 13% of the Canadian contingent?

[Mike K.]

Oops, yes I corrected that now.

 

All I've been able to find for Sochi 2014 is a single hockey player hailing from Victoria.

[Bernard]

Victoria, through PISE, trains a lot of summer athletes but no winter athletes.   On a per capita basis we should have 2 members of team Canada

[VicHockeyFan]

China not on this list yet?

[Bernard]

China not on this list yet?

China is slated to send 66 athletes to the games which is the 16th largest team.

Edited by Bernard, 13 January 2014 - 02:22 PM.

[Bingo]

We are 12 hours behind the time in Sochi, so stock up coffee if you want to watch it live.

[Gary H]

At over $51 billion dollars, it's the most expensive Olympics ever - Beijing was a mere $40 billion.

 

http://www.bloomberg...sfPCN04xxQ.html

[HB]

Exactly and the next on ewill be even more its called inflation.

 

Olympics really has very little to do with sports and a lot more to do with money,commerce and status

[spanky123]

At over $51 billion dollars, it's the most expensive Olympics ever - Beijing was a mere $40 billion.
 
http://www.bloomberg...sfPCN04xxQ.html

All part of the ongoing wealth transfer exercise from the middle class to the rich.

[VicHockeyFan]

 

 

Olympics really has very little to do with sports and a lot more to do with money,commerce and status

 

Money, commerce and status are all part of it, but in the end it's the best athletes in each sport, in the world.   Nobody is competing there due to political favours.

[jonny]

Exactly and the next on ewill be even more its called inflation.

 

Olympics really has very little to do with sports and a lot more to do with money,commerce and status

 

Ahh come on man. The only reason these Olympics cost more than any other is Russian hubris. Inflation has been nowhere near the level required for that kind of rise in cost.

 

It’s astonishing really that these Sochi Olympics have cost so much more than Beijing or London. Winter Olympics have only a fraction of the number of athletes (2,500 vs 11,000), events (86 vs 300) and venues (15 vs 40) compared to summer Olympics.

Edited by jonny, 20 January 2014 - 12:40 PM.

[Mike K.]

When you're competing to 1/5ths of a second of something you're no longer an athlete, you're a machine with millions of dollars of investment riding behind you.

 

The Olympics is no longer about human endurance and human achievement, it's about who has access to the latest gadgetry that help eek out that 1/5th of a second to beat a competitor who has a slightly lesser degree of technology and innovation riding behind them. Seriously, when you compare the Olympics of the 1970's and the Olympics of today they're two completely different sideshows.