2024 Paris Olympics | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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2024 Paris Olympics

Love track and field. Especially decathlon / heptathlon, relays and both high jump competitions.

But can't help feel that all events are tainted by the use of drugs. Especially weight lifting, T+F, swimming and cycling.
 
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spook said:
I'm like that with tennis these days. Don't think I've ever seen Alex DeMinataur play a point. Don't even watch Wimbledon any more.
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Same. Wimbledon was everything as a tennis fan. Bigger than the Aust Open. Never missed since I was about 10. Yet I did not watch anything this year until I watched a bit of Sinner V Medvedev (about a set) and tried watching the final. Lasted less than the first set.

Golf I have the same passion for the majors and Aust events as I have always had. I played tennis a lot as a kid and loved it. I did watch a lot of the Fed/Nadal era finals. But for a couple of years that has waned.

Never really thought why?

Anyway, will not watch a point of the tennis or minute of the golf at these Olympics.

Gymnastics - love the vault, the rings, the parralell bars, but my favourites are the floor & the mens high bar - just incredible athleticism on display.

The shooting, mainly the shotties are also a fav.

If only you could avoid all the cross-promotion of the broadcasters. Inane & repetitive.
 
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Sintiger said:
I was listening to ABC radio today and they had a guy on talking about the sports that have been in the olympics but are no longer in them.
Croquet, tug-of-war, obstacle swimming, underwater swimming are a few
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So hard to understand why!
 
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I would love to see the marathon underwater event. Basically who can travel the farthest. No suits, just a pair of billabongs. Would be unmissable viewing.

Could they do over 100m? 200m?

Loved as a kid trying to swim the whole way across the local pool underwater, or swim as many laps as possible in the backyard pool.
 
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MD Jazz said:
I would love to see the marathon underwater event. Basically who can travel the farthest. No suits, just a pair of billabongs. Would be unmissable viewing.

Could they do over 100m? 200m?

Loved as a kid trying to swim the whole way across the local pool underwater, or swim as many laps as possible in the backyard pool.
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That was essentially what was one event in the 1904 Paris olympics that I was referring to earlier MDJ. The problem was they held it in the River Seine and nobody could see the competitors because the water was so dirty :LOL:
 
Willo said:
I know it’s the abc but…
abcnews.go.com

French prosecutors investigate gang rape allegations of an Australian woman who was visiting Paris

French prosecutors are investigating an alleged gang rape of an Australian woman visiting Paris where preparations to host the 2024 Olympics are in the final stretch
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com

Horrific for the young woman. Gang raped by 5 men of African appearance. Supposedly high level of security. You just need to be as careful as you can, maybe travel in a group.
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Wow! Gang rape and assault allegations of some very unfortunate Aussies amidst supposedly huge security with deployment of thousands of gendarmes!
And the Games haven't even officially started yet. The wife and I have crossed Paris off the official travel plans for years to come. Very sad.
You can see why illegal immigration into Europe is such a hot topic over there in general; but there's no easy answers to the horrors of African and ME conflicts.
 
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Scoop said:
What a mess in the Arges v Morocco soccer.

Feel like these Olympics will be the biggest clown show ever.

*smile* up after *smile* up. And unsafe on the streets for fans, said it before, Paris is gorgeous but it's a hell hole.

Most unsafe major city I've been to. Would never go back.
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Happened to stay up far too late watching the opening O contests. Rugby 7s is a great watch and saw Aussies score a good win over Samoa.
Then skipped across channels to watch the final stages of this soccer match. Both teams very fast and skilled. Argies very physical and hard; but Moroccans were just the greatest pack of divers, stagers and simulators you will ever see. OMG! What a terrible event; actually demonstrated the very opposite of the Olympic sporting ideals. FIFA have made such a cross for their own back by allowing this problem to get completely out of control in their game now. Guys writhing on the ground after 4 'agonised' rolls across the turf for a little bit of body contact that is inevitable in such a sport.
Absolutely pathetic. Then, went to bed thinking great comeback by the Argies to even the game. You could see very pro-moroccan crowd throwing lot of bottles etc on the ground and pitch invaders although cameras (conveniently for deception) panned out. Didn't seem like enough security at all but hard to know.
Then saw the bizarre result this morning. If this typical of the FIFA game now, it is regrettable that it was ever brought into the Olympics.
 
leon said:
Happened to stay up far too late watching the opening O contests. Rugby 7s is a great watch and saw Aussies score a good win over Samoa.
Then skipped across channels to watch the final stages of this soccer match. Both teams very fast and skilled. Argies very physical and hard; but Moroccans were just the greatest pack of divers, stagers and simulators you will ever see. OMG! What a terrible event; actually demonstrated the very opposite of the Olympic sporting ideals. FIFA have made such a cross for their own back by allowing this problem to get completely out of control in their game now. Guys writhing on the ground after 4 'agonised' rolls across the turf for a little bit of body contact that is inevitable in such a sport.
Absolutely pathetic. Then, went to bed thinking great comeback by the Argies to even the game. You could see very pro-moroccan crowd throwing lot of bottles etc on the ground and pitch invaders although cameras (conveniently for deception) panned out. Didn't seem like enough security at all but hard to know.
Then saw the bizarre result this morning. If this typical of the FIFA game now, it is regrettable that it was ever brought into the Olympics.
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Interesting turn of events in the context of the ethnic fabric of modern French society. Just throws more fuel on that divisive fire, which is certainly playing out politically.
 
Scoop said:
What a mess in the Arges v Morocco soccer.

Feel like these Olympics will be the biggest clown show ever.

*smile* up after *smile* up. And unsafe on the streets for fans, said it before, Paris is gorgeous but it's a hell hole.

Most unsafe major city I've been to. Would never go back.
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Wait until they have a bit of rain, the sewers overflow and the triathlon and marathon swimmers are swimming through *smile*. 💩
 
TigerForce said:
Agree. WTF do they all see? He's got a weak voice for a caller.
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I'll give him a couple of things though. Whilst a biased and bitter nerd that's very happy with himself, at least he's articulate and knows the players or participants names.

Contrast this with Brian Taylor who wound be lucky to know his mother's name or if he did, pronounce it correctly.
 
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Gee, went to Paris maybe 15 years ago without issue. Went to Naples last year and it was fine, ditto Barcelona maybe 15 years ago.

Now, if you want danger, I spent 3 months in Johannesburg in the late 90s, that was seriously dangerous. You don't stop at red lights at night, you don't stop moving when walking around the city, duck into a shop if you think there is trouble. Not a fun place but certainly an experience.

In terms of the olympics, hoping there will be some coverage as I'll be away for most of it. Like to watch some sports but the drugs issue someone mentioned above certainly is problematic. I suppose we find out in the years to follow who was on drugs.

I know you can now find more sports on the extra channels on TV, but it still mystifies me how the networks somehow think that people want to watch their useless hosts crapping on about nothing in the studio when there is actual sport going on.

DS
 
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Anyone see the Matildas game overnight? I didn't but the scoreline suggests they were comprehensively beaten. Hopefully they can bounce back but I feel this team is overhyped.
 
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While this is embellished a little by including Berlin (Berlin Olympics were nearly 90 years ago) and Serejevo (became a post apocalyptic warzone not overly long after the games were hosted there and has never fully recovered). It certainly does highlight how the grotesquely wasteful hosting model is an existential threat to the Olympic movement.

Big changes need to happen to the hosting model if the Olympic Games want to exist beyond the next couple of editions.
 
Ridley said:
Anyone see the Matildas game overnight? I didn't but the scoreline suggests they were comprehensively beaten. Hopefully they can bounce back but I feel this team is overhyped.
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I get the sense that the situation arising in women’s football (soccer) is that the the rankings in the women’s game are slowly evolving to roughly mimic the standings in the men’s game.

Non traditional powers like the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Norway and perhaps Sweden were able to get early mover advantage in the women’s game to perform considerably above where they do in the sport more generally. But as the traditional powers of the sport are now taking the game more seriously on the female side of the spectrum, that early mover advantage is whittling away. An outclassed 3-0 loss to Germany kind of mimics where the Australian men have been against Germany over the years, aside from the golden generation Socceroos of Viduka, Kewell, Emerton et al, which was a bit of a blip in history.

If my musings prove correct. It could be we see a situation arise with the Matildas, that they are an “ok” team that can be competitive on their day if all players (including one or two premier players) are fit and firing. But just don’t have the depth to compete at the pinnacle of the sport if everyone isn’t 100% fit and firing. Nor, on a consistent basis.
 
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