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Post by Critical on Jul 20, 2021 22:24:52 GMT
Competition has already started in several team sports, so we need to get this thread started!
I have to admit that Covid is making me less excited about watching. It just seems like a bad idea to hold the Games, even if it would be unfair to all the athletes who've worked so hard. I'll still be watching, but I'm sort of dreading the bad news of more Covid infections that feels inevitable  |
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Post by Cootie on Jul 21, 2021 3:30:07 GMT
Competition has already started in several team sports, so we need to get this thread started!
I have to admit that Covid is making me less excited about watching. It just seems like a bad idea to hold the Games, even if it would be unfair to all the athletes who've worked so hard. I'll still be watching, but I'm sort of dreading the bad news of more Covid infections that feels inevitable As I read what you wrote here, I am watching the NBA finals game 6 in Milwaukee with thousands of screaming fans outside the venue. The downtown crowd outside the arena is so large that they've called in the National Guard to assist. They are reporting 65,000 are present in the downtown area. Covid party???? Yikes.
I am both excited and fearful for the Olympics to take place...
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Post by libgirl2 on Jul 21, 2021 19:55:46 GMT
Competition has already started in several team sports, so we need to get this thread started!
I have to admit that Covid is making me less excited about watching. It just seems like a bad idea to hold the Games, even if it would be unfair to all the athletes who've worked so hard. I'll still be watching, but I'm sort of dreading the bad news of more Covid infections that feels inevitable As I read what you wrote here, I am watching the NBA finals game 6 in Milwaukee with thousands of screaming fans outside the venue. The downtown crowd outside the arena is so large that they've called in the National Guard to assist. They are reporting 65,000 are present in the downtown area. Covid party???? Yikes.
I am both excited and fearful for the Olympics to take place...
I hate to say this but they shouldn't held them this year. Should they cancel them now? I honestly don't know. |
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Post by Cootie on Jul 22, 2021 0:08:31 GMT
libgirl2, I agree with you - I don't think they should be held either especially with the way things are playing out. I do wish that all participants had vaccines. That would help at the basest level. But not all countries have had good access to the vaccines.
With that said, I still do love the Summer Olympics venues and hope they work out okay this year.
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Post by Critical on Jul 22, 2021 4:11:58 GMT
I read about this yesterday. I don't think they'll cancel the Games at this point. They should have canceled it MONTHS ago.
Competition has already started, even though the official opening isn't for a few days. I truly hope this doesn't end up being a complete disaster, but seeing how many Covid cases there already are, I don't feel very optimistic |
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Post by libgirl2 on Jul 22, 2021 13:51:12 GMT
I read about this yesterday. I don't think they'll cancel the Games at this point. They should have canceled it MONTHS ago.
Competition has already started, even though the official opening isn't for a few days. I truly hope this doesn't end up being a complete disaster, but seeing how many Covid cases there already are, I don't feel very optimistic I agree, it should have been cancelled months ago. Maybe people were too optimistic regarding the vaccines? At last count (this morning), I heard that 91 people in the Olympic Village have tested positive! And did you see the story of the Para-Olympian swimmer who is blind and deaf? She had to drop out because they wouldn't let her bring her personal assistant and her mother! www.cbsnews.com/news/becca-meyers-paralympics-deaf-blind-swimmer-out-assistant-denied/ |
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Post by stacey on Jul 22, 2021 23:37:32 GMT
I totally agree that they shouldn’t have happened again this year. I get that it’s a massive blow to the athletes to not be able to compete for a second year in a row (I’m sure some have already missed their opportunity to ever compete after missing last year), but frankly the safety of the world is a bit more important right now.
I’ll still be watching, but it’s definitely going to be difficult and lack the normal amount of enthusiasm from me.
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Post by libgirl2 on Jul 23, 2021 14:44:41 GMT
I totally agree that they shouldn’t have happened again this year. I get that it’s a massive blow to the athletes to not be able to compete for a second year in a row (I’m sure some have already missed their opportunity to ever compete after missing last year), but frankly the safety of the world is a bit more important right now. I’ll still be watching, but it’s definitely going to be difficult and lack the normal amount of enthusiasm from me. I think that is it. I will watch some of the events, not as much as I normally would, but it doesn't have the same "feel" for me. |
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Post by Arielflies on Jul 23, 2021 14:50:51 GMT
If you want to see the Opening Ceremonies and didn't get up in the wee hours, NBC will repeat at 7:30 PM Eastern.
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Post by libgirl2 on Jul 23, 2021 17:24:42 GMT
If you want to see the Opening Ceremonies and didn't get up in the wee hours, NBC will repeat at 7:30 PM Eastern. I am curious about it. Thanks. |
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Post by Critical on Jul 24, 2021 1:12:42 GMT
Strange watching the opening ceremonies and seeing so few people in the stadium I do love watching the parade of nations. Even with masks on, you can still see how excited the athletes are. For the countries with athletes who don't have a chance in hell of winning, the opening ceremonies is the highlight of their Olympic experience and they're SO happy to be there. That's what I love seeing. It's disappointing that many of the people in the contingencies from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan didn't wear masks during the opening ceremonies, in spite of the mask mandate  It'd be nice if there was a sanction or fine for that. Considering how many cases of Covid they've already seen, this is no joke. IMO, they need to bring down the hammer on people who flout the rules NOW so that anyone considering doing the same might be warned off. I saw some athletes double masking, which is encouraging. Why you'd work SO hard to get the Olympics and then risk getting Covid is beyond me.
Looking at all these gorgeous, fit young people, it's no surprise that the Olympic Village is usually hook-up central!  |
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Post by Critical on Jul 24, 2021 3:28:48 GMT
Still watching the opening ceremonies and one of the commentators claimed that the drone display they're doing has never been seen before. Am I misremembering one that happened at a recent Olympics opening or closing? Okay, I went and checked. It was in the opening ceremonies of the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018. I remember watching and trying to figure out how they were doing it before the commentators announced that it was drones. I enjoyed the fact that the commentators generally know how to pronounce the names of the various countries (looking at you, Matt Lauer and Katie Couric). It's not that they aren't doing a nice job, but this seems a bit flat, probably because there's not a stadium full of people. I don't think I've ever seen athletes sitting down during the parade of nations. I'm sure the folks that walked in early were tired, but it struck me as odd to see people sitting. Maybe they always have, but because this time there are fewer people, it's easier to see. Not only is the hot, shirtless flag bearer from Togo back, he's got competition from the hot, shirtless flag bearer from Vanuatu!  This time difference is going to mess me up. They've already given out medals in at least one event and I'm only just watching the opening ceremonies! |
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Post by Arielflies on Jul 24, 2021 4:01:52 GMT
One of two over the air stations I can pull in is NBC. I forgot about it as I've been frustrated trying to watch on Peacock. I missed the Opening Ceremony but have run into regular programming. So delightful.
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Post by Arielflies on Jul 24, 2021 4:11:36 GMT
Okay, here at 9:15 PM on west coast they are starting their coverage again. Get to see Opening Ceremony! yay
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Post by Critical on Jul 24, 2021 4:14:07 GMT
Is your Peacock through your cable TV platform? Mine is and it's SO slow. Painfully slow. Same with my HBO Max. I can watch that (as well as Netflix and Prime Video and a few others) and all of them are so slow. At least I can watch all but Peacock through my Roku as well. It's weird, because nothing else is that slow through the cable box - not the DVR or onscreen programming or anything else. But Peacock? Glacial and so frustrating. You hit a button and then 10-30 seconds later, it does something. They're repeating the opening ceremonies right now, in case anyone missed it the first time  |
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Post by Arielflies on Jul 24, 2021 4:16:31 GMT
I found it. NBC is one of two OTA channels I get, and I forgot. I have Peacock through Roku. It isn't slow but I couldn't find LIVE programming. The have a channel for Olympics but it is clips.
I love the dress and hat the Japanese National Anthem (?) singer wore...gorgeous pastels
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Post by Critical on Jul 24, 2021 4:35:22 GMT
I'll have to see if mine does live programming. I may also try adding the Peacock channel through my Roku to see if I can use my Comcast account login - that's what I do with HBO Max. It would definitely be faster. Being able to watch through the cable box was convenient when the cat had chewed through the Roku cord OR when the batteries to the Roku remote died and I didn't want to use the remote in the phone app, but I'd generally always rather watch via Roku. I'll admit that I do find "Imagine" a bit cringey now - it's become so cliche - but I do get misty when I hear the Olympic Fanfare and Theme. Not only because it's beautiful, but because John Williams wrote it for the 1984 Olympics and I went to a lot of events that year. My mom's boss organized the volleyball venue and she worked at the offices there. We saw A LOT of volleyball matches and boy, did 15 year old me love all of those tall VB players! We also got to go to the closing ceremonies, which were amazing (although TOO many fireworks). It doesn't seem like it was *GASP* coming up on 40 years ago!  Seems like just yesterday. Since it's going to be too hot this next week or so for me to do much in my studio (*sob* I miss my kiln!), I'm getting together things I can work on in front of the TV while I watch the Olympics! I'm so hopeful that my worries about Covid running rampant turn out to be unfounded. Seeing the stories about athletes who've had to pull out of the Games after a positive Covid test is just heartbreaking. At least with some sports, there's a longer window of opportunity and they can try again for the next Games. With sports like gymnastics, in particular, it can be one and done. It seems so strange to think about the Winter Olympics happening in less than a year! |
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Post by Arielflies on Jul 24, 2021 16:54:36 GMT
I woke up at 9 AM as I was up to 2 AM through Jimmy Fallon. Anyway, Women's Water Polo was up first. USA beat Japan. Now 8 person rowing (women)...this will be a fun two weeks. USA beats Romania and Australia.
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Post by Arielflies on Jul 24, 2021 20:50:21 GMT
Among the recognized nations is a Refugee status group and non-aligned Russia athletes. Watching the "Russian" male gymnasts now. The competition rules have become so convoluted.
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Post by Critical on Jul 25, 2021 1:08:34 GMT
I added Peacock to my Roku channels and was able to sign up for an account and log in with no problems. I don't know why I thought that was a pay service. I guess I thought I got it free because I have Comcast and Comcast owns NBC. Who knew? Anyway, I'm going to give their Olympic programming a whirl and see if it's any good. I do like the Olympic News Channel. They give good coverage and quickly. For instance, they showed the women's (I think) 50M freestyle earlier and just showed the races - no preamble, no commentary, just the races. It took minutes and I saw the important part, which was the actual race! Got a little misty earlier hearing Chris Marlowe and Paul Sunderland call beach volleyball. I remember when they won the gold in 84. My mom knew them both back in the day. Nice to see Karch Kiraly coaching the women's team. It's shocking to me that these guys are now all in their sixties. It doesn't seem that long ago. I just read an article this morning that said 100 athletes on the US team are not vaccinated. What on earth are they thinking? The women's gymnastics team - and any others who are in their own hotel rooms - have the right idea. Seventeen new cases of Covid were reported on Saturday, bringing the total to 127. I only hope no one dies or ends up with lifelong health problems.
I love watching the sports you don't really get to see except at the Olympics. I'm currently watching the US clobber Japan (current score 24-4) in women's water polo.
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denz
FORT Member
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Post by denz on Jul 25, 2021 2:05:12 GMT
Like you, Critical, I like watching many of the non-marquee sports. These athletes from these smaller countries have worked just as hard and I like to see focus on non-Americans as well.
Just watched a 400 m freestyle and the pure joy and astonishment from the Tunisian swimmer who barely qualified for the final and won the gold medal brought tears to my eyes.
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denz
FORT Member
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Post by denz on Jul 25, 2021 2:08:14 GMT
Watched archery elimination rounds last night and skulling (?) highlights. Off to see what else I can watch for a bit.
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Post by Critical on Jul 25, 2021 2:18:21 GMT
I read this article earlier and am still horrified. WHY would they let this guy on the team? He sounds like a sociopath.
This isn't an isolated incident; it's a pattern of behavior. Absolutely sickening.
That Tunisian swimmer winning a surprise gold is what I love about the Olympics. I'm sure the swimmer who was favored to win is upset, but I love seeing underdogs/unexpected winners.
I always gauge how old I am by what Olympic sport I could start training for and actually GO to the Olympics. I think, at this point, I'm down to archery, shooting and equestrian. Maybe a few cycling events. I was too old for gymnastics by about 11! |
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Post by beerbelly on Jul 25, 2021 11:30:20 GMT
I cried when the Tunisian swimmer won! That was so wonderful.  |
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Post by FireWoman on Jul 26, 2021 4:28:39 GMT
I cried when the Tunisian swimmer won! That was so wonderful. I have pretty much been watching everything that I can, and there are a few that Have got me emotional already. Like the triathlon, the women’s cycling, and some of the swimming definitely. I’m really enjoying watching skateboarding, didn’t think I would but I’m having a blast seeing it as an Olympic sport. I’m also excited for surfing this year. |
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Post by Critical on Jul 26, 2021 5:19:17 GMT
My mom and I were laughing last night about my observation about the athletes hooking up like crazy because they're all young, fit and gorgeous. She said, "And yeah, after the Olympics are over, they never have to see each other again!"  I mean, you live in Finland and hook up with someone from Brazil. What are the odds you'll ever just randomly run into each other somewhere? You know, see you in Paris in 2024! For fans of DWTS, little Sky Brown, who won DWTS Juniors, is competing for England in Skateboarding. She's in the park event, which I think happens the second week of the Games. She's 13 now and still adorable. For any gymnastics fans with access to Peacock, there's a terrific 6-part series called Golden about the year leading up to the Olympic trials for the women's team. The series follows several potential Olympians, including Laurie Hernandez, Suni Lee and Mykayla Skinner. Really interesting stuff. Interviews with family, gymnastics experts and lots of footage of competitions, as well as talk about the future of US gymnastics, which has pretty much been turned on its head in the time since the Rio Olympics.
I watched some of the dressage this morning and one of my cats joined me. They generally ignore the TV, but that horse was just TOO interesting! He was transfixed. |
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Post by Navybelle on Jul 26, 2021 5:27:08 GMT
Strange watching the opening ceremonies and seeing so few people in the stadium I do love watching the parade of nations. Even with masks on, you can still see how excited the athletes are. For the countries with athletes who don't have a chance in hell of winning, the opening ceremonies is the highlight of their Olympic experience and they're SO happy to be there. That's what I love seeing. It's disappointing that many of the people in the contingencies from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan didn't wear masks during the opening ceremonies, in spite of the mask mandate It'd be nice if there was a sanction or fine for that. Considering how many cases of Covid they've already seen, this is no joke. IMO, they need to bring down the hammer on people who flout the rules NOW so that anyone considering doing the same might be warned off. I saw some athletes double masking, which is encouraging. Why you'd work SO hard to get the Olympics and then risk getting Covid is beyond me.
Looking at all these gorgeous, fit young people, it's no surprise that the Olympic Village is usually hook-up central! That part of the Opening Ceremony really bothered me too, those who refused to wear the masks. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (for many)! Then we saw the U.S. team afterwards, posing for pictures and celebrating, still in the venue. Many times, their masks were down for the photos, then they'd put them back up, and other times, they'd keep them down despite being near other people. Many saw the TV cameras and put them back up. There was one guy, wish I knew who he was or which sport, who almost put his mask back up when he saw the camera, but then pushed it back down and put a defiant look on his face. It was near the end, so I didn't get to see much more of them, but it was very discouraging. Why be like that? I do like watching some of the unusual sports and competitions, and am looking forward to seeing surfing too! But wow, Simone Biles is just so amazing, I want to watch every little thing she does. I am rooting for the other gymnasts too, but Simone just astounds me! How can someone be so very, very good at everything she does? Wow! And speaking of hook-up central, isn't the rumor about the cardboard beds funny? They "say" it's to make them recyclable, but many feel it's to discourage two to a bed and shenanigans! Oh, and COVID too. With the time difference, I get confused sometimes. I heard about some results earlier today, then during Prime time, I wasn't sure if that had happened already or if it was still coming up! I will have to avoid reading or listening to any results during the day if I don't want the big events spoiled that I'll be watching at night. |
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Post by Critical on Jul 26, 2021 6:21:31 GMT
That part of the Opening Ceremony really bothered me too, those who refused to wear the masks. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (for many)! Then we saw the U.S. team afterwards, posing for pictures and celebrating, still in the venue. Many times, their masks were down for the photos, then they'd put them back up, and other times, they'd keep them down despite being near other people. Many saw the TV cameras and put them back up. There was one guy, wish I knew who he was or which sport, who almost put his mask back up when he saw the camera, but then pushed it back down and put a defiant look on his face. It was near the end, so I didn't get to see much more of them, but it was very discouraging. Why be like that? I do like watching some of the unusual sports and competitions, and am looking forward to seeing surfing too! But wow, Simone Biles is just so amazing, I want to watch every little thing she does. I am rooting for the other gymnasts too, but Simone just astounds me! How can someone be so very, very good at everything she does? Wow! And speaking of hook-up central, isn't the rumor about the cardboard beds funny? They "say" it's to make them recyclable, but many feel it's to discourage two to a bed and shenanigans! Oh, and COVID too. With the time difference, I get confused sometimes. I heard about some results earlier today, then during Prime time, I wasn't sure if that had happened already or if it was still coming up! I will have to avoid reading or listening to any results during the day if I don't want the big events spoiled that I'll be watching at night. I didn't see the footage of the athletes after the opening ceremony, but that's infuriating and colossally stupid, especially in light of the stat that at least 100 US athletes aren't vaccinated. The last I saw, the number of positive Covid tests was up to 127  If I was a coach and saw one of my athletes behaving like that, we'd be having a serious discussion about whether or not they'd still be competing.
I read that about the cardboard beds too. I think maybe they did want to be more sustainable - and CHEAP! - but they probably saw a side benefit of them being pretty unsuitable for hooking up. Frankly, those mattresses looked deeply uncomfortable. We had thicker mattresses at summer camp! I'd be ordering an Aerobed on Amazon and having it shipped to me at the Olympic Village OR checking into a hotel. I don't know why anyone would want to stay in Olympic Village this time. All of the fun stuff involved with staying there isn't happening. At least at a hotel, you can be in a room by yourself with a nice mattress and a shower to yourself!
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Post by FireWoman on Jul 26, 2021 13:58:54 GMT
That part of the Opening Ceremony really bothered me too, those who refused to wear the masks. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (for many)! Then we saw the U.S. team afterwards, posing for pictures and celebrating, still in the venue. Many times, their masks were down for the photos, then they'd put them back up, and other times, they'd keep them down despite being near other people. Many saw the TV cameras and put them back up. There was one guy, wish I knew who he was or which sport, who almost put his mask back up when he saw the camera, but then pushed it back down and put a defiant look on his face. It was near the end, so I didn't get to see much more of them, but it was very discouraging. Why be like that? I do like watching some of the unusual sports and competitions, and am looking forward to seeing surfing too! But wow, Simone Biles is just so amazing, I want to watch every little thing she does. I am rooting for the other gymnasts too, but Simone just astounds me! How can someone be so very, very good at everything she does? Wow! And speaking of hook-up central, isn't the rumor about the cardboard beds funny? They "say" it's to make them recyclable, but many feel it's to discourage two to a bed and shenanigans! Oh, and COVID too. With the time difference, I get confused sometimes. I heard about some results earlier today, then during Prime time, I wasn't sure if that had happened already or if it was still coming up! I will have to avoid reading or listening to any results during the day if I don't want the big events spoiled that I'll be watching at night. I didn't see the footage of the athletes after the opening ceremony, but that's infuriating and colossally stupid, especially in light of the stat that at least 100 US athletes aren't vaccinated. The last I saw, the number of positive Covid tests was up to 127 If I was a coach and saw one of my athletes behaving like that, we'd be having a serious discussion about whether or not they'd still be competing.
I read that about the cardboard beds too. I think maybe they did want to be more sustainable - and CHEAP! - but they probably saw a side benefit of them being pretty unsuitable for hooking up. Frankly, those mattresses looked deeply uncomfortable. We had thicker mattresses at summer camp! I'd be ordering an Aerobed on Amazon and having it shipped to me at the Olympic Village OR checking into a hotel. I don't know why anyone would want to stay in Olympic Village this time. All of the fun stuff involved with staying there isn't happening. At least at a hotel, you can be in a room by yourself with a nice mattress and a shower to yourself!
The rooms, and beds, still looked sturdier than Sochi in 2014. I remember the videos and reviews of their rooms. My oh my they were awful! Look up videos the athletes are making about the bed, rather funny. I think that Peacock had a whole segment on this showing various situations that it could endure. I was dying!
This was funny:
I love the comment about the fact that they have like a 500lbs rating (480 i think it is in reality) and the one fencer said that you can fit the whole US Gymnastics team in it.
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Post by Amy Lee on Jul 26, 2021 20:04:01 GMT
My favorite opening ceremonies were definitely the London and Rio games.
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It'd be nice if there was a sanction or fine for that. Considering how many cases of Covid they've already seen, this is no joke. IMO, they need to bring down the hammer on people who flout the rules NOW so that anyone considering doing the same might be warned off. I saw some athletes double masking, which is encouraging. Why you'd work SO hard to get the Olympics and then risk getting Covid is beyond me. 
Seems like just yesterday. 
I mean, you live in Finland and hook up with someone from Brazil. What are the odds you'll ever just randomly run into each other somewhere? You know, see you in Paris in 2024! 
If I was a coach and saw one of my athletes behaving like that, we'd be having a serious discussion about whether or not they'd still be competing. 