The Beijing Winter Olympics

Botch

I'm not suggesting this be a political thread, although I'm starting it out that way.  
Cameras were focused on putin for quite awhile during the Opening Ceremonies, sitting in the stands with at least a 3-empty-chair bubble around him (I've read he's paranoid about the virus, and am kinda surprised he made this trip); he appeared to be asleep!  Just then the Ukrainian team entered the arena, and the cameras left him, cowards!  
And, to reguide this to the athletes, this morning on CBS they showed some pics of the legs on one of the US men's speed skaters; the muscles didn't even look human!  Guess his mantra is "Every day is Leg Day."  

StillH2OEgger

Definitely following the women's cross-country skiing and men's hockey here. The dilemma for me is whether I want to spoil the surprise or go on full media blackout leading up the airing of those contests.

Botch

StillH2OEgger said:

...The dilemma for me is whether I want to spoil the surprise or go on full media blackout leading up the airing of those contests.

I have no trouble going "media blackout"; I've paused the Super Bowl a few times if I ran out of beer (added plus: the convenience store was empty) and watched the rest of the game in real time when I got back home, no problem.
For the 97% of Americans who have friends over, that probably wouldn't work.  

dbCooper

I'll be following Speed Skating and Biathlon competitions.

Wish that Barrel Jumping would make a Olympic comeback!

alaskanassasin

https://i.imgur.com/J9ARDo5.gif

alaskanassasin

https://giphy.com/gifs/dUJFxJfAl6r5usBpRM?utm_source=iframe&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=Embeds&utm_term=https://www.golfdigest.com/

lousubcap

@alaskanassasin - the above two GIFs consist of my total olympic viewing to date.  I have China fatigue plus these games have no appeal to me.  Not my normal approach to the olympics but that's where I am in 2022.  

alaskanassasin

lousubcap said:

@alaskanassasin - the above two GIFs consist of my total olympic viewing to date.  I have China fatigue plus these games have no appeal to me.  Not my normal approach to the olympics but that's where I am in 2022.  

  Same here, China fatigue is a good way of putting it.  I did watch the US couples curling team yesterday because the gal was from Fairbanks Alaska.

  I cannot get excited about watching the Olympics hosted in China. It bums me out how everyone seems to just turn a blind eye to the Chinese government. I think they are the biggest threat to the world as we know it and nobody seems to want to stand up and slow that momentum. Well I can think of one guy but...

  Sorry @Botch!

HeavyG

Tough break for the US mixed doubles curling team. And I've never seen so many lugers flip their sleds before (must be something in that communist ice ).

It is sad tho to see that the only snow around Beijing is just the manmade stuff on the slopes. To me, the whole countryside of any winter Olympics host should be covered with the white stuff.

I've enjoyed the Olympics events I have watched so far. The fact they are in China this year has no bearing on that for me.

If the West is worried about China (which will soon be the largest economy on the planet) there is a pretty "simple" solution - they should quit relying on China to be the worlds raw materials and finished goods manufacturing center - quit giving them all of our money.

Likewise...sorry @Botch!

Botch

One athlete that's caught my attention is Eileen Gu.  She was born in CA to an American father and Chinese mother, and had to renounce her US citizenship to play for China (who doesn't recognize dual citizenship).  Not sure if that's on paper, if she could just fly back here and the US doesn't recognize the renouncement, I don't know.  I guess she's a hero to some Chinese but others fault her less-than-fluent Mandarin.  
But.  She is stunningly beautiful.  She's already made a small fortune modeling for various companies.  She's an accomplished piano player and composer.  She's an Olympic athlete.  She completed high school a year early, and has been accepted into Stanford.  She's 18.  Wow.  
 

Botch

And, guys, there's no reason to be sorry about anything.  We all watch what we want based on our own principles.  I'm watching to admire the athletes; I could say I ignore the commercials and won't buy anything from those companies, but I have too many iThings...    

nolaegghead

The IOC stated the Olympics shouldn't be political.  That's kind of hard to do with it being organized prominently by country.  If they wanted to stay apolitical, it should just be athletes competing against each other and any flag or country designation should be banned from uniforms, medal counts, etc.

JohnInCarolina

lousubcap

Don't care how you got there-getting there is one incredible achievement.  
BTW- I have always said " Finishing fourth in any Olympic competition has got to be the worst feeling in the competitive world."

Botch

Eileen!  Great first jump.    
 
And two bitches:
1.  Commentators need to drop the damn "1480˚" calls, and just say "six" or "six and a half" rotations.  Degrees make even an engineer's head hurt.
2.  I'm fine with, at the end of the Competition, go ahead and tell us which countries got the most medals.  But, on the very first day or so, "Well, Elbonia got one bronze and two silvers, but Munchkinistan-stan got a gold and a bronze", WTFFCares at this point?!??  So juvenile.   

Botch

Eileen!!!!!  

And when a Silver medal winner breaks down like that, we still can't get the full understanding of training our whole lives, to prove something, in just a few seconds, in front of the whole world.  And not quite getting there (not that a Silver is anything to sneeze at).
 
I gotta do a bit of bragging rights here, yeah I'm an assh*le.  Right before, or after, Eileen's second jump, they mentioned her SAT score.  Mine's higher.  I didn't graduate a year early, and flunked out of my first college; but my SAT is higher than Eileens.  I'll take what I can get.    

StillH2OEgger

Isn't this whole affair going to end up a financial disaster for China?

JohnInCarolina

StillH2OEgger said:

Isn't this whole affair going to end up a financial disaster for China?

I have to think that holding an entire winter Olympics in a location that doesn't normally get any snow comes with a cost.  

alaskanassasin

HeavyG said:

Tough break for the US mixed doubles curling team. And I've never seen so many lugers flip their sleds before (must be something in that communist ice ).

It is sad tho to see that the only snow around Beijing is just the manmade stuff on the slopes. To me, the whole countryside of any winter Olympics host should be covered with the white stuff.

I've enjoyed the Olympics events I have watched so far. The fact they are in China this year has no bearing on that for me.

If the West is worried about China (which will soon be the largest economy on the planet) there is a pretty "simple" solution - they should quit relying on China to be the worlds raw materials and finished goods manufacturing center - quit giving them all of our money.

Likewise...sorry @Botch!

Sadly with inflation on the rise this is not likely. People want everything cheaper and cheaper.

dbCooper

Botch said:

Eileen!!!!!  

And when a Silver medal winner breaks down like that, we still can't get the full understanding of training our whole lives, to prove something, in just a few seconds, in front of the whole world.  And not quite getting there (not that a Silver is anything to sneeze at).
 
I gotta do a bit of bragging rights here, yeah I'm an assh*le.  Right before, or after, Eileen's second jump, they mentioned her SAT score.  Mine's higher.  I didn't graduate a year early, and flunked out of my first college; but my SAT is higher than Eileens.  I'll take what I can get.    

@Botch

I caught some of the highlights from that competition.  Anyone brave enough to launch off that ramp should get a medal, two for those that takeoff or land backwards.

And Barrel Jumping is considered too dangerous for the Olympics.  Sheesh!

JohnInCarolina

What a majestic scene…

alaskanassasin

I never thought I would say this but.... I miss the cow bells

HeavyG

StillH2OEgger said:

Isn't this whole affair going to end up a financial disaster for China?

How many host city/nations made a profit from an Olympics in the last 50+ years?

alaskanassasin

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/snah6w/beijing_olympic_2022_right_now/

 

 You have to love reddit

nolaegghead

JohnInCarolina said:

What a majestic scene…

Is all that next to the three-eyed koi pond?

StillH2OEgger

HeavyG said:

StillH2OEgger said:

Isn't this whole affair going to end up a financial disaster for China?

How many host city/nations made a profit from an Olympics in the last 50+ years?

I'd guess the same number as gold medals for Jamaican bobsled team, but at least the other countries had some tourism dollars rolling in.

JohnInCarolina

Why can't they hold a winter Olympics in Jamaica?  I'd tune in for that!

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

Why can't they hold a winter Olympics in Jamaica?  I'd tune in for that!

not hard to import snow into jamaica

Legume

Botch said:

Eileen!!!!!  

And when a Silver medal winner breaks down like that, we still can't get the full understanding of training our whole lives, to prove something, in just a few seconds, in front of the whole world.  And not quite getting there (not that a Silver is anything to sneeze at).
 
I gotta do a bit of bragging rights here, yeah I'm an assh*le.  Right before, or after, Eileen's second jump, they mentioned her SAT score.  Mine's higher.  I didn't graduate a year early, and flunked out of my first college; but my SAT is higher than Eileens.  I'll take what I can get.    

I think you’ve got her beat on age as well.

Botch

 
  

Botch

Hirano!!