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2016 Rio Olympic Summer Games August 5th to 21st

Cansda's Meaghan Benfeito, who had earlier won a Bronze with her Synchronized Platform partner Rosaline Fillion in the Women' 10m event, wins another Bronze in the Women's 10m Diving Platform.

Good performance!

http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/canadian-diver-meaghan-benfeito-wins-second-bronze-rio-2016/
 
Big collision between JPN and CAD in the walking race... protest filed...

EDIT: I was joking but apparently JPN disqualified and bronze to CAD.

As dumb as the sport looks, these guys are absolutely wiped at the finish line. It's not natural to walk fast, just run... don't really get the sport.

EDIT 2: Bronze awarded back to JPN, JPN protested the decision made for CAD's protest... maybe CAD should protest the protest that reversed their protest?
 
Really? A protest of a decision made for a previous protest gets reversed? This is the olympics right? Should protest again to make sure their really really sure.
 
Canadian soccer women win Bronze defeating Brazil 2-1 in the battle for third pkace.  Great win and great achievement again, ladies!

Makes us all proud!!

Story:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/canada-brazil-womens-soccer-bronze-medal-rio-olympics-deanne-rose-marta-christine-sinclair-janine-beckie/
 
Jumping for a Bronze!  Canada's Eric Lamaze steered his horse Fine Lady 5 very well, enough to finish third in the Equestrian Indivifual Jumping event.

A Fine Lady ibdeed!


http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/canadian-eric-lamaze-wins-bronzes-equestrian-individual-jumping/
 
Usain Bolt won gold again in the 4x100 meter relay.  9 gold medals in 9 events over three Olympics.  Canada got the bronze.
 
Penny Oleksiak will carry the flag at tonight's Closing Ceremony. Canada finishes with 22 medals, good for 10th when ranked by total medals won (20th when ranked by Gold which is how the IOC ranks countries).

http://bit.ly/2bM8ol7
 
Beautiful closing ceremonies just like the way Brazilians know how, complete with pomp & pageantry in the Rio Carnival style.  Not to mention those awesomely spectacular fireworks to top it all off. 

Of course, these Games will not be known for the negatives surrounding them, but their legacy will be the many achievements and milestones set forth by a variety of athletes -- USA's Michael Phelps, who became the most decorated Olympian of all-time, having earned a total of 23 Golds in the pool over the course of his many Olympic appearanies;  Jamaica's Usain Bolt, winning his 9th Gold medal in nine consecutive Olympic appearances, having long established himself as the world's best at the track; etc., etc.

And what of Canada's Olympians such as 16 year old Penny Oleksiak, who by winring a Gold, 2 Silvers, and a Bronze, quickly became Canada's heroine in the pool; let's not forget Andre de Grasse, he won a Silver and two Bronzes at the track, and who many are calling him Bolt's heir apparent (and with good reason), and so may other Canadian athletes who achieved personal bests.

Many of the athletes here in Rio had been gushing about the warm welcome and friendly atmosphere they received from the people in general andl the volunteers, etc.  Just about all except for U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte & his cohorts, whose antics and lying upfront threatened to sour the show, so to speak, for the U.S.  Thrashing a gas station and damaging a bathroom, then attempting to buy out security personnel, all the while claiming they were held at gunpoint and robbed, certainly didn't jibe with the video facts,  Many Americans were disgusted with this "ugly American" incident and even more so when Lochte hardly showed any remorse nor a sincere apology. A minor blip to an otherwise illustrious Games (opening & closing oeremonies included).

Canada had, by the way, one of her best showings of the Summer Olympic Games, with our athletes collecting 22 medals.  Congratulations to each and everyone of our athletes, for proudly and enthusiastically representing our nation.  Canada proud!

Adeus Rio e obrigado pelas mem?rias! 

Tokyo awaits.  Welcoming all  in 2020!


http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/rio-throws-final-party-say-goodbye-2016-olympics/
 
Looks like (hosting) the Pan Am Games served us in good stead:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/olympics/canadian-chef-de-mission-toronto-pan-ams-gave-olympians-boost/
 
http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/17359734/2016-rio-olympics-most-athletes-inspired-rio-olympic-brass-not-much

A solid article on the broader picture of the Olympics, good and bad. It's an institution that really needs to clean up its act. The problem, however, is that when we actually need people to make a stand we get blinded by the admittedly admirable and impressive feats of athletics on display.

The Olympics, more and more, are devolving into a party for rich people at poor people's expense. That they're next being held in a relatively wealthy country is a good thing but we need to stop getting blinded by shiny things when we talk about the IOC(or FIFA or the NFL or...)
 
Yes, the truth of the matter is that the Olympics are a mess that need to be cleaned up.  Corruption is at the top of the list, as well as the fact there is a need toward a certain degree of social responsibility. 

David Goldblatt, author of the book The Games: A Global History of the Olympics, interviewed on CBC News a few nights ago, telling it like it is,  briefly discussing several key points he makes in his book such as why the Olympics continue to appeal, the social and economic impact on cities,  what the Games need to do to change and to survive, the future of the Games, etc., etc.

Goldblatt speaks of the need to give cities a greater adjustment period -- fifteen instead of seven years (from the time a city wins the Games).  He cited Brazil's economic slump during the building of the venues as compared to the better economic times when Brazil first won the right to host).  He cites the rampant corruption that permeates the Olympics from the highest levels as well as the general lack of any foresight or (social responsibility.

On a side note, one cannot blame people for wanting to enjoy and be proud of their country's athletic achievements.  There are those "shiny"  things that many are still interested in seeing or knowing about, scandalous or not, doping or not, what have you, the interest will always be there regardless.
 
hockeyfan1 said:
On a side note, one cannot blame people for wanting to enjoy and be proud of their country's athletic achievements.
Click to expand...

Sure I can. And do. Because that's what's standing in the way of the IOC actually cleaning up their act.
 
Nik the Trik said:
hockeyfan1 said:
On a side note, one cannot blame people for wanting to enjoy and be proud of their country's athletic achievements.
Click to expand...

Sure I can. And do. Because that's what's standing in the way of the IOC actually cleaning up their act.
Click to expand...

The best way then to truly clean up would be to rid the Olympics of the grand poobahs who occupy the echelons of power, starting with the IOC.  Perhaps if it would start somewhere, it may eventually transcend to other sports -- FIFA, etc.

Easier said than done?  So far, nothing indicates anything changes.

Do you really expect the public to turn a blind eye and not watch any aspect of the games, be it in person and on television?  For a definitive change, no one should attend any of the future Games, nor turn on the channels.  And maybe, not even cheer or support any of their covntry's athletes, on a severe note.

Nothing will change until someone begins to initiate it, and it has to start at the top (of the power ladder) on down.  Other than that, keep enjoying. ( *sic*)
 
hockeyfan1 said:
The best way then to truly clean up would be to rid the Olympics of the grand poobahs who occupy the echelons of power, starting with the IOC.  Perhaps if it would start somewhere, it may eventually transcend to other sports -- FIFA, etc.
Click to expand...

Which will only happen if the games are unsuccessful. Why else would a powerful organization make changes at the top?

"Things are going terrific, we're rolling in cash...we need to make changes" is not something organizations say, even organizations that haven't so thoroughly proven their corruption as the IOC.

hockeyfan1 said:
Do you really expect the public to turn a blind eye and not watch any aspect of the games, be it in person and on television?  For a definitive change, no one should attend any of the future Games, nor turn on the channels.  And maybe, not even cheer or support any of their covntry's athletes, on a severe note.
Click to expand...

Whether or not I expect it has no impact on whether or not it's the right thing to do.

And the severe nature of your hypothetical proves just how empty and hollow this "support" is. If people decided to ignore the Olympics they would have all manner of options to still support athletes from the nation of their
choosing. The World Track and Field Championships take place every year. All of the individual sports have competitions besides the Olympics that aren't as riddled through with corruption as these games and they are largely ignored by the public. The only reason people are invested in the games as opposed to other athletic competitions is the prestige they choose to bestow on the Olympics in particular. They can choose not to easily. 

hockeyfan1 said:
Nothing will change until someone begins to initiate it, and it has to start at the top (of the power ladder) on down.  Other than that, keep enjoying. ( *sic*)
Click to expand...

Expecting change to just sprout up from "someone" with absolutely no incentive to do so is the height of either laziness or naivete. Change like this isn't going to magically happen without financial incentive. The public is the only group capable of providing that financial incentive. Sitting around and hoping for the IOC to do so out of some sort of sense of moral responsibility they've clearly shown they don't have over decades is exactly the sort of selfish buck-passing that ensures that the IOC won't change.
 
Nik the Trik said:
hockeyfan1 said:
Nothing will change until someone begins to initiate it, and it has to start at the top (of the power ladder) on down.  Other than that, keep enjoying. ( *sic*)
Click to expand...

Expecting change to just sprout up from "someone" with absolutely no incentive to do so is the height of either laziness or naivete. Change like this isn't going to magically happen without financial incentive. The public is the only group capable of providing that financial incentive. Sitting around and hoping for the IOC to do so out of some sort of sense of moral responsibility they've clearly shown they don't have over decades is exactly the sort of selfish buck-passing that ensures that the IOC won't change.
Click to expand...

Nothing comes from nothing.  Something always comes from something.  Until the public starts showing a disincentive or disinterest in the games where it would have a financial impact, only then can change truly happen.  That is understood.

But even for that to have an impact, change needs to be initiated from within the ranks of the IOC, or perhaps from an outside perspective, in order to facilitate that change into something concrete.

I wouldn't naively expect the public to turn itself completely off of the Games nor any other large-scale event such as the FIFA World Cup,  etc., and as long as these events continue in popularity, where then will this change emerge from?


 
hockeyfan1 said:
I wouldn't naively expect the public to turn itself completely off of the Games nor any other large-scale event such as the FIFA World Cup,  etc., and as long as these events continue in popularity, where then will this change emerge from?
Click to expand...

That's what I'm saying. Absent a turn towards public disinterest, the change won't come. That makes it incumbent on people who watch to stop watching if they really want to see change. I don't expect that to happen but that's because of cynicism. People talk a big game about wanting change but tend not to walk the walk.

Which is why it's important to not get caught up in the shiny things and to point out when people are. The Rio games were an obscenity. They do not reflect well upon sport regardless of the accomplishments of individual athletes. Hopefully they mark the low point for the intersection of conscience and entertainment.
 
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