I used to do Karate for several years (as a youngster) and I find it baffling that kata is considered an Olympic sport. They may as well make drawing an Olympic sport next.
2021 Summer Olympics (Tokyo)
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
Today I learnt Karate at the Olympics is a choreography of a fight against an imaginary opponent 
I was just about to post the same thing, wtf I thought they'd be fighting like the Taekwondo?Today I learnt Karate at the Olympics is a choreography of a fight against an imaginary opponent
Edit;
Oh! there's a choreography version and a proper combat version. You learn something new every day.
Even Taekwondo is a poor approximation of a combat sport.
Today I learnt Karate at the Olympics is a choreography of a fight against an imaginary opponent
There seem to be 2 disciplines, the actual fighting one (Kumite) is on BBC now.
Oh right, that makes more sense. Thanks!
No idea why Field Hockey is Olympic Sport and Rink Hockey isnt.
Meanwhile Pedro Picharro getticng close to pass Johnatan Edwards WR in the triple Jump.
Meanwhile Pedro Picharro getticng close to pass Johnatan Edwards WR in the triple Jump.
Both are shite, would rather have floorball.
Because wtf is rink hockey?
Possibly means Ice Hockey, and it is a Winter Olympic sport.
Basically field hockey with roller skates.
According to a quick google search it seems to be indoor hockey with skates.
The fact I had to ask the question and you had to google the answer explains why it’s not an olympic sport!
Oh, didn’t know rink hockey existed. As Pogue said, it’s pretty clear why it isn’t on the Olympic program.
I liked the combined disciplines but the knockout format of the speed climbing was a bit fecked, especially with a non-runner who would've been #1 seed..
Yeah, I don’t get why the 9th placed qualifier (Megos) couldn’t have taken the 8th slot. Having a non-runner really distorted the results. So it was probably for the best that the climber who benefited most (Ondra) was pushed off the podium when Schuster topped in the lead.
Didn't see that fake Russia got another gold and is now ahead of GB again, that's annoying. Their 'ban' doesn't feel very significant.
Yeah that's true, although I was rooting for Ondra in the end. Backed Mawem before the final, expecting him to finish top 2 in the speed. Costly slips.
I think if they repeat this format, a fairer system would be to use the multipliers with a constant.
E.g. for every discipline they get 1 point automatically, plus their rank. Still rewards the #1, but not as ridiculously dominant. So rather than 1st being 2x better than 2nd, it's 1.5x better. It would give
1) Lopez (80)
2) Narasaki (84)
3) Coleman (84)
silver and bronze split by seeding or something I don't know.
I agree, they should have been classed as "Independent" instead of "ROC" which is literally not a punishment
Yep, and they should compete in neutral colours.
I’ve actually been racking my brains as well for a way to make it work better. I like your idea. As well as 1st being overly dominant another problem is the way that a really dominant win - with a huge gap over second place - is no better than barely squeaking a win. Same way an absolutely abject performance gets punished no more than a very narrow defeat. Which could incentivise climbers to not even try in their weakest event (two of the medalists finished last in two events)
Anyhoo. It’s all moot. Will be only bouldering/lead combined in Paris. Speed will be a separate event. Will also be more competitors allowed (68 v 40)
Imagine getting annoyed by medal counts...
Watching the men's park skateboarding final, I thought the women's was impressive, this is another level, the height, power and speed they get, wow.
Concerning how loose their helmet chin straps are, one of them fell and it was so loose his helmet fell off kind of defeating it's purpose!
Concerning how loose their helmet chin straps are, one of them fell and it was so loose his helmet fell off kind of defeating it's purpose!
It's a sporting competition that's measured by medals. It's the best metric to see how your programmes are matching up against others, just like caring where your football team is in a league. If you're into the games and the team element is a big part of that interest, why wouldn't you be interested in the overall table?
Obviously with Australia it's just friendly rivalry but with Russia there is a broader point about whether the sanctions for state sponsored doping are really any punishment at all or not.
It's literally zero punishment. At the very least, it should have been no participation in team events including doubles/relays, etc. And no coaches allowed along with obviously them playing in neutral colours under the name of "Independent" instead of ROC
The Olympics have always reminded me that Australia, Britain and New Zealand are fantastic sporting nations. The combined population of said three countries is less than a hundred million people and yet they would be top of this year's medal tally if they compete under one flag -- which they kind of already have with the Union Jack situation!
Yeah, all are punching above their weight per capita but Aus and NZ particularly impressive given their populations are a lot smaller than GB. Australia have done particularly well this time and I think more than doubled their gold count.
Japan also having an exceptional games although you always expect a home nation boost
How did that lad win the fight . Kazakhstan fighter was robbed.
. Kazakhstan fighter was robbed.Another country that has consistently punched above its weight is South Korea. With a population less than half of Japan's, their athletes are spread across so many disciplines -- from football to weightlifting to archery to badminton -- and most of them compete at a very high level, winning plenty of medals at every Olympic Games in recent times.
Watching the climbing, the speed one looks fairly accessible, though nowhere near at that speed, the bouldering and lead walls however look so so difficult the way they are swinging their whole body weight off 2 fingers 
I love Gardiner’s running action.
Watching the climbing, the speed one looks fairly accessible, though nowhere near at that speed, the bouldering and lead walls however look so so difficult the way they are swinging their whole body weight off 2 fingers
The speed is fairly accessible. Most reasonably fit people could get to the top after a few days of practice. It would probably take them a minute or two to reach the top though. The tricky bit is getting that down to six seconds or less!
The finger strength in the other events takes years to develop. And most people could never put in the hard work needed to get that strong. Plus fingers are only part of the story. They need incredibly strong arms and core too. Also (despite what you might think) very strong legs. They would all be able to bang out a dozen pistol squats without even blinking.
05:35 local time. 50 km walking has started. You must really loathe yourself to put yourself through this
The French guy leading took a toilet break after 30 mins of walking. Lost his 30 sec lead.
2 mins later he has to go again. This time he can't find a toilet. He's last now
2 mins later he has to go again. This time he can't find a toilet. He's last now
Oh I can imagine how their legs would need to be strong, as they need them to power up, the guy who managed to get to the top of that 3rd wall (lead wall?) did really well. The 6 seconds for speed is crazy how tall was the wall in comparison to a well known object? It was like watching spiderman!
As an aside as currently watching the diving...
There is no way I'd get on that 10m diving platform, let alone go off it
However you couldn't pay me to handstand on the edge of it, or stand on the edge, on just the balls of your feet, backwards....
Wait, I actually think that's the same guy that did this in Rio:The French guy leading took a toilet break after 30 mins of walking. Lost his 30 sec lead.
2 mins later he has to go again. This time he can't find a toilet. He's last now
Yeah, I was just saying that to the kids. No way am I jumping off that 10m platform. Never mind diving. Heights freak me out (which is weird considering how much I like climbing)