2021 Summer Olympics (Tokyo)

Disagree about skateboarding, it's exciting and it's as much a "virtue" as a lot of other disciplines included in the Olympics. They wanna keep their appeal to the younger population as well and it's a good move to include stuff like that - e.g. it's much more deserving to be there than the likes of breakdancing which will be included in Paris 2024.

Surprised Nyjah and Giraud bottled it quite like they did, but still.
 
Anyone who’s skateboarded knows how hard it is on both a physical and skill level.

What amazes me more these days are there are enough pro skaters that can pass a drugs test. Skateboarding has changed over the years, not that it’s a bad thing
 
RobinLFC said:
Disagree about skateboarding, it's exciting and it's as much a "virtue" as a lot of other disciplines included in the Olympics. They wanna keep their appeal to the younger population as well and it's a good move to include stuff like that - e.g. it's much more deserving to be there than the likes of breakdancing which will be included in Paris 2024.

Surprised Nyjah and Giraud bottled it quite like they did, but still.
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I really thought you were joking until I googled it
 
RobinLFC said:
Disagree about skateboarding, it's exciting and it's as much a "virtue" as a lot of other disciplines included in the Olympics. They wanna keep their appeal to the younger population as well and it's a good move to include stuff like that - e.g. it's much more deserving to be there than the likes of breakdancing which will be included in Paris 2024.

Surprised Nyjah and Giraud bottled it quite like they did, but still.
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Christ
 
RobinLFC said:
Disagree about skateboarding, it's exciting and it's as much a "virtue" as a lot of other disciplines included in the Olympics. They wanna keep their appeal to the younger population as well and it's a good move to include stuff like that - e.g. it's much more deserving to be there than the likes of breakdancing which will be included in Paris 2024.

Surprised Nyjah and Giraud bottled it quite like they did, but still.
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I also liked the skateboarding, I was surprised how much they fell off, if Olympic level athletes are falling, it shows how hard it is - trying to balance alongthat tiny rail, having jumped onto it especially. I'd like to see some of the half pipe/ big ramps as the big air time tricks always look even more impressive (not that I've ever been near a skateboard)!
 
United Hobbit said:
I also liked the skateboarding, I was surprised how much they fell off, if Olympic level athletes are falling, it shows how hard it is. I'd like to see some of the half pipe/ big ramps as the big air time tricks always look even more impressive (not that I've ever been near a skateboard)!
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Falling off at quite a whack too, but they just brush themselves off and crack on. I must admit I enjoyed it a lot.

It's amazing how strong those little boards + wheels are also.
 
Snowjoe said:
Anyone who’s skateboarded knows how hard it is on both a physical and skill level.

What amazes me more these days are there are enough pro skaters that can pass a drugs test. Skateboarding has changed over the years, not that it’s a bad thing
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Probably why most of them are 12.
 
United Hobbit said:
I also liked the skateboarding, I was surprised how much they fell off, if Olympic level athletes are falling, it shows how hard it is - trying to balance alongthat tiny rail, having jumped onto it especially. I'd like to see some of the half pipe/ big ramps as the big air time tricks always look even more impressive (not that I've ever been near a skateboard)!
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Only park and street were selected for the Olympics, vert and mega ramp weren't so you won't see a traditional halfpipe in Tokyo. The park finals (next week) might look more spectacular if air time is what you want, but if you aren't into skating or haven't done it yourself, it's impossible to grasp how hard the street tricks are that they are displaying. Falling is just a part of it, most of the pros could tre flip from a set of stairs with their eyes closed but when they know their run has been underwhelming or just average, they have to shoot for the sky and try the impossible to make up for it.

I'd need to check how the seeding system was actually done though. The best Belgian skateboarder (imo) wasn't even attending and a lot of other outstanding pros weren't either.
 
Classical Mechanic said:
Think Williams made an error contesting that call at the end. It gave her opponent some time to get her energy back and finish strongly.
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I would have to agree, it was hers to lose and like you say momentum might have been her best friend.

Gutted as with 15 seconds to go it was GB gold all the way but what a finish from the other girl.
 
Jippy said:
Snooker would be good and so would darts- shame the campaign to get it included in 2012 wasn't successful.
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Not as bad as the skateboarding down a handrail rubbish but two pastime style sports that peaked their popularity, in only a few countries, in the 80's. So I doubt that we will ever see them at the olympics. If we ever see cricket it will be one day or 20/20.
 
Wibble said:
Not as bad as the skateboarding down a handrail rubbish but two pastime style sports that peaked their popularity, in only a few countries, in the 80's. So I doubt that we will ever see them at the olympics. If we ever see cricket it will be one day or 20/20.
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Snooker is actually more popular globally than ever. Apparently it only just missed selection for this Olympics and could be included at 2024. Problem for the UK is that we'll be overtaken by Chinese players.
 
Classical Mechanic said:
Think Williams made an error contesting that call at the end. It gave her opponent some time to get her energy back and finish strongly.
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I had no idea of the rules of Taekwondo yesterday and today im cheering each head kick like a goal.
 
Damn, taekwondo is fun to watch. Smart move by our girl. 3 seconds before end, she goes out of fighting area to avoid head kick.
Gold!! Yeah.
 
Adam-Utd said:
Falling off at quite a whack too, but they just brush themselves off and crack on. I must admit I enjoyed it a lot.

It's amazing how strong those little boards + wheels are also.
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I'm surprised they had no form of safety kit on, the certainly did fall off at quite a whack and its not like concrete is padded... I know they probably learn how to fall but like you say they just brushed themselves down and sprung back up

RobinLFC said:
Only park and street were selected for the Olympics, vert and mega ramp weren't so you won't see a traditional halfpipe in Tokyo. The park finals (next week) might look more spectacular if air time is what you want, but if you aren't into skating or haven't done it yourself, it's impossible to grasp how hard the street tricks are that they are displaying. Falling is just a part of it, most of the pros could tre flip from a set of stairs with their eyes closed but when they know their run has been underwhelming or just average, they have to shoot for the sky and try the impossible to make up for it.

I'd need to check how the seeding system was actually done though. The best Belgian skateboarder (imo) wasn't even attending and a lot of other outstanding pros weren't either.
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Ah ok thank you for the explanation, as I've been nowhere near a skateboard ever, I thought it was all just one course with the different elements for them to do the tricks on

Oh I can certainly admire the skills, those rails were tiny I'd go splat even just doing the turns :lol: same with the gymnastics, I can admire the skills despite never having done it.

I'd imagine skateboarding is one of the more accessible sports as while the boards they were using are probably mega money, the bog standard boards can presumably be used for the basic entry level stuff?

Was the young British girl in action today? Or is she in the park section?

Still not found any surfing on iplayer
 
United Hobbit said:
I'm surprised they had no form of safety kit on, the certainly did fall off at quite a whack and its not like concrete is padded... I know they probably learn how to fall but like you say they just brushed themselves down and sprung back up



Ah ok thank you for the explanation, as I've been nowhere near a skateboard ever, I thought it was all just one course with the different elements for them to do the tricks on

Oh I can certainly admire the skills, those rails were tiny I'd go splat even just doing the turns :lol: same with the gymnastics, I can admire the skills despite never having done it.

I'd imagine skateboarding is one of the more accessible sports as while the boards they were using are probably mega money, the bog standard boards can presumably be used for the basic entry level stuff?

Was the young British girl in action today? Or is she in the park section?

Still not found any surfing on iplayer
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Their boards usually aren't more expensive than the ones you can buy in your local shop, ranging anywhere between €50-150. If you wanna save some money you can buy a blank deck which is usually the same quality but without the print on the back. Together with rolling elements, wheels and trucks, I'd say you have a very quality set-up for a bit over €100 all-in. Plan B, Element, Baker, Flip, Girl, ... are the most famous ones, Nyjah Huston was sponsored by Element for his entire career before he launched his own label earlier this year.

Sky Brown is mainly vert but will participate in the Park section, which I believe is in the middle of next week somewhere. She wasn't involved in the Street part as far as I know.
 
Wow, China just lost a table tennis final (mixed against Japan).
 
I love skateboarding, I did it for a couple years during my teen years and had my fair share of bumps on bumps on bumps, and dislocated my shoulder a few times and fecked up my hips trying to jump down staircases. Got a couple permanent scars on my legs trying to grind too. I wish I never gave it up, but there was no way I could turn it into anything other than a hobby in those days. Whenever I see a young'un in my street on a board I want to get out my car and ask him if I can try a few kick flips and see if I can still do it :lol: :lol:

So having it in the olympics has been awesome to watch. Those guys are on another level and I admire their dedication to the art, it is ridiculously hard to master, let alone pull it off every time, even the best get hurt regularly. Just ask BAM, guy loved getting hurt he dedicated a whole show to pain.
 
SirAnderson said:
I love skateboarding, I did it for a couple years during my teen years and had my fair share of bumps on bumps on bumps, and dislocated my shoulder a few times and fecked up my hips trying to jump down staircases. Got a couple permanent scars on my legs trying to grind too. I wish I never gave it up, but there was no way I could turn it into anything other than a hobby in those days. Whenever I see a young'un in my street on a board I want to get out my car and ask him if I can try a few kick flips and see if I can still do it :lol: :lol:

So having it in the olympics has been awesome to watch. Those guys are on another level and I admire their dedication to the art, it is ridiculously hard to master, let alone pull it off every time, even the best get hurt regularly. Just ask BAM, guy loved getting hurt he dedicated a whole show to pain.
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Speaking of which, I see a new Jackass will be coming out too :lol:
 
Wibble said:
Not as bad as the skateboarding down a handrail rubbish but two pastime style sports that peaked their popularity, in only a few countries, in the 80's. So I doubt that we will ever see them at the olympics. If we ever see cricket it will be one day or 20/20.
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There's huge money in darts these days, it's been transformed on Sky, with the winner of the world championship getting £500,000 last year. I also doubt we'll ever see it at the Olympics, but would be nice to see the likes of Peter 'Snakebite' Wright rubbing shoulders with the other athletes there.
 
As long as football is allowed to stay with random D teams playing each other it's hard to complain about Skateboarding or even Breakdance being included.
 
Watching the men’s gymnastics team final - why are they showing so little of Team GB’s performances?

I understand them showing the medal places, but seen more of Ukraine and USA than Team GB.
 
I don't really get why anyone would be complaining about skateboarding being at the Olympics. It's an incredibly demanding sport and these days it's all very organised and professional. Watch any Street League event and you'll see how high the level is.
 
Andycoleno9 said:
It sucks when you win gold medal for your country and you don't have chance to hear your anthem. Politics, eh...
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What politics? They were found guilty and rightfully punished for a state-sponsored doping scheme ffs.
 
Japan is currently leading the gold medals tally. They will obviously be surpassed by China and the US by the end of the Olympics, but I feel that those two nations always will dominate for obvious reasons.

For being an ageing nation that values academics over sports and don't really force talented kids to practice superhard from a very early age, it's impressive how consistently well Japan does. But the most impressive part is how versatile they are. It's not like they are specialised in 2 or 3 sports with a million weight classes or disciplines. It seems like they are competitive in almost everything. Whether it's surfing, volleyball, weightlifting, badminton, swimming, martial arts, skateboarding or gymnastics, you can almost always bet on them being there.
 
Big upset in the table tennis there, it's been a bad day for China overall with the diving upset too. Was very happy for Daley earlier, seemed like the gold was always going to be out of reach for him. The taekwondo was fun to watch, it was a shame for Williams she seemed to throw it away a bit at the end. Thought she had it in the bag.
 
That triathlon thing with the boat in the way. :lol: so bad.
 
Andycoleno9 said:
Why to punish honest athletes? That sucks.
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The whole point is to punish the authorities by not allowing their flag and anthem, but still allow the athletes to compete and do what they've trained for years to do. It feels like the fairest way to do it to me unless you can think of a better way to punish a national authority, but not the athletes?
 
It makes me really sad that with 1.4 billion population, we Indians can't even win 1 gold :( .
 
Is this the top level of skateboarding on show ? I'm surprised how much they're falling off. Guess I'm too used to watching compilations of crazy tricks from a Tony Hawk.
 
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