I can understand why people don't want him to compete because what he did is disgusting but it's up to organisations like the IOC, FIFA, etc. to make policy on stuff like this. It happened 10 years ago, he's admitted fault, expressed his regret, gone to prison, rehabilitated, been investigated by the Dutch team, etc.. but nothing's ever going to change what he did. He's forever going to carry that with him. So where do you draw the line? What's someone like him still allowed to do in his life after serving his sentence?
2024 Summer Olympics (Paris)
- Thread starter Samid
- Start date
An Australian hockey player decided to amputate his finger instead of waiting for it to heal because amputation meant he could play at the Olympics.
It's a pretty big targeted attack by the sounds of it and is going to cause major problems for the opening ceremony
Looks like arson in all 4 directions of the high speed lines out of Paris - the one to the south being foiled.
Dunno but probably not something where he's cheered on by an entire country. Office job.
Yeah, definitely not a position where he has access to children and/or one of a potential role model to children either.
Indeed, especially the bit about his wife.
When I first read about this I thought, if its his only shot at the Olympics, the goal of a lifetime, then fair enough, then I read he had already been 3 times, madness.
I'm not Muslim so forgive me if this is wrong, but I think the religious observance that she is meeting is covering her hair. If she can do that with a hat it might be a compromise that all parties will accept.
I think he reckons this is his last ever shot though. Which makes it a bit more understandable.
Yes. Covering your hair is the reason to protect modesty.
I wonder also if something like a durag could be used.
Geez. These 3 pages have been a grim fest. What have the Olympics become? Pierre de Coubertin and Thomas Bach must be turning in their graves.
I'm not Muslim either but I believe the neck also needs to be covered.
On the other hand...
I watched some of the rugby 7s yesterday - they were fun. It's so fast it's like you're watching the game in edited highlights.
Women's football group stage started - all the games went as expected. Spain 2-1 Japan didn't look like a tight match when you were watching it - so Spain remain the team to beat. France 3-2 is a mystery to me - France were leading 3-0 at HT so I ignored the second half, then saw the result. Canada + spy drone 2-1 New Zealand
Germany 3-0 Australia
USA 3-0 Zambia.
Brazil 1-0 Nigeria
Ideally not be on the Olympic team, at a minimum.
Couldn't see after a quick browse any mention of Argentina Morocco? Why on earth are they restarting a game 2 hours later? How on earth was the offside missed initially?
It was the sixteenth minute of 15 minutes of added time. Fans had run on to the pitch a couple of times during the added time so apparently the ref had added an extra three minutes.
Then Argentina scored or at least people thought they had. Lots of people, including the TV commentators thought the ref blew for time immediately after - more fans run on the pitch. Meanwhile there's a VAR check going on, which disallows the goal. Lots of fans are on the pitch and the players get taken off by the ref.
Eventually the position gets clarified. The ref has suspended the match and taken the players off for safety reasons not because the match is over. The stadium gets emptied of fans and the match restarts two hours later. The ref's first action is to formally confirm the VAR decision and we're at 2-1 again. They play the last three minutes and it ends at 2-1.
I missed all this as I thought it was full-time 2-2 and switched channels. I heard the actual final score during another match a couple of hours later
Rugby sevens is almost always a great watch. Shame it's never really took hold as the most popular version of the sport, like T20 did for cricket. It's just much more fun than the other codes.
Agreed. The only thing I can figure holding 7s back is the short length of the game makes it less of a marketable spectator sport outside knockout tournaments like this
Also in consideration was the fact that he might not have had full use of it when it 'healed'
More importantly, how was the girl that feel from the stands?
It was the sixteenth minute of 15 minutes of added time. Fans had run on to the pitch a couple of times during the added time so apparently the ref had added an extra three minutes.
Then Argentina scored or at least people thought they had. Lots of people, including the TV commentators thought the ref blew for time immediately after - more fans run on the pitch. Meanwhile there's a VAR check going on, which disallows the goal. Lots of fans are on the pitch and the players get taken off by the ref.
Eventually the position gets clarified. The ref has suspended the match and taken the players off for safety reasons not because the match is over. The stadium gets emptied of fans and the match restarts two hours later. The ref's first action is to formally confirm the VAR decision and we're at 2-1 again. They play the last three minutes and it ends at 2-1.
I missed all this as I thought it was full-time 2-2 and switched channels. I heard the actual final score during another match a couple of hours later
This is the main reason, plus if you wanted to grow 7s as its own sport, rather than something rugby players play in the off season or spare time, then you'd need a grass roots level. And getting people to travel to games and give up half a day for such a short match would be hard work.
I've played loads of 7 tournaments and the turnout is always great, but that's the way it has to be done usually. 4 or 5 matches in a 1 day tournament.
Yeah, it would need its own developmental route… hence Fiji being so successful at it, as I think it’s the style they’ve really focused on. NBC did an interesting profile this morning on a French player, Antoine DuPont. He spoke about how his transition from 15s to 7s for this Olympics was actually pretty tough because of how different the game is played.
That makes sense about basing it around tournaments. It’s essentially the same as what we mostly have to do with wrestling where individual matches are done very quickly.
Love it. Tapped into his inner Ronnie Lott.
Yeah it's almost a different sport altogether due to the requirements for being good at it, being so different to the normal game
I can’t believe the notre dame fire was in 2019. What the feck.
Why is Lacazeyte playing in defensive midfield
Five minutes of watching the BBC’s coverage is enough to make me consider paying for Discovery+, if only to avoid Clare fecking Balding for the next two weeks. Jesus Christ, why do the BBC insist of inflicting these people on us, while forcing us to pay their absurd salaries.
Are people planning to watch this for 4 hours?
If there isn’t loads of casual nudity then this is not a proper French production.
Zidane doing his best Agent 47 cosplay
Did I miss the ceremony? Are not the athletes supposed to enter at the end of ceremony?
This is shite.
Guessing they'll still walk into the arena later?
Were the teams always this small?
Will Russia enter by submarine?
A lot of the athletes don't appear in the opening ceremonies anyway as they are either not there yet, or are competing tomorrow.
I'm going out, so nope not me.