2022 Winter Olympics Thread

[TiogaLion]

From the article:

”The unnamed member of the six-skater team tested positive for a substance that was not performance enhancing, multiple sources told the Guardian. It is unclear what the substance may have been.”

I read the article as well as several others that state steroids. So while we wait for more to come out let's break it down:

Testing found a banned substance.
Banned substance was not performance enhancing.
Hmm, that leaves banned substances that weaken performance. Vodka?

 

[dcf4psu]

It's hard not to bring politics into the discussion regarding Gu. I have thought a lot about this American born, American educated and soon to be attending an American university Olympian and I do have a problem with it specifically because it is the CCP that she is representing. The CCP amongst other things tried to cover up the Covid crisis instead of acting quickly. I also firmly believe the Covid virus did escape from the lab in Wuhan and they lied about that also. After all of this, plus all the other human rights issues attached to the CCP I cannot support what Gu did.

 

[Woodpecker]

Wasn't she the one who lost a gold medal in SLC because she hot-dogged it near the end of a race and fell? Glad to know she is still at it and brought home a gold.

Yep

 

[Psu00]

The IOC should have just announced the issue and been done with it.

This coy approach just leads to more drama. The skating resumes tonight. Hopefully they don’t do the administrative delay dance and allow things to proceed as normal only to ‘fix’ them months from now when the spotlights are off and no one is paying attention.

 

[RyanSnyder]

She's ridiculous. And the oldest gold medal winner ever for the US. She's like, 36?

I remember watching her in the X Games when I was in college. Good for her.

 

[RyanSnyder]

I couldn't give a rats *ss about any of this crap. I just want to see the world's best athletes compete at their events that they've been training 4 years for in a wintry wonderland setting.

My problem with these olympics is why TF would you have a winter olympics where you have to make all the snow? They're having the big air competition in an old electric plant with 5 nuclear type steam structures in the background! And the announcers are trying to sell it as a spectacular scene. On air version of getting hotboxed. The entire bobsled course is enclosed. I assume for refrigeration purposes.

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. If any country can pull it off, it's China, but it speaks to the IOC's greed.

 

[RyanSnyder]

I happened to see this Olympian's performance, Kamila Valieva. At 15 they claim she's the greatest figure skater ever. Her performance leaves little doubt. Don't know much about figure skating except Dorothy Hamill, Scott Hamilton, and the baseball bat incident.

And Don't throw Flags the young lady is only 15.

Here's a link to one of her Olympic Routines.

I watched that, too. I know very little like most of us here, but when I was watching, it was clear that this girl was the best.

For the record, I thought the same about Nathan Chen, too.

What a wild sport, but somehow it sucks me in to watch every four years.

 

[EddyS]

It's hard not to bring politics into the discussion regarding Gu. I have thought a lot about this American born, American educated and soon to be attending an American university Olympian and I do have a problem with it specifically because it is the CCP that she is representing. The CCP amongst other things tried to cover up the Covid crisis instead of acting quickly. I also firmly believe the Covid virus did escape from the lab in Wuhan and they lied about that also. After all of this, plus all the other human rights issues attached to the CCP I cannot support what Gu did.

Agreed.
I can not believe how politically successful the ccp has been in getting some to believe this is not a Chinese virus.
The only question I have is whether they deliberately spread it to the rest of the world; they certainly covered it up.

 

[Woodpecker]

So now I'm watching two man luge. It reminds me of

 

[NittPicker]

So now I'm watching two man luge. It reminds me of

They have four man bobsled. Imagine if they had four man luge. The wipe outs would be spectacular.

 

[NitneLiun]

Mikaela skied out of the course only after the first few gates in her bread and butter discipline after her biggest rival had a poor run. She took too straight of a line and had to throw herself to get around a gate and was too late for the next gate. It’s mental at this point.

The astonishing thing is that her coach is the one who set the course. Of course, he set it up in a way that was advantageous to Mikaela and she still whiffed on it.

 

[Psu00]

Well, the first big doping scandal is unraveling. The 15 year old Russian ice skater apparently tested positive for a banned angina drug in pre Olympic testing. They’re fighting it out behind the scenes about what to do (Russians claim it was an error, but with their history……). The medal ceremony was delayed yesterday.

 

[NittPicker]

The IOC folks must be the dumbest people on the planet. They ban Team Russia because of doping. But somehow they think repackaging them as the Russian Olympic Committee will solve the problem?? They must be afraid of that weasel Putin.

 

[BobPSU92]

I heard that an ROC skater (not yet named) tested positive for a banned substance prior to the Olympics. How was this not known until now? How was this person allowed to skate in the Olympics?

 

[pennstater97]

Men's free skate long program/ final was solid. Hanyu almost hit that quad axel (never completed in competition); it almost seems a travesty that he was overtaken by two of his fellow countrymen (who skated well and certainly deserved their medals... Japan finished 2-3-4!). Glad to see Chen get redemption from the 2018 Olympics. Watched with my oldest, who is a figure skater himself. Don't know if he'll make it to the Olympics in four years, but he may have a future in announcing the sport.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Men's free skate long program/ final was solid. Hanyu almost hit that quad axel (never completed in competition); it almost seems a travesty that he was overtaken by two of his fellow countrymen (who skated well and certainly deserved their medals... Japan finished 2-3-4!). Glad to see Chen get redemption from the 2018 Olympics. Watched with my oldest, who is a figure skater himself. Don't know if he'll make it to the Olympics in four years, but he may have a future in announcing the sport.

I’m not a classical music guy so usually don’t care too much for that part of it…but Chen’s selection was surprisingly modern.
Good Latvia/Sweden hockey game on now.

 

[PSUJam]

 

[BobPSU92]

USA-China men’s hockey on USA Network now. China’s first Olympic appearance in hockey.

The USA has the youngest team in these Olympics. 15 current college players, five teenagers.

 

[BobPSU92]

They keep saying the USA has players from michigan and minnesota. Maybe I’ll root for China.

 

[BobPSU92]

China’s goalie is Jeremy Smith.

 

[BobPSU92]

USA 1, China 0

Power-play goal.

 

[Midnighter]

USA 1, China 0

Power-play goal.

I thought I heard China’s team is more than half Canadian. WTF do countries even mean anymore?

 

[BobPSU92]

Per the announcers, China has 11 Canadians, seven Americans, one Russian, and just six “home-grown players”.

“China”

 

[Midnighter]

Per the announcers, China has 11 Canadians, seven Americans, one Russian, and just six “home-grown players”.

“China”

“Olympics”

 

[BobPSU92]

For f*ck’s sake, Chris Chelios’s son is playing for “China”. F*ck U.S.

 

[LionJim]

You can't eat principles.

 

[BobPSU92]

End of 1st period: USA 1, “China” 0

 

[manatree]

I thought I heard China’s team is more than half Canadian. WTF do countries even mean anymore?

Per the announcers, China has 11 Canadians, seven Americans, one Russian, and just six “home-grown players”.

“China”

For f*ck’s sake, Chris Chelios’s son is playing for “China”. F*ck U.S.

Take a look at the USA’s badminton team roster before you start casting stones. Every country does it to try and improve their chances, including the good old USA.

 

[NittPicker]

I thought I heard China’s team is more than half Canadian. WTF do countries even mean anymore?

Apparently it's the Olympics version of the portal. For the 2024 Summer Games we should buy a few Chinese players for the US ping pong team. Maybe badminton too. Then we can beat our collective chest about how good we are in those events.

 

[Erial_Lion]

Apparently it's the Olympics version of the portal. For the 2024 Summer Games we should buy a few Chinese players for the US ping pong team. Maybe badminton too.

You mean like we already have?

 

[manatree]

Apparently it's the Olympics version of the portal. For the 2024 Summer Games we should buy a few Chinese players for the US ping pong team. Maybe badminton too. Then we can beat our collective chest about how good we are in those events.

We already do this. We just haven’t ‘bought’ good enough foreign born players to win anything yet.

And I’m sure that millions of people in China are asking “Who the F cares about hockey?”

 

[Midnighter]

Take a look at the USA’s badminton team roster before you start casting stones. Every country does it to try and improve their chances, including the good old USA.

I’d rather not compete in a sport then. I’m not a nationalist or anything, but jeez, the point is to represent the country you were born in. Just do away with country representation and have a big amateur sports fest.

 

[Erial_Lion]

I’d rather not compete in a sport then. I’m not a nationalist or anything, but jeez, the point is to represent the country you were born in. Just do away with country representation and have a big amateur sports fest.

I agree to some extent, but limiting to the country of birth takes it too far I believe...if someone's parents are American servicemen/women and they are born while abroad, I don't think that makes them less American. Or someone that moved to the USA at a very young age and grew up in this country.

The requirements for International soccer are more stringent than the Olympics (in the Olympics, it seems simply living in a country for a few years makes you eligible), however even in soccer, we've had guys playing for us that spent little to no time in the US, but had one American parent.

 

[BobPSU92]

Apparently it's the Olympics version of the portal. For the 2024 Summer Games we should buy a few Chinese players for the US ping pong team. Maybe badminton too. Then we can beat our collective chest about how good we are in those events.

We still have Forrest, Forrest Gump.

 

[Midnighter]

I agree to some extent, but limiting to the country of birth takes it too far I believe...if someone's parents are American servicemen/women and they are born while abroad, I don't think that makes them less American. Or someone that moved to the USA at a very young age and grew up in this country.

The requirements for International soccer are more stringent than the Olympics (in the Olympics, it seems simply living in a country for a few years makes you eligible), however even in soccer, we've had guys playing for us that spent little to no time in the US, but had one American parent.

Military kids born abroad are American by birth. And those who become Olympians has to be extremely low. So, not a good example IMO. Limit it to country of citizenship. If you have dual, you can pick. Done and done.

 

[BobPSU92]

I wonder what Chris Chelios thinks about his son playing for China. That’s screwed.

 

[BobPSU92]

USA 4, “China” 0, nearing the end of the 2nd period.

A$$. BEATING.

 

[manatree]

I’d rather not compete in a sport then. I’m not a nationalist or anything, but jeez, the point is to represent the country you were born in. Just do away with country representation and have a big amateur sports fest.

This is hardly a new phenomenon. Some countries used to use citizens of their colonies on their Olympic teams. The situation is exacerbated by the IOC allowing, cough, cough, requiring, host countries to compete in every sport without qualifying. During the 2004 Athens Olympics, the standards for being chosen for the Greek national baseball and softball teams were very strenuous. You had to prove that you had eaten oregano at least once in your lifetime.

Also, the modern Olympics were never really an amateur competition. Many of the athletes were funded by their government under the guise of holding a government job or rich dilettantes who could afford to pursue a sport as a hobby.

 

[NittPicker]

I wonder what Chris Chelios thinks about his son playing for China. That’s screwed.

The kid better hope he doesn't dishonor the motherland. If he does, he'll wind up in a prison with the Uyghurs.

 

[BobPSU92]

5-0