Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- Thread starter Bubble181
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Well, Belgium has progressed to the Team finals (as fifth!) in gymnastics. For a country with the population of New York City, having one great gymnast is rare - managing the team finals is really an achievement! Nina Derwael is the favorite on the parallel bars (sorry Sunisa Lee :-P ), but more importantly, with Jutta we've got the (officially...) youngest athlete of the whole Olympics who also progressed to the allround finals. She won't achieve much there, but she really has some skills and the age to grow and learn. We have a gymnastics future again!
Oh, also, some other countries got some medals in other stuff, I dunno :-P
Oh, also, some other countries got some medals in other stuff, I dunno :-P
Beijing's opening ceremony will probably never be topped. That was amazing.
Maybe. Didn't see it because it happened at like 6am.
You're in luck. We've advanced to the point where we can record live events and play them back later.
Simone Biles has sustained an injury and has forfeited the rest of gymnastics for (at least) today 
No further news yet whether or not she'll still participate in the individual finals the coming days.
No further news yet whether or not she'll still participate in the individual finals the coming days.
I've only seen "a medical issue" so far. Huh.
Mental issues can be medical as well. I applaud her for having the bravery to put her own well-being first, even when competing at the Olympics.
In the mean time she has put out a statement...
I'm absolutely in favor of accepting mental issues as a reason - it can be quite as devastating, if not as visible, as physical injury. I applauded Osaka for her withdrawal from Roland Garros a few months ago. But...the way Biles words it - a wound to her personal pride - made it come off to me more as a "I made a mistake which probably costs us the gold, so I don't want to continue" - which, well, doesn't seem the same to me. If you're a team player and you make a mistake, then you have to get yourself back together for the team. If Ronaldo decides he doesn't want to continue a match because they're 0-1 behind, that would not be considered him suffering from a mental problem, it'd be considered the shiny superstar who can't handle not winning.
I can't look inside Biles' head, and if she felt she couldn't continue, that's her decision. But her communication could definitely have been better to make it about the incredible amount of pressure she's under, rather than her pride being wounded at not performing as absolute number one.
I'm absolutely in favor of accepting mental issues as a reason - it can be quite as devastating, if not as visible, as physical injury. I applauded Osaka for her withdrawal from Roland Garros a few months ago. But...the way Biles words it - a wound to her personal pride - made it come off to me more as a "I made a mistake which probably costs us the gold, so I don't want to continue" - which, well, doesn't seem the same to me. If you're a team player and you make a mistake, then you have to get yourself back together for the team. If Ronaldo decides he doesn't want to continue a match because they're 0-1 behind, that would not be considered him suffering from a mental problem, it'd be considered the shiny superstar who can't handle not winning.
I can't look inside Biles' head, and if she felt she couldn't continue, that's her decision. But her communication could definitely have been better to make it about the incredible amount of pressure she's under, rather than her pride being wounded at not performing as absolute number one.
Yes, but what would it be like if the officials said, "If you have Ronaldo on your team, then your team's score starts at -1?" Ronaldo might decide to sit out just so that his team could start at 0 like normal instead of being, well, handicapped by having him. And that could definitely affect his mood.
I fully believe that there were at least some people actively employing the "shit on her until she quits" strategy.
--Patrick
When bhamv is calling you out on it, you know it's a problem
There's a lot of attention being paid to it, moreso than before, definitely.
Of course, some of it is real sexism, some of it isn't, some of it could be seen that way, etc.
For example, the outfits. It's all being thrown on one big pile and being dubbed as sexist and/or racist, but not each case is the same.
Beach volleyball? Yeah ,that's just ridiculous, those rules need to go.
Gymnastics? As long as the clothing doesn't interfere with proper judging, wear whatever you want - though there may have to be rules added for clear contrasts etc. I don't mind the German gymnasts wearing pants instead of leotards, because everything is still visible - in Basel last month, wearing black pants on a black background really did have a clear impact on the judges' capabilities to see every detail. And, to be clear, there are no rules to break: as long as it's body-fitting, any clothing is allowed.
Swimming? I can see why African swimmers would like to be allowed to use swimming caps that fit their "natural" hair (which, by the way, I think is a horrible term, even if I understand what they mean and where it comes from, but that's a matter for the Politics subforum, not Sports). But those regulations are there for a reason - while some styles of swimming cap for people with afro hair may even slow them down, others would give an unfair advantage because of their shape. You're not allowed to create a cone shape on your head, just like you're not allowed to wear gloves that can function as flippers.
The camera work has, in my opinion, improved when compared to Rio - but it's very much still an issue in some cases. There are plenty of shots of both male and female gymnasts sitting ,stretching, walking to and from their stations, whatever, but the men tend to be either filmed completely, or waist-up. The women still quite often get the cameras panning up their legs over their ass, shots from ass to shoulders, etc. The same holds true for the runners and vaulters and such. There's definitely been some improvement, but it's definitely still a thing. It's normal that in the course of some sports you'll occasionally see an ass or a chest. There's nothing wrong with that - not every time a (fe)male body is shown has to be (over-)sexualized or framed as such. But it's very often very much the camera work placing emphasis, or focusing on it beyond what's necessary or sensible.
try Peacock, the coverage should be free there. If you still have cable check the nbc sports channels.
Pathetic.
www.sfchronicle.com
Why are we like this guys?
Novak Djokovic’s Olympic meltdown shows hypocrisy of his Simone Biles criticism
Novak Djokovic came off as lacking in empathy for Simone Biles. But after his disastrous...
Why are we like this guys?