Olympics discussion thread

Talk about anything but keep it polite and reasonably clean.
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RAYC
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by RAYC »

Given the furore about badminton players, i did have a chuckle about this

"lost in translation"....pull the other one! (perhaps WS1 might want to comment!!)

FWIW, i think the quality of journalism and lack of proper analysis/insight is really disappointing. No mention of the actual rules regarding the Team Sprint, which are as follows:
[url=http://www.uci.ch/Modules/BUILTIN/getObject.asp?MenuId=MTkzNg&ObjTypeCode=FILE&type=FILE&id=NDk3OTg&LangId=1]Here[/url], UCI wrote:Race Procedure

3.2.155 First competition round and finals:

In the event of a mishap the race shall be stopped and restarted. If the team suffers a further mishap during its subsequent ride, it shall be relegated.

In each round, including the final, only one new start per team shall be permitted as a result of mishaps.
What is a "mishap"?
[url=http://www.uci.ch/Modules/BUILTIN/getObject.asp?MenuId=MTkzNg&ObjTypeCode=FILE&type=FILE&id=NDk3OTg&LangId=1]Here[/url], UCI wrote:Recognised mishap
3.2.021 The following shall be considered recognised mishaps:

• a fall

• a puncture

• the breakage of an essential part of the bicycle.
So it would be interesting to know whether a deliberate fall of this type falls within the rules (or whether it is an accepted part of the sport that happens regularly), particularly bearing in mind the following:
[url=http://www.uci.ch/Modules/BUILTIN/getObject.asp?MenuId=MTkzNg&ObjTypeCode=FILE&type=FILE&id=NDk3OTg&LangId=1]Here[/url], UCI wrote:Conduct of riders

3.2.002 Riders shall refrain from any collusion, manoeuvre or movement likely to hinder the conduct or distort the result of the race.
Rob C.
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by Glenn E. »

It seems to me that a deliberate fall is legal within the rules, though 3.2.002 is probably intended to prevent such tactics. It does not, however, because of the mishap rule - a deliberate fall does not hinder the conduct or distort the result of the race because falls (whether deliberate or not) are accounted for by the mishap rule.

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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by DRT »

Rob,

Can you please explain this?

My initial thought was that the rule is exactly the same (and for the same rationale) as the handover "box" in an athletics relay race. But this for of cycling is different in that the second leg is performed by someone who has also completed the first leg. There doesn't seem to be any advantage gained in an early handover as it means the second leg is slightly longer. I can see how a late handover would give an advantage to the second rider, but not an early one.

Am I missing the point?
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by RAYC »

hmmm...i think it is just a rule that has to be obeyed.

Does it serve a purpose? Don't know. Possibly it means that you have to have a genuinely strong "team" and can't rely on one really fast person to carry you - "you're only as strong as your weakest link" type of thing.

And while it is one of those rules that has apparently been overlooked / not strictly enforced in many competitions over the last few years, there was supposedly a brief that went out to all teams last year that it would be enforced at the Olympics and there were DQs at the test event/last year's championships because of it.

The GB changeover was clearly in contravention of the rule - still haven't seen the proper finish-line pic of the Chinese DQ from the final for the same reason but it looked a lot more of a close-run thing - from the TV pictures at least it was a pity in my opinion that they weren't given the benefit of the doubt (don't really like to see the realistic bronze medallists winning gold on a technical infraction measured in millimetres - especially when they are the Germans!)
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by DRT »

What a day.

The rowing team were superb.

Jess Ennis has been absolutely outstanding - Daley Thompson eat your heart out! (and she is much better looking than Mary Peters!)
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by DRT »

Mo Farahtastic!!!

:D
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by Andy Velebil »

DRT wrote:Rob,

Can you please explain this?

My initial thought was that the rule is exactly the same (and for the same rationale) as the handover "box" in an athletics relay race. But this for of cycling is different in that the second leg is performed by someone who has also completed the first leg. There doesn't seem to be any advantage gained in an early handover as it means the second leg is slightly longer. I can see how a late handover would give an advantage to the second rider, but not an early one.

Am I missing the point?
Yes, because if the rider of the first leg gets tired too early they could simply let the stronger rider pull through earlier and carry on to the finish. By forcing them to exchange only in a designated area both riders have to complete their full leg, regardless of how tired they may be. In other words, the first rider gets tired and losses steam causing an overall loss of time for both riders.

Track racing has some unique rules as compared to road racing.
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by DRT »

Andy Velebil wrote:
DRT wrote:Rob,

Can you please explain this?

My initial thought was that the rule is exactly the same (and for the same rationale) as the handover "box" in an athletics relay race. But this for of cycling is different in that the second leg is performed by someone who has also completed the first leg. There doesn't seem to be any advantage gained in an early handover as it means the second leg is slightly longer. I can see how a late handover would give an advantage to the second rider, but not an early one.

Am I missing the point?
Yes, because if the rider of the first leg gets tired too early they could simply let the stronger rider pull through earlier and carry on to the finish. By forcing them to exchange only in a designated area both riders have to complete their full leg, regardless of how tired they may be. In other words, the first rider gets tired and losses steam causing an overall loss of time for both riders.

Track racing has some unique rules as compared to road racing.
That makes sense. But must be very frustrating for the better rider :x
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by Andy Velebil »

DRT wrote: That makes sense. But must be very frustrating for the better rider :x
Which is why you must pick your partner very wisely.
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by DRT »

Andy Velebil wrote:
DRT wrote: That makes sense. But must be very frustrating for the better rider :x
Which is why you must pick your partner very wisely.
I knew there was a reason why Victoria Pendelton should have picked me! :?

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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by Andy Velebil »

:lol: :lol: keep dreaming
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by mpij »

Great show from Andy Murray in mens singles, hopefully can do it again with some help from Laura Robson.
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by RAYC »

"I have only had 6 to 7 months of training with two years before that on the lash" - Ross Murray, GB 1500m contender, honest interview, unsurprisingly however he did not make the final.
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by RAYC »

This is just getting silly, as well as being inconsistent (see, for instance, the French track sprinter who was entered into the 250km road race (in order to inrease the number of riders available for their track squad) and dropped out after less than 3km).

It will be interesting to see whether Fostermann, the German track sprinter whose enormous thighs have been doing the twit-pic rounds on the internet, will be forced to complete the mountain bike race he is signed up for in order to benefit from the same "back door" entry into the track events!
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Re: Olympics discussion thread

Post by JacobH »

One thing that interests me about the Olympics is the unique opportunity to watch some minority sports played at the highest level. Unfortunately, many of them are really disappointing. For example, in Judo, the only throws that seem to be used are the simplest and the umpires seem to break the fight every time the competitors end up on the floor, completely negating skill in ground-work. No doubt it’s the most effective way of winning, but it makes it pretty dull to watch.

I was also surprised about how boring handball is; the matches seem to consist of alternating set-pieces without very much interaction.

The fencing is rather fun, however, especially the épée and sabre. I’m yet to be convinced that all the flicking that goes on in modern foil is really in keeping with the spirit of that event, but it makes an interesting spectacle.
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