546 replies to this topic

[BSLMikeLowe]

Yahoo! Sports: With Olympic cleanup canceled, Rio resigned to dirty bay

 

After Rio won the rights in 2009 to host the Olympics, local officials vowed to clean up Guanabara Bay. But an economic downturn, political instability and a historic corruption scandal left many of the promises made back then, when the country was booming, hopelessly out of reach.

 

By 2014, Rio authorities had already given up on the cleanup.

Now they are just trying to keep the parts of the bay that Olympic sailors will traverse free from debris that in recent months has included floating refrigerators, couches and even corpses.

 

If a corpse somehow becomes tethered to one of the race boats, is that team disqualified for having too many crew members?

 

One silver lining....there should be some pretty good Weekend At Bernie's memes this Olympics.

 

[Mark Carver]

This Might Be the Reason Why Rio Can't Clean Its Shitty Water for the Olympics

 

[BSLMikeLowe]

ESPN: Pau Gasol mulls skipping Olympics because of Zika

[SammyBirdland]

ESPN: Pau Gasol mulls skipping Olympics because of Zika

 

The first baby with a Zika Virus-linked birth defect has been born in the NY Tri-State area.

 

The mother is 31-years-old and contracted Zika virus while visiting Honduras.

 

http://abc7ny.com/he...jersey/1364671/

[DJ MC]

Study: Rio Olympics Will Expose Athletes To Antibiotics-Resistant Super Bacteria

[DJ MC]

Deadspin: Rio Declares Financial Emergency, May Not Be Able To Honor Olympic Commitments

[BSLChrisStoner]

Is it plausible on any level for the games to be moved at this point on the calendar?

[Mike in STL]

Is it plausible on any level for the games to be moved at this point on the calendar?

Athletes could just boycott it. I mean what do they get out of it?

If a 15 year old U.S. gymnast wins a gold medal, the U.S. makes them pay taxes on that weight of gold.

Yeah, the Michael Phleps of the world will get bookoo sponsor deals, but what about the other 95% of the athletes that will go unrememberd?

Not sure what other coutries do. I think some Asian countries have a rule that if you win a medal you don't have to fulfil a military requirment. Maybe they go.

They really need to just rotate theae, and World Cups between the U.S., Europe, Canada. Australlia, I suppose Japan, and no where else. Its ridiculous that this stuff keeps happening.

Let's just have it in Syria next time around.

[DJ MC]

Athletes could just boycott it. I mean what do they get out of it?

If a 15 year old U.S. gymnast wins a gold medal, the U.S. makes them pay taxes on that weight of gold.

Yeah, the Michael Phleps of the world will get bookoo sponsor deals, but what about the other 95% of the athletes that will go unrememberd?

Not sure what other coutries do. I think some Asian countries have a rule that if you win a medal you don't have to fulfil a military requirment. Maybe they go.

They really need to just rotate theae, and World Cups between the U.S., Europe, Canada. Australlia, I suppose Japan, and no where else. Its ridiculous that this stuff keeps happening.

Let's just have it in Syria next time around.

 

The 2022 Winter Olympics are going to be held in noted winter resort Beijing (don't eat the brown snow), mostly because Oslo withdrew their bid and the only other choice was Almaty, Kazakhstan.

 

Nobody decent is going to want to play with the IOC anymore, unless some real changes happen after Rio. And, unfortunately, I don't think that will happen unless there is a major disaster during the Games.

[Mike in STL]

The 2022 Winter Olympics are going to be held in noted winter resort Beijing (don't eat the brown snow), mostly because Oslo withdrew their bid and the only other choice was Almaty, Kazakhstan.
 
Nobody decent is going to want to play with the IOC anymore, unless some real changes happen after Rio. And, unfortunately, I don't think that will happen unless there is a major disaster during the Games.

But doesn't the U.S. throw their hat in the ring every time? I seem to remember the Americans always being shown stunned after these big rallies in Chicago and other places who lobby to try to get the games. When somewhere else gets it, American people are floored.

Then they go back to their normal lives about 10 seconds later.

[RShack]

But doesn't the U.S. throw their hat in the ring every time? I seem to remember the Americans always being shown stunned after these big rallies in Chicago and other places who lobby to try to get the games. When somewhere else gets it, American people are floored.

Then they go back to their normal lives about 10 seconds later.

 

I think places are waking up to how much money it costs to do it...  you can say it makes sense for someplace that's not really on the map... but for established places, why bother?   

[Mike in STL]

 
I think places are waking up to how much money it costs to do it...  you can say it makes sense for someplace that's not really on the map... but for established places, why bother?   

Thats what I mean though. Places that arent on the map don't have the infrastructure to handle the influx of people. Don't have the venues already in place to host events. These are the ones who end up getting awarded the games. They have to build new stadiums in these places to be used for two weeks. Where as the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, they have the stuff in place already. So it benefits places with the infrastructure already in place.

Say Baltimore/DC gets the games. It shouldn't cost the tax payers a dime. There are stadiums in place. Lodging, all the logistical stuff is mostly in place with the exception of dressing the place up. It would boost what ever host cities economy having hundreds of thousands of people come to town for two or three weeks.

Whereas people aren't going to Rio, defintely not Qatar for the world cup. They have to build a bunch of things they can't afford and will be used likely this one and only time. Then when the people that actually come, leave, the residents are left footing the bill.

Established places should bother, should lobby to host it. They profit by not having to build stuff to host it.

Or am I way off here?

[DJ MC]

Thats what I mean though. Places that arent on the map don't have the infrastructure to handle the influx of people. Don't have the venues already in place to host events. These are the ones who end up getting awarded the games. They have to build new stadiums in these places to be used for two weeks. Where as the U.S., Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, they have the stuff in place already. So it benefits places with the infrastructure already in place.

Say Baltimore/DC gets the games. It shouldn't cost the tax payers a dime. There are stadiums in place. Lodging, all the logistical stuff is mostly in place with the exception of dressing the place up. It would boost what ever host cities economy having hundreds of thousands of people come to town for two or three weeks.

Whereas people aren't going to Rio, defintely not Qatar for the world cup. They have to build a bunch of things they can't afford and will be used likely this one and only time. Then when the people that actually come, leave, the residents are left footing the bill.

Established places should bother, should lobby to host it. They profit by not having to build stuff to host it.

Or am I way off here?

You're only way off in the sense that the IOC wants them to build all new stuff. Reusing old buildings doesn't generate attention. Or bribes.

[RShack]

Established places should bother, should lobby to host it. They profit by not having to build stuff to host it.
 

 

As places go, London is pretty established... it's hard to be more established than London... and it cost them $billions of taxpayer money....

 

They pick the place with the snazziest plans (and bribes)... putting a new coat of paint on existing venues ain't snazzy enough to win...

[Don Quixote]

McIlroy opts out.

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/36595631

[Mike in STL]

McIlroy opts out.
 
http://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/36595631

Day, Spieth, Fowler, Willett, have all been on the fence about it. I wonder if McIlroy being the first domino to fall makes it easier for the other top guys to also step away.

[Don Quixote]

Day and Lowry also out.

 

http://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/36653416

[Don Quixote]

Rio police: 'Welcome to Hell'

 

http://www.bbc.com/n...ending-36653007

[NewMarketSean]

What a disaster.

[DuffMan]

https://www.theguard...an-us-athletics

 

Not sure if anyone is familiar with this story, but as T&F fan I've been following along pretty closely.  Happy to see that Skynet (I mean Nike) has backed down and won't obstruct Berian from running at the Trials.