Olympic Games Paris 2024 - AH Thread [Thread banned posters listed in first post.]

Plus is bad, minus is good. In summary: Not good.

I wouldn't ordinarily watch synchronised swimming, but I seen this getting a lot of attention yesterday. Super impressive.

Team USA Perform to Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' 👯‍♀️🤩 | Synchronised Swimming #Paris2024

And also came across someone reposting this video of Katie Ledecky balancing a glass of chocolate milk on her head while swimming, again, very impressive.

Indeed, we already have breakdancing. Why do we need breakdance fighting as well?

Rhasidat is by far the fastest athlete in her semi-final, hopefully she can win it and get a good lane for the final.

Only Naser has ever run faster but that time was very suspicious and she got banned for two years for missed tests a couple of years later. She's right behind Rhasidat so will know how fast she has to go but she's done nothing since returning from her ban last year.

Only Koch and Kratochvilova had ran faster than her time back in 2019. Both of those were never proven to be cheats but everybody knows the truth.

I agree that AI are a contributor to the issue although I'm not sure if it's for the very reason you outline. Yes many youngsters leave athletics but I don't know the %.that leave because there was a podium there. You can't really make any changes when you have the same people making the decision. This is a far bigger issue altogether. Thus only the 1st of the many many issues with AI. I've been involved in athletics for over 25 years and while I don't run myself anymore, I'm still involved with some athletes. In that time I've seen many many good people getting involved only to walk away saying "what's the point". I also have to add that my own county is one of the most progressive in terms of try to make change.. This is usually knocked back at national level.

We can see that at national level as well, the best senior coach in the country gets absolutely no help from AI, when they did approach him, to "help" it was to be on their term, and wanted to dictate what races the athletes ran. Just look back at the fiasco that was the fast miles race before Tokyo. https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/row-over-belfast-athletics-meeting-sees-european-permit-restored-1.4576894

In the early 1990s after the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe, there was evidence uncovered on the East German doping programme which showed Koch (and many others) taking anabolic steroids according to a strict timetable. But there was no impetus back then to correct wrongs committed years before.

Kratochvilova is IMHO an even more incredible case than Koch, not breaking 53 seconds for the 400m until she was 27, and setting the (then) WR of 47.99 when she was 32, at the 1983 World Championships. She still holds the WR for the 800m, also set in 1983. While no clear evidence has come to light, it's inconceivable she was not doped to the eyeballs, as no other explanation makes sense.

That would be a good idea.

And I'd 100% agree regarding the swimming comment.. It's a life skill and everyone should be taught to swim

Sailing really impresses me how it is more boring than Dressage. Didn’t think that would be possible.

And now it's the 'Dinghy' Final featuring Finn Lynch from Carlow, a county famous for its many Dinghy racing champions 😀

Once Again, the Professor on RTE is providing exceptionally detailed and insightful commentary while 99.8% of the viewing population has little or no idea what's going on. They've called a false start, the Aussie was throwing the shoulder into the Cypriot and they were on course to come to blows, now they've all reversed and having another go...

Edit: 5 metre scrum to Cyprus, play on!

Both their world records may never be broken. Really any records from that era should be erased but I guess without proof, it's unfair.

Kratochvilova in particular had a ridiculous physique.

That commentator is great, so detailed and clear to the casual viewer

When match racing (2 boats racing against each other, which is essentially what those 2 are doing), the race can very well be won/lost on the start line, and in sailing, winning the start, is essentially a whole other aspect of the main race in general…

Depending on what position you are in in relation to the other boat, you could have 'right of way' and force the other boat over the start line early..

I think that ad was from one of his sponsors in fact, not RTE. But definitely unwise considering he hasn't exactly set the sport alight and had to qualify for these Games via a back door route.

Maurice 'Prof' O'Connell

He knows he's calling the race for people who might not have a great understanding of the sport/rules, so is being extremely detailed.

Race Abandoned….