Olympics

[SusanDoris]

I am delighted to see that Tom Daly at last has his gold medal but so far today I have only heard him talk about himselfrather than saying 'we' won the gold. So I have looked up Matty Lee and he has a very good record of success so far.

I do hope they will be interviewed together and if anyone sees this on TV, I do hope you will mention it here.

I have been listening to quite a lot of Five Live Olympics broadcasting both last night and today and am finding it quite exciting!

[Nearly Sane]

Been some good stuff so far but the restriction of the BBC to only showing 2 sports at the one time means that tons of stuff that I might have switched to isn't on live.

[SweetPea]

Tom Dean and Duncan Scott's freestyle event was a thriller. If you have a chance, play it back. Both started behind the others but Duncan, the silver medallist, made an incredible comeback. The first time two British contestants have won gold and silver since the Olympics in 1908.

Wonderful achievement too for Georgia Taylor-Brown in the triathlon winning silver after suffering a puncture in the cycling stage and a leg injure in May.

[Nearly Sane]

The wqy they organise the team gymnastics competition is brilliant drama. Shame at Simone Biles pulling out, not entirely clear why, talk of both injury, and mental issue.

[SusanDoris]

I've been using Alexa to listen to Five Live and I hear that the GB gymnasts have the Bronze.

The Five Live commentary on the swimming was very good and I think that they captured  the excitement well.   

[ProfessorDavey]

While I quite enjoy the Olympics I really do think it needs major reform. In particular they should weed out the sports where the Olympics isn't the leading (or very near to the top) competition in that sport.

There are far too many sports where it simply isn't the pinnacle of achievement for a sportsperson to win Olympic gold. And in some cases the rules literally rule out the strongest sportspeople being involved. A good example being football, which is effectively an under 23 competition with a couple of more experienced players thrown in. And there are plenty of others where the biggest names in the sport aren't interested in competing (as the competition doesn't really have the credibility).

Any sport of that nature should just be canned from the Olympics.

[Nearly Sane]

The wqy they organise the team gymnastics competition is brilliant drama. Shame at Simone Biles pulling out, not entirely clear why, talk of both injury, and mental issue.

So Simone Biles has confirmed it was an issue of mental healrh.


And Piers Morgan, of course, attacks her.


https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/27/tokyo-olympics-piers-morgan-dubs-simone-biles-withdrawal-a-joke-14997440/


Too much of society thinks mental health is about weakness.

[jeremyp]

Too much of society thinks mental health is about weakness.

Assuming that's true. It could be argued that she was just doing badly (and she was) and decided she couldn't be bothered to go through with it. This was a team event and she let the team down. The mental health could plausibly be just an excuse.

Not saying this is the case but it's certainly plausible as an explanation.

[Nearly Sane]

Assuming that's true. It could be argued that she was just doing badly (and she was) and decided she couldn't be bothered to go through with it. This was a team event and she let the team down. The mental health could plausibly be just an excuse.

Not saying this is the case but it's certainly plausible as an explanation.

I think if you want to question people that are talking about mental health problems, and suggest without any evidence that they are making it up as an excuse, then you are going to do serious damage to people. It was'badly' in comparison to her standards which are the highest of all time.


And there is of course Piers Morgan has attacked the 'weakness' of Naomi Osaka, Emm Radacanu, Simone Bilex, and Meghan Markle but defended Paul Gascoigne, a wife beater for his mental health problems, and of courss Piers stormed off a TV when the weatherman questioned him. I wonder what the people he has attacked on this subject have in common, that Paul and Piers don't?

[Nearly Sane]

And it's worth remembering that Biles was sexually assaulted by US coach, but let's sit happily by questioning her statements about her mental health.

[jeremyp]

I think if you want to question people that are talking about mental health problems, and suggest without any evidence that they are making it up as an excuse, then you are going to do serious damage to people.

I doubt that. I'd be extraordinarily surprised if Simone Biles reads this web site.

It was'badly' in comparison to her standards which are the highest of all time.

So? It was bad enough that she decided to withdraw from a competition.

And there is of course Piers Morgan has attacked the 'weakness' of Naomi Osaka, Emm Radacanu, Simone Bilex, and Meghan Markle but defended Paul Gascoigne, a wife beater for his mental health problems, and of courss Piers stormed off a TV when the weatherman questioned him. I wonder what the people he has attacked on this subject have in common, that Paul and Piers don't?

The validity (or lack thereof) of an argument is not determined by the reputation of the person who makes it.

I'm not claiming that Biles hasn't got mental health issues but I also am not going to rule out the possibility that she is using them as an excuse for her behaviour.

[Nearly Sane]

I doubt that. I'd be extraordinarily surprised if Simone Biles reads this web site.

So? It was bad enough that she decided to withdraw from a competition.

The validity (or lack thereof) of an argument is not determined by the reputation of the person who makes it.

I'm not claiming that Biles hasn't got mental health issues but I also am not going to rule out the possibility that she is using them as an excuse for her behaviour.

He doesn't have any evidence, nor do you. No one questioned Andy Murray withdrawing from the men's singles in tennis because he said he had a physical injury. Both you and Morgan are downgrading mental issues.

[jeremyp]

He doesn't have any evidence, nor do you.

Neither do you have any evidence that he is wrong in this instance.

No one questioned Andy Murray withdrawing from the men's singles in tennis because he said he had a physical injury. Both you and Morgan are downgrading mental issues.

Morgan might be but I am saying that you are somewhat naive if you refuse to consider the possibility of somebody not being completely honest about their reasons for retiring from an olympic event. I'm not making any judgement on Biles herself. The reporting I've seen leaves several explanations possible including one that she is using mental problems as an excuse. My comments are entirely about your refusal to accept the possibility that an explanation that hasn't been ruled out might be true.

[Nearly Sane]

Neither do you have any evidence that he is wrong in this instance.

Morgan might be but I am saying that you are somewhat naive if you refuse to consider the possibility of somebody not being completely honest about their reasons for retiring from an olympic event. I'm not making any judgement on Biles herself. The reporting I've seen leaves several explanations possible including one that she is using mental problems as an excuse. My comments are entirely about your refusal to accept the possibility that an explanation that hasn't been ruled out might be true.

I am not refusing to consider the possibility, rather I am dismissing Morgan's accusation because he has no evidence.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitchens's_razor


And why doyou trust Murray's statement about the physical issue but not Biles about mental one?

[Nearly Sane]

Lots of support for Biles from people who have been there in terms of sport
 


https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/57996321

[SusanDoris]

I've tried googling for info about men's eights rowing. Am I right in thinking that the final has not been rowed yet?

[SteveH]

Haven't really been following it much, I must admit. When's Max Whitlock on? I ask because he's a local lad, brought up in Hemel Hempstead, though he now lives in London. He was the first Briton ever to win an Olympic gold in gymnastics, so I hope he repeats his success.
Having said which, I don't like the way gymnastics, and some other events, are scored by the opinions of a team of judges - too subjective. In other sports, the winner is the person who, or team which, scores the most goals, crosses the line first, jumps highest, or whatever: it's objective, with no room for argument (except perhaps over referee's decisions, but even they are based on clear rules). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/gymnastics/2017/10/07/TELEMMGLPICT000143008935-xlarge_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqTpQNkEsZM9dtjYvDPpd1c7_E-p5K6IxFuscdlk0yspA.jpeg
Hemel can also claim Jess[ica] Stretton, a paralympic archer, who became the UK's youngest-ever medallist in archery at Rio, aged 16. She's now 21. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/624/cpsprodpb/CE4D/production/_92631825_7f8538d9-f98e-43ad-bbb9-ffa5cbca02c9.jpg
Both Max and Jess are MBEs, and quite right too.

[Nearly Sane]

I've tried googling for info about men's eights rowing. Am I right in thinking that the final has not been rowed yet?

Tomorrow early morning

[Nearly Sane]

Haven't really been following it much, I must admit. When's Max Whitlock on? I ask because he's a local lad, brought up in Hemel Hempstead, though he now lives in London. He was the first Briton ever to win an Olympic gold in gymnastics, so I hope he repeats his success.
Having said which, I don't like the way gymnastics, and some other events, are scored by the opinions of a team of judges - too subjective. In other sports, the winner is the person who, or team which, scores the most goals, crosses the line first, jumps highest, or whatever: it's objective, with no room for argument (except perhaps over referee's decisions, but even they are based on clear rules). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/gymnastics/2017/10/07/TELEMMGLPICT000143008935-xlarge_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqTpQNkEsZM9dtjYvDPpd1c7_E-p5K6IxFuscdlk0yspA.jpeg
Hemel can also claim Jess[ica] Stretton, a paralympic archer, who became the UK's youngest-ever medallist in archery at Rio, aged 16. She's now 21. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/624/cpsprodpb/CE4D/production/_92631825_7f8538d9-f98e-43ad-bbb9-ffa5cbca02c9.jpg
Both Max and Jess are MBEs, and quite right too.

Whitlock was on as part of the UK men's gymnastic team on Monday, they finished 4th
 He did not qualify for the overall individual. The individual apparatus pieces finals are on Sunday. I'm not sure what he has qualified for there at moment.


ETA - he's in the pommel final - qualified in 5th

[Nearly Sane]

For anyone wanting to find the schedule or results - the official site is very good


https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/en/

[SteveH]

Whitlock was on as part of the UK men's gymnastic team on Monday, they finished 4th
 He did not qualify for the overall individual. The individual apparatus pieces finals are on Sunday. I'm not sure what he has qualified for there at moment.


ETA - he's in the pommel final - qualified in 5th

I was just going to say that, but you pipped me by editing. apparently*. he's also part of the four-man team final.

*No, you didn't: you added that almost two hours ago.  I didn't read carefully enough.

[Nearly Sane]

I was just going to say that, but you pipped me by editing. apparently*. he's also part of the four-man team final.

*No, you didn't: you added that almost two hours ago.  I didn't read carefully enough.

The 4 man team is covered by the first sentence, they finished 4th which was very impressive. It was an excellent final, probably my highlight of the games so far.

[SusanDoris]

I was very pleased to hear that the rowers eight had a bronze medal. It occurs to me that I have not heard anything about sailing. Does anyone know if it is actually a part of this Olympics?

Also do you know what was the result of the mixed swimming relay? Was it a mixture of four different swimming styles too?

[Nearly Sane]

I was very pleased to hear that the rowers eight had a bronze medal. It occurs to me that I have not heard anything about sailing. Does anyone know if it is actually a part of this Olympics?

Also do you know what was the result of the mixed swimming relay? Was it a mixture of four different swimming styles too?

Yes, sailing is in. As it's over a number of races, I don't think any medals have been awarded yet.


The rowing has been the worst in terms of medals for the UK for some time.

The final of the mixed relay is early Saturday morning. Yes, it is mixed styles as well. Backstoke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. The UK qualified fastest about 2 seconds faster than anyone else, but the US rested more people so will have a stronger team. The UK will change the freestyle swimmer. They were .34 outside the world record in the heat.

[SusanDoris]

Yes, sailing is in. As it's over a number of races, I don't think any medals have been awarded yet.


The rowing has been the worst in terms of medals for the UK for some time.

The final of the mixed relay is early Saturday morning. Yes, it is mixed styles as well. Backstoke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle. The UK qualified fastest about 2 seconds faster than anyone else, but the US rested more people so will have a stronger team. The UK will change the freestyle swimmer. They were .34 outside the world record in the heat.

Thank you  very much for detailed reply.