# 2024 Summer Olympics Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [July 10, 2024, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019 "2024-07-10T20:21:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/701 "2024-08-10T20:11:49Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I’ve never witnessed a bar fight between two women, maybe I frequent the wrong bars. But I can imagine that it can be ugly. You’re frequenting the right bars and yes, as a general rule there are no rules when women fight. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/702 "2024-08-10T21:12:34Z")
US men’s basketball is in a close game for the gold medal. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/703 "2024-08-10T21:17:02Z")
Close until Steph Curry took charge. My lord what a 4th quarter. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/704 "2024-08-10T21:27:20Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Close until Steph Curry took charge. 4 3-pointers in the final two minutes. Critical to their win. He really is the best shooter of all time. This is really his first Olympics? I wonder why he never participated before. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/705 "2024-08-10T21:30:01Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I wonder why he never participated before. [Why is this Stephen Curry’s first Olympics? Explaining NBA star’s timeline of missed USA opportunities for first medal (msn.com)](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/why-is-this-stephen-curry-s-first-olympics-explaining-nba-star-s-timeline-of-missed-usa-opportunities-for-first-medal/ar-AA1oykL4?ocid=BingNewsSerp) Health reasons, basically. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/706 "2024-08-10T21:32:12Z")
For reasons I can not fathom, the high jumpers who tied for the gold medal in high jump decided to do a jump off instead of both getting gold. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/707 "2024-08-10T21:35:17Z")
I can see it. A lot of people compete to prove they are the best, or at least try to. If they were the sort to settle for the tie instead of going for the win, I’m not sure they’d have made it to that level. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/708 "2024-08-10T21:37:51Z")
Good for them, that’s the baller move. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/709 "2024-08-10T21:42:45Z")
That was flawless by Curry just as France looked like they were pulling it back. He was a man on a mission. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/710 "2024-08-10T21:54:03Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Good for them, that’s the baller move. That’s exactly what didn’t happen four years ago in Tokyo. Both guys got gold medals, but they received a lot of criticism. Personally, I don’t think it should even be an option. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/711 "2024-08-10T21:58:26Z")
I’m just amazed breakdancing made it to the Olympics before squash. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/712 "2024-08-10T23:25:10Z")
My favorite track event is the steeplechase, but damned if I can find it on Peacock. BTW- if you have sports you like that involve music, I have read that they have to be off Peacock when the games end. Something about copyrights I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/713 "2024-08-10T23:32:22Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > My favorite track event is the steeplechase, but damned if I can find it on Peacock. BTW- if you have sports you like that involve music, I have read that they have to be off Peacock when the games end. Something about copyrights I guess Did you search it in the search bar? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/714 "2024-08-10T23:44:02Z")
Son of a gun- that works! Thanks, you’ve done your good deed for the day! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/715 "2024-08-10T23:51:22Z")
I believe the men’s marathon was held today. I _thought_ it was traditionally the last event held, timed so that the entrants would run into the stadium just prior to the closing ceremonies. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/716 "2024-08-11T01:32:45Z")
It hasn’t been the last event in the last several cycles. I’m not sure if it ever was. Given the typical daytime temperatures at the summer games, that can’t be practical scheduling, unless you start the closing early in the morning. And since the finishes tend to be spread out, it wouldn’t work out very well. The first finishers would be done long well ahead of the last finishers. Having the crowd sit around waiting for stragglers couldn’t be a great image going into the closing ceremonies. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2024, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/717 "2024-08-11T02:07:02Z")
This is correct, the men’s marathon was the final event for many Olympiads. It was changed this year for the women’s marathon. Wikipedia is my cite but even as a little kid in 1984. I remember this from watching the Olympics > **[Marathon at the Summer Olympics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_at_the_Summer_Olympics?wprov=sfti1#History)** > > The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since the first modern Olympics in 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the programme at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. > The modern marathon event was created and later refined through the Olympic competition. The idea of holding a marathon race at the first Olympics was suggested to Pierre de Coubert... ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/718 "2024-08-11T02:15:58Z")
Trampoline: I don’t have anything in particular against this, but I find it unusual and a bit regrettable that it’s strictly its own thing instead of another gymnastics discipline. It just doesn’t strike me as grand, complex, or, very importantly, lengthy enough to be its own thing. Soar, flip, twist, fight to stay centered, you seen one routine, you’ve seen, if not them all, at least a sizable majority. It has no presence in either the World Championships or the NCAA, meaning that this is pretty much it for its practitioners. I actually have the same big question as for American Ninja Warrior: How you decide _this_ is what you dedicate your prime athletic years to? Maybe if there was also a team variant, this would get more respect. [Rhythmic gymnastics:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9wE_ctWfw4) This is one of those events, much like artistic swimming, where I don’t give a damn what the scores are or who gets the gold. Beauty. Grace. Elegance. Coordination. Flow. Precision. Energy. This is good. Give it to me. Give me more. (Go Evita Griskenas! 😁) Table tennis: I think the main reason this isn’t big on a global level is that it doesn’t reward the kind of physical skills that more mainstream sports do. Having tremendous upper body strength, blazing footspeed, work-all-day stamina, a soaring vertical leap, or pinpoint balance won’t help you here. It’s _all_ about lightning reactions, laserlike precision, and making adjustments in an eyeblink. And there is no respite; you have to go full-bore pedal to the metal from beginning to end or get wiped. It should come as no surprise that China dominates here; they always seem to rule these “nontraditional jock” events. I watch strictly for the “Wow, they can actually DO that!” factor and have no rooting interest. As for [racewalking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-cut-from-the-summer-olympics/650114/98), I’ve [said](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-olympic-sports-you-want-to-get-rid-of/681968/52) my [piece](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-to-me-about-race-walking/948132/11) on that. So we’re on top of the medal standings and no one can catch us? Great! It took a while, but we were finally able to overcome the seemingly endless corruption of the IOC! We beat the machine! Now we can do away with this ego-stroking entirely and focus on the achievements of individual athletes, like we should…oh, come on, _really?_ Now instead of counting medals, NBC, ESPN, and FS1, and even Pat McAfee are tallying (using fonts normally associated with global-war-breaks-out headlines) the GOOHHHUULLDDDZZZ, of which we’re predictably neck and neck with China. There is a _lot_ of VERY SERIOUS REPORTING about who’s ahead at any given time. This… 😢 I… 😫 Seriously… 💀 _Why? Freaking why?_ Is our sports media just completely full of self-loathing or something? We _proved_ we’re the greatest in London! We reached the top of the mountain! We DID IT! The final barrier had fallen! I mentioned in no uncertain terms ([Here!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-how-is-your-country-faring/629957/185) And [here!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-how-is-your-country-faring/629957/194)) that all the scum-flecked little nattering putzes dangling that “yeah but” of China always out-golding us in front of our faces could now shove it five meters up their yeah buts. _Forever._ We were _free,_ dammit. We could finally stop obsessing over medal counts and rivalries and just _have fun_ now! The worst part is if China prevails, the networks are going to bemoan this as a devastating failure, whereas if we prevail, that only maintains the status quo. Remember that “what case would you have picked” psychological abuse bullcrap on Deal or No Deal? Can you figure out why I’m getting nasty flashbacks to that now? 😠 On the subject of sportsmanship, well, of course I categorically reject all false dichotomies, but _if_ the choice is between excessively touchy-feely-kissy you-were-great-ism and trash talk, taunting, cheap shots, and generally disgusting behavior, give me the former every time. I’ve seen a _lot_ of bumps and falls in the track, more than any previous Olympiad, and the fact that there was trash talking in a [beach volleyball gold medal match](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcXAlWRr0YA) was, frankly, disturbing. (Also, as a matter of basic decency, I think that any commentator who frigging **MAKES A PUN** 🤬 or **SINGS** 😱🤮 [also 🤬] on the air should be immediately yanked and suspended without pay for at least six months.) I want to feel _good_ about the sports I watch, and camaraderie, cheer, and affection help a lot with that. Railer 13 - I put the link in post #389 if you want to see it again. _This_, more than anything else, is what I utterly _loathe_ about modern discourse, the notion that all opinions are equally valid, therefore we must give our full attention to every furious half-coherent brain dropping from every grunting troglodyte on social media and dutifully report this spewage on every program on every news channel without the tiniest criticism. 😡 (Did I mention that every single thing they’ve claimed about the Imane Khelif case, including the IBA _not_ being a Russian puppet with roughly as much legitimacy as the Fyre Festival, is completely false?) Personally, I think that not only did they made the right decision, it was a no brainer. High jump, along with pole vault, is the most fatiguing field event of all, so the longer it went on the greater the risk of injury was, they were both fine with ending it there, and it was a chance to _make history._ The only reason to continue was to deny the other the gold, which was a complete non-starter (especially since they were good buddies). Way I see it, if a bunch of semi-intelligent windbags who couldn’t jump over a speed bump had a beef, they’re perfectly free to turn off the damn TV and touch grass. Swear to Marisa, at this rate these slugs are going to be screaming bloody murder about draws in chess, if they aren’t already. You don’t think it should be an option. I don’t think boxers should be allowed to spend half the fight playing catch-and-release. Life’s full of disappointments. 🤷‍♂️ (Anything weird happen during the men’s basketball medal ceremony? It looked harmless enough, but I had it on mute so I don’t know for sure.) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2024, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/719 "2024-08-11T02:34:10Z")
> [@DKW](#): > > (Anything weird happen during the men’s basketball medal ceremony? It looked harmless enough, but I had it on mute so I don’t know for sure.) Joel Embiid heard it from the crowd when he received his medal, but nothing serious or unexpected. > [@DKW](#): > > _This_, more than anything else, is what I utterly _loathe_ about modern discourse, the notion that all opinions are equally valid, therefore we must give our full attention to every furious half-coherent brain dropping from every grunting troglodyte on social media and dutifully report this spewage on every program on every news channel without the tiniest criticism Are you talking about my opinion regarding the high jump ending? ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019/720 "2024-08-11T03:17:41Z")
Apparently I was not the only one strangely intrigued by Kayak Cross. It has made a lot of the top ten lists about these Olympics that I have seen. I read the official rules. While you are allowed to hit or block an opponent’s boat you apparently are not allowed to hit them directly with your paddle and if you break your paddle you either have to drop back or ditch the paddle and use your hands. Also, the Eskimo roll under the bar is mandatory. It’s sort of a mix of motocross, slalom, white water kayak, an obstacle course and bumper cars. Not to mention that they start with a 12 foot drop into the water. If you haven’t seen it I strongly recommend checking it out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2024-summer-olympics-thread/1004019.md?page=37)