That actually makes sense. Though they seem to be fairly consistent with keeping up with their special indicators - the gynastics color codes, the splashometer, etc.
Back in the day though the didn’t wear headgear at the Olympics. I htink they came in Barcelona back in 1992.
I’m aware of it. It’s one of my favorite pieces of Olympic trivia.
Why the heck do they play games in some sports for 7th and 9th places (e.g. water polo, field hockey)? Who would even purchase a ticket for the 9th-10th place game in advance of the Olympics?
Because people like to know how they did in the competition, and some teams may have no legitimate shot at the medals but still like to think they were worthy of something. Because it’s an international competition, so anyone who can field a team would like the opportunity to compete. Even the swimmer guy who lived in an third world African country who practiced in hotel swimming pools and didn’t make it past the qualifying rounds, but gets to be an Olympic swimmer for his country.*
The olympics isn’t about selling tickets, it’s about getting to compete.
*This is from a prior Olympics, can’t remember which.
My next question: in the beach volleyball, they kept talking about how deep the sand was. “It’s deep sand, so Misty and Kerry went to the beaches at wherever to train in the deepest sand they could find.”
Eventually, comments were made that suggested this didn’t have anything to do with how much sand they used. “Yes, there’s a layer of sand 8 inches thick here, much thicker than what they carted in to Beijing to only get 3 inches.”
What are they talking about, “deep sand”?
Eric the Eel swam in Sydney.
I also like the ranking games that hockey does, it gives a clear ranking of all the qualifying teams and answers the question whether one pool was significantly better or worse than the other.
As to who would buy tickets, I think you get tickets for the whole morning or afternoon session, so you’ll see several games.
I believe that the IOC requires each sport determine rankings down to 8th place. Why they do this, I’m not sure – presumably to keep attention at least somewhat more broadly focused than the podium.
I believe it’s the depth of the sand. 
Seriously, I think it’s the depth before you would get to a hard packed surface. In Beijing they just created a beach for the games, and they didn’t create it too deep. I imagine it changes your footing and what kind of digs you can get.
–Cliffy
I don’t know but I observed continued problems, with numerous knocked over hurdles in each round. I don’t know what’s typical, but I counted 16 down in one heat, and 19 down in another. I also saw another hamstring pull in the final.
I think the springiness of the board makes it more likely you can catch a toe on the approach. Given the boards are roughened to provide good grip, that means sandpaper on the toes. Stub/scrape your toes in the middle of your dive, that’s gotta be distracting.
They said it affects ability to move and jump. Maybe it’s like springy carpet that absorbs your thrust. They said when it was raining, it packed the sand down and made it less deep, but then after it stopped, play worked it loose again.
Besides a false start, the most common DQ in the 110/100m hurdles is the trail leg drops below the level of the hurdle and goes around the end(lane 1/2 or 8/9). It’s quite common for hurdles to be knocked over. The quickest way over is to minimize the time spent going over each hurdle. That means a very slight clearance so it’s easy to hit a hurdle if your leg is just an inch or so low. It does slow a runner down to hit a hurdle.
When the graphic for scores is displayed during equestrian events, it usually (always?) shows a T next to the riders name: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/07/30/article-2181008-144B09FA000005DC-886_964x527.jpg
What does the T represent?
:dubious:
So why don’t they have a race for the 9th through 16th spots in the 100m dash? Why don’t they hand out iron, wood and air medals?
It’s more than just depth, it can also be a result of the type of sand used. I believe finer-grained sand will end up packed more, sometimes to the point where it’s almost like a hard court. Courser-grained sand won’t pack as much normally, so you’re going to “sink” in a bit more, and generally not going to be able to jump quite as high or move as fast.
No, it’s about taking part. The only true Olympians are Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards and people like him.
I was wondering the same thing. I wonder if it has anything to do with which riders’ scores count towards the team standings?
It’s been answered above. The Olympics wants rankings of the top eight in all events for the record. Below that, they don’t care.
Also, it’s not well known, but places four, five, and six get no medals but they do get certificates.
About the 110m hurdles - why is it 110 meters and not just a round 100?
Only the mens is:
Agreed. The post that I questioned was written as if it was a fact. With the ‘Top 8’ ranking goal, it still doesn’t explain why they would play 9-10 game.
It can also trip them up. Witness what happened to Lo Lo Jones in Beijing. She was leading the pack and on her way to Gold when she hit the last hurdle, and the stumble she took was just enough to take her from the front to the back of the pack. Which is why the best way to assure you complete the race is to make sure you clear the hurdles.
I still don’t know how common it is to knock them down. I know it isn’t a DQ in itself, but still risky to rely on powering through.
Every sport has its own standards for how to compete. For track events, there are a certain number of lanes for the final race. Nobody below that performance can qualify for the top slots. There are rules on how to take the entrants and qualify them and then pare them down to the final 8. IOC says they have to keep track of 1 through 8. Ergo, there’s no gain to a 9 through 16 place race. You got knocked out in the heats.
I think you’re quibbling over words rather than meaning.
The hurdle race was originally 120 yards. It was later rounded to 110 m when switching units.