# Summer Olympics 2021 ongoing discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [July 23, 2021, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137 "2021-07-23T12:00:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/342 "2021-07-29T11:34:12Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Win two, yeah some. And in not very many disciplines. Three in sprinting. And there are several events where athletes have won 4, 5 or 6 medals at one olympics. If we take Phelps out of the equation then swimming doesn’t look like such an outlier. > [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Swimming is fine. Just far too many equivalent events. Well that was my IMHO position, so I won’t argue with this of course. The thing I was arguing against was the idea that there should only be one, optimal swimming event. And all the attempts to claim that different swimming strokes obviously constitute a smaller difference than adding hurdles, relaying etc. > [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > And yeah, there are probably too many sprints too. I’d be totally fine with dropping the 200m due to the significant overlap with the 100m. OK that’s a consistent position. I disagree, but it’s purely a matter of taste so there is no debate to be had there. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/343 "2021-07-29T11:45:24Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > One thing you might be able to clue me in to. Swimming has lots of relays. Lots of permutations. I enjoy them too. But why isn’t there a 4x100m butterfly and 4x100m backstroke and 4x100m breaststroke? In the relays, as one swimmer touches the wall at the end of their leg, their teammate leaps over them and into the pool. I don’t know what they’d do for a backstroke relay, since backstrokers begin their event already in the water. In medley relays, backstroke is the first leg, so it’s not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/344 "2021-07-29T11:50:39Z")
sorry for spamming the thread but… > [@ekedolphin](#): > > [NBCOlympics.com](http://NBCOlympics.com). And if you have a Roku, you can watch replays of every event on your television set. Thanks for sharing this. I’m even more annoyed by the BBC coverage than I was when I wrote my rant earlier, and this is a great alternative. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/345 "2021-07-29T11:54:36Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > backstrokers begin their event already in the water. This is true. But is there any reason why the 2nd, 3rd and 4th backstroke legs couldn’t also start from the blocks and rotate as they surface? Or even the 1st leg? It’s just a convention/regulation. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/346 "2021-07-29T12:30:50Z")
“To many” swimming events? For who? The casual Olympics viewer a few days every four years? What you are watching is the format for a typical international swim meet. Should it change just because it is being held in the same city at the same time as other sporting events? Why does it have to be comparable in number and types of events to any other sport featured in the Olympics? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/347 "2021-07-29T13:18:19Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Swimming has lots of relays. Lots of permutations. I enjoy them too. But why isn’t there a 4x100m butterfly and 4x100m backstroke and 4x100m breaststroke? Swimming only has the 100x4 and 200x4 freestyle and 100x4 medley relays. I’ve never seen other stoke relays. The medley and IM races were only added in 1960 after butterfly became an official stroke. A new race they are adding this year is the 4x100 mixed medley - this is trend for all Olympic sports to add mixed events. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2021, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/348 "2021-07-29T13:27:39Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Sure there are those infuriatingly talented individuals with world class skills in multiple events. Would be an absolute ball-tearer to see a shot putter compete in the high jump or in kayaking. Are you familiar with the [decathlon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decathlon)? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/349 "2021-07-29T14:05:05Z")
Sure, and equally the modern pentathlon. Where do you think the idea comes from? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/350 "2021-07-29T14:25:39Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > Three in sprinting. And there are several events where athletes have won 4, 5 or 6 medals at one olympics. If we take Phelps out of the equation then swimming doesn’t look like such an outlier. Actually that is demonstrably not the case. That pantheon almost exclusively comes from the ranks of swimming and gymnastics. > **[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_multiple_Olympic_gold_medalists_at_a_single_Games)** > > This is a list of athletes who have won multiple gold medals at a single Olympic Games. > This is a list of most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games. Medals won in the 1906 Intercalated Games are not included. It includes top-three placings in 1896 and 1900, before medals were awarded for top-three placings. > The historical progression of the leading performance(s). So looking at those who have won 4 or more medals at a Summer Olympics since 1896: Archery|1| Athletics|10| Cycling|2| Fencing|3| Gymnastics|49| Shooting|5| Swimming|44| And since the 1956 Olympics it has become even more so: Athletics|2| Cycling|1| Gymnastics|40| Swimming|42| Then from 1980 Athletics|2| Cycling|1| Gymnastics|13| Swimming|31| ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/351 "2021-07-29T16:57:37Z")
France vs. China in the bronze-medal 3x3 women’s basketball game was great. Watching the men’s bronze medal game now: Serbia vs. Belgium. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/352 "2021-07-29T17:01:35Z")
Serbia vs. Belgium was not nearly as competitive. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/353 "2021-07-29T17:08:51Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > “To many” swimming events? For who? Everything you said, plus just a more general question: what does it mean to have too many swimming events? If you don’t want to watch every one of them, there’s a pretty easy solution, and it doesn’t involve cancelling events that other people enjoy watching. So swimmers have more opportunities for medals than some other sport. Why is that unfair? Are they hogging the pool and you were hoping to get a quick swim in before lunch? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/354 "2021-07-29T17:23:55Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > A new race they are adding this year is the 4x100 mixed medley - this is trend for all Olympic sports to add mixed events. That’s men and women tagging each other in? Neat, I had no idea. How is it determined which strokes are swum by men and which by women? Can each team do it differently? ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/355 "2021-07-29T17:30:13Z")
With all the, albeit fringe, rantings about Simone Biles letting her team down, it is all put into perspective with this. [**Suni Lee wins All-Around Gymnastics Gold Medal**](https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31911389/sunisa-lee-wins-gold-us-gymnastics-all-tokyo-olympics) Maybe the maniacs out there will now see that people don’t have to destroy themselves to satisfy their lust for Olympic glory. Life goes on, and others take up the banner. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/356 "2021-07-29T17:35:31Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > How is it determined which strokes are swum by men and which by women? Can each team do it differently? It’s all up to the teams, it’ll depend on the strengths of the swimmers you have. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2021, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/357 "2021-07-29T18:56:20Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > [**Suni Lee wins All-Around Gymnastics Gold Medal**](https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31911389/sunisa-lee-wins-gold-us-gymnastics-all-tokyo-olympics) My daughter and I watched it today and were so happy. Is Biles even eligible to participate in any further individual events? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/358 "2021-07-29T19:00:11Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > With all the, albeit fringe, rantings about Simone Biles letting her team down, it is all put into perspective with this. > > [**Suni Lee wins All-Around Gymnastics Gold Medal**](https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31911389/sunisa-lee-wins-gold-us-gymnastics-all-tokyo-olympics) Looks like the torch has been passed to the next generation of athletes now. Biles will, hopefully, still have influence on the sport thru other activities. ---
**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:** [July 29, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/359 "2021-07-29T19:02:56Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Looks like the torch has been passed to the next generation of athletes now. Biles will, hopefully, still have influence on the sport thru other activities. Good news for Lee is she’ll only be 21 for the next Olympics. Certainly has a strong chance to be the team leader. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/360 "2021-07-29T20:55:44Z")
I apologise if this has been addressed upthread. I have heard something about Biles somehow being penalized in scoring. Something about the more difficult/dangerous moves she does (purportedly) not receiving as much credit as they should. Can someone explain or correct this? I know zip about gymnastics. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137/361 "2021-07-29T21:33:12Z")
The gold-medal 3x3 men’s basketball game between Latvia and ROC was fantastic. Latvia won, 21-18, I believe, on a 2-pointer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/summer-olympics-2021-ongoing-discussion/947137.md?page=19)