Olympics: 2022 Beijing Olympics

[Brunkmeister]

Team Edin!!

4th in 2010, bronze in 2014 and silver 2018. One step closer for every Olympics. Now it's about time! They have been a dominant force for years outside the Olympics also.

 

[Elvis P]

I can't enjoy a 15 year old skater stumbling.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

4th in 2010, bronze in 2014 and silver 2018. One step closer for every Olympics. Now it's about time! They have been a dominant force for years outside the Olympics also.

Lets hope team Hasselborg can make the finals aswell

 

[offkilter]

I get where Lipinski and Weir are coming from, but jesus chist show some compassion. Pompous ***holes. Valieva is the biggest victim of this all.
Poor kid had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Tutberidze is a bad person. That's all.

That was both disgusting and disturbing to watch and it never should have happened. Both on the grounds of her doping disqualifying her, and on the fact that her skating likely did more emotional damage and emotional stress than outright banning her would have.

I can't get that image of her out of my head when she finished. First throwing her hand up in disgust and frustration then breaking down emotionally to the point she was doubled over sobbing and dry heaving.

On top of that the first thing her scumbag coach says to her is her complaining about her technique and blowing it.

That disgusting (censored) needs a lifetime ban from coaching anything never mind figure skating.

 

[Havre]

Pleased to see Norway reaching 14 golds again. After a bit of a slow start it has picked up. Not sure if we can set a new record with 15, but got four decent shots at another gold - so maybe. "Normally" Johaug will win, but to me it looks like she is running out of steam. Almost so I think there is a bigger chance at one of the Norwegians surprising on the 50k. If the likes of Bolsjunov are feeling it then maybe someone like Holund could surprise. And who knows what kind of shape Krüger will be in. Røthe could also win on a good day.

Mass start in biathlon Røiseland is the favourite, but biahtlon is always unpredictable. Røiseland, Eckhoff and the four men could all win on a good day.

Would at least expect 2-3 more medals, but might not be another gold.

 

[Eisen]

That was both disgusting and disturbing to watch and it never should have happened. Both on the grounds of her doping disqualifying her, and on the fact that her skating likely did more emotional damage and emotional stress than outright banning her would have.

I can't get that image of her out of my head when she finished. First throwing her hand up in disgust and frustration then breaking down emotionally to the point she was doubled over sobbing and dry heaving.

On top of that the first thing her scumbag coach says to her is her complaining about her technique and blowing it.

That disgusting (censored) needs a lifetime ban from coaching anything never mind figure skating.

Not that I doubt it (she is notorious) but where did you hear that?

 

[Jussi]

That was both disgusting and disturbing to watch and it never should have happened. Both on the grounds of her doping disqualifying her, and on the fact that her skating likely did more emotional damage and emotional stress than outright banning her would have.

I can't get that image of her out of my head when she finished. First throwing her hand up in disgust and frustration then breaking down emotionally to the point she was doubled over sobbing and dry heaving.

On top of that the first thing her scumbag coach says to her is her complaining about her technique and blowing it.

That disgusting (censored) needs a lifetime ban from coaching anything never mind figure skating.

Finnish tv had her comments translated. She said "Why did you give up, why did you give up fighting?"

Kamila Valijevan valmentaja tylytti rajusti nuorta tähteään – liikuttunut Kiira Korpi otti tiukasti kantaa: "Näin ei olisi pitänyt tapahtua"

Former Finnish figure skater Kiira Korpi also commented that the adults around her and the system failed her. And knowing Tutberidze's coaching methods, she'll never compete in the Olympics again. Her whole system is based on the woman not having matured yet so with the lighter and thinner body they can achieve jumps and spins better than adults. Korpi also supports raising the age limit in figure skating to 18.

 

[BMC]

I can't enjoy a 15 year old skater stumbling.

I haven't seen it yet but I won't enjoy it either when I finally do that's for sure. I thought she should not have been allowed to continue in the competition.

Competing at the Olympic level is incredibly stressful. Add to that the controversy surrounding her being allowed to compete & it's no surprise that she faltered, she's just 15 years old. It would have been better for her if she hadn't skated but we all know that bitch of a coach would never have allowed Valieva to pull out of the competition of her own accord. If she had, most people would have understood, respected & sympathized with her for doing that. Honestly that coach is the one who should be banned and for life too.

I just hope this doesn't wreck the kid's life going forward. Given the people who presently surround her (and again, where the f*** were/are her parents during all of this??) I am not optimistic

 

[GKJ]

If everyone else involved in figure skating is so outraged about what the Russians are doing - since nobody will stop them - then the other countries' national committees or whatever need to band together and take it away from the ruling body that allowed that to happen. Kind of undecided if I actually want to see it in prime time tonight, it's not any kind of joy to take out of the failings of these kids, but just to see how it played out. There is no protection of these kids, and that in itself makes the whole sport pathetic. A total loss of control and accountability.

 

[BMC]

If everyone else involved in figure skating is so outraged about what the Russians are doing - since nobody will stop them - then the other countries' national committees or whatever need to band together and take it away from the ruling body that allowed that to happen. Kind of undecided if I actually want to see it in prime time tonight, it's not any kind of joy to take out of the failings of these kids, but just to see how it played out. There is no protection of these kids, and that in itself makes the whole sport pathetic. A total loss of control and accountability.

I agree.

The only silver lining I see is it has started a discussion about maybe putting in an age limit for the senior skating class. It is too much to hope for that they would set a ban with teeth against the Russians & any other nation caught doing this stuff.

 

[Civetty]

Right now...
Canada is tied for 5th overall.

More gold would be nice...
But team Canada is in the middle of a rebuild.
Many of the past medalists retired...
And there are a lot of first time Olympians this time around.

There are also a lot of good results outside of the medals.
Jack Crawford finished top 6 in all 3 of his alpine races...
Which is probably the best result for Canada in a long time...
And he is only 24.
Scott Gow helped Canada to the best result in biathlon...
And he should still have at least one more Olympics in him.
Antoine Cyr and Graham Ritchie got 5th in the cross country ski team sprint...
And a lot of the freestyle skiers and boarders are very young.

Honestly...
This is not a bad Olympics.
The investment is definitely there...
So it is at least something to build off of.

Tied for 5th?

I guess you are looking at medal count which I've always found weird.

Personally I always try to follow the gold/silver/bronze = 5/3/1 points, and if not that the more official most golds win, and if tied the amount of silvers etc.

Medal count is kind of last on the list even if it absolutely means something, but the idea of suggesting 11 bronze is better than 10 gold is just odd to me.

 

[Hanji]

If everyone else involved in figure skating is so outraged about what the Russians are doing - since nobody will stop them - then the other countries' national committees or whatever need to band together and take it away from the ruling body that allowed that to happen. Kind of undecided if I actually want to see it in prime time tonight, it's not any kind of joy to take out of the failings of these kids, but just to see how it played out. There is no protection of these kids, and that in itself makes the whole sport pathetic. A total loss of control and accountability.

It's a sport that's starting to mirror womens gymnastics. And we all know how ethical that is.

 

[GKJ]

It's a sport that's starting to mirror womens gymnastics. And we all know how ethical that is.

That's exactly how I see it. When the Summer Olympics were in Beijing, weren't they pulling girls out of school before they were 10 years old to get them up to speed at roughly the same age as this?

 

[BMC]

That's exactly how I see it. When the Summer Olympics were in Beijing, weren't they pulling girls out of school before they were 10 years old to get them up to speed at roughly the same age as this?

IIRC China was stripped of medals because the birth certificates of some of their athletes had been altered so it would seem they were older than they actually were. Is that what you were thinking of??

Women's gymnastics & women's singles figure skating are in dire need of reform. Too many young girls are having their lives damaged or even destroyed by the adults in charge.

 

[GKJ]

IIRC China was stripped of medals because the birth certificates of some of their athletes had been altered so it would seem they were older than they actually were. Is that what you were thinking of??

Women's gymnastics & women's singles figure skating are in dire need of reform. Too many young girls are having their lives damaged or even destroyed by the adults in charge.

I think that was it. It seems like that's the only time Chinese gymnasts were ever on top, best to my recollection.

 

[Canada4Gold]

Frustrating loss for Gushue especially since he had a shot for the win at the end though it was extremely difficult. It's unfortunate but the best 2 teams in the world right now might be Mouat and Edin. Gushue is right there as well but we're no longer in a place where we can expect gold. There was a clear top 3 so Bronze is completely reasonable. If they lose the Bronze medal game to the USA then that would be classified as a disappointment. But when they're all on their game there's 3 teams neck and neck and this time the other 2 happened to come out on top.

 

[nameless1]

Tied for 5th?

I guess you are looking at medal count which I've always found weird.

Personally I always try to follow the gold/silver/bronze = 5/3/1 points, and if not that the more official most golds win, and if tied the amount of silvers etc.

Medal count is kind of last on the list even if it absolutely means something, but the idea of suggesting 11 bronze is better than 10 gold is just odd to me.

Yeah...
We all know countries use that to give the illusion of a better result.
While I do agree that gold should be counted more...
I also think too much emphasis is placed on it too.
All medalists should be celebrated...
Especially in an Olympic game.

Also...
It has its merit too...
As it can be used to illustrate the strength of a country's programs.
The original point of my post is to illustrate that Canada has not done too poorly...
Despite a rebuilding year...
Anyways.
Total medal count and top 10 results are the proof.

 

[nameless1]

It's a sport that's starting to mirror womens gymnastics. And we all know how ethical that is.

Figure skating has always been corrupt.
That is often what happens in judged sports.

For years...
Nobody knew or understood how the skates were scored...
And it took the Sale/ Pelletier and Berezhnaya/ Sikharulidze controversy in the 2002 Olympics to force meaningful changes.
The scores became more transparent...
But because the same people remained...
The corruption continued.
For this Olympics...
There was a judge who was banned for a year for biased scores in 2018 towards the Chinese pairs...
Only to be back this year as the score keeper.

For Valieva...
This one is all on the IOC.
She is able to skate...
But at what cost?
Only a real masochist will enjoy a real time breakdown of a 15 years old.

 

[Jussi]

It's a sport that's starting to mirror womens gymnastics. And we all know how ethical that is.

Yeah, this isn't just a "Russian" issue. It's the whole sport's issue.

 

[nameless1]

Silver and bronze in freestyle ski halfpipe.
22 overall medals now.

23 is likely doable.

 

[GQS]

Gold, gold, silver for Eileen Gu. She was already doing great money wise, now she's going to be doing REALLY great. If I were her I dont even know how I could go back to school and concentrate when she's already set for life.

 

[Cloned]

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/...skating-trio-enter-uncertain-future-1.6355442

Like I said earlier, a crappy situation for everyone.

 

[GKJ]

What a sad scene to watch unfold. Just a total breakdown of adult responsibility. That coach sounds like she should never be allowed around teenagers.

 

[nameless1]

Gold, gold, silver for Eileen Gu. She was already doing great money wise, now she's going to be doing REALLY great. If I were her I dont even know how I could go back to school and concentrate when she's already set for life.

She is too well-coached in some of her responses...
And it is clear she is given privileges even other similarly recruited athletes do not enjoy...
But I have been really impressed by her performances.

In Big Air...
She was behind with one last run...
But she still went for it and tried a trick she never attempted in competition.
In Slopestyles...
She fell...
But she picked herself up and delivered a silver run.
Then she just dominated in Halfpipe.
She did all of that...
When the Chinese government made her the unofficial face of its Olympic games...
And subsequently has 1.3 billion pair of eyes on her.
I cannot imagine the immense pressure she is under...
And she still did it all with a smile.
She is unflappable as they come...
So she will be fine.
She treats her education as high as her skiing...
If not more.
For the longest time...
Skiing was more of a hobby.

I will encourage you to read more about her...
Especially her mom.
They have a plan...
And so far...
It has worked out beautifully.
People always say that she will make as much in U.S...
But I disagree.
She gained a lot more sponsors after her switch...
And her sponsorship fees more than double since 2019...
Now at an estimated 2.5 million per brand.
With this 2 gold and 1 silver performance...
It might just double again.

 

[nameless1]

What a sad scene to watch unfold. Just a total breakdown of adult responsibility. That coach sounds like she should never be allowed around teenagers.

She delivered though.
Russia does not care.
Even if she is officially banned...
Russia will just build a base for her...
And she can always just train skaters in secret.

Unfortunately...
The damage goes further than just Valieva.
Trusova threw a hissy fit for her silver...
But that is just the manifestation of a warped mentality caused by Russia's all-important emphasis on gold and sports dominance.
It is just sad to witness it in broad daylight...
And it is probably time to drop the importance for gold too.
All medalists should be celebrated.