Meanwhile in sports . . .
03/08/16 05:44
As I scanned through my usual news sites seeking something to read that wasn’t about the juvenile behavior, ad hominem attacks and undermining of the US presidential election system by the candidates themselves, I was reading about the Australia women’s water polo team. They arrived in Rio de Janeiro on Monday. The team, considered to be a strong contender for a medal had four members go immediately into quarantine because of a gastrointestinal illness players picked up in Rome on their way to the games.
Today is Wednesday and the opening ceremonies will be on Friday. This year’s Olympics, however seem to have lost their luster. Before the games have even begun news of serious problems of organization seem to be streaming from Brazil: A Paralympian was the target of an attempted robbery. Athletes have discovered that toilets in the Olympic Village don’t work. Fire alarm systems have been discovered to be dysfunctional. Laptop computers and clothing have been stole from athlete’s quarters. The list goes on and on and on.
Hopefully with proper medical care the Australian swimmers will recover. They still have a week before their opening match on August 9 against Russia. Yes, Russia will have water polo teams competing in the games. Despite having their track and field team, their rowing squad and their weightlifters banned from the games because of doping violations, approximately three-quarters of the Russian Olympic Team are in Rio preparing for competition.
In the recent competitions of the Summer Olympic Games, the United States, China and Russia have been the three biggest winners of medals. This year, with so many disqualified athletes, Russia is expected to slip in the rankings. That means that there may be some interesting medal races in the games making them worthy of our attention.
In general, the countries that do the best in the overall medal count are either rich or big or both. Being rich means that there are funds to support athlete training and preparation. Being big means that there is a large pool of athletes from which to draw. Using that basic information, however, isn’t really predictive when it comes to Olympic medals. India is a large country and has been growing in wealth. They probably should fall right behind the U.S. and China in medals, but in 2012, they took home only six. Germany and Japan consistently do much better. Saudi Arabia has plenty of financial support for their athletes, but they didn’t win a single medal in 2012.
One of the things that makes watching sports competition engaging is that it cannot be fully predicted. Surprises abound in athletics.
Chances are pretty good that the United Kingdom, though somewhat less united than was the case in 2012, will continue to bring home quite a few medals. Australia, Brazil, France, Italy and South Korea also have teams to watch when it comes to Olympic success. Being the host country isn’t quite the same thing as having the home team advantage in Olympic competition, but it is a factor and the people of Brazil will bring lots of energy and enthusiasm to the crows at this year’s games.
For a lot of us, it will be a relief to have something other than politics taking up space in our news sources. And some of us are hoping for a quick recovery for the sick women of the Australian water polo team. It’s no fun being sick when you are traveling. I’m hoping that at least the quarantine rooms where they are recovering have functioning toilets.
Seriously, I am hoping that the games have a level of success that keeps Olympic planners interested in countries that have not previously hosted. Certainly it is a huge strain on the economy of a small country to host the games. It is true that the accommodations for press and athletes are more luxurious in countries that have more available resources. Still the games are a world competition. And every Olympic Village enjoys a level of luxury unknown to many people around the globe. Got a toilet that doesn’t work? Consider the number of people in the world who have never used one. Worried about having your laptop stolen? Think about how many of this world’s citizens will never have access to a laptop. I am no fan of inadequate sewage systems or crime, but it can be helpful to shed some of our local biases when considering events to which the entire world is invited. After all mosquito repellant should be on the packing list of everyone who plans to travel this summer.
I’m not likely to be watching television of Friday Night, but I probably will stream a clip or two from the opening ceremonies. They usually are a grand show with fireworks, music and a bit of drama. I don’t expect an actor pretending to be the Queen of England to parachute from a helicopter, but I suspect that the city of parades and Carnival and lots of other shows will be able to come up with a bit of pomp and ceremony to launch the games in proper fashion.
Meanwhile, back here in the hills, the rumble of motorcycles is already echoing all around us. The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is predicted to be a bit smaller than last year’s 75th anniversary event. Still, it is the week of the year when we welcome the most guests at one time to our region. And lots of guests brings lots of diversity to the area. We always see a few exotic costumes, a few truly monumental beards, some interesting tattoos and a bit of behavior that raises our eyebrows. It is all part of being hosts to guests who’ve been invited to come and visit.
The kickoff events at the Buffalo Chip probably won’t be a glitzy as the opening ceremonies in Rio, but there probably will be a few fireworks and, for those who are there to watch, a few memorable moments. I’ll probably spend the evening at home, It seems like a good option to me.
Today is Wednesday and the opening ceremonies will be on Friday. This year’s Olympics, however seem to have lost their luster. Before the games have even begun news of serious problems of organization seem to be streaming from Brazil: A Paralympian was the target of an attempted robbery. Athletes have discovered that toilets in the Olympic Village don’t work. Fire alarm systems have been discovered to be dysfunctional. Laptop computers and clothing have been stole from athlete’s quarters. The list goes on and on and on.
Hopefully with proper medical care the Australian swimmers will recover. They still have a week before their opening match on August 9 against Russia. Yes, Russia will have water polo teams competing in the games. Despite having their track and field team, their rowing squad and their weightlifters banned from the games because of doping violations, approximately three-quarters of the Russian Olympic Team are in Rio preparing for competition.
In the recent competitions of the Summer Olympic Games, the United States, China and Russia have been the three biggest winners of medals. This year, with so many disqualified athletes, Russia is expected to slip in the rankings. That means that there may be some interesting medal races in the games making them worthy of our attention.
In general, the countries that do the best in the overall medal count are either rich or big or both. Being rich means that there are funds to support athlete training and preparation. Being big means that there is a large pool of athletes from which to draw. Using that basic information, however, isn’t really predictive when it comes to Olympic medals. India is a large country and has been growing in wealth. They probably should fall right behind the U.S. and China in medals, but in 2012, they took home only six. Germany and Japan consistently do much better. Saudi Arabia has plenty of financial support for their athletes, but they didn’t win a single medal in 2012.
One of the things that makes watching sports competition engaging is that it cannot be fully predicted. Surprises abound in athletics.
Chances are pretty good that the United Kingdom, though somewhat less united than was the case in 2012, will continue to bring home quite a few medals. Australia, Brazil, France, Italy and South Korea also have teams to watch when it comes to Olympic success. Being the host country isn’t quite the same thing as having the home team advantage in Olympic competition, but it is a factor and the people of Brazil will bring lots of energy and enthusiasm to the crows at this year’s games.
For a lot of us, it will be a relief to have something other than politics taking up space in our news sources. And some of us are hoping for a quick recovery for the sick women of the Australian water polo team. It’s no fun being sick when you are traveling. I’m hoping that at least the quarantine rooms where they are recovering have functioning toilets.
Seriously, I am hoping that the games have a level of success that keeps Olympic planners interested in countries that have not previously hosted. Certainly it is a huge strain on the economy of a small country to host the games. It is true that the accommodations for press and athletes are more luxurious in countries that have more available resources. Still the games are a world competition. And every Olympic Village enjoys a level of luxury unknown to many people around the globe. Got a toilet that doesn’t work? Consider the number of people in the world who have never used one. Worried about having your laptop stolen? Think about how many of this world’s citizens will never have access to a laptop. I am no fan of inadequate sewage systems or crime, but it can be helpful to shed some of our local biases when considering events to which the entire world is invited. After all mosquito repellant should be on the packing list of everyone who plans to travel this summer.
I’m not likely to be watching television of Friday Night, but I probably will stream a clip or two from the opening ceremonies. They usually are a grand show with fireworks, music and a bit of drama. I don’t expect an actor pretending to be the Queen of England to parachute from a helicopter, but I suspect that the city of parades and Carnival and lots of other shows will be able to come up with a bit of pomp and ceremony to launch the games in proper fashion.
Meanwhile, back here in the hills, the rumble of motorcycles is already echoing all around us. The annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is predicted to be a bit smaller than last year’s 75th anniversary event. Still, it is the week of the year when we welcome the most guests at one time to our region. And lots of guests brings lots of diversity to the area. We always see a few exotic costumes, a few truly monumental beards, some interesting tattoos and a bit of behavior that raises our eyebrows. It is all part of being hosts to guests who’ve been invited to come and visit.
The kickoff events at the Buffalo Chip probably won’t be a glitzy as the opening ceremonies in Rio, but there probably will be a few fireworks and, for those who are there to watch, a few memorable moments. I’ll probably spend the evening at home, It seems like a good option to me.