Just announced today on heels of US Swimming’s similar request yesterday
Just announced today on heels of US Swimming’s similar request yesterday
absolutely crazy if they go through with this the entire year will be a waste. the games are a beacon of hope off in the distance, motivating everyone to solve the problem quickly so we can return to normalcy
gopre26 wrote:
absolutely crazy if they go through with this the entire year will be a waste. the games are a beacon of hope off in the distance, motivating everyone to solve the problem quickly so we can return to normalcy
There is no quick solution. In this case, quickness and efficacy are a trade-off. The point of the quarantines is to slow the spread of the virus and keep the number of vulnerable carriers below hospital capacity. We’re waiting for vaccines, treatments, and immunities to progress. This is an unavoidably slow process.
gopre26 wrote:
absolutely crazy if they go through with this the entire year will be a waste. the games are a beacon of hope off in the distance, motivating everyone to solve the problem quickly so we can return to normalcy
The way things are headed, this year will be a waste for many many people, not just athletes.
gopre26 wrote:
absolutely crazy if they go through with this the entire year will be a waste. the games are a beacon of hope off in the distance, motivating everyone to solve the problem quickly so we can return to normalcy
Outside of general safety, I think it just comes down to the athletes not being able to train and prepare properly.
Can swimmer share a pool right now? I don’t believe so.
Distance runners have it pretty good. Sprinters utilizing a public gym are screwed.
I don’t know which athletes have access to what materials, but that’s my guess. Even Chelimo doesn’t have a treadmill...
completely understandable, the safety of everyone is paramount. But that begs the question, what happens to the marathon team? redo the US trials? one benefit would be that a real kenyan team would be selected closer to the games, what they have now really looks dumb.
As I've said elsewhere - good.
Global anti doping efforts have effectively been suspended. Right now if you're somewhere with no quarantine/lots of outdoor space away from people you can juice up as much as you can without fear of being caught. Go ahead and log those sweet EPO miles. Heck, if a doping officer somehow does come magically just say you're self-isolating.
We could remake the 2004 or 2012 women's 1500m in terms of doped % fields.
Do you understand that in 80% of the Countries ALL TRAINING is now forbidden ?
And you fear the possibility of doping….. how this can be the main problem today !
Doping or not doping, is not possible to go Olympics without preparation, and in the most part of cases without the possibility to be selected on time.
There are still tournaments for qualifying teams that can't be carried out, there are not athletic competitions for reaching the limits of participation, there is not the opportunity to do Trials on time in many Countries….. and your problem is doping !
Every day in LR there is somebody totally out of the World !
gopre26 wrote:
absolutely crazy if they go through with this the entire year will be a waste. the games are a beacon of hope off in the distance, motivating everyone to solve the problem quickly so we can return to normalcy
Few people truly give a crap. The very affluent desire a distraction, sure, but frivolous sporting events don't instill widespread hope in times like this.
Renato Canova wrote:
Do you understand that in 80% of the Countries ALL TRAINING is now forbidden ?
And you fear the possibility of doping….. how this can be the main problem today !
Doping or not doping, is not possible to go Olympics without preparation, and in the most part of cases without the possibility to be selected on time.
There are still tournaments for qualifying teams that can't be carried out, there are not athletic competitions for reaching the limits of participation, there is not the opportunity to do Trials on time in many Countries….. and your problem is doping !
Every day in LR there is somebody totally out of the World !
Hey Renato,
I actually agree with everything you're saying. The Olympics are meant to be the pinnacle of human achievement, not "what's the best some athletes could throw together at the last minute after being unable to train."
I said what I said however because unfortunately some people on here, they don't seem to care about all that. Athlete safety? Whatever. No preparation? So what? Point out to them what the current situation means for doping though and then they think twice.
This is a financial decision only. If it were focused only on the safety of the athletes and spectators the Olympics would be canceled or postponed immediately. However there are 100 of millions of dollars on the line. The Olympics are a money making business endeavor. Canceling them is a a huge loss in revenue to many of the parties involved. What the the IOC is trying to determine is what is an acceptable risk between athletes and spectators getting infected verses keeping the games going for the money,
Tough call to make.
I agree with this because the Olympics are not just about the moment, the time when they happen. There is so much that goes into qualifying, peaking, and mental preparation. It was mentioned that many people aren't even allowed to train but the problem goes beyond that. For the people that are allowed to train, it is psychologically impossible to prepare properly when there are so many question marks. You cannot aim for targets when you don't know where they are, what they look like, or if they will even be there at all.
Best way forward is as follows:
1. Put the Olympics on hold indefinitely until this situation is under control (maybe we will have to wait for a vaccine which will be 18 months according the most optimistic estimates).
2. When the situation is under control, define a date for the Olympics but hold the competition under strict amateur rules only. It would just be too gross to have organizers, sponsors, and certain athletes making piles of cash in the wake of global biological disaster. Making the sport amateur again would also remove most incentives for doping and largely flush away corrupt athlete managers from the sport. This is a definite win for the athletes' health and also for the sport which will be seen more as an eductional process rather than a desparate way of making money. In fact the sport will go back to it's roots.
3. The money generated by the Olympics should be largely put back into health care and scientific research for infectious disease - both of these areas have been shown to be hideously underfunded in the middle of this global crisis and instead politicians are talking about saving airline companies who basically caused the problem.
4. These measures will do much to elevate the status of the Olympic movement and the IOC which today is seen as just a corrupt organization.
best way forward wrote:
Best way forward is as follows:
1. Put the Olympics on hold indefinitely until this situation is under control (maybe we will have to wait for a vaccine which will be 18 months according the most optimistic estimates).
2. When the situation is under control, define a date for the Olympics but hold the competition under strict amateur rules only. It would just be too gross to have organizers, sponsors, and certain athletes making piles of cash in the wake of global biological disaster. Making the sport amateur again would also remove most incentives for doping and largely flush away corrupt athlete managers from the sport. This is a definite win for the athletes' health and also for the sport which will be seen more as an eductional process rather than a desparate way of making money. In fact the sport will go back to it's roots.
3. The money generated by the Olympics should be largely put back into health care and scientific research for infectious disease - both of these areas have been shown to be hideously underfunded in the middle of this global crisis and instead politicians are talking about saving airline companies who basically caused the problem.
4. These measures will do much to elevate the status of the Olympic movement and the IOC which today is seen as just a corrupt organization.
1. I think postponing until July 2021 is sufficient.
2. Do you think there was no corruption when the Olympics were "amateur"? You are incredibly uninformed. You have a very sanitized view of what sports once were.
3. No. Simply no.
4. That is noble.
Postpone till 2022, winter games to 24. And so on.
Nobody (or very few) cares about the status of the olympics at this point in time. The sports organizations (like USTAF) need to just shut up right now about olympic plans.
All athletes should be flown now to Japan.
They should be placed under quarantine. Those who are not sick will then be moved to several part of Japan and allowed to train in several nationality camps.
Japan is free of coronavirus and should not be asked to pay and delay the Olympic games because some other countries have done a terrible job.
macdaddy wrote:
gopre26 wrote:
absolutely crazy if they go through with this the entire year will be a waste. the games are a beacon of hope off in the distance, motivating everyone to solve the problem quickly so we can return to normalcy
Outside of general safety, I think it just comes down to the athletes not being able to train and prepare properly.
Can swimmer share a pool right now? I don’t believe so.
Distance runners have it pretty good. Sprinters utilizing a public gym are screwed.
I don’t know which athletes have access to what materials, but that’s my guess. Even Chelimo doesn’t have a treadmill...
I don't think that is the biggest issue. Yes, everyone wants to see athletes at their best and it will create unfair advantages to those athletes that might have better access to training facilities (in their home, for example).
The biggest issue is the security posed to the entire world. Think about it. People flying in on planes from all over the world, crowding through airports, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, cramming into crowded stadiums. And then flying back home to their own communities.
It sounds like a perfect way to start a second wave of infections. Of course, the Olympics could be held with only athletes present under sterile conditions. But a big part of the Olympics is the spectacle - the lighting of the torch, the teams entering the stadium in their country uniforms. So what would really be the point?
Maybe by October or so the situation will be under control so it would be feasible, but that seems unlikely. BTW there is a breaking story that all flights bound for NYC-area and Philadelphia airports have been suspended due to a staffing shortage after employees test positive for coronavirus. How would we prevent something like this during the Olympics?
Just cancel the Olympics all together. Massive waste of resources. World will be fine without them.
A measly $500K in the back pocket will help Max Siegel change his mind. No corruption here.