Five-ring circus: The Thread of the XXXIII Olympiad

Organizations

Short answer: These aren't "countries" participating in the Olympics, they are National Olympic Committees. So Puerto Rico is like Taiwan and Palestine. Maybe not universally accepted "countries" but enough to "count."

 

This is why I rely on SJ.com for my info! Thx!

rb

 

So we can send Trumpistan and Wokeistan delegations if we wish.

 

As soon as you create separate classificatations based on anything, whether it’s sex, age, experience level, or ability level, people are going to accuse the best in the lower classification of cheating it.

For all the trans panic coverage, accusing successful female athletes of being crypto-men has basically been a thing since women competed in high intensity sports. They were saying that about Helen Stephens in the 1930s, only to find (after she was murdered in a robbery in a Cleveland grocery store) that Stella Walsh, her chief rival, was in fact intersex.

This might be a repeat but the 100, men’s and women’s, is a popular venue for the “universality” places that go to make sure every country gets an entry. And it bests having them stagger around the track three laps down in the 5K like the Haitians used to do.

 

Panic. Excellent choice of word. I keep thinking back to the time of bathroom debates, when some claimed some identified female were doing so just to peek at girls in the restroom. Still think there's some who think trans athletes are identifying female just to take that scholarship or national team spot from their little Brianna, then when their competitive days are done, will again identify as male.

 

I'd also add running is probably the most affordable and accessible sports in some countries.

 

But enough about golf.

 

France against Japan for Gold in the mixed team event. France's big man and the guy who lit the cauldron, Teddy Riner, has won 11 world titles and individual Gold earlier this week. After Japan gets out to a 3-1 lead, Riner wins his match and France comes back to tie it 3-3.

To determine who fights the OT bout, they put a slot machine thing on the screen and it spun through the weight classes until it stopped on the heavyweights. After nearly 7 minutes of sparring, Riner scores the win.

Amazing ... and I'm still not sure what counts for a point and what doesn't (kind of like what is or isn't a catch in the NFL).

 

Inky, no idea which sport you're talking about.

 

Judo.

As someone who has tried a lot of wrestling/MMA adjacent sports, judo has never been my favorite.

But watching Teddy Riner win the individual medal and then clinch the team gold in the final match, in front of a home crowd, was pretty awesome.

 

It seems like a lot of trouble to go through the transition process just to make the softball team or win a state track title. I’m sure it’s also quite expensive and not covered by insurance, so even with a full scholarship the kid might not come out ahead.
And despite what some people would have you believe, it’s not as simple as just showing up and saying “I identify as a female” and being allowed to compete.
Last year The Daily Wire produced a comedy called Lady Ballers about a group of middle-aged, mediocre former boys high school basketball players “identifying “ as women, entering a women’s tournament and dominating, all while the “woke” media praised them as heroic and inspirational.

In a panel discussion at the movie’s premiere, Ben Shapiro and the other producers said they wanted to do it as a documentary, with actual men trying to enter an actual women’s tournament.

They weren’t allowed to do that, thus blowing the premise of Lady Ballers out of the water.

What these people say is happening or could happen isn’t happening. Nobody is gaming the system.

 

As he released the shot for his first throw of the shot put final, Ryan Crouser shouted, “Get out there, ball!”

It did — 22.64 meters (74 feet, 3 1/2 inches), a full meter farther than anyone else. He could stop now and that might hold up for good.