Questions of the Olympics

[mrs quoad]

Inspired by someone quoting a Lineker question ('why does only the lead cyclist in the team sprint get a red stand, whilst the other two are held up by blokes?')

This morning's rowing coverage also contained a 'top listeners' question': why are some of the boats yellow?

(Answer: because some boat makers (and one in particular) make yellow boats! Steve Redgrave spent about 5 mins answering that )

There was a follow-up, too.

"Why can't we have red, white and blue boats?"

Answer: "we probably could, but it'd cost a heck of a lot more"

Any more decent Olympic questions?

 

[Lord Camomile]

This morning's rowing coverage also contained a 'top listeners' question': why are some of the boats yellow?

(Answer: because some boat makers (and one in particular) make yellow boats! Steve Redgrave spent about 5 mins answering that )

And Matthew Pinsent had already answered it when John Inverdale asked it again, straight after. I genuinely couldn't believe it when they also revealed that, after 5 days, they'd just realised the flags were displayed in alphabetical order

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

And Matthew Pinsent had already answered it when John Inverdale asked it again, straight after. I genuinely couldn't believe it when they also revealed that, after 5 days, they'd just realised the flags were displayed in alphabetical order

Yeah I saw that. He obviously wasn't listening

I think the yellow ones are German-made, although I too may not have been listening


Why do most of the GB swimmers wear red caps but most of the others wear white?

 

[Lord Camomile]

Stained with the blood of our enemies.

 

[mrs quoad]

I think the yellow ones are German-made, although I too may not have been listening

They were referring to Empachers. Which are trademark yellow.

But I'm pretty sure there're yellow Vespolis (and perhaps other brands, too )

Empacher are probably the top quality yellow boat brand though. I think.

 

[mrs quoad]

Jesus.

Don't google image yellow vespoli with safe search off.

 

[Lord Camomile]

I'm on my g/f's laptop at the moment, so will heed that advice. When I'm back on my own laptop though...

 

[The Boy]

Jesus.

Don't google image yellow vespoli with safe search off.

You know I had to go and do that, don't you?

 

[mrs quoad]

I'm on my g/f's laptop at the moment, so will heed that advice. When I'm back on my own laptop though...

Even "yellow vespoli boat" might merit a bit of hard questioning!

 

[OneStrike]

I came late to the telly for this, but Pendleton and Varnish broke the rules in their semi final so were 'relegated'. How come they weren't allowed to race in the bronze medal play-off yet China kept a Silver? I'd have thought P+V should have lost that race so missed the place in the final.

eta: yellow vespoli tandem is also problematic

 

[The Boy]

They were relegated to second in their heat and thus eliminated. I think.

 

[Lord Camomile]

You're relegated to the bottom of your round, so I think GBR got relegated to something like 8th (i.e. not last, just last in that round), whereas China got relegated to second, which was last in that round. As someone on TV put it, they'd won the right to compete for silver at least. Not sure about that myself, but that's the way they explained it...

 

[OneStrike]

Cheers, I see. I had thought they were in the cycling equivalent of a semi final, so 4 teams left. The bottom of those 4 went into a play off against 3rd of the four for a chance at bronze.


BTW, "yellow vespoli john inverdale" on google image search is safe, no results appear.

 

[mrs quoad]

I still contend that John Inverdale looks like cupcake dog.

My thread to that effect garnered 0 replies, though, so I chose not to bump it this morning.

 

[mrs quoad]

How the fuck did Dressage make it into the Olympics?

 

[mattie]

Who thought sticking a low beam and a paddling pool in the way would liven up middle-distance running?

 

[mattie]

Modern Pentathlon?

It's a touch random.

 

[kabbes]

How the fuck did Dressage make it into the Olympics?

How did trampolining make it in?
How did shooting make it in?
How does any skill and precision sport make it in?

 

[kabbes]

And here is part of the answer, according to Wikipedia:

A sport or discipline may be included in the Olympic program if the IOC determines that it is widely practiced around the world, that is, the number of countries and continents that regularly compete in a given sport is the indicator of the sport's prevalence. [Snipped bit]. Following the addition of women's boxing in 2012, and women's ski jumping in2014, there will be no Olympic sport for men only in those Games, although women are still barred from several disciplines (but on the other hand, there are women-only disciplines, such as rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming).

Sports that depend primarily on mechanical propulsion, such as motor sports, may not be considered for recognition as Olympic sports, though there were power-boating events in the early days of the Olympics before this rule was enacted by the IOC.[2][10] Part of the story of the founding of aviation sports' international governing body, the FAI, originated from an IOC meeting in Brussels, Belgium on June 10th, 1905.[11]

These criteria are only a threshold for consideration as Olympic sport. In order to be admitted to the Olympic program, the IOC Session has to approve its inclusion. There are many sports that easily make the required numbers but are not recognized as Olympic sports, mainly because the IOC has decided to put a limit on the number of sports, as well as events and athletes, in the Summer Olympics in order not to increase them from the 28 sports, 300 events and 10,000 athletes of the 2000 Summer Olympics. [Snipped bit about Winter Olympics].