Rating the watchability of sports that I catch a few minutes of randomly

[Petcha]

Eventing is three days, three events. First day is dressage - second is cross country - third is show jumping.

You only saw the dressage i think.

Cross country is amazing btw

 

[Petcha]

It's really a bit unfair that football gets to take up 2 hours of the main BBC feed due to the length of the game. There's so much other cool shit going on.

 

[platinumsage]

WIndsurfing 3/10. There's hardly any wind so they're all wiggling about trying to push themselves forward

 

[xenon]

Reading this thread is my only engagement with the Olympics. Good work.

 

[RedRedRose]

Boxing: 6
Hockey: 6
Table Tennis: 6
Football: 7 (women’s seems more interesting than the men’s for some reason)
Rugby 7s: 9
Track and Field: 9

 

[MrSki]

I enjoy the field events. Loved the men's high jump when they shared the gold. 9/10

Plus the togetherness of the two Italian gold medalists after the 100 metres.

 

[platinumsage]

Climbing - 7/10. I thought they'd just have to climb a wall as quickly as they could or something, but the climbing wall is a unqiue "problem" that the athlete doesn't get to see before they run out into the arena, and they've got a few minutes to complete it.

 

[platinumsage]

Decathlon, Heptathlon etc 1/10 - you're not the best at any of these things are you, why are they interrupting proper events to show your mediocre high jump or whatever.

 

[rubbershoes]

Fast walking is ridiculous to watch

 

[platinumsage]

Fast walking is ridiculous to watch

It's tougher than the marathon though

 

[Petcha]

Fast walking is ridiculous to watch

Its hilarious. has it already started?

I've always wondered where they train. I think I'd piss myself if I saw someone doing that in the park.

 

[strung out]

It's tougher than the marathon though

Not this distance, but the 50km definitely is.

 

[maomao]

Fast walking is ridiculous to watch

I saw it live in 2012. They have judges crouching down staring at their feet to try and catch them with both feet off the ground at the same time. In fact you can get a few red cards and still win. Most of the champions are failed runners.

 

[Elpenor]

Race walking is ridiculous. Mainly as they are “walking” their 20k at a speed which is faster than most people can run the distance. I’m reasonably proud of my half marathon PB of 1:29, but the race walkers would leave me for dead.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Rugby 7s is more watchable than normal rugby because it doesn't involve so many pointless pile-ons. That brings it up to about 0.00001/10.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Fast walking is ridiculous to watch

It's fucking hilarious isn't it

 

[May Kasahara]

Just got home, switched on the Olympics and instantly started pissing myself at the race walking Yes, I know it's tough, it's a discipline etc. But fucking hell.

Beach volleyball currently very watchable.

 

[RedRedRose]

I tried watching the wrestling; made no sense to me. Also very little seemed to be going on.

 

[maomao]

Just got home, switched on the Olympics and instantly started pissing myself at the race walking Yes, I know it's tough, it's a discipline etc. But fucking hell.

Beach volleyball currently very watchable.

It's a discipline founded on the misconception that there is a clear and definable difference between walking and running.

 

[platinumsage]

It's a discipline founded on the misconception that there is a clear and definable difference between walking and running.

Lots of the games are like that though e.g. the shot put, where you have to put it but can't throw it.

 

[Spymaster]

It's a discipline founded on the misconception that there is a clear and definable difference between walking and running.

 

[maomao]

Lots of the games are like that though e.g. the shot put, where you have to put it but can't throw it.

Is there any advantage to throwing the shot though?

Maximising speed in a gait evolved for moving slowly is just weird. And their feet leave the ground at the same time anyway due to speed. They have to be caught doing it three times to be disqualified.

 

[maomao]

Okay. Define the difference then.

 

[Spymaster]

Okay. Define the difference then.

Walking has at least one foot in contact with the ground at all times. Running doesn't.

 

[platinumsage]

Is there any advantage to throwing the shot though?

There’s complicated laws about it staying near the neck so I presume so.

 

[maomao]

Walking has at least one foot in contact with the ground at all times. Running doesn't.

If this was the case then racewalkers whose feet both left the ground at the same time would be cheating and should be disqualified for one infraction. They aren't because both feet will lose contact with the ground when walking fast. So they have to use a stupid gait which resembles neither walking nor running and their feet still leave the ground at the same time.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Okay. Define the difference then.

Walking

Running



Running

 

[maomao]

There’s complicated laws about it staying near the neck so I presume so.

It still feels fair because you're testing a set of muscles performing a task in a way that happens naturally. Racewalking is like putting a javelin.

 

[Spymaster]

If this was the case then racewalkers whose feet both left the ground at the same time would be cheating and should be disqualified for one infraction. .

They are disqualified after 3. They get a warning each time both feet leave the ground. If they do it 3 times they're disqualified.

 

[Saul Goodman]

It still feels fair because you're testing a set of muscles performing a task in a way that happens naturally. Racewalking is like putting a javelin.

Racewalking is what you do when you're too shit to do anything else but you still want to be in the Olympics. It's like the egg and spoon race for people with no hand-eye coordination.