2016 Rio Olympics

[GeneChing]

[GeneChing]

We've mentioned the colored uniforms here before. Do other sports even bother with such trappings?

The Octogon part is silly.

Martial art mixes it up at Rio
Friday, July 29, 2016 12:21 a.m. CDT
By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Taekwondo's battle for relevance at the Olympics continues at the Rio de Janeiro Games, with tournament organizers introducing colored pants and a mixed martial arts flavor in a bid to spice up the competition.

The fringe sport, which made its Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games, is assured of its place until Tokyo in 2020 but is feeling the heat to modernize as the International Olympic Committee looks to appeal to a younger demographic.

Taekwondo is far from a blood sport, but appears to have taken a cue from mixed martial arts by changing its square fighting mat to an octagon, the shape of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's cage.

Competitors will also be allowed to wear colored pants with their national flags at the Aug. 17-20 tournament at the Carioca Arena 3, which may upset purists accustomed to the starched-white trousers of Olympics past.

"The introduction of colored pants for athletes will transform the look of competition, adding to the vibrant, carnival atmosphere in Rio, and will give athletes an even greater sense of national pride as they compete for their countries," World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) president Chungwon Choue said.

The WTF has had its critics in the past for being aloof and reactive but earned praise at London for introducing a new scoring system and instant video reviews which banished much of the refereeing controversy that blighted previous tournaments.

In Rio, fighters will now be fitted with electric sensors in their protective head gear to help referees detect scoring shots, adding to the torso sensors introduced at London.

Competitors will also enter the arena to theme music of their choice, adding a bit of theater to a discipline which has its origins in ancient Korean martial arts.

The improved scoring system at London saw all eight titles go to different nations and the field is expected to be wide open again.

Chinese double Olympic champion Wu Jingyu will bid for a hat-trick of golds in the women's 49kg flyweight division, while South Korea's Oh Hye-ri is under pressure to continue the country's reign over the 67kg category which was won by Hwang Kyung-seon at London and Beijing.

The men's heavyweight 80kg category also offers plenty of intrigue.

England-born former world number one Aaron Cook, who was controversially omitted from Team GB at his home London Games, will compete under the Moldovan flag at Rio, with top-ranked Iranian challenger Mahdi Khodabakhshi, nicknamed 'The Terminator', another strong medal chance.

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

[GeneChing]

There's a vid, but not of the incident of course. It's just a news vid.

Rio Olympics 2016: Chinese hurdler robbed as part of elaborate hoax
July 30, 2016 10:28am EDTJuly 30, 2016 10:25am EDTShi Dongpeng, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics and specializes in the 110-meter meter hurdles, was a victim of a "professional job."
ATHLETICS
By Jordan Greer @jordangreer42
Published on Jul. 30, 2016

How are things going in Rio de Janeiro less than a week away from the 2016 Olympics? More than half of the Olympic Village buildings haven't passed safety tests, athletes might have to literally "row through s—" to win a medal and now a member of the Chinese track and field team has become a victim of some crazy vomit-based trickery.

Shi Dongpeng, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics and specializes in the 110-meter hurdles, was robbed as part of an elaborate hoax, according to Inside The Games (H/T to ESPN's Rachel Nichols). Shi reportedly checked into his hotel alongside a cameraman when a stranger who appeared drunk approached them. The man vomited on Shi, and the cameraman chased the man out of the hotel.

It turns out the drunk man was the first step of a clear plan. With Shi off cleaning himself up and the cameraman gone, someone stole both men's baggage as well as the cameraman's equipment. Inside The Games says surveillance footage shows Shi and the cameraman were victims of a "professional job."

To make matters worse, when both men went to report the incident at a police station, they had to wait two hours behind a line of mugging victims.

The incident with Shi comes only days after Jason Lee, a jiu-jitsu champion from New Zealand, says he was kidnapped by Rio police and forced to pay an unreasonable fine. In a Facebook post that has since been taken down, Lee said of Rio, "This place is well and truly f— in every sense of the word imaginable."

Shi might share a similar sentiment after that experience.

[GeneChing]

sort of a classic scam, this one.

Australian Olympic team robbed during fire evacuation at Olympic Village
Stephen Wade, Ap Sports Writer Updated 9:36 am, Sunday, July 31, 2016


Workers install barricades in preparation for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games inside Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, July 29, 2016. Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP / Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu
Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP
IMAGE 1 OF 44 Workers install barricades in preparation for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games inside Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, July 29, 2016.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Australian Olympic team members were forced to evacuate their lodgings on Friday at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics after a small fire in a basement parking area caused smoke to fill the stairwells.
Australian team spokesman Mike Tancred said about 100 athletes and officials were evacuated from their building in the sprawling athletes' village. The compound contains 31 buildings and will accommodate 18,000 athletes and officials at the peak of the games, which open in a week.
"The stairwells filled with smoke, but the fire was confined to the carpark and no one was injured," Tancred said in a statement.
Upon their return, Australian 9 News reports that they discovered three laptops and other personal belongings had been taken. The Australian Olympic Committee has reportedly added security guards to their building.
The fire will once again draw attention to Rio's spotty preparations, which have been marred by the Zika virus, severe water pollution, crime, and slow ticket sales.
Tancred said team members returned to their rooms after 30 minutes.
This comes after a tension-filled week in which Australia refused to occupy its building, citing gas and plumbing leaks, electrical shorts, and general filth. At least a dozen other teams also complained of problems that affected about 400 of the 3,600 rooms in the sprawling compound.
Rio officials on Thursday declared the compound "fully ready" after deploying hundreds of plumbers and electricians, who worked around the clock to ready the buildings.
Australia finally moved staff and athletes into the village on Wednesday, three days after the official opening on Sunday.
Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes on Wednesday met Australian delegation head Kitty Chiller and apologized to dozens of athletes for the slipshod preparations.
___
Stephen Wade on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StephenWadeAP . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/stephen-wade

[GeneChing]

These are the stories that make the Olympics great.

60-year-old Chinese farmer cycles to Rio to mark 3rd attendance of Olympics
(Xinhua) 09:59, August 01, 2016


Chen Guanming shows his food in his tricycle in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31,2016. Chinese 60-year-old farmer Chen Guanming cycled to Rio de Janeiro to mark his 3rd attendance of the Olympic Games. (Xinhua/Wang Haofei)


Chen Guanming poses for a photo outside the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31,2016. Chinese 60-year-old farmer Chen Guanming cycled to Rio de Janeiro to mark his 3rd attendance of the Olympic Games. (Xinhua/Wang Haofei)


Chen Guanming poses for a photo with a local resident in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31,2016. Chinese 60-year-old farmer Chen Guanming cycled to Rio de Janeiro to mark his 3rd attendance of the Olympic Games. (Xinhua/Wang Haofei)


Chen Guanming rides his tricycle outside the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31,2016. Chinese 60-year-old farmer Chen Guanming cycled to Rio de Janeiro to mark his 3rd attendance of the Olympic Games. (Xinhua/Wang Haofei)

[Jimbo]

The past several Olympics, including this one, have been using this theme music at various points, often right before going into commercial breaks. I'd always remembered it from the short-lived '90s TV series Brisco County, Jr., and find it interesting that the theme music has outlived the show itself by a long shot. It is pretty epic, though.

[GeneChing]

Here's one of many that amused me.

Judo medalist beaten up while celebrating on Copacabana Beach
Henry Bushnell Aug 9, 2016, 4:47 PM


Dirk van Tichelt won his first Olympic judo medal Monday. (Getty)

Dirk Van Tichelt probably didn’t envision one of the greatest days of his life ending in the hospital. But that’s exactly where the Belgian judoka found himself Monday night hours after winning his first-ever Olympic medal.

Van Tichelt won bronze in the 73-kg judo competition on Monday. Naturally, he went off to Copacabana Beach that night to celebrate the achievement. And that’s where things went awry.

Van Tichelt was reportedly assaulted by a thief on the famous beach, and was struck in the face. He was taken to the hospital after the incident.

The thief, who was reportedly Brazilian, came away with a cellphone, but, crucially, not with a bronze medal. That allowed Van Tichelt to take this epic picture the following day:

sporza ✔@sporza
Dief in Rio steelt gsm en slaat Dirk Van Tichelt. Gevolg: blauw oog voor onze bronzen plak: http://sporza.be/permalink/1.2735240 …


2:40 PM - 9 Aug 2016
58 58 Retweets 55 55 likes

The Belgian Olympic Committee released a statement confirming the details, and saying that Van Tichelt didn’t require treatment at the hospital. He appeared at a media event the next day with a black eye, and, undoubtedly, a smile on his face.

Van Tichelt now has more than just a medal to commemorate his Olympic success.

Waiting for the "Olympic Judo doesn't work on the street" comment.