Winter Olympics 2014

[Stephen]

Does anyone get as excited as me for the Winter Olympics? Sure Australia isn't a top finisher in it, nor are a lot of normally hot countries. But we can always learn from Jamaica and their ever so unexpected great bobsledding team. Why can’t hotter countries follow their lead, and at least develop a good curling team (a sport I would love to try at least once)?

But overall, what are your predictions, if you’re even watching? Who is going to be the big winner for hockey: Russia? Canada? USA? A different team? How does your country compare this year? Do you think Russia secured the area enough to thwart terrorist?

[boris]

it is quite popular in europe, especially in austria.
alpine skiing, skijumping...

[Jimmy]

USA!!!!! We're 2nd in the medal count! 

[ryan]

i like the winter Olympics, i think Canada is doing pretty good

[ToneBender]

i like the winter Olympics, i think Canada is doing pretty good

Pretty 'well' and yes we are. Aren't we?
The keys will be to keep it up and demonstrate dominance at hockey.

[INnudeguy]

I think they will be able to keep everyone safe but I hear one story after another about how the facilities leave a lot to be desired.

[ryan]

I think they will be able to keep everyone safe but I hear one story after another about how the facilities leave a lot to be desired.

maybe but i heard an interview from a Canadian snowboarder and he said the facilities for the athletes were pretty good.
i think we forget how lucky we are that we have it here and in other countries they dont have it as good

[ToneBender]

Exactly Ryan! Thank-you.

The facilities problems were mainly in the journalist's accommodations I thought. Something about sewage coming out of the taps - sort of indicative of Putin's level of respect for the press... Anyway they got free tickets to the Olympics - they can rough it. If that means running to a hotel down the block for a shower so be it.

Interesting story about the two-holers. A two-holer is an outhouse (shitter) with a bench seat and two holes. My great-uncle actually had one though both he and it have long since passed. He seemed to prefer the outhouse to the indoor plumbing that his house had been retro-fitted with (probably in the fifties). Anyway I never really understood the concept of the two holes but I know they did exist.

Then a couple of years ago I heard a story from a guy who worked in the oil-patch and spent some time in Russia and they had the same thing - multi-hole outhouses where guys would basically share their morning constitutions. Sounds crazy but apparently to them bodily functions aren't that big a deal - maybe in the cities but not in the countryside and certainly not in Siberia. A sort of matter-of-fact (military) attitude or an ability to do without certain creature comforts.

Since then I have been to France and have seen unisex washrooms and rooms with multiple toilets separated by narrow dividers and no doors similar to what I seem to recall seeing on one of Canada's old O-boats (could be wrong about that).

Fast forward to Sochi in 2014 and journalists are writing stories about washrooms with multiple toilets and no dividers. Maybe that was the design or maybe the contractor who was supposed to bring the dividers took his family to Thailand instead. Who cares? The point is Russia is not Canada, the U.S. or Europe. Obviously things are going to be a little different. So? When in Rome...

[mrj001]

USA!!!!! We're 2nd in the medal count! 

Actually, your 6th.  In overall medal count America is 3rd. 

However, officially, medal standings are counted in number of gold medals, with silver and bronze being used for tie breakers.  So the official medal standings as of 14 February 2014, 1030 Mountain Standard Time  are:

Germany
Switzerland
Canada
Norway
Netherlands

However, in the Winter Olympics the number of medals doesn't matter, there is only one gold medal that really matters.  One of Russia's top sports comentators said yesterday, I forgot his name, but he said that, in Russia, whoever wins the gold medal in Mens Hockey wins the Olympics.  Which is what Canada did four years ago in Vancouver (that, and win more gold medals than any other country has ever in any previous Winter Olympics).



I prefer the Winter Olympics to the Summer ones.  Firstly, because the Winter Olympics have Hockey.  And secondly the winter sports are so much more exciting than the summer games.  The winter sports are all faster and in every one (except Curling and Cross Country skiing) there is the always present threat of serious injury or death, not so much in most of the summer games.



As for the problems with the accommodations, it’s not just the journalists.  The Athletes are 6 to a room with only one foot distance between the beds.  And there was the American Bobsledder who had to break down his bathroom door to get out after it got stuck.  As well, the bathrooms have signs above the toilet paper that says not to flush used toilet paper down the toilet, instead dispose of it in the garbage can.  Which is just, eww.

[INnudeguy]

USA!!!!! We're 2nd in the medal count! 

As for the problems with the accommodations, it’s not just the journalists.  The Athletes are 6 to a room with only one foot distance between the beds.  And there was the American Bobsledder who had to break down his bathroom door to get out after it got stuck.  As well, the bathrooms have signs above the toilet paper that says not to flush used toilet paper down the toilet, instead dispose of it in the garbage can.  Which is just, eww.

I'll say not to mention the "bottled water" looks like pee.  I've never heard of any country having this kind of problems before.

[nudetrail]

just hope all the snow doesn't melt !

[Gman707]

I love everything to do with the olympics. I watch as much as I can.

I'm very pleased this year that we have had both our first nedal on the snow and a gold in skeleton. Go team gb!

[luvthemgiants]

ive never been a big fan of the WInter Olympics, but have always been impressed by the sports and athletes.

Ive been watching it this year though and have really enjoyed it. Plus its nice when there are a few athletes from your own country, no matter where they finish.

[AElf]

I like the winter Olympics better than the summer games, and apropos this . . .

Yesterday I was looking at the medal counts for the Sochi Olympics and it is interesting how things get reported.  The Washington Post is reporting the raw medal count which puts the US in third place with 4 gold, 4 silver & 8 bronze for a total of 16.  This system, which puts the Swiss, with five gold medals, in eighth place, is ludicrous.

Netherlands    5+5+7=17
Russia        4+7+5=16
USA        4+4+8=16
Norway    5+3+6=14
Canada    4+6+4=14
Germany    7+3+2=12
Sweden    2+5+2=9
Switzerland    5+1+1=7

But that isn’t the way the Olympics are generally looked at.  Most of the time it is the gold medal count which determines who’s on first.  That changes the standings of the top eight, vaulting the Swiss into a three-way tie for second, putting the USA into a three-way tie for third, and looking like this:

Germany    7+3+2=12

Netherlands    5+5+7=17
Norway    5+3+6=14
Switzerland    5+1+1=7

Russia        4+7+5=16
USA        4+4+8=16
Canada    4+6+4=14

Sweden    2+5+2=9

Now, if we stick to the idea that having more gold medals means more, it follows logically that more silver should also mean more and that premise already appears in the Post where Russia stands one place above the USA.  Using the gold + silver count the standings change once more and the USA falls to seventh spot:

Germany    7+3+2=12

Netherlands    5+5+7=17

Norway    5+3+6=14

Switzerland    5+1+1=7

Russia        4+7+5=16

Canada    4+6+4=14

USA        4+4+8=16

Sweden    2+5+2=9


But if you take those figures and weight the medals as gold = 3 pts, silver = 2 & bronze = 1 the standings change again as Russia leaps ahead of Germany and the USA falls into a tie for fourth place where it could be argued whether the total count or the silver count determines who gets to be on top:

Netherlands    5+5+7=17 (15+10+7=32 pts)

Russia        4+7+5=16 (12+14+5=31)

Germany    7+3+2=12 (21+6+2=29 pts)

Canada    4+6+4=14 (12+12+4=28 pts)
USA        4+4+8=16 (12+8+8=28 pts)

Norway    5+3+6=14 (15+6+6=27 pts)

Switzerland    5+1+1=7 (15+2+1=18 pts)

Sweden    2+5+2=9 (4+10+2=16 pts)

What matters most: gold count, gold/silver count, total medal count or total points count?  It seems to me that it is all in the eye of the beholder, and it probably shouldn’t be.  Don’t sports have rules?

[Jackthenudist]

I'm not a massive fan of the Winter Olympics as I am of the Summer Olympics but I've been watching a bit of it.

I think the main reason I don't like it as much is that Britain are a bit rubbish at it. It's not as exciting when most of the British athletes have no chance of winning a medal.