2016 Rio Summer Olympics

[Lineker]

A lot events are overnight. Bloody time difference. 

[Baddar]

I noticed that the football starts on Wednesday, as opposed to the official beginning on Saturday. Not sure if any other sports start early.

[Bobfoc]

The football tournament usually starts early. I think it's the only sport that does.

[Lineker]

Andy Murray has been named as the Team GB flagbearer for the opening ceremony. 

[Baddar]

Bet he's thrilled. 

[MDK]

Really? Honestly thought it would have been Nicola Adams or Bradley Wiggins.

[DFF]

1 hour ago, MDK said:

Really? Honestly thought it would have been Nicola Adams or Bradley Wiggins.

Wiggins apparently turned it down, saying a female cyclist should have been asked instead. 

[MDK]

5 minutes ago, DFF said:

Wiggins apparently turned it down, saying a female cyclist should have been asked instead. 

Oh, not a female boxer, eh? >_>

[DFF]

For the record, Sweden beat South Africa 1-0 in the opening game. Canada currently lead 2-0 against Australia and Brazil lead 1-0 against China. 

[Lineker]

Skateboarding, surfing and climbing are among five new sports confirmed for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Karate and baseball/softball have also been added by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The five extra sports, which do not replace any of the 28 already on the Tokyo schedule, will include 18 events and involve hundreds of athletes.

Baseball and softball featured separately between 1992 and 2008, but made a joint bid to be readmitted.

None of the other sports have been included before, though surf lifesaving was a demonstration sport at the Paris Games in 1900.

The five sports were all recommended by Tokyo organisers in July and unanimously backed by the executive board of the IOC, which subsequently described them as "a dynamic and exciting package" ahead of this final confirmation at the 129th IOC session on Wednesday.

The IOC said it hopes the "innovative" move will draw in new audiences by focusing inclusions on youth-oriented sports.

"We want to take sport to the youth," said IOC president Thomas Bach.

"With the many options that young people have, we cannot expect any more that they will come automatically to us. We have to go to them."

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori added: "The inclusion of the package of new sports will afford young athletes the chance of a lifetime to realise their dreams of competing in the Olympic Games - the world's greatest sporting stage - and inspire them to achieve their best, both in sport and in life."

The unanimous decision to confirm the five new sports was made two days before the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Games.

[Maxx]

Probably real good they didn't put Surfing in this year

[Lint]

[Colly]

If I were to add 5 events to my Olympics I'd go surfing, diving, diving, surfing, crushing the coconut.

[DFF]

11 hours ago, DFF said:

For the record, Sweden beat South Africa 1-0 in the opening game. Canada currently lead 2-0 against Australia and Brazil lead 1-0 against China. 

Final scores from yesterday:

Sweden 1-0 South Africa
Brazil 3-0 China

Canada 2-0 Australia
Zimbabwe 1-6 Germany

USA 2-0 New Zealand
France 4-0 Colombia

In the men's tournament, matches get under way today. Below are the fixtures (some of these start in the early hours of tomorrow morning for Brits):

Iraq - Denmark
Brazil - South Africa

Sweden - Colombia
Nigeria - Japan

Mexico - Germany
Fiji - South Korea

Honduras - Algeria
Portugal - Argentina

 

[Bobfoc]

I would have liked to see squash added. It's made considerable progress in terms of its worldwide appeal over the last few years, and a lot of effort has been made towards making it more engaging as a spectator sport.

[MDK]

22 minutes ago, Bobfoc said:

I would have liked to see squash added. It's made considerable progress in terms of its worldwide appeal over the last few years, and a lot of effort has been made towards making it more engaging as a spectator sport.

Needs a lot of concentration 

[Chris2K]

Squash not being in is still the most bizarre decision imaginable. I can't see how Climbing is a more interesting sport to watch.

[MDK]

11 minutes ago, Chris2K said:

Squash not being in is still the most bizarre decision imaginable. I can't see how Climbing is a more interesting sport to watch.

Climbing is more interesting than squash.

[MalaCloudy Black]

A fake Russian diplomat disarmed, killed his would-be robber

Initial reports claimed he worked for the Russian consulate but it turns out he was impersonating someone who did. 

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

On 7/31/2016 at 04:06, MDK said:

God damn I'm still excited about the Olympics even after all the bullshit. 

I was feeling the same way until I watched the HBO Real Sports special on the Olympics. God damn the IOC makes FIFA look like an upstanding organization.

Also, from that, I found out that the Olympic Torch relay was started Joseph Goebbels and the Nazis.