Tokyo Olympics

[-DLC-]

Tokyo's got the variant starting to circulate but the Head of the Olympics there says they won't be cancelled and will still go ahead.

[Gurn]

17 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

Tokyo's got the variant starting to circulate but the Head of the Olympics there says they won't be cancelled and will still go ahead.

Another example of how BIG bussiness doesn't care about anything or anyone other than its self.

 

Money, money and money; that is all that matters to them.

[-SN-]

1 hour ago, gurn said:

Another example of how BIG bussiness doesn't care about anything or anyone other than its self.

 

Money, money and money; that is all that matters to them.

Yup:

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/olympics-tokyo-poll-1.5868321

 

Quote

More than 80% want Tokyo Olympics cancelled or postponed, 2 polls reveal

 

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

Canada is calling that a uniform....

 

[Bruce Boudreau]

On 4/16/2021 at 2:11 AM, Curmudgeon said:

Sounds easy, but who are the Olympics really for? The athletes. All of them hoping to make the 2020 Games had been training for at least four years and longer for veteran Olympians. Many of those athletes sacrificed and those who weren't good enough to get sponsorships had it tough. Then the Games were postponed a year and now we're into a fifth year of training and preparation. If any country in the world can run a safe and clean Olympics, Japan is it. Seriously, you can eat sushi off the sidewalk. Almost. So, I am all for sending vaccinated athletes to a socially distanced Olympics, for no other reason than to provide a payoff to the athletes for years of preparation. 

I think you may be confusing Japan for Singapore the country which frowns on chewing gum and littering.

 

Besides the only thing to look forward to from a Canadian interest standpoint was the men's national team qualifying finally and having actual NBA players play for the team willingly instead of opting out.

 

Andre de Grasse has fallen off since the last Olympics in the men's 100 meters.

 

Other than Penny Olesiak in the women's pool. Canada doesn't have many high profile medal hopefuls.

 

I hope they cancel the Olympics. The only event that maybe makes sense is Euro 2020 since they can slightly better isolate the continent if the situation improves.

[RUPERTKBD]

On 4/15/2021 at 5:55 PM, Ghostsof1915 said:

I'm just thinking of the athletes health. And the crowds if any. I'm surprised usually rugby players are quality people. 

Like the joke from a Welsh Rugby player. 

 

Rugby players are gentlemen playing a hooligans game. 

Football (Soccer players) are hooligans playing a gentleman's game. :D

As a lifelong hockey player who has had several run-ins with officials (and a ref who's been on the other side) Rugby players have always kind of amazed me....

 

You'll see a guy get his hand stomped on in a scrum and he'll go up to the ref and say "Excuse me sir, can you put these fingers back in their sockets for me? Oh and by the way, number 7 on the other squad just had himself a bit of a go...."

[RUPERTKBD]

On 4/16/2021 at 10:00 AM, ChuckNORRIS4Cup said:

Canada is calling that a uniform....

 

"Last year we played like clowns.....this year they're dressing us like clowns".....

 

Unnamed Canuck player (as quoted by Jack McIlhargey) after the unveiling of the "Flying V" jersey.

[Junkyard Dog]

Thoughts on New Zeland’s Laurel Hubbard to become first trans-athlete to compete in the Olympics this year?

 

 

 

 

Having transitioned in her 30s in 2012, the 43 year old will be competing in weightlifting. 
 

Prior to her transition she set junior records for weightlifting in New Zealand in 1998 that were eventually surpassed by David Liti. 
 

At the 2017 Australian International & Australian Open in Melbourne, she competed at the heaviest 90 kg+ category, winning the gold medal with a 123 kg snatch and 145 kg clean & jerk, for a total of 268 kg at a bodyweight of 131.83 kg. She thus became the first trans woman to win an international weightlifting title for New Zealand. Although Hubbard met eligibility requirements to compete, her win sparked controversy, with some other competitors claiming the competition was unfair. Athletes that were critical of the decision to allow Hubbard to compete include Iuniarra Sipaia, Toafitu Perive, Deborah Acason and Tracey Lambrechs. Australian Weightlifting Federation's chief executive, Michael Keelan, said it was unfair to other competitors.

 

Hubbard qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but an elbow injury during the competition forced her withdrawal from the event while leading the field.

 

Hubbard won two gold medals at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.[18] The decision to allow Hubbard to compete was subsequently criticised by the Samoa 2019 chairman, Loau Solamalemalo Keneti Sio, and Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi.

 

In 2020 she won the gold medal in the women's +87 kg event at the Roma 2020 World Cup in Rome, Italy.

 

On 21 June 2021, the New Zealand Olympic Committee confirmed that Hubbard had been selected for the New Zealand Olympic team to compete in the women's 87-kilogram category. This decision resulted in Hubbard becoming the first openly transgender athlete to be selected for the Olympic Games.

 

The decision attracted controversy, with Belgian weightlifter Anna Van Bellinghen claiming that allowing a transgender woman to compete in the women's event was unfair and that the situation was "like a bad joke". The selection was also criticised by the former New Zealand representative athlete Tracey Lambrechs. Australian competitor Charisma Amoe-Tarrant supported Hubbard's participation.

 

 

 

Safe to say there’s gonna be a $&!# storm of controversy. 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Junkyard Dog

[UnkNuk]

3 hours ago, Junkyard Dog said:

 

 Although Hubbard met eligibility requirements to compete, her win sparked controversy, with some other competitors claiming the competition was unfair. Athletes that were critical of the decision to allow Hubbard to compete include Iuniarra Sipaia, Toafitu Perive, Deborah Acason and Tracey Lambrechs. Australian Weightlifting Federation's chief executive, Michael Keelan, said it was unfair to other competitors.

 

 

On this issue I'm interested in what biological female athletes think.  They are the ones who are going to lose out if transwomen have an advantage.

 

I'd like to hear from more female athletes, female athletic associations etc.

 

If the majority of them are ok with it, then transwomen should be allowed to compete.  If the majority are against it, transwomen should not be allowed to compete.

[Van40]

6 hours ago, Junkyard Dog said:

Thoughts on New Zeland’s Laurel Hubbard to become first trans-athlete to compete in the Olympics this year?

 

 

 

 

Having transitioned in her 30s in 2012, the 43 year old will be competing in weightlifting. 
 

Prior to her transition she set junior records for weightlifting in New Zealand in 1998 that were eventually surpassed by David Liti. 
 

At the 2017 Australian International & Australian Open in Melbourne, she competed at the heaviest 90 kg+ category, winning the gold medal with a 123 kg snatch and 145 kg clean & jerk, for a total of 268 kg at a bodyweight of 131.83 kg. She thus became the first trans woman to win an international weightlifting title for New Zealand. Although Hubbard met eligibility requirements to compete, her win sparked controversy, with some other competitors claiming the competition was unfair. Athletes that were critical of the decision to allow Hubbard to compete include Iuniarra Sipaia, Toafitu Perive, Deborah Acason and Tracey Lambrechs. Australian Weightlifting Federation's chief executive, Michael Keelan, said it was unfair to other competitors.

 

Hubbard qualified for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but an elbow injury during the competition forced her withdrawal from the event while leading the field.

 

Hubbard won two gold medals at the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa.[18] The decision to allow Hubbard to compete was subsequently criticised by the Samoa 2019 chairman, Loau Solamalemalo Keneti Sio, and Samoa's Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi.

 

In 2020 she won the gold medal in the women's +87 kg event at the Roma 2020 World Cup in Rome, Italy.

 

On 21 June 2021, the New Zealand Olympic Committee confirmed that Hubbard had been selected for the New Zealand Olympic team to compete in the women's 87-kilogram category. This decision resulted in Hubbard becoming the first openly transgender athlete to be selected for the Olympic Games.

 

The decision attracted controversy, with Belgian weightlifter Anna Van Bellinghen claiming that allowing a transgender woman to compete in the women's event was unfair and that the situation was "like a bad joke". The selection was also criticised by the former New Zealand representative athlete Tracey Lambrechs. Australian competitor Charisma Amoe-Tarrant supported Hubbard's participation.

 

 

 

Safe to say there’s gonna be a $&!# storm of controversy. 

It's ridiculous. Maybe create a Trans division or something cause it's not fair. Even though Hubbard transitioned, her physical advantages, clearly still exist. 

[Gurn]

Canadian wWomen's soccer team picked, with some new blood introduced, and a few all time greats going as alternates.

Father Time is still undefeated:

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/soccer/tears-flow-as-canadian-olympic-soccer-team-announcement-comes-with-good-and-bad-news/ar-AALmdNt?ocid=msedgntp

 

Goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan wept when she heard from coach Bev Priestman that she was on Canada's 18-woman Olympic roster.

 

She got the news on the NJ/NY Gotham FC team bus in a phone conversation filmed by teammates. They started celebrating when an emotional Sheridan raised her arm in triumph mid-call.

"These are good tears," Sheridan told Priestman. "Good tears."

The 25-year-old Sheridan had been on the other end of such a call. In 2016, she was told she was not on the main Rio roster but was one of the four alternates in case of injury.

This time round she had to battle back from surgery after going down in the seventh minute of a game against the U.S. at the SheBelieves Cup in February. The injury came on an innocuous-looking pass to defender Vanessa Gilles. An MRI later revealed that she had torn one of her quad muscles off the bone with about a four-centimetre retraction.

Sheridan underwent surgery March 1 to repair her right quad. Some 115 days and a lot of hard rehab later, her trip to Tokyo was confirmed.

Adriana Leon's comeback was also rewarded. The 28-year-old West Ham forward underwent surgery March 12 after suffering a fracture in the fifth metatarsal — the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the little toe — of her left foot in the SheBelieves Cup.

"They were over the moon," Priestman said of the reaction when she told both they had made it. "There were tears."

Priestman said selecting the 18-player roster, plus four alternates, was the most difficult decision of her career.

"Which is a credit to all of the players," she said in an interview. "Some really difficult decisions, but felt at the end of the five days after coming home (from camp in Spain), I did everything I could to watch footage, statistics. Everything you could as a coach to show respect to all of the players.

"I did that and then I also just followed my gut. You could say I made some brave decisions but if I'm asking the players to be brave, I felt I needed to do the same to pick a team that I felt could go on and change the colour of the medal."

Canada won back-to-back bronze medals at the London and Rio Olympics under John Herdman, who is now in charge of the men's program. Priestman, a former Canada Soccer youth and senior assistant coach, succeeded Kenneth Heiner-Moller as coach in October.

Captain Christine Sinclair will lead the eighth-ranked Canadians at her fourth Olympics. The 38-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., Canada’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremonies in 2012 at London, looks to add to her world-record 186 goals in 299 international appearances.

The roster includes 12 veterans of the Rio Olympic squad: Sinclair, Janine Beckie, Kadeisha Buchanan, Allysha Chapman, Jessie Fleming, Stephanie Labbe, Ashley Lawrence, Nichelle Prince, Quinn (who goes by one name), Deanne Rose, Desiree Scott and Shelina Zadorsky.

Leon, Gilles, Jayde Riviere, Julia Grosso and Evelyne Viens will be making their Olympic debuts.

Riviere, Grosso and Leon were members of the 2019 World Cup squad in France. The 25-year-old Gilles (six caps) and 24-year-old Viens (seven caps) have impressed under the 35-year-old Priestman.

"What I was determined to do when I came in was to give players who were performing on form a chance and I think those two players really stepped up to the mark," Priestman said of Gilles and Viens.

"Vanessa really stepped in at a time when we really needed her. And will continue to do so," she added, referencing Gilles filling in for Buchanan when she was unavailable for two camps earlier this year. "And Evelyne scores goals. and that's why she's in the squad."

Veteran midfielder Diana Matheson (206 caps) was ruled out due to a nagging foot injury.

Veteran midfielder Sophie Schmidt (205 caps) and goalkeeper Erin McLeod (118 caps) were named as alternates along with 22-year-old fullback Gabrielle Carle (25 caps) and 20-year-old forward Jordyn Huitema (37 caps). All but McLeod, who was recovering from injury, were part of Canada's World Cup roster.

They will travel and train with the team. Carle was also an alternate in Rio.

Priestman said Schmidt was "absolutely devastated as you can imagine." But also ready to help however she can.

"Listen, that was probably the biggest call of my career." said Priestman. "I dreaded making that call to Sophie. Sophie. I can't underestimate the history that Sophie's got. And I think (she) will be an unbelievable alternate. But it was a massive call to make, a difficult one at that.

"I think Sophie will bring a level of experience and calmness to the group. And if Sophie has to come in, you've got someone who can absolutely step in. For that call, it was based on the blend in the midfield and not taking the same type of players. And unfortunately that meant Sophie just missed out."

Schmidt, who turns 33 on June 28, played at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 World Cups.

Priestman said history has shown the alternates may well see action.

"I needed to pick a group of alternates (that), one, I could trust to go on the pitch. Two, who had either had great experience or (were) a big a part of the future. And the last but probably the most important is their character as to represent the values that the group needs to get us on the podium, whether they make the pitch or not."

Fifteen of the 22 players in the full squad have 50 caps or more with the full roster totalling 1,755 caps, for an average of 80. Nine play their club football in the NWSL, nine in Europe and four in the NCAA.

Priestman's roster has combined for 324 international goals, with Sinclair accounting for 57 per cent of them. 

Canada opens its Olympic campaign July 21 against No. 11 Japan before continuing Group E play against No. 37 Chile on July 24 and Britain on July 27. Britain, unranked by FIFA, draws on players from No. 6 England, No. 23 Scotland, No. 32 Wales and No. 48 Northern Ireland.

The first two games are in Sapporo with the Britain match in Kashima. Eight teams will progress from the 12-country round-robin to the knockout stage.

Unlike the World Cup, where a 23-woman roster including three goalkeepers is allowed, the Olympics only allows an 18-person squad with two 'keepers.

That means versatility is a prized asset with players like Beckie, Lawrence and Quinn among those able to play multiple positions. 

Priestman's 18 includes four midfielders and six forwards. But she notes that Beckie and Leon could play as attacking midfielders, while Lawrence can shift to midfield from fullback and Fleming could take up a more defensive midfield role if needed.

Priestman said while it may look like a "bare-minimum sort of midfield," such player versatility allowed her to pick the best 18 players.

Canada is 3-2-2 under Priestman, who did not get hands-on time with her team until January due to the pandemic.

Her team lost to the top-ranked U.S. (1-0) and No. 7 Brazil (2-0) and beat No. 35 Argentina (1-0) at the SheBelieves Cup in February. It then posted away wins over No. 32 Wales (3-0) and No. 6 England (2-0) in March before playing the Czech Republic and Brazil to scoreless draws in Spain earlier this month.

The Canadian women qualified for Tokyo by finishing runner-up to the U.S. at the 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Texas and California in early 2020.

Canada is one of just five countries to have qualified for the last four Olympic women's football tournaments. In Rio, the Canadian women became the first Canadian Olympic team to win back-to-back medals at a Summer Games in more than a century.

The Canadian women leave Monday for a camp in Los Angeles before flying to Japan, where they will play a warmup match behind closed doors against an as-yet unidentified team. The squad will then head to Sapporo for its first match.

The players will stay near their match locations in Japan, checking into the Athletes Village if they make it deep into the knockout round.

CANADA ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Stephanie Labbe, FC Rosengard (Sweden); Kailen Sheridan, NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL).

Centre Backs: Kadeisha Buchanan, Olympique Lyonnais (France); Vanessa Gilles, FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France); Shelina Zadorsky, Tottenham (England).

Fullbacks: Allysha Chapman, Houston Dash (NWSL); Ashley Lawrence, Paris Saint-Germain (France); Jayde Riviere, University of Michigan (NCAA).

Midfielders: Jessie Fleming, Chelsea (England); Julia Grosso, University of Texas at Austin (NCAA); Quinn, OL Reign (NWSL); Desiree Scott, Kansas City (NWSL).

Forwards: Janine Beckie, Manchester City (England); Adriana Leon, West Ham (England); Nichelle Prince, Houston Dash (NWSL); Deanne Rose, University of Florida (NCAA); Christine Sinclair, Portland Thorns (NWSL); Evelyne Viens, NJ/NY Gotham FC (NWSL).

Alternates

Erin McLeod, Orlando Pride (NWSL); Gabrielle Carle, Florida State University (NCAA); Sophie Schmidt, Houston Dash (NWSL); Jordyn Huitema, Paris Saint-Germain (France).

 ---

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2021

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

 

 

[Ilunga]

On 6/23/2021 at 2:24 PM, UnkNuk said:

On this issue I'm interested in what biological female athletes think.  They are the ones who are going to lose out if transwomen have an advantage.

 

I'd like to hear from more female athletes, female athletic associations etc.

 

If the majority of them are ok with it, then transwomen should be allowed to compete.  If the majority are against it, transwomen should not be allowed to compete.

Here ya go 

 The Aussie is fine with it.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/22/trans-weightlifter-laurel-hubbard-backed-by-australian-rival-and-new-zealand-pm 

 

 

 

 

[RUPERTKBD]

On 4/16/2021 at 9:44 AM, SNuck said:

Yup:

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/olympics-tokyo-poll-1.5868321

I read somewhere that Tokyo can't unilaterally cancel the Olympics....contracts are signed and if the story has it right, the IOC holds all of the power (as usual) and is the only entity that can make the cancellation call....

[UnkNuk]

12 hours ago, Ilunga said:

Here ya go 

 The Aussie is fine with it.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/22/trans-weightlifter-laurel-hubbard-backed-by-australian-rival-and-new-zealand-pm 

 

 

 

 

On the other hand, from the article:

 

Quote

Save Women’s Sport Australasia, a group opposed to transgender women competing in women’s sports, said Hubbard’s selection was allowed by “flawed policy from the IOC”, while Australian Deborah Lovely Acason, who competed against Hubbard in the same weight class at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, this year wrote she believed her inclusion risked driving girls away from the sport.

In any event, we're not going to get a unanimous opinion on this topic, so the opinions of one or two individual female athletes is neither here nor there.  But I'd still like to hear from a large, representative sample of biological females and follow the lead of the majority.

[Ilunga]

4 hours ago, UnkNuk said:

On the other hand, from the article:

 

In any event, we're not going to get a unanimous opinion on this topic, so the opinions of one or two individual female athletes is neither here nor there.  But I'd still like to hear from a large, representative sample of biological females and follow the lead of the majority.

I to have mixed feelings on this.

While my heart says treat others the way you want to be treated,this is compitition and it should be fair to all participants.

[alt kilgore]

 

 

WOO HOO!

[RUPERTKBD]

Just read that an American sprinter has received a ban for testing positive for Marijuana....

 

Why are the Olympics so hard on weed? It's certainly isn't performance enhancing, unless your definition of "performance" is the ability to lie on the couch and polish off an entire bag of Doritos....

[RUPERTKBD]

On 6/29/2021 at 9:32 PM, 6of1_halfdozenofother said:

C'mon, Team Canada - kick China's ass all over the court!  Do it for the 2Mikes!  

Mission accomplished there. Now they face a couple of must wins in order to qualify. First up, the Czechs in the semis and the winner of Turkey - Greece if they make it to the finals.

[Mackcanuck]

[UnkNuk]

Nope.  Still not crazy about it.

 

 

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