Paris Olympics

[pxr5]

Maybe everyone who got a medal will end up with a gold one:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cp35nzpe588o

[Slim]

Oh dear. Tarnished, eh? Beautiful metaphor for France's substandard Olympics.

[Thenop]

Maybe everyone who got a medal will end up with a gold one:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/articles/cp35nzpe588o

The medals were designed by French luxury jeweller Chaumet and are set with a piece of iron taken from the Eiffel Tower during renovation in the 20th Century.

The idea is very cool, no word on where they were actually fabricated though..

[dom]

Oh dear. Tarnished, eh? Beautiful metaphor for France's substandard Olympics.

Nonsense! They were a brilliant games, and these comments are the only things tarnishing them.

[Slim]

I'm sure I'd do my best to put a brave face on it as well, but - events delayed due to pollution in the Seine, an embarrassing opening ceremony, women's boxing gold medals being won by people who are more or less men and had failed IBA gender tests. The shallow, substandard swimming pool. Athletes complaining of discomfort from the cheapo cadboard beds they were made to put up with, and the poor food they were offered. A child rapist competing in one of the events. The French railway system collapsing on the eve of the Games. Breakdancing masquerading as an Olympic event. Demonstrably incompetent or possibly deliberately unfair officiating.

And now it seems that crappy medals have been handed out.

These were a poor Games and I suspect the authorities will think twice before permitting France to host a Games again.

[Nickslikk2112]

Don't kid yourself. A UK audience would have done exactly the same had one of their own appeared to have been cheated against

No they wouldn't because Brits are bastions of fair play and decency - away from Soccerball. Most Brits wouldn't know Pidcock from a Piddock.

I spent half my working life working for a French owned company. It has left deep psychological scars, if you worked in accounts you'd understand. There's much more room for Liberté in UK accounting.

In the next job I had, funnily enough we had one salesman in France and when I first saw the accounts he sent over I had severe flashbacks with the common chart of accounts being used. I mentioned this to my boss and he began a fifteen minute tirade about how BONKERS the French system was, he was not too impressed by American accounting either when we got taken over by a US firm - if you think I'm bad...

Hopefully we can now be free from hearing the moronic "Allez les Bleus" chant, or "Errrr, Urr, UH" as ot sounds to me. And all being well in 2028 the time difference will spare me hearing the moronic "YES-ESS-AY".

[Nickslikk2112]

These were a poor Games and I suspect the authorities will think twice before permitting France to host a Games again.

The IOC will give the games to wherever offers the most money. It's about commerce not sport, at the games you have to have the right Credit Card to pay, drink one choice of beer, have one choice of soft drink, eat branded processed pap.

The head of the IOC steps down in 2025, the best that can be hoped is that Seb Coe gets the job. But will probably go to the French man who gives the best backhander.

It always made me chuckle that Gary Verity who brought the Tour de France to Yorkshire and set up the Tour de Yorkshire lost his job at Welcome to Yorkshire for alleged Expense fiddling, yet Christian Prudhomme boss of the Tour de France under whose auspices the Tour de Yorkshire was run, probably sits on a mountain of ill-gotten Euro notes gained from the burghers of TdF Start/Finish towns whilst stroking a white cat.

[pxr5]

It was reported on the BBC that Great Britain, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden are the only countries that do not pay their athletes for winning medals at the Olympics. See, we do it for the prestige 

[Thenop]

The head of the IOC steps down in 2025, the best that can be hoped is that Seb Coe gets the job. But will probably go to the French man who gives the best backhander.

The whole reason he still sits there is because no one has expressed any interest in taking on the job. And I would not envy the person that does. You can never do the right thing, willingly or not. 2028 LA, 2032 Brisbane and most likely 2036 will be Qatar. No one in their right mind would want to chair that, especially the latter.

Anyway, the next person to chair will not come from Europe I suspect. There have only ever been Europeans as chairs in the modern Games' history.

[dom]

I'm sure I'd do my best to put a brave face on it as well, but - events delayed due to pollution in the Seine,

In hindsight this was an error, it was an ambitious plan that didn't work out. Still from a legacy perspective it will be a huge plus for the city and the country

an embarrassing opening ceremony,

I don't think the French were embarrassed by it and it was part if the overall ethos of the games to integrate the city into the games. Beach volleyball played under the Eiffel tower, the spectacular courses that the marathon and road biking courses were run on and so on. They brought the city to the games and the games to the city.

Women's boxing gold medals being won by people who are more or less men and had failed IBA gender tests

Not going to get into that argument as it had nothing to do with the French or the organisation of the games.

The shallow, substandard swimming pool.

15 Olympic records and 5 World records were created in that swimming pool.

Athletes complaining of discomfort from the cheapo cadboard beds they were made to put up with, and the poor food they were offered.

.
I heard lots and lots of competitors praising the games and their experience of it  A couple of moany ones went on about the beds and one or 2 food failures were gleefully seized on by the anti french media over here.

A child rapist competing in one of the events.

Nothing to do with France or the hosting committee

The French railway system collapsing on the eve of the Games.

A terrorist attack that did cause substantial damage but which was corrected very quickly and only caused minimal disruption.

Breakdancing masquerading as an Olympic event.

Bizarre decision that. Breakdancing was at its height 40 years ago I thought?  Anyway the decision to involve it in these games was by the IOC. Nothing to do with France or the organising committee

Demonstrably incompetent or possibly deliberately unfair officiating.

The officials in question were neither French nor appointed by the French

and now it seems that crappy medals have been handed out.

These were a poor Games and I suspect the authorities will think twice before permitting France to host a Games again.

The medals are iconic, each containing metal from the Eiffel Tower.

The Games were a spectacular success and France pulled out all the stops to showcase the City and enhance the Olympic movement. The IOC will be lucky to get as good a host as this again and will be delighted to bring the games back to France

[Slim]

I guess we'll just have to disagree about that, Dom. I doubt the IOC will consider France again for a very long time after these games, and we'll be unfortunate indeed if the Americans don't improve dramatically on what were, in all honesty, a poor Games, for reasons I've already articulated. Not a disaster, but certainly disappointing.

[dom]

You have to at least accept that a number of things you mentioned were completely out of the control of the hosting committee.

It feels that you are starting (a bit like Nick who obviously has issues stemming from his inability to cope with the French accounting system) from an anti French perspective and this is seriously clouding your vision.

I don't think I can say anything to change that.

I, like the vast majority of the World, enjoyed it.

[Slim]

It's true that some of the contributing factors to the overall sense of disappointment were not under the direct control of the French, but some were and I do wonder if some of the unfairness that spoiled the Games for many (and probably resulted in an illegitimate medal table) is ultimately, without spelling it out, due (let's say) to French influence.

I did enjoy the Games but at the same time, I did wish they were a bit better.

[dom]

Yes not brilliant for Great Britain to finish behind France, Netherlands and Australia. Not sure those countries benefited at the expense of the UK in any decisions?

[Thenop]

Yes not brilliant for Great Britain to finish behind France, Netherlands and Australia. Not sure those countries benefited at the expense of the UK in any decisions?

Hoorah, 6th place here.
I enjoyed watching the Games, the ambiance from what I have seen was great.
There is bias everywhere, at all times. But in the end it usually evens out.

What I don't like is the lack of coverage for the Paralympics. At least over here.