Wednesday, August 24, 2016

The Rio Olympics

The 2016 Summer Olympics have come to an end.

International Olympic Committee


Back in 2009, when it was announced that the 2016 Olympics was going to be held in Rio De Janeiro, the announcement was symbolic for many reasons. It would be the first Olympics held in South America. The announcement was a symbol that Brazil was becoming a new economic power. Millions were rising out of poverty, foreign investments were increasing, and world institutions were trusting Brazil to be capable host of not only the Olympics but also the 2014 World Cup.

However, since the announcement,  Brazil's economy has declined, and people were angry that much of the taxpayer's money were being to used to build sports facilities instead of schools and hospitals.  Lower-income people were forced out of their homes to make room for more Olympic facilities, breeding more anger among Brazil's general population.

1) Crime


Brazil has long held a reputation for crime, especially in the favelas (lower-income neighborhoods), but the luxurious & tourist areas weren't immune either. 


And yes, some incidents did occur. Even athletes in the combat sports weren't immune, as Belgian judo medalist  Dirk Van Tichelt learned the hard way when he was attacked on the beach.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/judo-medalist-beat-up-while-celebrating-on-copacabana-beach-234727753.html

 

But then a bigger celebrity said he got robbed at gunpoint. That would be US swimmer Ryan Lochte, who said him and 3 team-mates were robbed at gunpoint by people pretending to be police officers. 

But it turns out that Lochte and his teammates were vandalizing a gas station restroom, and an armed security guard stopped them. 

So in other words, Lochte was covering up for his own mistakes. 

 That gave Ryan Lochte an image of the "Ugly American with white privilege".

Just one example of commentary on how Ryan Lochte gave US tourists a bad reputation in many foreign countries.                                                                                                         https://www.thenation.com/article/ryan-lochte-is-one-of-many-privileged-first-world-tourists-and-brazilians-are-fed-up/

 

The interesting thing about using the term "white privilege" on Ryan Lochte was that even though Lochte looks like your typical white blonde Anglo, his mother is Cuban-American. As happens with many mixed-race people, their heritage gets ignored by the general public that focuses on physical looks over personal background.

 Learn more at http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2016/08/19/490629815/roundup-smart-thoughts-on-ryan-lochte-and-white-privilege

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Not only was Lochte's ethnic background was mistaken, so was his age.

Rio Olympics spokesperson said about  Lochte and his teammates.

Let’s give these kids a break. Sometimes you take actions that you later regret.

Ryan Lochte is NOT some young adult fresh out of high school. He is 32 years old! He had a decade to get his act together and act like a mature adult.  His age, experience & fame should've made him a better leader when hanging out with teammates who are only a few years done with high school.

Learn more at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-lochte-rio-robbery-child_us_57b5f38be4b00d9c3a160917
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/08/18/meet-the-three-swimmers-ryan-lochte-left-behind-in-brazil/ 


2) International relationships &  sportsmanship


The Olympics is supposed to be about having athletes from all over the world come together to compete and make connections across cultural lines.  That means while the athletes compete hard, when the games are done, they come together in brotherhood & sisterhood.

 A great symbol of that was when the gymnasts from South Korea and North Korea  came together for a selfie.

Reuters
Hong Un-jong (North Korea) and Lee Eun-ju  (South Korea)  



It goes to show that even athletes from countries with missles pointed at each other can come together in peace & harmony.
Meanwhile, in judo, the opposite happened.

 Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty back in 1979 (37 years ago), yet some people still can't let go of their armed rivalries.

 After a judo match Egyptain judoka  Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with Israel’s Or Sasson.


Associated Press
Or Sasson (Israel) offer handshake, Islam El Shehaby (Egypt) refused!



It doesn't matter if you don't like the policies promoted by your opponent's country, the Olympics is supposed to be about putting all politics and tribal rivalries aside.


 3) Don't hate the player, hate the rules of the game


Athletes will do whatever they can within the rules to beat their opponent. Even if it goes against the values of the opponent or the audience.

US soccer player Hope Solo was angry that Sweden's team used stall tactics to slow down the game.  Solo view those stall tactics as cowardice. But the team didn't violate the rules, nor did they write the rules. Plus, Hope Solo missed a few block in penalty kick time.

It's like basketball in the past.  Fans got bored of the stall tactics, so the rules were changed so that now the team on offense have a limited amount of time to score, forcing the teams to hurry up and make the game exciting. 

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And then there's track & field. 

For the women's 400 meter, Shaunae Miller (Bahamas) was in the lead, and Allyson Felix (USA) was catching up when approaching the finish line. Not to be outdone, Miller dived across the finish line, making her the winner.

Many people didn't like seeing track runners dive across the finish line. Fans are accustomed to seeing  American football players dive into the endzone, as well as baseball/softball players dive onto homeplate to score points. But to dive across the finish line in track?

There are no rules against diving across the finish line. The only way to stop that is rewrite the rules so that feet that crosses the line first win, instead of the runner's torso.



4)  Race & genetic ability


 For a long time, it was assumed that European-descendants are better at swimming, African-descendants are better at running.   The stereotypes are reflected in the majority of those who win at such events. But humans are not an algorithm of averages, but individuals with their own abilities, interests, work ethic, and circumstances.

The large number of African-American and Jamaican winners in track have given much to the stereotypes that "black people run the fastest" or that "slavery made their descendants stronger and more athletic".

But Brazil has a larger population of African-descendants than the USA or Jamaica, but not much winners in track!

An article on how Jamaica develops its track athletes


 Also, if Usain Bolt was born in the southern US states, he might've been playing American Football as a receiver or a tight end. Or if he was from the large urban areas in the northern US, he might've played basketball.  Or he could be in either situation  and think "I'd rather run without worrying about being tackled or fouled!"  We can only guess! 

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Swimming is a more sensitive situation, in that not only do European-descendants long dominated the swimming events, there is a stigma & a stereotype about African-Americans & swimming.  Their drowning rates are the highest of all racial groups in the US! Also, for a long time, the swimming pools in the US were segregated, and most were in Euro-descendant communities. When the civil rights movement was going on, African-Americans who entered segregated swimming pools were attacked, and in a few cases, acid was thrown in the pool.

Interest  in sports have long been inherited within families. If the families had no tradition of swimming, chances are high that the children just aren't going to learn to swim.

Which is why gold medal victory for Simone Manuel has been so symbolic. She is the first African-American woman to win gold medal in swimming.

Associated Press
Simone Manuel


Whereas people long predicted Tiger Woods and Serena Williams could inspire African-Americans to play sports long associated with Euro-descendants, Simone Manuel's victory could have an even bigger impact in that learning her sport can save the lives of many! 
Learn more at

 But it's not just Simone Manuel succeeding in water sports. There was also Ashleigh Johnson, the water polo goalie for Team USA! The team also won gold!

Getty Images
Ashleigh Johnson blocks a goal!


Johnson was a competitive swimmer in high school, but got bored of it, and preferred the rough & tumble of water polo.


5.) Sexual orientation & trolling

  
Blogger Nico Hines did an experiment with gay-dating app Grindr while at the Olympic village. He bragged about interacting with allegedly gay athletes. Though he didn't mention names, he did mention the athlete's country & sport, giving people a chance to guess who it was he was talking about.

This caused major panic, especially since some of the countries identified are places where laws & social customs encourage homophobic violence.

Tongan swimmer Amini Fonua had the best responses to this controversy.



Fonua should win the gold medal in the best classic tweets related to Olympic controversies!


6.) Gold medal and pro titles 


USA basketball player DeAndre Jordan mentioned that winning an Olympic gold medal would have more meaning that winning an NBA championship!

 This caused some outrage among NBA fans, as well as taunts about DeAndre Jordan being an LA Clipper.

 

I saw DeAndre Jordan is right! When you play for an NBA team, you're just representing one city. When you win, the rest of the country is mad your team win while theirs didn't.

But when you play for the USA, you represent the entire country. When you win, the whole country is happy, not just one small dot in the USA map. 

 

That also brings up Carmelo Anthony, a player who has long been ridiculed for not winning an NBA championship.  But even if he ends his career without an NBA championship, he already has a great legacy with winning 3 Olympic championships!  3 times, he was the star player in the world stage. 3 times he shined in front of a worldwide audience. 

 It also shows what Carmelo Anthony could do with a better supporting cast and a better coaching staff! 


Learn more at http://www.espn.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/17361621/carmelo-anthony-retires-international-basketball-winning-third-straight-olympic-gold

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 As for basketball in general, both the USA's mens & women's teams have been dominant, winning by huge margins.

While basketball is a global game, USA just dominates. Time for the rest of the world to step their game up!



7.) TV ratings


TV ratings for the Olympics have declined this year.  There is talk that the millenials are losing interest in the Olympics, and sports in general.

I actually the millennials are losing interest in watching  TV!

I already mentioned that in an earlier blog post
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2013/07/cars-and-tvs.html


Nowadays, people don't watch live TV, they just wait until they can read about it on social media or watch clips on YouTube.

My TV isn't even working, but I did watch many short clips from NBC Sports on YouTube! And there was sure was a lot of sharing of clips & articles about the Olympics on facebook!



8) Other notes

I'm happy to see rugby back in the Olympics.  Rugby looks more exciting than American football (which I do watch, especially for the UH team!) Rugby also has an international audience.

Rugby also gave the smaller Pacific island nations a chance to shine, as Fiji's men's team won the gold!

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This might be the last time Micheal Phelps and Usain Bolt bless the audience with their greatness. They say they're retiring. But with them, you never know!

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Simone Biles is the  major star of this Olympics in the tradition of Mary Lou Retton, Dominque Dawes and other great US gymnasts.  While Gabrielle Douglas was the star of 2012, she struggled this year.  Biles, Douglas and Laurie Hernandez all symbolize the greater diversity in what was long seen to be the "white girl sport".

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Who said Olympic wrestling isn't as interesting as professional "wrestling"?

There's many interesting things going on in Olympic wrestling

Olympic wrestling has its version of Mike Tyson,  Ukraine's Andriy Kvyatkovskyy!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZEfwcjBquU



The sport also has coaches/managers that are suited to the professional "wrestling", as these coaches from Mongolia can show you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-kFg86S6ww


 Japanese wrestler body slams her coach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MueM8qpd3qM


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Olympic fame doesn't just come with winning but also speaking "outside of the box", as Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui spoke in very interesting interviews

expressing surprise for winning a bronze medal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7MdF06KvHU


(about her period affecting athletic performance)
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/08/17/490121285/a-swimmers-period-comment-breaks-taboos-in-sports-and-in-china

 More funny moments
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn0nPGfH1HI

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Tongan taekwondo fighter Pita Taufatofua has gone viral, not for his fighting skills (he lost in the first round) but for his shirtless entrance in the Olympic ceremony.

As I watched the clip from the Today Show, as the female reporters rubbed oil on him, I wonder what would be the reaction if a male reporter even dared to ask a female athlete to rub oil on her.
http://www.today.com/news/pita-taufatofua-flag-bearer-tonga-shines-today-show-t101587


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Donald Trump is a man with big bold opinions. But not much expressed about the Olympics.

Why?

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/08/donald-trump-olympics-twitter-214176

You’d think Donald Trump would love the Olympics: The flag-waving pageantry, the pure, unbridled patriotism—and, my god, the winning. So much winning you almost get tired of the winning.

But actually, Trump doesn’t seem to be interested in the Olympics at all: As Team USA shatters world records and scores win after historic win, Trump’s Twitter account, his favored megaphone, has been virtually mum. Since the one awkwardly worded meme he blasted out to his feed on August 5, with his own photo in front of an American flag, Trump has tweeted about the Olympics exactly zero times. He’s attacked the media, retweeted compliments to Donald Trump, pumped up his rallies. Not a word about the events that people are tuning into every night.
and more
From the start of the opening ceremonies, the Olympics felt almost like a direct rebuke to Trump. As the 555 members of Team USA entered Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic stadium for the opening ceremonies, on an international stage before a television audience of nearly 30 million U.S. households, right up front walked fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad of Maplewood, New Jersey—the first Muslim-American Olympian to compete wearing a hijab. As a group, the athletes embodied an America utterly at odds with the one Trump’s campaign portrays on a daily basis: There was 19-year-old Mexican-American boxer Carlos Balderas of Santa Maria, California, the first in his family born in the United States, destined for the quarterfinals; there was U.S. Army Sergeant Hillary Bor, a Kenyan-born American who was poised to run the 3,000-meter steeplechase while his brother is serving our country in Afghanistan.

Trump even appeared as a subtext in athletes’ comments. “This is the America that I know and I love,” Ibtihaj Muhammad told CNN after winning a bronze medal and hugging her teammates as part of the U.S. sabre team. “The America that is inclusive, that is accepting and encompasses people from all walks of life.”

This America also wins, a lot. At press time, the United States sits far atop the Olympic medal leaderboard. We’re beating China. We’re torching the Russians. In the first 10 days of the Olympics, an American stood on the podium 84 times. Twenty-eight of those times, American Olympians stood at the very top, watching the flag rise, through tears, as "The Star-Spangled Banner" played on. For a candidate who tells us we “never win anymore,” “we don’t have a country anymore,” these soaring, transcendent images do more than evoke American pride—they also chip away, directly, at his campaign claims.


9) The Future of the Olympics


The next Summer Olympics (2020) will be in Tokyo.


However, many cities are no longer willing to host the Olympics. People are getting tired of taxpayer's money being used for athletic facilities that won't be used after the Olympics are over. People are also getting tired of forced relocations and heavy security that comes with the Olympics.

Some say that the Olympics should be just be in one place, to reduce the trouble that comes with cities doing extreme make-overs just for a once-in-a-lifetime event that only last 2 weeks. 

An example of those feelings was this article stating that the Olympics should have a permanent home in Greece, instead of moving around every 4 year.s
http://www.salon.com/2016/08/23/enough-with-the-world-tour-bring-the-summer-olympics-back-home-to-greece/?source=newsletter

However, places like Africa, Middle East, and India (country with a billion people) still haven't hosted an Olympics. Some might say those places have more important things to worry about.

But we already had a World Cup in South Africa, and I think Cape Town could be a great host for a future Olympics. 

For the Middle East, Qatar is on track to host a World Cup in 2022. Maybe Dubai can host an Olympics, though people might be hesitant to host the games in 100 degree weather). 

As for India, it is a rising power with a strong technology industry.  However, even though the country's middle class is rising, it may take a while for the roads to rise to First World standards.  But I still don't see why the world's 2nd most populated country shouldn't host a worldwide event like the Olympics.

India still doesn't have enough athletes winning Olympic medals, as compared to much smaller countries like Cuba, Jamaica or South Korea. Maybe they should add cricket to the Olympic games, to give India a greater chance to win more medals.

 
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