[OlympicIRL 4,794]

I am also taking 2 weeks off work to watch the Olympics. I made sure to get that request approved at the start of January . I didn't book the day of the Opening Ceremony but I will probably book it closer to the time when the excitement starts taking over. Not sure what kind of ceremony there is going to be anyway

 

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

I think white shoes would have been better in this case  

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

2 hours ago, Werloc said:

We peaked in 2016, it's all downhill from here

 

 

 

I also liked our uniforms and sportswear from 2016.

 

 

 

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

48 minutes ago, Werloc said:

 

By the way, you're probably thinking to yourself that our rowing star on the left looks pretty handsome in his full piece suit.

 

Plot twist, it's suit shorts.

 

 

Every single famous Lithuanian designer is ripping this to shreds all over every media outlet. It's an absolute shitshow 

 

The red shoes along with the green outfits just crossed a line

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

27 minutes ago, phelps said:

well, today it would have been officially the -2 day, but in practice we could have watched the first Olympic events (Softball and women's Football) of the Tokyo 2020 Games...

 

instead, it's only -367 officially (-365 in practice, that's what really counts to me)...

 

I feel so sad...my heart is broken...I can't even watch old Olympic pictures as usual without a river of tears coming off my eyes, going down my cheeks...  

 

Although I am very sad about the Olympics being postponed and that we would have been getting super hyped up by this point, the main emotion for me is worrying about the fact that the Games may not even go ahead at all next year. It will be really depressing if they are cancelled altogether and we have to wait until 2024. But even sadder for the athletes who will miss the chance to fulfil their lifelong dreams.

 

I am still optimistic that won't happen but definitely as the months pass by I will get more anxious.

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

On 15/07/2020 at 20:32, heywoodu said:

I thought it was in a month or so...I hadn't thought about it for a moment yet  

 

Plus I'm actually happy with it all, since I've started my first actual job in many years last month, it'd be nearly impossible to watch most if even anything of Tokyo 2020 (not gonna ask for two weeks off that soon). Now that it's next year, this should be no problem  

 

I booked 2 weeks off work for the Olympics this year. I planned my holiday time carefully, making sure it coincided with the Olympics and I was really happy after I scheduled the time off, knowing I could watch the whole Games without interruption. Now I have to pray that next year I will be able to do the same thing

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

34 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Really all this proves is that medal counts shouldn't be a big deal. That’s why I rarely bother with reporting on the medal table. I care more about individual moments and competitions, than how high country x ranks on a medal table. Medal tables are fun to look at, but I don’t think they should be taken a seriously as they are.

Medal tables are one of the most interesting parts of the Olympics for me. Yeah probably boring if you are from America because you win hundreds of medals and you practically know where in the table you are gonna finish each time. But for the rest of the smaller nations it really means something when an athlete wins a medal. It’s a great feeling of achievement and the medal table is another aspect of this. And another reason why tables should only be sorted by number of golds won and not total medals because that way smaller nations can climb a bit higher. Fiji with their 1 gold medal beats another medium nation who only wins 3 silvers and 3 bronze. I love that  

 

However, all-time medal tables are indeed boring  

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

@Sindo Rory McIlroy will represent Ireland at the Olympics and not GB. His medal here needs to be attributed to Ireland and not GB.

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

20 minutes ago, hckosice said:

 

we have players (even stars) who dip their stick into the toilet if they can't score for a long time. one our star did it at the Olympics during the intermission. 

 

I really really hope you are talking about ice hockey here....

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

 

Prospects:

 

Boxing  Kellie Harrington is our leading hope in the women's lightweight. Current world champion and finalist at European Games before withdrawing due to injury. Michaela Walsh will be another hopeful and we should have a couple of chances on the men's side too. But we saw what happened in Rio 2016 and we all know how corrupt boxing is so I won't be relying on medals here.

 

Worst case: 0 medals

Prediction: 1 medal

Best case: 3+ medals (one of which could be gold)

 

 

Rowing: Sanita Puspure in the women's single sculls is currently at the top of her event. She is the world and European champion and if she can stay on current form in the next year, she could be looking at a medal or maybe even gold.

The O'Donovan brothers in the men's lightweight double sculls are also the world champions. Their 2019 season is only getting underway as Paul was absent due to medical studies and Gary has been suffering from an injury. However, there is another set of brothers, twins in fact - the McCarthys, and one of those could very well take the seat off Gary in the coming season. As it stands, Ireland has 2 world class crews in this event, both sets of brothers, but who knows who will fill the seats.

The newly formed German crew look to be a force to be reckoned with and the margins in this event are so tight between the leading nations that it's impossible to rely on a medal. So it could be gold, and it could be no medal at all.

 

Worst case: 0 medals

Prediction: 1 medal

Best case: 2 medals (could be 2 golds)

 

Gymnastics: Rhys McClenaghan put Irish gymnastics on the map in 2018 when he twice beat the Olympic champion, Max Whitlock, to win gold at the Commonwealth Games and the European Championships. He was hampered by injury at the worlds which later required surgery and he is well and truly on the road to recovery. He is very ambitious and is piling on the difficulty in his routines in training. He has what it takes to be the best, but honestly, any medal would be a glorious result and a first ever for Ireland in Olympic gynmastics.

 

Worst case: 0 medals

Prediction: 0 medals

Best case: 1 medal (could be gold)

 

 

 

Those sports hold our big chances. However we have decent chances in the following sports:

 

Equestrian: In eventing we won a silver in both the team and individual events at the World Equestrian Games last year. This would be very difficult to replicate and indeed one medal would be an awesome achievement. The possibility is there which is nice. In showjumping if the team qualifies which I actually don't believe they will, then there will be a possibility of a medal, though unlikely. Same for the individual.

 

Worst case: 0 medals

Prediction: 0 medals

Best case: 2 medals (extremely optimistic and highly unlikely)

 

 

Modern Pentathlon: Both Arthur Lanigan-O'Keeffe and Natalya Coyle in the men's and women's events have some chance of making the podium. On their best days they can mix it with the best but a medal for either is still a very tall order.

 

Worst case: 0 medals

Prediction: 0 medals

Best case: 1 medal

 

 

Golf: Rory McIlroy in the men's event will be our big hope. It's golf, so no point whatsoever in trying to predict anything. Who knows who will win the medals to be honest, but very happy we have someone like Rory to go into the battle.

 

Worst case: 0 medals

Prediction: 0 medals

Best case: 1 medal (best case of course would be a gold medal but any medal would be considered among the best results)

 

 

 

The following list are those whose chances are remote so I won't bother going into best or worst case scenarios but there is a tiny, tiny possibility they could surpise us

 

• Thomas Barr (Men's 400m hurdles - 4th at Rio 2016, but this event is as tough as it has ever been and he would need to be at his best-ever form and maybe need for some of the other star names to be off-form or absent... which of course is possible.
• Cycling - Men's Road Race. We always have a small chance in this event and Tokyo 2020 should be no different. No idea of the course but we have a decent sprinter in Sam Bennett and a decent climber in Dan Martin and then we have the up-and-coming Eddie Dunbar. A medal as always is unlikely but we always have a hope. We also have a small chance in the men's madison if they qualify but that medal chance is pretty small to be honest
• Shane Ryan in swimming has been improving in the last couple of years, particularly on the mental side of his game, and it's not beyond all hope he could make it to a 50m free or 100m backstroke final and then who knows. I wouldn't bet on it though.
• Ben Fletcher - judo. Not really sure of his chances to be honest. I don't follow the sport much but I know he is decent at least. But would put him on the marginal side along with the rest of this grouping.

 

 

 

 

So, reading back over my predictions, I would predict 3 medals: 0-2 from boxing and 0-2 from rowing and 0-2 from elsewhere. So that means 0-6 and I will go down the middle and predict 3 medals .

 

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by OlympicIRL

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

For the Irish choice, I would have a few candidates to consider....

 

Natalya Coyle - Modern Pentathlon:

Tokyo 2020 would be her 3rd Olympic Games. She finished in the top 10 on the previous 2 occasions and has been a wonderful servant not only for Irish Modern Pentathlon, but for Irish sport in general. She always has a positive outlook and is always supportive of her team mates across all sports throughout the year.

 

O'Donovan brothers - Rowing:

While it would be hard to choose one over the other to fly the flag, perhaps they could have a joint effort in the Opening Ceremony. The O'Donovans have been a breath of fresh air since breaking onto the scene at the last Olympics and they are loved by the Irish public. They have inspired a new generation of Irish rowers and raised the profile of the sport in the country. Gold medallists at the 2018 World Championships as well as silver at the Olympics in 2016 means they would be totally deserving in every aspect to fly the tricolour.

 

Thomas Barr - Athletics:

4th place at the Rio Olympic Games in the men's 400m Hurdles. A true gent and one of the nice guys of athletics. He makes time for everyone and gives so much back to the sport. He always produces his best when it matters and I would love to see him honoured like this, especially after narrowly missing that Olympic podium in Rio.

 

Ciara Mageean - Athletics:

Another athlete who is one of the most down-to-earth, nice people you could meet, always giving back to the sport. No one loves her country more than Ciara and she exudes this in every interview I have seen her give. She has had more than her fair share of ups and downs over the course of her career and it would be a thoroughly deserving choice if she was given the honour.

 

Rhys McClenaghan - Artistic Gymnastics:

European Champion 2018. Rhys has put Ireland on the map in gymnastics. Never before have we had a world-class gymnast who will be capable of going all the way in the men's pommel in Tokyo. Never one to shy away from competition or the spotlight, would be a really nice touch to see him walk into the stadium, leading the Irish team.

 

Rory McIlroy - Golf:

More the X-Factor choice than anything else. He would generate a lot of attention and maybe help raise the public interest in the Games. Also, he received a lot of criticism for right or for wrong after the last Olympic campaign where he pulled out before the Games and later said he would not be watching much of the Olympics. I guess you can say he has matured a lot but I think this would be a very controversial choice nonetheless. However, it would be inspiring for some of the young athletes in particular to be marching behind on the same team as one of the big sporting icons.

 

Judy Reynolds - Dressage:

Judy has raised the profile of Irish dressage which has been almost non-existant or on the margins for most of our history. Along with Vancouver K, she has put Ireland on the map in dressage, finishing in 4th place at the World Cup Finals in 2017 and would be deserving of the honour of flying the Irish flag in Tokyo.

 

Kellie Harrington - Boxing:
2018 World champion in women's lightweight division. For so many years she has been in the shadow of Ireland's great heroine, Katie Taylor. She is coming into her own at last and as a heroine of the working class Dublin community and demonstrating the potential of sport to change lives, it would be a worthy choice to have Kellie as the flagbearer.

 

 

 

My choice. I am really torn, I would love Natalya to be given the honour as she has been a magnificent servant of Irish sport over the years, not always getting the recognition she deserves, competing in a minor sport such as Modern Pentathlon. However, my pick goes to the young and charismatic gymnast, Rhys McClenaghan. He is our first-ever world-class gymnast and a huge inspiration for the next generation of up and coming Irish gymnasts. And I can imagine the pride in his face when walking into the stadium and I think it would be a really nice moment for someone so young, yet sure of his abilities.

 

 

Edited June 2, 2019 by OlympicIRL

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

 

As the title says, if it were your choice, who would you like to see as your nation's flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It might be the athlete you consider to be your number 1 hope of medal success, an inspiring individual with an interesting story or a long-term servant of the Olympic squad. Maybe even someone who would raise the profile of a minority sport in your nation. So who gets your pick?

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

3 golds and 4 silvers.... very unlikely but it looks pretty on paper at least

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

 

 

Today we mark the 2 years to go milestone until the Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo.

It may seem a long way off in the distance right now but we are now over halfway through the Olympic cycle and the countdown towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is well and truly underway.

Members can post here on the thread to help build momentum as we countdown to the big event. This thread can be used to mark any milestones on the way, right through to the opening of the Olympic village, tracking the arrival of delegations, the raising of our national flags in the Olympic village and so on.

 

 

At some stage in future, possibly the 1 year to go mark, an Olympic Countdown Clock depicting the Olympic rings will be introduced to help us mark off milestones along the way and countdown the remaining days as we edge closer and closer to the Opening Ceremony on the 24th July, 2020.

 

 

So without further ado, let the countdown commence!!

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

Right now my prediction would be zero to be perfectly honest. We have a couple who might contend but for every medal chance, you would want to have 4 or 5 back up chances and right now there isn't. 

Let's see what the next 12-18 months brings but my hopes could not be lower

 

 

Edited March 7, 2018 by OlympicIRL

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

If it came to pass then yes this would be the worst ever change to the Olympics to date. Mixed NOC teams, who cares about that 

So along with urban and youthful they should mention the word mixed, because they like that a LOT!

 

I highly doubt this will happen though.

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

Mixed everything, how wonderful 

 

Well at least we will have a great chance of a medal in the modern pentathlon mixed team event.....oh wait a minute.....

 

Ahh, life is a barrel of laughs. Oh well....

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

2 minutes ago, Agger said:

Insidethegames are expecting 3x3 basketball and BMX freestyle to be approved 

 

More positive is that they also believe that madison will be. 

 

But it should become more clear tomorrow!

 

I hope the madison will be in. I really miss the points race though. Used to be one of my favourite Olympic events across the board.

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

3 minutes ago, intoronto said:

You can only blame the IOC. Off course all federations want new events, and with the IOC wanting gender equal events, you will get these ridiculous events being proposed. What's next mixed team events?

 

Korfball would already be in a good position for inclusion as a mixed gender team event

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

One word.... ridiculous.

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

You could be right

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

The Aussies could have some of their Aussie Rules players on the commentary team or former GAA players like Tadhg Kenneally who made the transfer from Gaelic football to Australian football.

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

3 minutes ago, Mkbw50 said:

Did you hear this hilarious joke I just came up with? The GAA stands for Grab All Association? Bet you've never heard that one before.

 

Is that not what it stands for?

 

 

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

1 hour ago, Mkbw50 said:

Here's a thought... pay the players.
Why not?

 

They should be paid. But to answer the question why not, the same answer applies... the GAA doesn't embrace change.

Edited October 17, 2016 by OlympicIRL

[OlympicIRL 4,794]

1 hour ago, Mkbw50 said:

Yeah. But GAA Handball is on a bit of a downer at the moment. It's certainly not as big as it once was.

I mean, the GAA has got their finger out of their ass slightly when promoting it worldwide, instead of just Ireland and a small corner of the UK. Four of the lads on the London GAA team were actually born in London. Progress! Also there's the GAA World Games every year now, which first took place in 2015 in Abu Dhabi, but this year it was actually in Croker. Gaelic football has grown a bit in France too, and is not governed by the GAA, but a local organisation. Dropping those 'foreign games' and 'British soldiers' rules helped too.

 

The GAA aren't great at embracing change, let's face it. Year after year we have the same unfair Championship structure based on provincial competitions when there is now huge appetite for a more open draw system. And don't get me started on the black card