International Olympic Committee News

[heywoodu 16,465]

3 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Yes, the randomness of the fencing calendar is absolutely something that needs to be fixed. There is a valid ranking system, the top tournaments are the world champs, world cups, and regional champs, and the best fencers compete at those tournaments. I wouldn’t actually use tennis is an example of good organization. There’s like 5 organizations that all run different aspects of the games, and it’s hella confusing. I mean, what even is the Davis Cup? Why haven’t the WTA and ATP combined? Why doesn’t the ITF actually do their job? Why are there dozens of different circuits? It’s not that much better than fencing honestly, it’s just more popular.

 

I have mixed feelings about television monetization. I think IFs should sell exclusive rights to their live streams, but then they should have an area on their website, or preferably YouTube, where they post free replays a week or two after the competition. That way they make money off their streams, but also promote the sport like the purpose of an international federation is to. They could even have their streaming service with the same principles. If you want to watch something live, you have to pay like $5 USD a month, or $2 USD a game (or something like that), but then it becomes free after the tournament ends or weekend passes. I do think that IFs should be non-profits or at least be for-profits that return all money to the athletes, and do the most to market their sport, govern their sport, develop their sport, and support their sport. 

 

Dozens of different circuits in international tennis? Basically there's three or four tiers, just like a ton of sports have more than one layer.

[Olympian1010 8,305]

2 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

Dozens of different circuits in international tennis? Basically there's three or four tiers, just like a ton of sports have more than one layer.

I don’t follow tennis that much, but I see all these different events with different acronyms, and I find straight confusing. All I know, is that there’s the 4 big Opens that matter, and that’s all I really need watch.

[dcro 10,211]

ISSF World Cups are a hot mess too. From poor live stream quality, to events being scratched as soon as they get removed from the Olympic program...

[heywoodu 16,465]

5 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

I don’t follow tennis that much, but I see all these different events with different acronyms, and I find straight confusing. All I know, is that there’s the 4 big Opens that matter, and that’s all I really need watch.

 

Yeah, if you don't follow it at all I can imagine that's what you'd think  But a couple of minutes of 'research' combined with a tiny bit of following it thrioughout the year and then it's pretty clear  

[Olympian1010 8,305]

18 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

 

Yeah, if you don't follow it at all I can imagine that's what you'd think  But a couple of minutes of 'research' combined with a tiny bit of following it thrioughout the year and then it's pretty clear  

The ATP/WTA/ITF/Davis Cup thing still feels a little confusing though. I mean, can’t they just come up with one governing body for tennis? I can’t help but feel like that would benefit the sport.

[hckošice 16,630]

25 minutes ago, dharang said:

 

With regard to the 1984 boycott, a few weeks ago I read an article in the local sport press written by an old sport commentator from Hungary about the HU women's basketball team who found out about the boycott just when they defeated Yugoslavia on a Qual tournament in Havanna, Cuba and thereby qualified for the Olympics... 

 

Our athletes learnt about the boycott exactly 13th May, LA84 started 28th July, many were already peaking their shapes for the games when some commie dude suddenly announced in the TV news that nobody will be send to LA, because our beloved saviors from USSR warned us of the "very probable" lack of security of our athletes in LA...

 

Our NOC (as slovak successor of the former TCH NOC) btw last year officially apologized individually to all our athletes who lost the chance to compete at the Olympics in 1984

[Olympian1010 8,305]

23 minutes ago, dcro said:

ISSF World Cups are a hot mess too. From poor live stream quality, to events being scratched as soon as they get removed from the Olympic program...

Easily the biggest failure of the ISSF. #BringBackDoubleTrap

[Monzanator 5,127]

1 minute ago, Olympian1010 said:

The ATP/WTA/ITF/Davis Cup thing still feels a little confusing though. I mean, can’t they just come up with one governing body for tennis? I can’t help but feel like that would benefit the sport.

 

ITF runs the Grand Slams and Davis/Fed Cup plus the challengers with maximum 500k prize money purse.

 

WTA and ATP were formed because the players wanted to make money. They reap the benefits already and that's the whole point (obviously only Top 200 can make a solid living out of playing tennis but every pro sport is top-heavy. Whatever the top names/teams want, that's the way to go).

 

ITF is the only governing body for tennis. WTA and ATP handle the commercial side of things which happens to be what interests the fans & players the most

 

It's like in F1, FIA is the governing body but Liberty Group owns the commercial rights. Every single top-tier soccer league in Europe is run by special companies that are independent from the national soccer federations.

 

This happens everywhere in the world since sport is no longer played on amateur (non-profit) rules.

[pdr4332 261]

1 hour ago, hckosice said:

 

Our athletes learnt about the boycott exactly 13th May, LA84 started 28th July, many were already peaking their shapes for the games when some commie dude suddenly announced in the TV news that nobody will be send to LA, because our beloved saviors from USSR warned us of the "very probable" lack of security of our athletes in LA...

 

Our NOC (as slovak successor of the former TCH NOC) btw last year officially apologized individually to all our athletes who lost the chance to compete at the Olympics in 1984

 

In Hungary it was 17 May according to the article I just looked up.

The day of the last match of the Havana qualification tournament for the Hungary womens basketball team (which they won, earning qualification) but after the match they were told about the boycott.

yes the official reasoning was the same here - supposed lack of security - I assume this line was suggested by the comrades in Moscow, as it seems every boycotting country in the Soviet bloc came up with this BS excuse.

[Vojthas 949]

27 minutes ago, dharang said:

In Hungary it was 17 May according to the article I just looked up.

Yes, I've got scans from Népsport from those days. On 9th they said about Soviet boycott, on 17th about Hungarian boycott with the release of Hungarian NOC, then on 18th the decision of Polish NOC (yes, Poland waited for Hungarian decision to announce its, but it was obvious that both will support the USSR - there was a meeting with the top athletes and the only one to protest was Janusz Peciak, he was later backed by Irena Szewińska, after the decision was taken Peciak was privately backed by Polish NOC president who told him he had to go along the political instructions). On 20th the journalists of Népsport wrote an article backing the boycott - they didn't sign it with their names.