Biathlon IBU World Championships 2020

[Monzanator 5,136]

I absolutely can't read this guy anymore. He's ruined this thread like no other. I'm done with him

[Monzanator 5,136]

20 minutes ago, Werloc said:

 

Can't agree with you on this one. If we only had mixed relays, it would be the same four people running in every single one of them most of the time.

 

I wonder how many years will pass until someone other than the Boe brothers run for Norway.

 

These four people relays at least give a chance to people like Dale, Christiansen to perhaps come away with a medal from the championships. 

 

There are not a lot of opportunities to win medals and when 50% of them go to Fourcade, JTB, Roeiseland and Wierer, then there is not much chance for other athletes to come away with a medal, so at least they have a shot to feel like champions for once even if it is a team setting and not an individual victory.

 

For example, cases like Franziska Hildebrand, has been in biathlon forever, has a fourth place in the World Championships, would end her career without a single medal, but she was competent enough to get two relay golds with Germany so she won't end her career empty handed. 

 

Stop feeding this troll. He will blow up this thread and leave nothing but ashes

[Olympian1010 8,321]

1 minute ago, Monzanator said:

I absolutely can't read this guy anymore. He's ruined this thread like no other. I'm done with him

Sorry? I guess I can’t talk about sport anymore. I don’t want to offend you further 

[Olympian1010 8,321]

Just now, Monzanator said:

 

Stop feeding this troll. He will blow up this thread and leave nothing but ashes

Says the dude losing his freaking mind right now! Me and @Werloc are having a nice, civil discussion about the relay issue. You can go ahead and see yourself out the door buddy.

[Monzanator 5,136]

Just now, Olympian1010 said:

Sorry? I guess I can’t talk about sport anymore. I don’t want to offend you further 

 

You've offended me enough with the "Poles are racist pricks" comment. Stop playing the victim/political card. You've ruined this thread enough already.

[Olympian1010 8,321]

1 minute ago, Monzanator said:

 

You've offended me enough with the "Poles are racist pricks" comment. Stop playing the victim/political card. You've ruined this thread enough already.

I feel like your constant complaining about everything, and constant putdowns directed at others as some more to ruin this thread, but whatever. 
 

I admitted guilt for talking about Poland that way, and I even went to great lengths to personally apologize to you. I’ve done what I could to rectify issue. However, you’ve continuously brought it up, and from what you’ve said about “Polish views” and your recent election...let’s just I haven’t really been proven wrong. 
 

I’d love to know when I’ve played the victim card, I had a good laugh when I read that.

[NearPup 4,188]

I think it’s laudable (and overdue) for the IOC to go on a gender equality kick, but I really fail to see how having a mixed relay accomplishes this better than by having a men’s relay and a women’s relay. I think that their obsession with mixed events kind of misses the point, though I do like them being introduced in sports that would likely otherwise never get a team event (like triathlon, luge or figure skating) or in sports where mixed events really do have a different dynamic than their gendered equivalent (curling, the racket sports).

 

But when it comes to sports that already have gendered team events, they feel redundant. I don’t think anyone was really clamoring for a 4th event for 100m freestyle specialists. I don’t really mind them as long as they don’t take the place of the existing gendered team events, though I think their addition in swimming and track are wildly excessive (if the IOC really wanted mixed events in those sports they should have done the mixed relays in open water swimming and race walking). Oh, and the judo mixed team event under the current format is a giant joke.

Edited February 21, 2020 by NearPup

[Monzanator 5,136]

5 minutes ago, NearPup said:

I think it’s laudable (and overdue) for the IOC to go on a gender equality kick, but I really fail to see how having a mixed relay accomplishes this better than by having a men’s relay and a women’s relay.

 

IOC is clearly focused on milking money from the Asian market right now. Back-to-back WOG in Korea & China? That's no coincidence. They're trying to make winter sports work in China - the Secret Garden and that other venue which name escapes me. Let's make no mistake, IOC wants to cash in on all that money available from the Asian economic powerhouses. Hell, if there was snow in Qatar, Doha would be hosting the WOG too

 

Winter sports have been traditionally successful in selected group of countries. Half of the world is excluded from taking part in WOG by default due to lack of snow. IOC can sell break dance for summer games but winter? They have to appease the traditional winter countries because there is no replacement for them. Africa ain't gonna take the WOG by storm. Hell, IAAF hasn't managed to host the senior World Champs in Africa yet despite this being a natural stronghold for athletics ever since the colonial era ended.

[Olympian1010 8,321]

@NearPup that is a great take. I’d only add that relays make the most sense for mixed events. Men and women can compete in that format under their traditional distances (and against their own gender), and still work as a team to achieve a medal.

[RobtheAggie 340]

So what about this, if your nation is in the top ten on list, you need to use skiers 5 or 6 in the single mixed relay.  11 and higher, free game for the skiers.  That way the smaller nations actually have a chance.

 

As an aside, I think biathlon prizes are split the same for men and women.  That is pretty impressive.