Biathlon 2020 - 2021 Discussion Thread

[dcro 10,210]

11 hours ago, Olympian1010 said:

The issue with the Sion bids is that the Swiss public was educated enough to know that hosting the Olympics was a poor choice based on the modern track record of the last few games.

 

Yeah, Putin basically ruined the Winter Olympics with his Sochi vanity project.

[Olympian1010 7,973]

42 minutes ago, dcro said:

 

Yeah, Putin basically ruined the Winter Olympics with his Sochi vanity project.

And Rio with their cluster fuck of an organizing committee.

[Monzanator 4,502]

I think it was cool to see Summer Games in South America. I understand Europe and North America thinks they would do everything better themselves but it was a nice change of scenery.

[heywoodu 15,140]

11 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

I think it was cool to see Summer Games in South America. I understand Europe and North America thinks they would do everything better themselves but it was a nice change of scenery.

No idea how on earth we came to this in a biathlon thread but yeah I liked seeing Games in South America.

[Olympian1010 7,973]

39 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

I think it was cool to see Summer Games in South America. I understand Europe and North America thinks they would do everything better themselves but it was a nice change of scenery.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I loved Rio 2016. It would be impossible to deny that the organization of the games wasn’t a massive cluster fuck though. Brazil also had quite an impressive deficit when all was said and done. You can’t really blame cities for feeling like the Olympics are a lose/lose situation. The IOC has failed massively at making the Olympics a sustainable event. They have initiated some change in the last 2/3 years, but there’s still a lot of reform that needs to be done in order to make the Olympics sustainable, marketable, and successful.

[RobtheAggie 340]

56 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

No idea how on earth we came to this in a biathlon thread but yeah I liked seeing Games in South America.

My fault, it came off the Swiss Olympic Bid out of the potential hosts for 2025 World Championships.

[Monzanator 4,502]

34 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I loved Rio 2016. It would be impossible to deny that the organization of the games wasn’t a massive cluster fuck though. Brazil also had quite an impressive deficit when all was said and done. You can’t really blame cities for feeling like the Olympics are a lose/lose situation. The IOC has failed massively at making the Olympics a sustainable event. They have initiated some change in the last 2/3 years, but there’s still a lot of reform that needs to be done in order to make the Olympics sustainable, marketable, and successful.

IOC and their sponsors make money from the Olympics, the athletes make profit too, big stars get big contracts and in most cases Top 8 finish or something gets you national funding for the next Olympic cycle. The only entity of the Olympics that doesn't make profit is actually the hosting city itself. I fully expect Baku and Doha hosting the Summer Games within the next 30 years. These are two venues that don't care about the financial loss and would go places to show themselves off to the world.

 

Hell, Baku has hosted the European Games back in 2016 already so they're moving up the ladder to bid for the SOG sooner than you think. Doha has hosted or will host senior World Championships in football, athletics, swimming, handball, cycyling, gymnastics, weight-lifting so just about any traditional Olympic sport there is. Their only goal left is to host the Summer Olympics and it's only a matter of time when they do.

[Olympian1010 7,973]

27 minutes ago, Monzanator said:

IOC and their sponsors make money from the Olympics, the athletes make profit too, big stars get big contracts and in most cases Top 8 finish or something gets you national funding for the next Olympic cycle. The only entity of the Olympics that doesn't make profit is actually the hosting city itself. I fully expect Baku and Doha hosting the Summer Games within the next 30 years. These are two venues that don't care about the financial loss and would go places to show themselves off to the world.

 

Hell, Baku has hosted the European Games back in 2016 already so they're moving up the ladder to bid for the SOG sooner than you think. Doha has hosted or will host senior World Championships in football, athletics, swimming, handball, cycyling, gymnastics, weight-lifting so just about any traditional Olympic sport there is. Their only goal left is to host the Summer Olympics and it's only a matter of time when they do.

Hahahahahahaahahahahahaahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha 
 

Right, so why would any city want to host the Olympics if it’s seen as a net loss. I love both Baku and Doha. They are excellent at providing world class venues, and Baku actually gets people to show up. However, we can’t be stuck in the Beijing, Baku, Doha, and maybe London/LA cycle forever. That isn’t good for the long-term health of the Olympics. 
 

European Games were in 2015. I’m very much impressed with Baku.

[Monzanator 4,502]

37 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

Hahahahahahaahahahahahaahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha 
 

Right, so why would any city want to host the Olympics if it’s seen as a net loss. I love both Baku and Doha. They are excellent at providing world class venues, and Baku actually gets people to show up. However, we can’t be stuck in the Beijing, Baku, Doha, and maybe London/LA cycle forever. That isn’t good for the long-term health of the Olympics. 
 

European Games were in 2015. I’m very much impressed with Baku.

I find it strange you'd support oil countries like Qatar and Azerbaijan while dismissing Iran or Saudi Arabia who make profit from the very same source as well. It's not like Azerbaijan and Qatar are models of democracy either. It's lucky Azerbaijan is busy counting their petrol dollars or else we'd have another war with Armenia going on forever.

[RobtheAggie 340]

Watch me try and bring this thread back to biathlon.  

 

The last Biathlon World Championships was back in 1994 at Canmore.  Lake Placid had it back in 1987 and 1973.  Do you think we will see the World Championships outside of Europe in the next 15 years?  I know that in 2023 Lake Placid is hosting the World University Games, a step back into the limelight for them?  They are putting a decent amount of money into the biathlon venue there.  

 

That would make 4 potential venues in the US and 2 in Canada.  

 

Also as an aside, I sat in on a USBA zoom meeting (with permission) they are moving to a more regional concept with Biathlon Canada, and the Nordic Tour.  They want the biathletes to race in Nordic races as well as biathlon ones.  The races will be more localized to increase participation instead of trying to do a race series over the entire continent.