OlympicsFan

No, no reason to worry. It would be suicide by FIBA to ban all those nations, so it wont happen. Olympic tournament would be completely senseless otherwise ... In my opinion the probability that you get disqualified in mens water polo was/is higher ...

What about ? I cant tell you anything about your chances, you should ask MHSN, he is a true expert. You can find the results and draws here: https://unitedworldwrestling.org/event/1st-og-world-qualifying-tournament

Luisa Niemesch qualified! She is still pretty young (born in 1995) and a big talent (she won 2 silver medals at junior world championships), so she might surprise in Rio. I really like our wrestling team so far, but Schellin and especially Hassler have to qualify, otherwise it would be a big shock. I think that Schell (womens -75 kg), Dülger (mens freestyle -65 kg), Harth (mens freestyle -74 kg), Kaufmehl (mens freestyle -86 kg) and Cudinovic (mens freestyle -97 kg) can still qualify, but it would be a miracle if one of them would qualify here. Really disappointing that Schellin, Eisele, Öhler and Azizsir still didnt qualify, only one chance left for them.

Great results for us so far: 50 m rifle prone men: 1st place for Junghänel 10 m air rifle men: 4th place for Justus 10 m air rifle women: 3rd place for Gschwandtner 50 m rifle 3 positions women: 2nd place for Engleder 25 m pistol women: 4th place for Karsch Mens double trap: 5th place for Löw Womens trap: 3rd place for Scheibl 3 of our best events (50 m rifle 3 positions men, womens skeet and mens rapid fire pistol) and mens skeet are still to come. At the moment Reitz is clearly in the lead (mens rapid fire pistol) and Wenzel is also in first place after day 1, both of them should fight for a medal. In mens skeet Buchheim needs a very good second day to qualify for the final, i think it will take at least 120 to make the final, so Buchheim would need at least 73/75 on day 2. Only mens 50 m pistol, mens 10 m air pistol, womens 10 m air pistol and mens trap were a bit disappointing, but those are always our worst events. Qualification for womens rifle events will be very interesting. Engleder, Gschwandtner, Kreutzer and Gauß all deserve a place on the roster, but one of them might miss out. I really hope that Karsch will get a chance to compete in Rio, she could reach the final in both of her events, but i really dont know which quota place we should give back to get a quota place for Karsch. Löw and Justus were really good here, so they also should get a chance to compete at the olympics ...

Great run by Siegemund, she completely dominated Halep and Vinci. Now i hope for a german final. At the moment it looks as if 2 out of Beck/Friedsam/Siegemund will qualify for Rio and Lisicki/Görges/Barthel all will miss out, i never thought that this could really happen.

I know, i noticed it the same day i wrote it, but i was too lazy to correct it ... I will do it now.

Good wins for Beck and Siegemund, but Witthöft completely messed up. She served for the set and of course got broken, Ivanovic was a pretty easy draw today, but Witthöft as usual couldnt keep her nerves.

Utilitarianism might be the answer, but as a lawyer you probably dont like this "theory"?

Not really ... You should first try to understand the case and then you should learn a bit about genetics and biochemistry (maybe Wanderer can help you with that one). Semenya isnt a woman with a genetic advantage, she really cant be classified as a (genetically) "normal" woman. No one thinks that she is a woman with a special talent who should be banned, but most people doubt that she can even be classified as a woman.

Sorry, but where exactly did i say that Semenya is disgusting? I just find the thought that 3 athletes who absolutely dont look like women win the medals in womens 800 disgusting. Semenya did nothing wrong and i dont blame her for anything. I also dont understand why Semenya is allowed to compete but not someone like Rehm, although its obvious to anyone that Semenya has a bigger advantage. Semenya comes from a very poor background, most people would do the same in her situation, but IAAF has to exclude her from all womens competitions. Do you want to "hurt" the right of 3 or 4 woman or the right of all other women who have no chance against competitors like Semenya? CAS ruled that IAAF has to prove that Semenya has an advantage, i think the same would apply for Rehm, so he should have a good chance to compete in Rio, if he decides to sue IAAF. I know that IAAF has other problems (doping), but if they dont exclude Semenya now, she will win an olympic gold medal and i am sure that after that they will be forced to exclude Semenya. Semenya just has to hope that IAAF will be too busy to care for her case in the next couple of months, than i see no one who could stop her on her way to at least one olympic gold (maybe except Niyonsaba). You obviously didnt follow the case or you dont really know how to express yourself, otherwise i dont know what "Semenya has been tested and allowed to participate under the rules" is supposed to mean in this context. Dopers betray on purpose, they are cheaters, unlike Semenya, but in some sense she is "worse" than all dopers. Everyone can start to dope, in order to make up for the unfair advantage of dopers, but its impossible for other athletes to "copy" Semenya, they will never have the chance of running fast. In my opinion there are three fair options: 1) Semenya stays as she is and competes against men. 2) There has to be some new sort of "category" at the paralympic games for athletes like Semenya. 3) She takes whatever is required to lower her testosterone level, so that she has about the same level as "normal" woman.

I dont think that Felix wouldve been able to beat Schippers last year, at best they are at about the same level. Schippers is the favorite because she is younger, has more room for improvements and the 100/200 double is much easier than the 200/400 double. Dina Asher-Smith. Tori Bowie, SAFP or Candace Hill could also fight for a medal in Rio. Someone who runs 50.7 without serious opponents so early in season and wit negative splits can at least run 49.5 later in season. It might not be enough for gold, but it should be enough for a medal. I think Semenya doesnt want to get too much attention, so she will probably focus on 800 m and not run too crazy times, but i still dont see anyone beating her in Rio. Schippers has at least 50% to win the 200 m gold, i wouldnt bet anything against her, she has shown huge improvements every year. I think she has also a good chance to win the 100 m gold, the odds are probably 50% for SAFP, 30% for Schippers and 20% for the rest (Bowie, Ahoure, Okagbare and so on).

Yes and there were only about 50 minutes between her 400 m and her 800 m run and she had negative splits in those races ... Womens 800 m race will be really fun to watch, "she" will play with all those girls and then destroy them on the last lap without even trying hard. It would be really cool if she would break the world records of Koch and Kratochvilova. I always thought that the 400 m world record would be unbreakable, but now i think that Semenya is the only one who could break it in the next couple of years. Poor Allyson Felix, she is really in a trap ... At 200 m she cant beat Schippers and at 400 m she might be chanceless against Semenya.

I think Cielo, De Paula and Santos also have been caught before. De Paul made the team, but i am not sure if Cielo and Santos also will be on the team. It would be really funny if Brazil would compete with 4 cheater in Rio, even Russia will have less cheaters on the team.

Some crazy times from Semenya early in the season: 50.7 400 m (huge new PB) 1:58 800 m 4:10 1500 m (her fastest time since 2009) I hope that IAAF stops her before Rio, otherwise she will get the 800 m gold and probably also the 400 m gold. Womens 800 m could be the most disgusting event in Rio, we also have Niyonsaba and Wambui. In the end it might very well be possible that no real woman will win a medal. I also think that IAAF's policy is very unfair. Markus Rehm has to prove that he has no advantage if he wants to compete in Rio, but Semenya will be allowed to compete unless someone proves that she has an advantage (not that i would like to see Rehm competing in Rio).

1) Do you have a livestream that isnt geoblocked in Germany? 2) How many spots will romanian women have in Rio? 3) Why didnt Jurca compete here?

Its very well possible that Guy, Peaty, SMOC, CWH, Carlin or Halsall will perform better at the olympics. They knew that no one would be able to beat them at the trials and that they would come very close to the standard, so they didnt need to be at 100%. On the other hand athletes like Shuttleworth, Tutton or Litchfield might have peaked for this and they might be slower in Rio. I think Australia has shown at the last world championships that they learned how to perform at their best when it matters. I see at least 8 gold medals for Australia, USA will be clearly better than last year. I think 3 medals should be safe for you (2 x Guy + Peaty). All your other medal contenders will have to perform at their best for a medal. Carlin (Ledecky, Boyle, Ashwood, Van Rouwendaal, McLean), Halsall (C. Campbell, B. Campbell, Kromowidjojo, Sjöstrom), your mens 800 free relay (Australia, USA and France) and SMOC (Hosszu, Watanabe, DiRado) all have at least 3 very strong opponents. I think you can be very optimistic that you will win at least 4 medals. I think your goal of winning as many medals as in 2012 is extremely optimistic, i think you should be happy with 50 medals overall and i would really like to hear how you want to win more than 60 medals?

Womens 50 free: I expected at least 24.3 from Halsall, i thought she would win bronze in Rio, but now i am not so sure anymore, both Campbell sisters, Sjöstrom and Kromowidjojo should be ahead of her. My prediction: Halsall will reach the final but not finish better than 5th. Womens 100 free: No sub 54 time, i wouldnt nominate a 400 free relay, so no prediction needed. Womens 200 free: Disappointing times overall, especially for Carlin, only one girl sub 1:58. Great time from Coates. My prediction: I think Carlin should focus on 400/800 free. Your relay could reach the final, i think your federation should allow Coates to compete in the individual event. Womens 400 free: The best race for Carlin, but also a bit slower than expected. My prediction: Carlin will fight against Ahwood, Van Rouwendaal, Boyle and maybe the second american girl for silver and bronze. Womens 800 free: Extremely disappointing time from Carlin, i dont see how she wants to challenge for a medal in Rio. My prediction: Carlin reaches the final, but wont win a medal. Womens 100 breast: Good time from SMOC, disappointing time from Tutton and Renshaw, no girl sub 1:07. My prediction: SMOC should focus on 200 IM and maybe 200 free. Renshaw and Tutton should focus on 200 breast, so no british girl in womens 100 breast. Womens 200 breast: Great times from Tutton and Renshaw, both have to be safed. My prediction: Both british girls could reach the final and Tutton might have a tiny chance for a medal. Womens 100 fly: One of the most disappointing events, no girl should be nominated. I dont think that your medley relay could come close to a medal, so i wouldnt safe anyone for the medley relay only. My prediction: No british girl in womens 100 fly. Womens 200 fly: Great time from Large, but not a very good winning time, i still think that Lowe should be safed. My prediction: Lowe will reach the semifinal. Womens 100 back: Great time from Davies, but pretty slow from all other girls. My prediction: Davies will reach the final, but no chance for a medal. Womens 200 IM: Very solid time from SMOC, the rest about as fast as expected. My prediction: SMOC will win a minor medal in Rio with sub 2:09. Womens 400 IM: Good times from Miley and Willmott. Especially Rudin was very disappointing. My preciction: Both reach the final, but probably no medal. Willmott might have a very small chance for bronze. Disappointing times: Mens fly/back/IM, womens fly, womens 200 back, womens 100 breast, womens 50/100/200/800 free Ok/as good as expected times: Mens breast, mens free, womens 400 free, womens IM Good/better than expected times: Womens 200 breast, womens 100 back My medal predictions: Gold for Peaty and Guy (200 free) Good chance for silver or bronze for Guy (400 free), Carlin (400 free), SMOC (200 IM), mens 800 free relay Small chance for silver or bronze for Proud (50 free), mens medley relay (very small chance), Willis (200 breast), Halsall (50 free), Carlin (800 free), Tutton (200 breast), Willmott (400 IM) I think overall 6 medals and two of them in gold would be a realistic goal for british swimming in Rio.

Overall disappointing results in my opinion. Mens 50 free: Good time for Proud, but i dont think he can challenge for a medal in Rio and he was faster in the prelims ... My prediction: Proud will finish 5th in Rio. Mens 100 free: Great time for Scott, but a bit disappointing for Proud, no other guys sub 49. I wouldnt nominate Barrett and Disney-May for the relay only. I think it would be pretty hard for the 400 free relay to reach the final. My prediction: Your relay wont reach the final, but i can see Scott surprising everyone to reach the final. On paper the final should consist of McEvoy, Chalmers, Stravius, Mignon, Adrian, Zetao, Condorelli and Morozov. In my opinion there are about 20 guys who could reach the final, i think no other event has the same depth. Mens 200 free: Great time for Guy, he will swim sub 1:45 in Rio, also amazing time for Scott, but only one guy sub 1:47 ... My prediction: I dont think that you can beat the australian 800 free relay, USA and France also might be dangerous. I am pretty sure that you will win silver or bronze. Mens 400 free: Another great time for Guy, but the rest was pretty disappointing. My prediction: Safe medal for Guy, but i dont see him beating Yang or Horton. Mens 1500 free: Insane improvement from Shuttleworth, but no one sub 14:55 and only one other guy (barely) sub 15:00. My prediction: No chance for a medal, but both guys could reach the final. On paper the final should consist of Yang, Paltrinieri, Detti, 2 american guys, 2 australian guys and Akram. Mens 100 breast: Good time for Peaty, but clearly slower than last year, pretty disappointing time for Murdoch. My prediction: Gold for Peaty, silver for Van der Burgh, bronze is pretty open, Murdoch will at least finish 8th. Mens 200 breast: Great time for Willis, but no one else sub 2:09 ... My prediction: I dont see a medal for GB in Rio, but both guys could reach the final. Mens 100 fly: Even weaker than expected, no one sub 52. My prediction: No final for GB in Rio and this might cost you a medley relay. Mens 200 fly: As slow as expected, no qualified athlete, so no prediction needed. Mens 100 back: Very disappointing times from CWH and Tancock, very bad news for your medley relay. My prediction: CWH will still reach the final, but no chance for a medal. Mens 200 back: Disappointing time from Greenbank, but i still think that he should be nominated. My prediction: Greenbank will reach the semifinal. Mens 200 IM: Might have been the most disappointing event, no one sub 1:59. My prediction: No final for GB in Rio. I think only Litchfield should be nominated for this event, because he will be in Rio for the 400 IM anyway ... Mens 400 IM: Finally some improvement from Litchfield, the rest was very disappointing. My prediction: This event has been pretty weak recently, Litchfield might reach the final. I wouldnt nominate the following athletes from your list: Disney-May, Barrett, Thomas and maybe Faulkner/Hattersley.

Good that we qualified as expected, but the score isnt very good. I guess thats what you get when you miss Berger/Janas and when Scheder/Schäfer dont perform at their best. Scheder never got back to her shape from 2015 european games and Schäfer underscored at vault today. Romania got very unlucky, they had to compete without their 2 best athletes Iordache and Jurca. Is Iordache already qualified for Rio?

Scheder is really underperforming so far, Alt is surprisingly good. We really miss Berger at vault and Janas at floor/balance beam. Our strongest apparatus is still to come, i hope that Scheder can perform at her best on uneven bars, we need about 15 points from her and Seitz there.

I had the same problem, then i used the links posted on page 16 and it worked without a problem.

I dont think that you can compare it. France has a lot of great talents and great coaches. You have a great future in fencing and you will win at least 6 medals (2 golds) in Rio. We have a long way ahead of us, the first step would be to spend some money for better coaches and our talents have to get more fights at top level in training. Someone like Ebert would win an olympic medal in 2020 if she would be able to train with the italian team until then, in Germany she doesnt have enough high-class opponents in training.

Nice to see that Popp won a quota place, but shocking to see that Thiele, Schellin, Niemesch, Kudla and Öhler werent able to do it. On the other hand i am glad that Öhler didnt do it, this means that Oliver Hassler still has a chance to qualify. I hope that Kudla/Azizsir, Öhler/Hassler, Matuhin, Niemesch, Schellin and Thiele will find a way to qualify. Only 2 qualified athletes is very disappointing for us. In the end we should have 8-10 qualified athletes.

Thanks for your compassion! I am mostly sad, but also a bit happy. She was bad in the last 1 or 2 years, i think her time is over. Now german NOC has to search a new spokesperson for Rio ... This again shows how bad we have become in fencing, there are no excuses, german fencing will lose most of its funding after Rio, so we will have a win-win-situation ... Either we will waste less money for fencing or german fencing will finally start to recover and we will be back to the top again in 2020 or 2024. Overall this has been a shockingly bad year for german fencing, no mens team epee, no mens team foil, no Fiedler, no Heidemann, no medal for Ebert at the cadet/junior world championships, no medal for Stahlberg at the cadet/junior world championships.

Some background to her: She set up her previous PB of 2:36.31! last year in Hamburg and works 40 hours a week as software developer! Some perspective about the german olympic qualification: 4 girls now have the standard, the "funny" thing is that the Hahner twins (Anna and Lisa) already thought that they were safe for Rio, but now we have 2 faster girls, Fate Tola and Anja Scherl, so it would be unfair to nominate both Hahner twins. I think german federation should nominate Tola, Scherl and Lisa Hahner.