orangeman

Sporting Rivalries and Medals (26) 1- Medals will be awarded to more nations than at the 2012 Summer Games - with at least 86. [YES - 3] 2- The best-placed European NOC in the overall 2016 Summer Olympics medal table will be Russia. [NO - 9] 3- Brazil will achieve their best ever placement in the overall 2016 Summer Games medal table, finishing within the top 14.[YES - 1] 4- Finland will fail to win a medal for the first time in history. [NO - 1] 5- At least 4 countries will win their first olympic medal. [YES - 2] 6- Rio 2016 will be India's best ever performance in overall medals won (7 or more). [NO - 1] 7- Denmark will be placed higher than any other nordic country in the medal table (Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden).[YES - 1] 8- Netherlands will win more silver medals than any other color. [NO - 1] 9- Maghreb countries (ALG, TUN, MAR, MTN, LBA) will win at least 5 medals total. [YES - 2] 10- Japan will finish ahead of South Korea in the medal table. [NO - 8] 11- Azerbaijan will finish ahead of Turkey in the medal table. [YES - 2] 12- Ethiopia will finish ahead of Kenya in the medal table. [NO - 3] 13- Cuba will finish ahead of Jamaica in the medal table. [YES - 3] 14- Germany will finish ahead of France in the medal table. [YES - 5] 15- Serbia will finish ahead of Croatia in the medal table. [NO - 1] 16- The youngest medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics will be younger than 16 years. [YES - 4] 17- Spain will win more than one medal in all team sports combined. [YES - 2] 18- Iran will achieve their first medal won by a woman. [NO - 2] 19- At least 15 different american nations will win medals. [YES - 3] 20- At least two nations that last won a medal in Atlanta 1996 or before, will medal again in Rio 2016. [NO - 3] 21- There will be at least one nation who will win 8 medals or more, but won't win a gold medal. [YES - 6] 22- Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore will all win a medal. [NO - 2] 23- Like in London 2012, more silver medals than gold medals will be awarded. [NO - 3] 24- The top 5 in the overall medal table will change its order on the very final day of the 2016 Summer Olympics. [NO - 5] 25- Argentina will win at least one gold medal in Rio 2016. [YES - 3] 26- Lithuania alone will win more medals than Estonia and Latvia together. [NO - 2] Aquatics - Diving (2) 27- China will win all four Synchronised Diving events. [YES - 5] 28- Canada will medal in all four Women's events. [NO - 10] Aquatics - Swimming (9) 29- Australian athletes take at least 2 golds out of the following 4 events: Women's 50m FS, Women's 100m FS, Men's 50m FS, Men's 100m FS. [NO - 3] 30- A nation will win 2 or more medals in Marathon Swimming. [YES - 2] 31- A nation will medal in all six relays. [NO - 3] 32- Great Britain will finish in the top 5 of the pool events' medal table. [NO - 2] 33- There will be at least one false start in an individual final. [YES - 4] 34- Either Cameron van der Burgh (RSA) or Ruta Meilutyte (LTU) will defend his/her olympic title in 100m Breaststroke.[NO - 1] 35- A gap of one second or more between the gold and silver medal winners will be clocked in 3 or more individual finals, ranging from 50m to 200m events. [NO - 2] 36- At least 5 world records will be broken in Rio 2016. [YES - 5] 37- At least 3 of the following 5 NOCs will win a medal: Bahamas, Egypt, Iceland, Jamaica, Singapore. [NO - 5] Aquatics - Synchronized Swimming (1) 38- At least 4 different nations will finish the Synchronised Swimming competitions with any medal. [NO - 3] Aquatics - Water Polo (2) 39- The men's final will be played by two ex-yugoslav nations (CRO, MNE, SRB). [NO - 2] 40- In the knockout stage, any 4th placed team from the group stage will upset a group winner and qualify for the semifinal.[NO - 3] Archery (2) 41- At least one top 8 seed in Women's or Men's Individual Archery will suffer an early exit in the Round of 64. [NO - 2] 42- South Korea will win all the gold medals in Archery. [YES - 3] Athletics (12) 43- Usain Bolt (JAM) will repeat a gold medal treble once again. [NO - 4] 44- There will be at least one sweep of medals, athletes from one country taking gold, silver and bronze. [YES - 7] 45- At least 5 olympic records will be broken. [YES - 4] 46- At least two teams will be disqualified in the 4x100 finals (men and women combined). [YES - 4] 47- The Women's and Men's Olympic champion in High Jump will have cleared a height of at least 4.40m combined.[YES - 4] 48- All medals in both marathon events will be won by African nations. [YES - 3] 49- Poland will achieve a double gold in Hammer throw events. [YES - 1] 50- A non-european athlete will win gold in either Men's or Women's Javelin Throw. [NO - 1] 51- A former olympic champion, who is not currently a defending one, will become champion again in Rio 2016 (not counting relay events). [YES - 2] 52- The whole final in the Men's 400m comprises of athletes representing nations including red in their flag. [NO - 3] 53- The leader after the first five events in the Men's Decathlon will finish outside the top 3 on the following day. [NO - 10] 54- The gold medalist in Men's Discus Throw will throw 70.00m or more. [NO - 1] Badminton (2) 55- At least one set in any event will end with a score of 30-28 or higher. [YES - 2] 56- A non-asian country will win a gold medal. [NO - 8] Basketball (2) 57- The United States will win the gold medal in Women's as well as in Men's Basketball. [YES - 10] 58- The Men's final will end by a margin of at least 20 points. [NO - 2] Boxing (2) 59- Both Nicola Adams (GBR) and Katie Taylor (IRL) will return home with a medal. [YES - 2] 60- The whole Boxing program will result in at least 8 bouts decided before the end of the 3 reglamentary rounds. [NO - 2] Canoeing - Slalom (2) 61- At least one country will win 3 or more medals between all events. [YES - 3] 62- Two or more nations will be represented in all four slalom canoeing finals. [YES - 1] Canoeing - Sprint (2) 63- At least one athlete starting from an outer lane (1 or 8) will win a medal. [YES - 3] 64- Isaquias Queiroz (BRA) will delight the home crowd with either one gold medal or at least two medals of any colour.[YES/NO - 3] Cycling - BMX (2) 65- There will be a crash (between two or more riders) in either the Men's or Women's Final. [YES - 3] 66- Australia will win at least one gold medal. [NO - 5] Cycling - Mountain Bike (2) 67- Nino Schurter (SUI) will complete his set of medals with a gold medal from Rio 2016, after previously winning bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012. [NO - 8] 68- Mauritius', Rwanda's or Lesotho's male rider(s) will finish ahead of at least one athlete coming from a nation represented by 3 riders (SUI, FRA, ESP, CZE, ITA). [YES - 4] Cycling - Road (2) 69- A group finish with at least 20 riders clocking the same time will decide the medals in Men's Road Race. [NO - 5] 70- Less than half the riders will finish in the Women's or Men's Road Race. [NO - 10] Cycling - Track (3) 71- Australia will win a gold medal in both Team Pursuit events. [NO - 10] 72- The world record in the Men's Team Pursuit will be broken. [NO - 3] 73- The winner of either the Men's or Women's Omnium will win at least 3 of the 6 events. [YES - 4] Equestrian (2) 74- At least 15 athletes will be eliminated or will retire during the cross-country stage of Eventing competition. [NO - 1] 75- Germany will win more medals than the Netherlands. [YES - 1] Fencing (2) 76- At least 2 countries will win at least 3 gold medals. [YES - 1] 77- There will be an overtime period in the Women's or Men's Individual Épée final. [NO - 1] Field Hockey (2) 78- India's Men will end their medal drought since 1980 with any medal won in Rio. [NO - 3] 79- The Women's Tournament will have medalists from three different continents. [NO - 3] Football (3) 80- At least 4 Football matches will be decided in a penalty shoot-out. [NO - 2] 81- Brazil will win their first Men's Olympic Football title. [NO - 3] 82- At least 8 red cards will be awarded in the Men's Tournament. [YES - 2] Golf (2) 83- The eventual winner in the Men's Tournament won't be placed among the top 5 after the first day of competition.[NO - 3] 84- USA will win a medal in both the Men's and Women's Tournaments. [NO - 2] Gymnastics - Artistic (3) 85- Romania will fail to win a medal in Artistic Gymnastics. [YES - 3] 86- Simone Biles will win at least four total medals. [YES - 6] 87- At least one finalist in both Men's Horizontal Bar and Men's Pommel Horse will fall during their routines. [NO - 2] Gymnastics - Rhythmic (1) 88- Both gold and silver medals will be won by ex-USSR countries. [YES - 8] Gymnastics - Trampoline (1) 89- China will win the gold medal in both Trampoline events. [YES - 7] Handball (2) 90- A non-european nation will win a medal (Men's or Women's). [YES - 2] 91- At least twice we will see at least 40 goals scored in the Men's Tournament. [YES - 2] Judo (2) 92- Teddy Riner (FRA) will be beaten. [NO - 2] 93- A nation will win it's first Judo Gold Medal. [YES - 2] Modern Pentathlon (2) 94- In either the Men's or Women's event, the athlete starting first in the Combined stage will win the gold medal. [NO - 1] 95- A non-european athlete in either the Women's or Men's Competition will win a medal. [YES - 1] Rowing (3) 96- Ekaterina Karsten (BLR) will reach her 6th Olympic final in Women's Single Sculls. [YES - 4] 97- More countries will win medals in Rowing compared to London 2012 (18 countries). [NO - 3] 98- Athletes from all 5 continents will win a medal. [NO - 6] Rugby Sevens (2) 99- All the medals in the Men's Tournament will be won by nations from Oceania. [YES - 4] 100- At least one match on the Women's side will end in a tie. [NO - 5] Sailing (2) 101- At least one boat will be guaranteed the gold medal before the final Medal Race. [YES - 3] 102- Brazilian Robert Scheidt will win his 6th consecutive olympic medal. [YES - 1] Shooting (3) 103- All 15 events will see at least one medal winner from an Asian country. [YES - 1] 104- There will be at least one new world record set in any event. [NO - 1] 105- At least one shooter will repeat their gold medal success from the 2012 Summer Games. [YES - 3] Table Tennis (2) 106- Chinese athletes will take all 4 gold medals. [YES - 3] 107- The Women's Team final will result in a 3-0 score. [YES - 1] Taekwondo (2) 108- At least one medalist athlete in this sport will be winning at the same time the first ever olympic medal for his/her country.[NO - 2] 109- At least one of the four invited athletes (Boui CAF, Ferrera HON, Louissant HAI, Rawal NEP) will advance into the quarterfinals. [NO - 2] Tennis (2) 110- Serena Williams will fail to win a gold medal (in all events). [NO - 8] 111- An unseeded player in the women's or men's singles competition will go as high reaching at least the semifinals.[NO - 5] Triathlon (2) 112- The Brownlee brothers will celebrate together on the podium. [YES - 3] 113- The eventual winners of both the Men's and Women's Races will not be among top 5 placed after the swimming and cycling stages. [YES - 3] Volleyball - Indoor (2) 114- No medal matches in either the Women's or the Men's Tournament will end with a 3-0 score. [YES - 3] 115- An african team will win a group stage match for the first time in history (either Men's or Women's). [NO - 4] Volleyball - Beach (2) 116- There will be an all-Brazilian final in Men's or Women's Beach Volleyball. [YES - 8] Weightlifting (2) 117- At least one leader after the Snatch part will have three invalid lifts in the Clean & Jerk. [NO - 1] 118- A medal will be won by an athlete starting from Group B. [YES - 1] Wrestling (2) 119- At least one gold medal match will end by a fall. [YES - 2] 120- Russia will win more Freestyle gold medals than Japan. [NO - 2]

I wanted to post this in the flag bearer thread, but I decided some people would take it as too insulting. Russia has finally chosen its flag bearer for Rio!

Trust me, Gatlin gets no exceptions from me. If he finishes ahead of de Grasse in the 100m I will won't take it as an official result.

Canadian weightlifter Christine Girard will likely have her bronze from London upgraded to a gold due to the new doping evidence. However, it'll probably take up to 2 years. In her words: "It's bittersweet. I would have really liked to have had the proper ceremony, have our flag and hear that song that makes us cry on the podium, but at the same time I'm happy that it got cleared up." She was not just robbed of the gold, she was robbed of that experience. And who knows how many more will be after Rio due to the IOC's decision. Like I said, maybe they should start doing victory ceremonies for the 4th and 5th places, too, especially when 'certain' athletes get a medal. Again in her words: "I got tested any day, any time," added Girard. "Two days after my wedding they were at my house at six in the morning, woke up everybody in my house to test me. That's what we do in Canada, which can be annoying for athletes, but it's amazing because it's our values and we believe in true sport." http://www.tsn.ca/canadian-girard-may-get-london-gold-1.533958

Great news (for Canada). Too bad she was robbed of that moment in London. Expect more after Rio with the IOC's decision.

Just went through Sports Illustrated's medal picks. As usual, they start from "If there is an American in the event, they will get a medal. If they are good, they will get the gold". Also as usual, they totally forget about Canadians. Overall, they predict 16 medals for Canada (4G 3S 9B), with golds in W's heptathlon, W's golf, 200m kayak and M's pole vault. Basically, when there's a good Canadian they throw them in for bronze. But I do have to say I was surprised by the 4 golds. To compare it to our predictions (above): Athletics: Yes to Barber (G), Drouin (B), 4x100 relay (men) (B), Warner (S), Brianne Theisen-Eaton (G), and Thorne in the 20km race walk (B) No to: 100m/200m and everything else. Basketball: Nope. Boxing: Nope. Canoe/Kayak: Yes to De Jong (G), and van Koeverton (B) Cycling: Yes to W's pursuit team (B). That's it. Diving: Yes to W's 3m synchro (B) and 10m synchro (S), no to everything else. Golf: Yes to W's (G) Gymnastics: Yes to W's trampoline (B) Judo: Yes to Valois-Foriter (B) Rowing: Yes to W's lightweight double sculls (S), No to W's eights. Rugby: Nope. Wrestling: One bronze (W's 75kg) Swimming: Nope. This is all possible I guess, and I suppose it's better to go into it with low expectations. But I'd be very surprised if Canada only got these medals. Though, again, four golds would be nice.

Hey guys, the IOC just released the new theme song for Rio! It apparently has some video of the Russian Olympic training center, too!

http://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/ioc-set-decide-russia-rio-fate.html The IOC also reiterated its "serious concerns" about the weaknesses in the fight against doping, and called on WADA to "fully review their anti-doping systems." As a teacher I've heard something like this A LOT. "You are not allowed to punish the students. If you even glance at them sternly you will be reprimanded. Their parents only want to hear about how amazing they are." Next week "Your classes are out of control! Why don't you discipline them! Their parents are very concerned! If this continues you will be reprimanded!" Always easier to blame someone else for your own policies, huh IOC?

[hide] Women's Tournament - Preliminary Round August 6th - August 14th, 2016 12 Nations, 2 Groups, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Nations from each Group will qualify for Quarterfinals Women's Tournament - Group A Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 6th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Japan 3 1 South Korea August 6th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 0 Cameroon August 6th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 2 Argentina August 8th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Japan 3 0 Cameroon August 8th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 2 South Korea August 8th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 2 Argentina August 10th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 0 Cameroon August 10th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro South Korea 2 3 Argentina August 10th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 2 Japan August 12th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Argentina 3 1 Cameroon August 12th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 2 3 Japan August 12th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 2 South Korea August 14th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro South Korea 3 1 Cameroon August 14th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Japan 3 1 Argentina August 14th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 1 Russia Women's Tournament - Group B Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 6th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro China 3 2 Netherlands August 6th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 0 Puerto Rico August 6th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Serbia 3 2 Italy August 8th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro China 3 2 Italy August 8th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 1 Netherlands August 8th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Serbia 3 1 Puerto Rico August 10th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro China 3 1 Puerto Rico August 10th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Italy 2 3 Netherlands August 10th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 2 Serbia August 12th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro China 3 2 Serbia August 12th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 1 Italy August 12th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Netherlands 3 1 Puerto Rico August 14th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Serbia 3 2 Netherlands August 14th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Italy 3 2 Puerto Rico August 14th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 2 China Men's Tournament - Preliminary Round August 7th - August 15th, 2016 12 Nations, 2 Groups, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Nations from each Group will qualify for Quarterfinals Men's Tournament - Group A Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 7th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Italy 2 3 France August 7th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 0 Mexico August 7th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 1 Canada August 9th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro France 3 0 Mexico August 9th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Italy 1 3 United States August 9th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 0 Canada August 11th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Canada 3 2 France August 11th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Italy 3 1 Mexico August 11th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 2 United States August 13th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 2 France August 13th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Canada 3 1 Mexico August 13th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 1 Italy August 15th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro United States 3 0 Mexico August 15th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Italy 2 3 Canada August 15th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 3 2 France Men's Tournament - Group B Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 7th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Poland 3 0 Egypt August 7th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 2 Cuba August 7th 2016, h. 22:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Argentina 3 2 Iran August 9th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 2 Argentina August 9th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Poland 3 1 Iran August 9th 2016, h. 20:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Cuba 3 2 Egypt August 11th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Iran 3 1 Cuba August 11th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 0 Egypt August 11th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Poland 3 1 Argentina August 13th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Iran 3 1 Egypt August 13th 2016, h. 11:35, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Argentina 3 2 Cuba August 13th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 2 3 Poland August 15th 2016, h. 09:30, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Argentina 3 1 Egypt August 15th 2016, h. 15:00, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Russia 3 1 Iran August 15th 2016, h. 17:05, Ginasio do Maracanazinho, Rio de Janeiro Poland 3 1 Cuba [/hide]

[hide] Preliminary Round August 3rd - August 9th, 2016 12 Nations, 3 Groups, 1st and 2nd Nations from each Group and 2 best 3rd ranked Nations between all Groups will qualify for Quarterfinals Group E Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 3rd 2016, h. 13:00, Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro Sweden 2 0 South Africa August 3rd 2016, h. 16:00, Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 2 1 China August 6th 2016, h. 19:00, Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro South Africa 0 1 China August 6th 2016, h. 22:00, Olympic Stadium, Rio de Janeiro Brazil 1 1 Sweden August 9th 2016, h. 22:00, Amazonia Arena, Manaus South Africa 0 1 Brazil August 9th 2016, h. 22:00, Mane Garrincha Stadium, Brasilia China 0 2 Sweden Group F Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 3rd 2016, h. 15:00, Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo Canada 1 1 Australia August 3rd 2016, h. 18:00, Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo Zimbabwe 0 4 Germany August 6th 2016, h. 15:00, Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo Canada 3 0 Zimbabwe August 6th 2016, h. 18:00, Corinthians Arena, Sao Paulo Germany 2 1 Australia August 9th 2016, h. 16:00, Fonte Nova Arena, Salvador Germany 3 1 Canada August 9th 2016, h. 16:00, Mane Garrincha Stadium, Brasilia Australia 4 0 Zimbabwe Group G Date and Venue Team 1 T1 T2 Team 2 August 3rd 2016, h. 19:00, Mineirao, Belo Horizonte United States 3 0 New Zealand August 3rd 2016, h. 22:00, Mineirao, Belo Horizonte France 3 0 Colombia August 6th 2016, h. 17:00, Mineirao, Belo Horizonte United States 3 2 France August 6th 2016, h. 20:00, Mineirao, Belo Horizonte Colombia 1 2 New Zealand August 9th 2016, h. 19:00, Amazonia Arena, Manaus Colombia 0 4 United States August 9th 2016, h. 19:00, Fonte Nova Arena, Salvador New Zealand 1 1 France [/hide]

Agreed. There are some major problems with Rio and those deserve more attention (in hopes of improvement in the future, i.e. polluted water).

So instead clean athletes from every other country now suffer. Even clean athletes from Russia will not be taken seriously in Rio. No one will trust their accomplishments, and worse they will be blamed for taking medals away from more deserving competitors. Maybe that is unfair to clean Russians, but they have no one else to blame but their own national Olympic committee. The irony is that Russians believe they are being treated unfairly due to politics, when in reality if this was a small or less powerful nation, like India or New Zealand, they would have been banned months ago when the whispers first started. The only reason Russia is getting away with this is because it is Russia, and if they want to stop being accused of cheating then they should stop cheating. The victim card is getting old.

Every time a Russian steps on a podium in 2016 there will be whispers. The IOC's fear of harming the Olympics has just discredited dozens of events. Maybe they should hold a special ceremony for the 4th/5th place people from now on.

So....Russians are banned unless they are tested. So, basically, nothing is done.

Athletics: De Grasse could medal in 100/200 or he could not. It'll be close. The 4x100 will also be close, but I'd wager Canada is on the podium. Netty in women's long jump is a possibility (her performance at the WC last year would have been good enough for bronze in London. Too bad three women suddenly demolished their previous bests there. I'm sure nothing suspicious was going on though...). Agree with the rest, although I think Bishop has just as much chance as De Grasse to medal. Basketball: Agree, but again could go either way depending on how the playoffs shape up. Boxing: Agree, but what happened to Mary Spencer in 2012 who was so hyped and also only needed one win for a medal leaves me skeptical. Canoeing: One minimum, in my opinion. Cycling: I think you're being optimistic. W's team pursuit should be a lock, but our MTBers always underperform at the Olympics. Every year we seem to have a top ranked woman but so far only two have collected medals. But I'm optimistic in the other track events, and maybe Nyhaug can do something in BMX. Diving: Agree. Golf: Agree. Gymnastics: Agree Judo: Agree. Rowing: Agree, hopefully one or more of the other boats will compete for a medal, too. Rugby: Yep. Wrestling: Three is optimistic, but it's not impossible. Swimming: I predict two. I think Cochrane is still ahead of most swimmers in the 1500m, and can compete in the 400m. Overholt might snag one, maybe someone else. We'll see. I think there could be several Canadians in finals, which is saying more than recent Olympics. I've said elsewhere, could be anywhere from 15-25 medals, but I predict around 20-22. That would be a very successful OG for Canada. Anything is possible, but I'm not sure any Canadian is a gold medal favourite in any event. Hopefully some can pull through, though. And then we hope for some surprises, too. Maybe beach volleyball, the Canadian team is ranked in the top 5.

2000 doubles gold medalist Daniel Nestor (CAN) will now be going to Rio. He will team up with Popisil. I assume this has to do with Raonic dropping out last week? http://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/daniel-nestor-doubles-specialist-added-canadian-olympic-tennis-team.html

I think having athletes compete under the Olympic flag is an acceptable compromise. I'm really not unsympathetic to the clean athletes, I just think it's basically a choice between the clean Russian athletes and clean athletes from everywhere else. However, I also think banning the whole country would send a message not only to other national federations, but also other athletes. Basically, if you see something say something. Otherwise you could be next. But I will say, if they take a hardline against Russia, they need to start being tough against everyone else. For example, Gatlan should not be able to compete anymore.

Well, we either feel sorry for the dozens/hundreds of clean Russian athletes or we feel sorry for the thousands of clean athletes from everywhere else who will be cheated out of Olympic glory by dirty Russian athletes. If the report is true, then Russia is the one who broke the rules so they should feel the consequences. It's like saying, "Don't put the criminal in jail, it would be unfair to his innocent family!". If Russia wanted to be fair to their clean athletes then they shouldn't have cheated in the first place. I don't think any other country would boycott if Russia is banned. Maybe Belarus? I can't think of anyone else.

Wonderful information, thank you! Very small correction. On Day 5 I believe it should be Men's synchro 3m diving instead of Women's (which is already listed on Day 2).

I agree that doping cases in high profile sports like the Olympics can often be politically motivated. As a Canadian, seeing Ben Johnson stripped of his gold in Seoul and handing it to Carl Lewis was the height of hypocrisy. However, I think it's about time for the IOC to play hardball with state-sponsored doping. The report is pretty damning, if true. Just as a Canadian, I wouldn't mind seeing Russian medals revoked from Sochi (it won't happen) because it'd give us a sweep in Men's moguls and our first luge medal in the team event. Those are just off the top of my head. Unfortunately, we will never know what would have happened with our women's speed skating team which was knocked out in the first round against the Russians, despite posting the 2nd best time of the round. A time that would have been good enough for silver or bronze (which they lowered later in the placing race). I read an interview with a Canadian runner who missed the finals in the 1500m in London by one spot. Since then, four athletes in that final (not just Russians) have been proven to be doping. It's not as easy as moving everyone up a lot of the times. Who knows what would have happened if these cheats weren't there. I say ban Russia. Off the top of my head, I don't think this will help Canada in any events in Rio. Either it's the Olympics without Russia, or every event where a Russian wins a medal will be looked at skeptically. At this point the Games are already tainted by this scandal, but one of the options gives the IOC the opportunity to give a warning to others in the future.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Eff yeah!

They probably want to cut out the parade of nations, tbh. I've seen lots of comments from Americans saying it's 'boring' to watch the other countries walk in. I'm not saying all Americans, just the mainstream viewers. American coverage of the Olympics, both Summer and Winter, is always horrid. Many Americans depend on the Canadian feed to get real, live action. I feel sorry for real American sport fans. Then I remember all the medals they win, and I don't feel sorry anymore.

NBC will be televising the OC on a one-hour delay. They just can't help themselves with these delays for the Olympics, even when it's unnecessary! http://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/nbc-air-olympics-opening-ceremony-hour-delay.html

Canada wins group 2 (pretty easily, tbh)! We also secured a second berth in beach volleyball for the men's teams, meaning we join Brazil, the USA and the Netherlands as the only countries to send 2 in each gender! Good news after basketball and Raonic falling at Wimbledon (still proud of him though!).