orangeman

I live very close to the Shougang Big Air venue here in Beijing. I visited it a couple of weeks ago. It's in a park created from a reclaimed industrial area. There's a nice brew-pub there I went to a few times without realizing an actual venue was right there. It's an Olympic park with various Olympic offices and broadcasting centers. It's quite nice, but I wonder how it'll read on TV. As others have seen from the stock photos here, it is still quite industrial looking with what looks like nuclear reactors right next to the hill. It's cool post-industrial in person, but we'll see how it comes off on TV. There's a nice Chinese building in front of it, too. I'm not sure what it is, if it's related to the venue. I couldn't get too close because things are still under construction, covid and general Chinese security.

Great for MacNeil but I don't know how McKeon didn't win this.

Haha, came here to say this. No, I had to turn it off and go out. So, yes, it is me.

Really busy at work these days, but finally had time to tune into the Paralympics, turned on the swimming. Had the pleasure just now of watching Canadians get 5th, 4th and 4th. Maybe it's not the Canadian athletes. Maybe it's me.

Nordic and alpine skiers haven't been medal producers for Canada at the Olympics for a very long time, so I'm not concerned about them dampening our medals in 2022. Short track is concerning, but there are some good athletes. While Canada is rebuilding there a bit, the rest of the world is catching up. It used to be South Korea, China and Canada with some stars from the USA mixed in. Now Russia, Netherlands, Italy and several other European countries are very competitive and there just isn't room for everyone on every podium. The same could be said for curling. The growth of the sport worldwide is great, and exactly what inclusion at the Olympics is supposed to do. But it also means Canada isn't as dominant as before. Having said that, since 1998 (the first time curling was a sport, the first time women's hockey was included and NHL players came to the Olympics), Canada got at least 3 medals out of those four events each time with at least a gold until 2018. In 2014 they got all 4 gold, in 2018 they got a silver and a bronze. Mixed curling gave us another gold, but it was by far our worst showing ever in those events (and I've said this before, but I was there in person to see it! With an American friend! AHHH!). They're going to have to do better that 2018 to keep Canada up there. In the early 2000s Canada hoarded speed skating medals. When that declined, freestyle took over. Freestyle and snowboarding will have to do more heavy lifting as figure skating declines. Short track got 5 medals (1G) and 3 (1G) at the last two Olympics respectively. I think they can get thereabouts again. Speed skating may have a pick up with young talent. Sliding sports will decline from 2018, likely. In sum, I expect less than 2018 but if hockey and curling perform again, we could see 3 medals (1G) turn into 5 golds which would turn things around dramatically.

I don't know what other countries think, but like I said the statistics have shown that for many SOG and even WOGs, Canada has the most 4th place finishes in relation to top-3s than any other nation. In addition, for many Olympic cycles Canada had the worst World Championship to Olympic medal conversion rates. It's not just a feeling, it's an empirical truth about Canadian athletes. This has been changing recently, with an athletes like Kylie Masse, Maggie MacNeil and Damien Warner who can perform consistently on big stages (when not injured). And then you have Penny Oleksiak and Andre De Grasse who show up especially for the big moments. None of this is meant as a condemnation of any particular Canadian athlete, or Canadian athletes in general. I guess you just have to be Canadian to understand the angst. Outside of hockey and curling (which both managed to disappoint us in 2018, and I was there in person to witness it!) we just expect to lose even if our person/team is ranked high. I guess that makes winning even sweeter, though. Canada finished 11th on the medal table. I'd guarantee every country in the top-10 looked at a sport, or several individual athletes, and said, "Yup, that's OUR sport/event!" Canada doesn't have that, at least not in the SOG. The closest we got this time, the first time probably in our history, is "We should at least get a few medals in swimming and athletics. Even if some fail, others should get something, right???!!!" Most Canadians predicted 15-20 medals with 1-3 golds, with nothing specific. It's just that we should get more but with a failing rate of 50%, that's how it should work out. Turns out we broke our records, but realistically no huge surprises came through to account for our glaring disappointments so we probably should have got 30 with 10 golds. But whatever, this is how it is and we're happy.

Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. I've been told we're in the Golden Age of Canadian basketball for two Olympic cycles now, and the Canadian men haven't qualified for either while the women barely made it to the quarters once.

I wouldn't give up on diving. It was a disappointing Olympics, but there are several young men on the up and up. To me, canoe/kayak should be much better in Canada. It is a popular sport in our country and I don't really understand why we're not more competitive internationally. I didn't know people who did it competitively growing up, but half the people I grew up around did it recreationally. Would it be that hard to find talent among all those people? With boxing, I feel like ever since Lennox Lewis Canadians think we're this big boxing country. In reality, Canada hasn't gotten a boxing medal since 1996, and no golds since Lewis in 88. The inclusion of women was supposed to result in medals, and the only reason why some of them have gotten close is because of the small field and guaranteed bronze for reaching the semis. Even then, I can think of only 2 times they got one win away from a medal. Simply put, it just isn't happening and more money isn't going to make it happen. For me, cycling is where it's at. The RBC program produced two medalists in the track sprints, and we have a good record in the pursuit. There is room there. Not to mention good showings historically in mountain biking and potential in BMX.

1. 8/10 Canada had its most successful non-boycotted SOG in terms of gold medals (7, tied with 92) and total medals (24). However, there were some notable disappointments. 2. Surprises: W8 gold medal in rowing. They've historically done well in the event, but were not gold medal favourites going in. Women's soccer getting gold was amazing, especially beating the US in the semis for revenge for having 2012 stolen from them by a corrupt ref. Mitchell winning gold in track sprint on the last day was a great ending, and Genest getting Keirin bronze previously bodes well for our sprint track cycling team moving forward. Seeing our big stars from Rio, Penny Oleksiak and Andre De Grasse succeed again was great. Disappointments: Women's beach volleyball. In a matter of a couple of hours we went from looking forward to a possible all Canada semifinal to having both our teams lose quite easily in the quarters. Women's basketball and rugby teams were supposed to be medal threats and didn't even make it out of group play. This was the first SOG with no wrestling medals in a very long time. In boxing, Mandy Bujold fought so hard to be there through arbitration and courts just to be completely outmatched in her first round. One medal in diving, with only one individual diver making it to a final, was a big disappointment. Overall, Canada historically has an issue with finishing 4th. There have been quite a few articles written about it in the past, and as a nation we always try to figure out why. This time I believe we got 12 4ths, along with 3 other bronze medal losses (in combat sports, so technically you finish 5th). That's 15 near misses for a country that got 24 actual medals. I'm not sure about this year, but it has been proven in many other Olympics that Canada gets the most 4th/5th places with regard to their actual medal count. Some of these 4ths were shocks (men's 4x100 freestyle relay) and some were due to injury (Rosie in trampoline), but it's still incredibly frustrating as a Canadian sports fan. Some will say it's a sign of how powerful the whole team is among a variety of sports, but you start to believe your country just lacks the killer instinct to get to the top. So that's why I only gave an 8/10. There was a point where Canada had more 4th places than gold+silver+bronze, and we were getting 2 a day with no medals. In the end the numbers got better, but it was frustrating for a bit. 3. Canada had no stated goal, but I'd think breaking medal records probably does it. 4. Idk which sports will get more funding, but one of our banks (RBC) had a development program for athletes that showed promise. Many of them had fantastic results - Kelsey Mitchell won track cycling gold and she just took up the sport in 2017 due to this program! Her teammate Lauriane Genest is also part of this program and got a bronze. Another member, Avalon Wasteneys, got gold as part of the W8 rowing team. Pierce Lepage finished 5th in decathlon (same spot as Warner in his first Olympics). They're already looking for more athletes to support for Paris, so I can see this continuing to be a huge success.

Looks like GB's 4x100 relay team will be DQed due to one of their runners doping. This will move Canada up from bronze to silver! https://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/58193101 Honestly, not the team I thought we'd see doping from the sprints, but there's still time I guess.

Who here is finding themselves rewatch various medals by Canada? Upon my return to Beijing I moved into a new apartment with a giant smart TV so I broadcast all the medals all the time from CBC's site these past few days. I can't believe I missed W8's gold, I knew they were doing great (look up my posts about them in the heats). I was supposed to watch on a train, but there were complications about getting into the station and the covid outbreak I mentioned. It drained my phone, my time and my patience, so read about it hours later. I've enjoyed it several times on my new TV now.

Amazing SOG for Canada. There were disappointments, as there always are. But there were also triumphs and unexpected surprises. The women getting gold in soccer will be forever stamped onto Canadian sports history. I was occupied right at the end of the Games, having to cut my summer vacation short to return to Beijing as there is a covid outbreak in this country now and things have returned to high level (well, officially "medium" but it would be considered high level for others. We're not getting locked into our apartments yet). I delayed going through security in the airport on my way back to watch Mitchell win her gold on my phone. I watched the rowing pair get bronze at the feet of the largest stone Buddha in the world. The women beat the US while I sunbathed by the pool in a rainforest environment. I witnessed Maggie MacNeil get her gold in front of pandas at a breeding house. China has problems, very serious problems, but it's a beautiful country. CBC had excellent coverage as usual. Our athletes performed at unprecedented levels. Can't wait for Beijing 2022! I'm here waiting! Screw you covid, we better be able to go to the events. That's a big reason why I took this job. Countdown is on! I'm so hyped right now!

Sad it's over, glad we got to have it finally. Not long till Beijing 2022, and I just happen to live here (currently going through a Covid outbreak, though).

You mean he didn't need to knock anyone over or have the race restarted because he wasn't going to win (still bitter!)

Another gold!

GOOOOOOOOLLLLLD!

Mitchell going for gold!

Oh I know. She seems to do better from behind, just being able to power through at the end.

Crap....

Mitchell!

Completely agree with him. There was no reason to restart that first race, the only one being the GB guy was going to lose.