Dolby

2 minutes ago, rafalgorka said:

Great question, thanks for that,

 

POL will not boycott, whether they are allowed or not, I'm sure here.

 

And IND?

India will not boycott in either case as well. And that is what I was trying to say. Majority of the nations would not boycott the games either way. Whether Russia is there or not. 

Lets ask a counter question. Who all will boycott the Paris Olympics if Russia and Belarus athletes are allowed as neutrals? Who all will boycott if Russian and Belorussian teams are allowed as well? 

55 minutes ago, dcro said:

@heywoodu Are you ready for the  vs  final?

Winner gets ?

24 minutes ago, rafalgorka said:

https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/sports/football/with-russia-banned-from-world-cup-fans-cheer-on-serbian-brothers-1166317.html

 

@Fly_like_a_don @Dolby if You don't mind, do You know this website? Anyone in India reads it? Is it reliable?

Deccan Herald is a regional mid-sized newspaper. And as far as I know, it is decent. Nothing extraordinary but not conspiracy theorist as well. Regarding the article you shared, DH is simply reposting the article by AFP, which I gather is a French news agency. 

6 minutes ago, vinipereira said:

After a bad start, asian teams are doing good/great here. Maybe Qatar will win next? 

I am ready to take credit. 

12 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

Thanks for the explanation!

 

It does kind of feel like the Indians in Qatar are either unaware or are paid by Qatar to be lying about "The World Cup is insanely popular at the moment", they make it sound like all over the country there is an insane hype right now and every participating country has thousands of hardcore Indian fans cheering for them, so it'd be 'perfectly normal' to see those videos we've seen from Qatar the past days  

Ohh I am not denying that most likely Qatar has hired fans. It is almost certain that a good amount of Indians (and other expats in Gulf) are being paid by the organizers to party and enjoy. 

24 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

About the international fans in Qatar, a lot of whom apparently are from India and supporting whichever random-looking country: "People just don't realize how insanely popular the World Cup is in our home country. We watch the Premier League every weekend. Nobody paid us to do this."

 

To our Indian friends, is the World Cup (and this one specifically, which seems so 'dead' in most countries) really that insanely huge in India at this very moment? @Prakash @Prashanth @Fly_like_a_don @nitinsanker (and I am definitely forgetting some others, for which I apologize, it's early )

Football popularity in India can be broken in 2-3 different groups. First, the traditional football strongholds in India: Kerala/West Bengal/Goa and North East. These regions have been the bedrock of Indian football since a long time and Football World Cup is a big deal there. Normally, you would find a lot of Brazil/Argentina fans in these regions. Also, a lot of Indians in Qatar/Middle East are from the Indian state of Kerala which is crazy about football. 

Second and newer group of football fanatics are the EPL/Champions League watchers in urban areas. I don't have numbers but viewership of EPL in India is quite high. And, in the recent past, I have seen that not only is this new generation consuming football and part of the online fan groups of various clubs, but is also contributing to fan driven data/tactic analysis. And in recent past with ease of following other leagues as well, other European leagues are also getting a foothold in India. 

And third group would be the followers  of Indian football, outside the traditional regions in group 1. Those who follow Indian team and ISL. 

First 2 groups are excited about the World Cup. But, it is the usual excitement and not insane hype. There is not much media coverage or ad campaigns regarding WC. Normal Indian sports fan is more excited about the India-NZ T20 series but there is still a significant group which is excited about Football World Cup. And obviously, those who are residing in Qatar or other Gulf states, are really excited about the World Cup as for them it is almost like a home World Cup. 

4 minutes ago, nitinsanker said:

Majority of the wrestling team visas were rejected on grounds that they were not sure that our athletes would not overstay ..... Does Spain think that some of our best wrestlers would hide and become illegal immigrants in Spain .... Has any Indian athlete  in the last 20 overstayed ...... Just disgusted ..... I hope Spain will not be allocated any international event again 

These rules are not applicable on European countries like Spain. If India had denied visa to a support staff on such flimsy grounds, by now whole of IOC/European media would be threatening us with ban. 

31 minutes ago, Adriano said:

Why people from India are so pro Russia. I had this kind of experience recently seeing in social media. I know people from this country was so friendly, kindly and hardworking in my country. And always had a good experience and opinion. They seems pro democratic values. Now, I think people from India are closer Russia and China can someone explain me this?

1) I would not say people in India are overwhelmingly pro-Russia but there is a divide in general public. When we compare it to Europe where public opinion is almost unanimous, this divide seems pro-Russia. 
 

2) Legacy issues. Many don’t trust USA as traditionally USA has supported Pakistan over India while Russia has helped India. 
 

3) Some in Indian RW are more averse to US/Europe because of their habit of interfering in our internal matters using NGOs and their overt/covert support to missionaries. 
 

4) Majority would just go with the government stand. In past, we were firmly in Russian bloc. In the present Ukraine conflict, govt has not taken a clear Russia or US stand. There are enough signs in recent past to suggest that India might pivot towards a more hardline stand against Russia. Public sentiment would also shift then. 
 

4) With respect to China, I think apart from a small minority, there is consensus in Indian polity and public sentiment. And no I wouldn’t say that we see them as allies. 
 

5) In fact it is fear of China that is forcing India and US to forge close ties (Quad). 

Once again rain deals a huge blow to SA’s chances in a WC

54 minutes ago, Dragon said:

For my part, I don't expect cricket to ever be a permanent part of the Olympic schedule but when certain countries host the Games (Australia, India and possibly the UK or South Africa) and have suitable cricket stadiums that can be used there are financial and other reasons why it could be included.

 

The quota argument is a good argument against cricket but actually a better one against baseball and softball where the squad sizes are so much bigger.

I think 2 cricket tournaments of 8 teams would take up around 240 quota, about the same as baseball/softball in 2021.

You could even cut it down to 2 6 team tournaments with 14 players on each roster (168 quota)

Basically, allot 200-250 quota to host nation? Let Australia use it for Cricket, Japan for Baseball?

7 minutes ago, JoshMartini007 said:

 

Yeah, the arena requirements for cricket is quite large (it has the largest field dimensions out of all the popular sports) so it only makes sense for nations which already have cricket venues to host it. Especially if the IOC is still big on cutting down costs for host nations.

Yes, you need atleast 2-3 stadiums to have any meaningful tournament. 6 team tournament would mean 15 + 15 group stage matches followed by 4 semis and 4 medal matches. 38 matches in 3 stadium would also mean  each stadium hosting a game everyday for 15 days. Would require one hell of a curator team. 
 

27 minutes ago, Dragon said:

In my opinion Cricket is only an Olympic sport if the Games are held in India or Australia.

And nowhere else.

Aren’t you missing UK? Olympic Gold medal match at Lord’s would be quite iconic. 

2 minutes ago, Dragon said:

I think a 6-8 team tournament might creep under the quota

Even a 6 team tournament requires 6x15x2= 180 athletes. 

The KING is back. What a game! What an innings! 

Rhythm 

35 minutes ago, Dolby said:

Not sure. Maybe the shooter with higher score in ranking match gets 5th place. 

It seems that the eliminated shooter with the highest score becomes 5th, second highest becomes 6th and so on. So, we could have a situation where both 5th and 6th are from same ranking round. 

7 minutes ago, Makedonas said:

Why are we not eligible? Korakaki only qualified in 10m, not 25m. Or because she got quota in 10m she is automatically qualified for 25m? I didn't know that was the rule

1) A shooter can only earn one quota. 
2) Quota is allocated to NOC and not athlete. 
3) If Greece nominates Korakaki for 10m quota, she can take part in any other event where she has achieved MQS, as long as there are max 2 Greek athletes in that event.

22 minutes ago, MHSN said:

how they determine 5th and 6th placers in this event (where we have two groups of 4) ?

Not sure. Maybe the shooter with higher score in ranking match gets 5th place. 

 qualify for final of 25m Pistol Women. 

and not eligible for quota. 

 qualify for final of 50 Rifle 3 Positions Men.

 already won the quota in European Championship so not eligible for quota. So, 6 nations fighting for 4 quota. 

16 minutes ago, JoshMartini007 said:

The drop off of the West Indies is sad, but as other countries continue to invest in cricket the region is getting left behind. Perhaps a new generation will step up.

Problem is not of talent. Atleast not in T20. Players like Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmeyer, Roston Chase, Fabian Allen are missing from the WC squad. For a decade or so, WI board simply fails to get the top players to prioritize "National team" over various T20 leagues across the world.