Federer91

I see Canada has opened their 4th place count already 

I see Canada has opened their 4th place count already 

Croatia played in the Nations League this summer and now lose three in-a-row in one if the easier groups  Something isn't clicking there.

We are making awful, awful mistakes today, just like we did against Croatia yesterday. Our play is very up and down.. They make 5 straight great points and then 3-4 junior level errors. Bosnia isn't a caliber opponent where this makes a difference, unlike the Nations League earlier in summer, where this costed us 2-3 wins.  

Let's hope Romania can win more than 15 points per set, so it's not a full blown-out. 

as a proverb says: today's only raining down your back!
 
we're in the bright sunny 35°C range today in the planes in the north of Italy  
 
p.s. starting at 8 p.m., the game's likely over before we have a true night sky...I guess it would have been better to start at 9/9.15 p.m.
 
by the way, it's always a nice and prestigious landscape when you play at the Arena Scaligera in Verona, even if it's not an Opera

The Euro opens tonight with  Italia against  Romania under the night sky. Has someone checked the weather forecast for any potential rain? 

The Euro opens tonight with  Italia against  Romania under the night sky. Has someone checked the weather forecast for any potential rain? 

This is a great example. It's absurd, that the individual events are 60% dependent on the team event, with another 30% being geo-locked..
 
The whole qualification system is geared to the same few powerhouse countries. Italy, Russia, France, United States, Japan, Korea or China always have 50% of the quotas. Yeah, it's most likely because of the IOC's policy of "fewer" athletes, but this way it just kills the flame in smaller nations to actively try to break through in this sport. 
 
And the team events having only 8 teams is a different story.. Ski-jumping and Nordic Combined are chastised for their team events, but fencing even gets encouraged by the IOC, even though they are with same... 8 teams

Good to see, that FIBA have made a proper logistical desicion in choosing hosts, which are close neighbouring countries like Finland, Latvia, Poland and of course............. Cyprus 

These are some crazy penalties 

Why aren't these people in jail yet? Happened at Crucible, Wimbledon, F1.. This is not a normal protest, it's deliberate attack on a sporting event (and cultural ones too). Throw them for 2 years in jail, then will see if they wont prefer protesting in front of town hall like everyone else.

Why aren't these people in jail yet? Happened at Crucible, Wimbledon, F1.. This is not a normal protest, it's deliberate attack on a sporting event (and cultural ones too). Throw them for 2 years in jail, then will see if they wont prefer protesting in front of town hall like everyone else.

Why aren't these people in jail yet? Happened at Crucible, Wimbledon, F1.. This is not a normal protest, it's deliberate attack on a sporting event (and cultural ones too). Throw them for 2 years in jail, then will see if they wont prefer protesting in front of town hall like everyone else.

Why aren't these people in jail yet? Happened at Crucible, Wimbledon, F1.. This is not a normal protest, it's deliberate attack on a sporting event (and cultural ones too). Throw them for 2 years in jail, then will see if they wont prefer protesting in front of town hall like everyone else.

Throwing out sports shouldn't be easy, but the talking points and agendas are always politicized. 
 
I can do that too, because i'm bored 
 
You hear all the time - cost of the Games, cost of the Games, COST of the Games, but somehow that is never factored in, when they talk about the sports programme. 
 
Track Cycling - highly expensive
Canoe Slalom - highly expensive
Sailing and Equestrian - probably expensive to organise and definitely expensive to practice.
Rowing / Sprint canoeing - could be expensive, if you don't have a built in canal..
 
I like these sports and don't want them to leave, but you have to wonder why they never come up in discussions. Is it maybe because those are sports dominated by Western countries. (Yes i know, the old West vs. East propaganda, a tale old as time). Of course those sport have never had any problems, they are clear as the sky.
 
While the topic is always on weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, you know sports which are more popular in other parts of the world (Again, i know, doping, corruption, shady organisations.. it never happens in other sports). Sports, which require 2 mats /rings/ podiums, that could be organised on the street and can be practiced in the smallest village in Zambia. We are saving money by throwing out the cheapest sports out there.
 
And i can add the diversity participation card in there. Boxing, wrestling, even weightlifting, if they'd allow them, have more country diversity at one Olympics, than Sailing, Equestrian and Track Cycling could have in 5 Olympics combined.

Throwing out sports shouldn't be easy, but the talking points and agendas are always politicized. 
 
I can do that too, because i'm bored 
 
You hear all the time - cost of the Games, cost of the Games, COST of the Games, but somehow that is never factored in, when they talk about the sports programme. 
 
Track Cycling - highly expensive
Canoe Slalom - highly expensive
Sailing and Equestrian - probably expensive to organise and definitely expensive to practice.
Rowing / Sprint canoeing - could be expensive, if you don't have a built in canal..
 
I like these sports and don't want them to leave, but you have to wonder why they never come up in discussions. Is it maybe because those are sports dominated by Western countries. (Yes i know, the old West vs. East propaganda, a tale old as time). Of course those sport have never had any problems, they are clear as the sky.
 
While the topic is always on weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, you know sports which are more popular in other parts of the world (Again, i know, doping, corruption, shady organisations.. it never happens in other sports). Sports, which require 2 mats /rings/ podiums, that could be organised on the street and can be practiced in the smallest village in Zambia. We are saving money by throwing out the cheapest sports out there.
 
And i can add the diversity participation card in there. Boxing, wrestling, even weightlifting, if they'd allow them, have more country diversity at one Olympics, than Sailing, Equestrian and Track Cycling could have in 5 Olympics combined.

Throwing out sports shouldn't be easy, but the talking points and agendas are always politicized. 
 
I can do that too, because i'm bored 
 
You hear all the time - cost of the Games, cost of the Games, COST of the Games, but somehow that is never factored in, when they talk about the sports programme. 
 
Track Cycling - highly expensive
Canoe Slalom - highly expensive
Sailing and Equestrian - probably expensive to organise and definitely expensive to practice.
Rowing / Sprint canoeing - could be expensive, if you don't have a built in canal..
 
I like these sports and don't want them to leave, but you have to wonder why they never come up in discussions. Is it maybe because those are sports dominated by Western countries. (Yes i know, the old West vs. East propaganda, a tale old as time). Of course those sport have never had any problems, they are clear as the sky.
 
While the topic is always on weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, you know sports which are more popular in other parts of the world (Again, i know, doping, corruption, shady organisations.. it never happens in other sports). Sports, which require 2 mats /rings/ podiums, that could be organised on the street and can be practiced in the smallest village in Zambia. We are saving money by throwing out the cheapest sports out there.
 
And i can add the diversity participation card in there. Boxing, wrestling, even weightlifting, if they'd allow them, have more country diversity at one Olympics, than Sailing, Equestrian and Track Cycling could have in 5 Olympics combined.

I said it years ago. USA, the country with the biggest history and lineage of all time would never throw out Boxing. They have more traditions in it, than practically any other sport, with the exception of athletics, swimming and basketball.
 
If this was a country with no traditions like Australia, sure, there could a possibility of excluding boxing. But USA, come on. It's absurd that people even think it, no matter what their opinion on the sport is currently.

Throwing out sports shouldn't be easy, but the talking points and agendas are always politicized. 
 
I can do that too, because i'm bored 
 
You hear all the time - cost of the Games, cost of the Games, COST of the Games, but somehow that is never factored in, when they talk about the sports programme. 
 
Track Cycling - highly expensive
Canoe Slalom - highly expensive
Sailing and Equestrian - probably expensive to organise and definitely expensive to practice.
Rowing / Sprint canoeing - could be expensive, if you don't have a built in canal..
 
I like these sports and don't want them to leave, but you have to wonder why they never come up in discussions. Is it maybe because those are sports dominated by Western countries. (Yes i know, the old West vs. East propaganda, a tale old as time). Of course those sport have never had any problems, they are clear as the sky.
 
While the topic is always on weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, you know sports which are more popular in other parts of the world (Again, i know, doping, corruption, shady organisations.. it never happens in other sports). Sports, which require 2 mats /rings/ podiums, that could be organised on the street and can be practiced in the smallest village in Zambia. We are saving money by throwing out the cheapest sports out there.
 
And i can add the diversity participation card in there. Boxing, wrestling, even weightlifting, if they'd allow them, have more country diversity at one Olympics, than Sailing, Equestrian and Track Cycling could have in 5 Olympics combined.

Throwing out sports shouldn't be easy, but the talking points and agendas are always politicized. 
 
I can do that too, because i'm bored 
 
You hear all the time - cost of the Games, cost of the Games, COST of the Games, but somehow that is never factored in, when they talk about the sports programme. 
 
Track Cycling - highly expensive
Canoe Slalom - highly expensive
Sailing and Equestrian - probably expensive to organise and definitely expensive to practice.
Rowing / Sprint canoeing - could be expensive, if you don't have a built in canal..
 
I like these sports and don't want them to leave, but you have to wonder why they never come up in discussions. Is it maybe because those are sports dominated by Western countries. (Yes i know, the old West vs. East propaganda, a tale old as time). Of course those sport have never had any problems, they are clear as the sky.
 
While the topic is always on weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics, you know sports which are more popular in other parts of the world (Again, i know, doping, corruption, shady organisations.. it never happens in other sports). Sports, which require 2 mats /rings/ podiums, that could be organised on the street and can be practiced in the smallest village in Zambia. We are saving money by throwing out the cheapest sports out there.
 
And i can add the diversity participation card in there. Boxing, wrestling, even weightlifting, if they'd allow them, have more country diversity at one Olympics, than Sailing, Equestrian and Track Cycling could have in 5 Olympics combined.

So Bach is like the Pope now. He is giving his blessings and apperently quotas on his desire.  I want a volleyball quota too mister President.

So Bach is like the Pope now. He is giving his blessings and apperently quotas on his desire.  I want a volleyball quota too mister President.

This is a great example. It's absurd, that the individual events are 60% dependent on the team event, with another 30% being geo-locked..
 
The whole qualification system is geared to the same few powerhouse countries. Italy, Russia, France, United States, Japan, Korea or China always have 50% of the quotas. Yeah, it's most likely because of the IOC's policy of "fewer" athletes, but this way it just kills the flame in smaller nations to actively try to break through in this sport. 
 
And the team events having only 8 teams is a different story.. Ski-jumping and Nordic Combined are chastised for their team events, but fencing even gets encouraged by the IOC, even though they are with same... 8 teams

I knew USA were going to underperform on their usual performance, but damn things are looking bleak.  Their chances of winning the medal table have been heavily reduced. They have very, very good swimmers, but for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, there is always some other superstar that wins the race. Usually the USofA were the ones with the big superstars.