Olympian1010

@Griff88if you manage to get any bags through the center you’re already doing better than me

Looking at the entry lists, these Games will be a “mixed-bag” as usual. EBU will serve as host broadcaster, and have created a platform identical to one used during the 2023 European Games. I actually considered traveling to these, but it didn’t work out in the end.

Official website: https://heraklion23.gr Results system: https://live.heraklion23.com Streaming: https://medgames.tv

This race continues to deliver odd moments https://x.com/faustocoppi60/status/1698354852189901008?s=46&t=eeNhSzi4Rylqjvpt-IBinQ

I like what you did for the world championships. I was little to busy then to read through, but it’s fun to look back at those days.

I don’t have a problem with sports having more events than others, so long as they are unique enough to warrant inclusion. People complain about windsurfing and kite-sailing being added in sailing, but they do offer something pretty different from the standard dingy events. Same with lightweight rowing or coastal rowing. Personally, I think it comes down to how athlete quotas are utilized. The IOC has really lacked innovation in this space. You can only limit entries so much before the Olympics starts to lose universality, competitive fields, and general appeal. There needs to be more thought put into policies that affect athlete quotas.

In fairness, the qualification process was quite chaotic with all postponements, cancellations, and events program changes. PanamSports probably has a smaller staff than the IOC for this kind of stuff. Still, you’d expect them to be a bit more on top of quota confirmations.

@intoronto do you have a link to the canoe slalom quotas?

Handball draws: https://twitter.com/PanamSports/status/1697740899575316723?s=20

Lake Tahoe would likely be suitable. However, you run into similar infrastructure issues once again. It is expensive to build in the area, and any major development will be met with resistance from environmental groups, and possibly indigenous groups depending where you are building. The area has also been fire prone in recent years, so you’re dealing with that threat too. There are other possibilities in the Sierras and Siskiyous, but you’re likely going to find similar issues. Lakes prone to drought, resistance from environmental/indigenous/farming groups, and a limited pool of local labor and spectators. Water is a precious resource in California. It might quite literally be “liquid gold” in some ways. There’s hope that some wet years can normalize things, but using housing and water resources to cater to rowing would be highly unpopular in California.

Right, if World Rowing is insistent about rowing being held in the LA Metro Area, then they have to cater to the best/most realistic option we can provide. They could always hold rowing elsewhere, likely outside the state, but that has its own setbacks.

The Olympics shouldn’t displace residents or force host cities to build infrastructure that caters exclusively to the Games. The Olympics should fit within existing infrastructure and have a minimal footprint local residents. I mean…much of controversy around the Olympics has to do with its impacts on host cities. There are some infrastructure changes that can benefit both host cities and the Olympics, such as improved transit lines, reimagined public spaces, and airport modernizations. Removing a bridge that serves mainly residents, just so athletes can row a bit further seems like a change that doesn’t provide public benefit. It also provides more ammunition to people who argue against hosting the Olympics. This is the attitude that left Athens, Rio, and other host cities with vacant White Elephants.

Castaic Lake isn’t really ideal. It’s just a dam, and it got pretty low during the bad drought years. I believe it has recovered much water volume with the unusually wet year we’ve had, but other concerns persist. Lake Perris was the venue originally proposed. It was just far away from other venue clusters, not to mention that lake faces similar pressures when it comes to drought. It would also likely require residential facilities to be constructed. Long Beach Marine Stadium relies mainly on seawater, and it already has a lot of the infrastructure needed (or at least room to build temporary facilities). It will be much closer in proximity to other venue clusters as well. The main downside to the venue is the shortened distance, along with the tidal fluctuations.

I certainly don’t need any excuses to travel to Lake Tahoe. I don’t spend nearly enough time in the Sierras.

Water isn’t a sure thing in Southern California. The Long Beach Marine Stadium is really the only traditional spot for rowing in Los Angeles. Long Beach could remove the bridge, but that would negatively impact residents in the area. I think reducing the distance ultimately became the best compromise. There’s also a possibility Oklahoma City will be called in to host canoe slalom at the national whitewater center.

Yes, that is the current plan. It’s the same venue as 1932, but the city (Long Beach) built a road bridge over the later part of the course.

A little bit of hyperbole there, hopefully. While rowing is a bit cumbersome on athlete quotas, there has been a good diversity in competing nations and medalists at the Olympic Games.

I’ve been thinking about a similar idea for a while too. My proposed program would be: Single Scull, LW Double Scull, Quad Scull, Pair, Eights World Rowing could then re-route the newly freed quotas to increase field sizes in those events.

Not to mention, you then need to find another six to compete in the other boats, and that’s not even considering athletes in the sculls.

We need resurrect the Mt. Baldy climb so Kuss can take gold in 2028

It just takes a lot of bodies to field entries across the whole program. Rowing is probably one of the least quota friendly sports. I don’t see a need to change much, but these events are becoming starved for entries at the Olympic level.

Or at least a very good marketing gimmick

The epitome of Canadian sport. https://x.com/evandunfee/status/1697261401465848156?s=46&t=eeNhSzi4Rylqjvpt-IBinQ

Nebraska set a new record for attendance at a women’s sporting event. 92,000 in attendance for tonight’s women’s university volleyball match. https://x.com/espn/status/1697060879932461216?s=46&t=eeNhSzi4Rylqjvpt-IBinQ

You’d just need to add some additional stipulations. Nations with fewer athletes, who were represented across fewer sports at previous editions, and have maintained regular attendance at major events in the sport get priority. NOCs can’t get repeat invites in certain sports (looking at you ). NOCs can’t get more than one universality/emerging nations slot per sport.