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Russia sticking their OARs in: Winter Olympics 2018

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    Weird games for Canada.

    They already broke their all time medal record from Vancouver, but a significant portion of the Great Canadian Public will feel that they choked in the events that are theirs by right (Curling and Ice Hockey).

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      Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
      They weren't given any chance to beat Sweden or Canada.


      I know, I’m being fatalist - would hate their fantastic story to hand Gold to a team that shouldn’t really be there. Though a silver for Germany is still a fantastic outcome, makes me even more wish we played the game to a decent level in Britain.

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        https://twitter.com/eublogo/status/966763506522607617

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          So much wonderful stuff going on in these games, but if it ain't (british) curling or Elaine (frankly dangerous) Christie I'm being told I couldn't give a toss.

          I wonder if they'll even bother showing the women's curling final tomorrow now. If they do it'll be surrounded by meaningful montages of Scottish women with too much eyeshadow fucking things up.

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            I've grumbled a bit about the international coverage, but overall I'm really pleased not to be watching this through the eyes of the BBC. Or any other blinkered broadcaster. The international feed has a bias too, not to a country but to the IOC, so you won't hear any questioning of the Games themselves. Thankfully there aren't many IOC officials you can have gushing interviews and cuddles with after they came 4th. So they do focus on the competitors and winners regardless of nationality.

            Today it's the Mass Start Speed Skating. If the Beeb (or NBC, or whoever you've got) doesn't let you watch those races, elbow aggro on ice, then burn them down.

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              Originally posted by Ray de Galles View Post
              I know, I’m being fatalist - would hate their fantastic story to hand Gold to a team that shouldn’t really be there. Though a silver for Germany is still a fantastic outcome, makes me even more wish we played the game to a decent level in Britain.
              Eishockey is the second most popular sport in Germany, isn’t it?

              Not sure why it continues to struggle in the UK. There’s obviously some interest. Just not enough rinks?

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                In terms of top flight professional attendance, yes, but I would argue that Formula One and tennis are more popular, and believe that handball has higher participation figures among team sports.

                The DEL has had some major bankruptcies recently, including the clubs from Frankfurt and Hamburg, and it will be interesting to see if it builds upon the expected Olympic bounce to become the best attended league in Europe (they are currently about 800 a game behind Switzerland).

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                  Ledecka wins her 2nd gold medal in the Super G. Then the BBC cut away just as the men's gold medal race was about to start. Damned idiots.

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                    I'm not sure about parallel snowboarding as an event - seems like an attempt to turn time trials into races, just by having them do it side by side. Adds the knockout element, so it's cup not league. But anyway ... the semis and medal races were terrific.

                    A Brit wins a medal in the Big Hair. Don't know if it was Alan Biley or George Berry.

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                      Originally posted by tee rex View Post
                      I'm not sure about parallel snowboarding as an event - seems like an attempt to turn time trials into races, just by having them do it side by side. Adds the knockout element, so it's cup not league. But anyway ... the semis and medal races were terrific.
                      I enjoyed it, by running the competition through in one session it built the tension nicely towards the finals. Which was why the BBC taking a five minute break to change channels before showing the men's final was annoying as it broke that up.

                      A Brit wins a medal in the Big Hair. Don't know if it was Alan Biley or George Berry.
                      I'm just bemused by the headshot used on the coverage.



                      Meanwhile, in the men's Curling final, "Ivanka Trump has entered the arena, so that's good for the USA team". Is it now?

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                        Ah, another column featuring forty seven similes and metaphors courtesy of Mr Ronay.

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                          "Even the name Barney Ronay contains the word bore"

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                            His whole name is an anagram of "Any any borer", which sounds like a cockney trying to sell him.

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                              This mass start long track has a definite air of Jeux Sans Frontieres

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                                This mass start thing is a bit mad. I assume the final will be working differently?

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                                  The final has 16 participants with the same scoring system, so I wouldn’t count on that

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                                    But if you win the final sprint you can't be beaten by anyone else

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                                      That seems to be a feature, not a bug, though it does seem to render the intermediate sprints irrelevant
                                      Last edited by ursus arctos; 24-02-2018, 12:25.

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                                        So what was the benefit to the Estonian woman of winning all the intermediate sprints?

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                                          Being assured of fourth.

                                          Seems to me that the event would be more interesting if doing that assured one of a bronze.

                                          The current scoring system means that the final is essentially a 6400 m race with a mass start.
                                          Last edited by ursus arctos; 24-02-2018, 12:50.

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                                            Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                            Being assured of fourth.
                                            And then waiting for the drug tests.

                                            I suppose she (and the 2 guys who did the same in the men's race) affects the speed of the chasing pack, and that could lead to falls etc. But yeah, it does seem silly to have a points system that works well for qualifying but is meaningless in the final. Also silly was the men's semi where the Kiwi won, because guys who had enough points already slowed down and got out of his way.

                                            Happy for the Belgian, who finally beats the Dutch in their Low Rivalry.

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                                              Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                              In terms of top flight professional attendance, yes, but I would argue that Formula One and tennis are more popular, and believe that handball has higher participation figures among team sports.

                                              The DEL has had some major bankruptcies recently, including the clubs from Frankfurt and Hamburg, and it will be interesting to see if it builds upon the expected Olympic bounce to become the best attended league in Europe (they are currently about 800 a game behind Switzerland).
                                              That makes sense. Outside of some parts of Canada, Minnesota and a few other places, the barriers to entry are high for hockey participation, even if interest in watching it is also high.

                                              But I’m surprised the Swedish League or KHL don’t have higher attendance.

                                              I will never understand the enduring mass popularity of tennis. Not that I think it’s a bad sport. I just find it very frustrating to try to play and whenever I see people trying to play, they usually seem to be spending most of their time chasing the ball. It just doesn’t look like much fun and I haven’t enjoyed it the few times I tried it. (I liked racquetball a lot more). The learning curve to get to a point where it looks remotely fun is long and steep.

                                              Same with golf and, come to think of it, skateboarding.

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                                                Just for information, here are the top ten European leagues for 16-17.

                                                1. Switzerland - National League A 6,882

                                                2. Germany - Deutsche Eishockey Liga 6,198

                                                3. Russia - Kontinental Hockey League 6,121

                                                4. Sweden - Swedish Hockey League 5,707

                                                5. Czech Republic - Extraliga 5,178

                                                6. Finland - Liiga 4,326

                                                7. Great Britain - Elite Ice Hockey League 2,842

                                                8. Austria - EBEL 2,794

                                                9. Norway - Get-ligaen 1,955

                                                10. Slovakia - Extraliga 1,905
                                                Arena size is a key factor, and while Sweden was the traditional leader, larger rinks in Switzerland and Germany are having an impact, as can be seen from the club rankings (% figure is capacity)


                                                1. SC Bern SUI 16,399 95.73%

                                                2. Dynamo Minsk BLR 13,230 87.70%

                                                3. Kolner Haie GER 12,662 68.44%

                                                4. Eisbaren Berlin GER 12,052 84.87%

                                                5. SKA St. Petersburg RUS 11,735 93.88%

                                                6. Adler Mannheim GER 10,812 79.50%

                                                7. Jokerit Helsinki FIN 9,610 70.33%

                                                8. ZSC Lions Zurich SUI 9,214 82.27%

                                                9. Slovan Bratislava SVK 9,104 90.54%

                                                10. Frolunda Gothenburg SWE 9,029 74.97%
                                                Dynamo Minsk, SKA, Jokerit and Slovan all play in the KHL

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                                                  I appear to be watching the curling.

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