Tokyo 2020

[mapuc]

It's almost time for another round of Olympic Games.

I hope Denmark and Sweden will win a few gold, silver and bronze during the games.

I cross my fingers hoping your country will win gold, silver and bronze too.

Do you have any favorite sports, you will try to watch in this Olympic ?

For me it's Handball, Football, Athletic, Swimming and what I else find interesting the day I watch the Olympic.

Markus

[Skybird]

Sorry, but my interest does not even match that little to none I had in the football tournament. Nill. Its not even due to Covid. Its the whole damn moneygrabbing and commercial thing, and the corruption it causes in the organisations, the political lining up with evil regimes if only they pay enough money for it. I'm done with this stuff. All of it.


Durch feuriges Laub gesickertes Herbstmorgenlicht
beglänzt die Ahnung vergänglichen Ruhms,
der einsamen Türme verfallene Zinnen Schattenriß
derweil durchs Gras des Tales kriecht,
Tau mit sich nehmend.
Und der Wind durchwandert die zeitlosen
Hallen aus Stein, gleich einem ewigen Sänger,
kündend von Heldentaten.
Der Könige Ehre, der Krieger Ruhm -
was sind sie mehr als Staub
in den schweigenden Gängen?


Could be said about medals and sports trophies as well. The older I get, the more vain these kind of things seem to me.

But this evening, i had a lonely walk in a nearby small, light forest. Temperature was great, not cold, not warm, the green appeared fresh and juicy like in spring, but the fern was out, and tight on the ground. We have heavy rains here, it was in a break I walked there, and the air was filled with the crackling of the thousands upon thousands of drops of water that dripped from the leaves of the trees. The light was greyish, and fresh, a very mild mist seemed to hover over some parts of the ground, but not too much. It was magic. It was lonely, but it was a good, positive loneliness. The smell of the ground was in the air, moist and heavy. It felt distanced from the rest of the dirty world, a moment separated from the flow of time, clean, purified, fresh, full of life. A bubble inside the turmoil of the world surrounding me from all sides and so near by.

You see, I will remember such perfect moments much longer than anything TV yells at me from during the broadcast of sports fanfares and triumphs and postures. In the end these things mean nothing, and they will not warm me in the coming difficult times of my life.

You see, that walk in the forest just 2 hours ago had kind of an impact on me.

[Platapus]

I look forward (not) to the usual dismal coverage of the Olympics that we have in the US.



If it is not an event where the US is anticipated of winning medals, it gets little if any coverage here.


Maybe if they stopped running stories about selected athlete's lives and other fluff stories, there would be more time to actually cover the less trendy events.

[mapuc]

I'm a sport fan it hasn't gone away despite my ageing.

This Olympic will not be as fun to watch as it use to.
I will watch these event I mentioned in my first post though

Know this from watching last season football from UK-No spectators-Felt like watching a movie without sound.

Markus

[em2nought]

Not really a fan of watching my flag get disrespected by privileged athletes from my own country whilst they wear sneakers made by Chinese slave labor, so nope.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by em2nought

Not really a fan of watching my flag get disrespected by privileged athletes from my own country whilst they wear sneakers made by Chinese slave labor, so nope.

You must hate it when you see it improperly mounted on a vehicle, or hung incorrectly, etc.

EDIT: Anyway, those "privileged" athletes have worked very hard from a young age at conciderable sacrifice to get there.

[Catfish]

I have always wondered how a flag is "disrespected" when athletes kneel to show respect for people having suffered wrongdoing. Nothing to do with a flag, nothing to do with politics.

[Cyborg322]

Originally Posted by Catfish

I have always wondered how a flag is "disrespected" when athletes kneel to show respect for people having suffered wrongdoing. Nothing to do with a flag, nothing to do with politics.

totally agree

Simon

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Catfish

I have always wondered how a flag is "disrespected" when athletes kneel to show respect for people having suffered wrongdoing. Nothing to do with a flag, nothing to do with politics.

True that

[Platapus]

Kneeling during the anthem is supposedly terrible
But athletes using the flag as a sweat rag is OK?

[mapuc]

A countries flag and the abuse of it.

In the beginning of the 20 century a private person accused a group of sport fan for having abused the Swedish flag. These people had written Sverige/Sweden on their flags.

The prosecutor came with the conclusion that it could not be seen as an abuse of the flag. So painting the countries name, wearing it and wave with it is not abuse.

Set it on fire, tramp on it, pee on it...is abuse.

Markus

[MaDef]

Originally Posted by Catfish

I have always wondered how a flag is "disrespected" when athletes kneel to show respect for people having suffered wrongdoing. Nothing to do with a flag, nothing to do with politics.

Can't speak for other countries but Here in the Land of the Free, the following applies:

(a)Designation.—
The composition consisting of the words and music known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem.
(b)Conduct During Playing.—During a rendition of the national anthem—
(1)when the flag is displayed—
(A)individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note;
(B)members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform; and
(C)all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and
(2)when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.

nothing about kneeling in there.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by MaDef

Can't speak for other countries but Here in the Land of the Free, the following applies:

nothing about kneeling in there.

https://www.usa.gov/flag

Nothing here about mounting it in the back of your truck until it's in shreds, sticking it out your car window, leaving it up at night in the dark, or wearing it as a shirt either.

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

You must hate it when you see it improperly mounted on a vehicle, or hung incorrectly, etc.

EDIT: Anyway, those "privileged" athletes have worked very hard from a young age at conciderable sacrifice to get there.

No matter how hard I work at trying to sing, you're definitely not going to want to be within earshot.

[Buddahaid]

Originally Posted by em2nought

No matter how hard I work at trying to sing, you're definitely not going to want to be within earshot.

LOL! The difference is the athletes compete all the time and the ones who can't "sing" well enough never find themselves moving up into higher levels of competition.