2020 Summer Olympics

[KeithE4Phx]

I don't understand why it has to be so hard though. It's not the Olympic committee's job to regulate the athletes' everyday lives. As long as they're not using PEDs then it shouldn't be the committee's problem. If an athlete wants to use cannabis then they can do that at their own risk and deal with the consequences (because it's not exactly broccoli in terms of health, is it).

Depends.  Is weed still illegal in Japan?  Even if it's legal now, it still affects performance, and not in a good way.  I can't believe that any world class athlete would be using it right before or during a competition.

[NWI_Irish96]

Wow, the US women's soccer team lost 3-0 to Sweden. Quite the shock.

[kphoger]

To be consistent, the IOC should also be testing for and banning the use of Ibuprofen and Aspirin and other painkillers.  If you're going to ban cannabis, but not these other pharmaceutical grade pain medications, then that's just rank hypocrisy. 

I can't see from here if your tongue is in your cheek or not...

Equating cannabis to Tylenol isn't exactly a smart argument.  No two drugs are the same, and a ban on one doesn't necessitate that a different one likewise be banned.

(This is why marijuana testing is bogus in general–while a Breathalyzer test can tell you exactly how impaired someone is in the moment, someone can test positive for marijuana for weeks after they consumed it.)

Tell me about it.  That's how my boss, who worked for this company for twenty years and who is the husband of my co-worker, lost his job.  It didn't even occur to him that he might fail a drug test several days later.

[Scott5114]

I don't understand why it has to be so hard though. It's not the Olympic committee's job to regulate the athletes' everyday lives. As long as they're not using PEDs then it shouldn't be the committee's problem. If an athlete wants to use cannabis then they can do that at their own risk and deal with the consequences (because it's not exactly broccoli in terms of health, is it).

Depends.  Is weed still illegal in Japan?  Even if it's legal now, it still affects performance, and not in a good way.  I can't believe that any world class athlete would be using it right before or during a competition.

The athlete that got bounced from the competition was a US sprinter that hadn't yet set foot on Japanese soil. Failing a drug test in Oregon (where it's legal for all uses) caused her result in a qualifying race (in Oregon) to be vacated, and without that result, she wasn't eligible to even go to Japan.

[kphoger]

Hey now, this isn't just an Olympics issue.  There are many other signatories to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).  You know, such as these:

International Jump Rope Union (IJRU)
International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP)
Organización Deportiva Bolivariana (ODEBO)

(You can't make this stuff up!)

[Scott5114]

^ Doesn't that last one roughly translate to "Venezuelan Sports Organization"?

I own a playing card company and worked in casino gaming for 10½ years, and I've never heard of "match poker", nor can I understand why you would need to worry about performance-enhancing drugs in poker.

[kphoger]

Hey now, this isn't just an Olympics issue.  There are many other signatories to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).  You know, such as these:

International Jump Rope Union (IJRU)
International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP)
Organización Deportiva Bolivariana (ODEBO)

(You can't make this stuff up!)

^ Doesn't that last one roughly translate to "Venezuelan Sports Organization"?

No.  That would be Organización Deportiva Venezolana.

[Roadgeekteen]

Opening ceremony is tomorrow. It's actually happening.

[kevinb1994]

Opening ceremony is tomorrow. It's actually happening.

For once.

[Rothman]

Opening ceremony is tomorrow. It's actually happening.

For once.

Well...if you're not aware, we have had olympics for decades now.

[triplemultiplex]

I own a playing card company and worked in casino gaming for 10½ years, and I've never heard of "match poker", nor can I understand why you would need to worry about performance-enhancing drugs in poker.

Yeah that one puzzles me as well.  Unless someone has shit so good it gives you x-ray vision and you can see the other players cards??

[NWI_Irish96]

^ Doesn't that last one roughly translate to "Venezuelan Sports Organization"?

I own a playing card company and worked in casino gaming for 10½ years, and I've never heard of "match poker", nor can I understand why you would need to worry about performance-enhancing drugs in poker.

Match poker is similar to duplicates bridge. The hands are randomized and dealt to all players, with your "team" occupying a different position, and thus getting a different hand, at every table. I heard someone talking about it during one of the poker TV shows, but it doesn't seem to have gotten big.

[MinecraftNinja]

Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Olympics.

[Roadgeekteen]

Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Olympics.

They haven't even awarded the 2030 winter Olympics yet.

[Scott5114]

Hey now, this isn't just an Olympics issue.  There are many other signatories to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).  You know, such as these:

International Jump Rope Union (IJRU)
International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP)
Organización Deportiva Bolivariana (ODEBO)

(You can't make this stuff up!)

^ Doesn't that last one roughly translate to "Venezuelan Sports Organization"?

No.  That would be Organización Deportiva Venezolana.

What's "Bolivariana" mean, then? I assumed at first it was a fancy way of saying "Bolivian", or maybe "all the countries Bolivar had something to do with seceding from Spain", but the only thing "Bolivariana" comes up with on (US) Google is Venezuelan organizations.

[NWI_Irish96]

Opening Ceremony just started live on NBC if you're up early and are able to watch.

[kevinb1994]

Opening Ceremony just started live on NBC if you're up early and are able to watch.

I guess that's why I was up an hour earlier than I was planning for a drive to the dealership.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I'm now searching the great nation of Russian Olympic Committee in a map . They have a nice anthem too, at least it's not the same as the Olympic Hymn.

[NWI_Irish96]

I'm now searching the great nation of Russian Olympic Committee in a map . They have a nice anthem too, at least it's not the same as the Olympic Hymn.

There are three groups of athletes not competing under a national flag:

The name Russia, the Russian flag and the Russian anthem are banned for all international competitions from 2018-22 as punishment for a state-sponsored doping program.

For the second time, a team of refugees from various countries are competing under the Olympic flag as the Olympic Refugee team.

Through agreement with China, athletes from Taiwan can compete under the name Chinese Taipei and the Olympic Flag.

[1995hoo]

There are some others as well–territories that are not "nations" for regular purposes but that are recognized as having independent Olympic committees for some reason. I haven't taken the time to figure out all of them, but I know Puerto Rico is one because their basketball team infamously beat Team USA in a round-robin game at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

[NWI_Irish96]

There are some others as well–territories that are not "nations" for regular purposes but that are recognized as having independent Olympic committees for some reason. I haven't taken the time to figure out all of them, but I know Puerto Rico is one because their basketball team infamously beat Team USA in a round-robin game at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Right, but they compete under their own flag. I was referring to three groups who either can't use their flag or don't have one.

Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam all have athletes at this Olympics. Hong Kong also has their own Olympic team separate from China.

[kphoger]

Hey now, this isn't just an Olympics issue.  There are many other signatories to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).  You know, such as these:

International Jump Rope Union (IJRU)
International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP)
Organización Deportiva Bolivariana (ODEBO)

(You can't make this stuff up!)

^ Doesn't that last one roughly translate to "Venezuelan Sports Organization"?

No.  That would be Organización Deportiva Venezolana.

What's "Bolivariana" mean, then? I assumed at first it was a fancy way of saying "Bolivian", or maybe "all the countries Bolivar had something to do with seceding from Spain", but the only thing "Bolivariana" comes up with on (US) Google is Venezuelan organizations.

Holy Larousse, Batman!  You just schooled me on Spanish.

[Scott5114]

Hey now, this isn't just an Olympics issue.  There are many other signatories to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).  You know, such as these:

International Jump Rope Union (IJRU)
International Federation of Match Poker (IFMP)
Organización Deportiva Bolivariana (ODEBO)

(You can't make this stuff up!)

^ Doesn't that last one roughly translate to "Venezuelan Sports Organization"?

No.  That would be Organización Deportiva Venezolana.

What's "Bolivariana" mean, then? I assumed at first it was a fancy way of saying "Bolivian", or maybe "all the countries Bolivar had something to do with seceding from Spain", but the only thing "Bolivariana" comes up with on (US) Google is Venezuelan organizations.

Holy Larousse, Batman!  You just schooled me on Spanish.

On the bright side, if you decided to curse me out for that in Spanish, I'd have to Google whether or not I should be offended by it. 

[Bruce]

I don't understand why it has to be so hard though. It's not the Olympic committee's job to regulate the athletes' everyday lives. As long as they're not using PEDs then it shouldn't be the committee's problem. If an athlete wants to use cannabis then they can do that at their own risk and deal with the consequences (because it's not exactly broccoli in terms of health, is it).

Depends.  Is weed still illegal in Japan?  Even if it's legal now, it still affects performance, and not in a good way.  I can't believe that any world class athlete would be using it right before or during a competition.

Japan is ridiculously strict about drugs other than alcohol. The legal system punishes harshly and companies will not work with someone who has drug charges on their record.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

And the very first phenomenon is out. Su Po-ya, a Chinese Taipei (otherwise spelt "Taiwanese") taekwondo practitioner whose name sounds like su polla which is Spanish for "his dick" (and therefore it's no wonder why she has become a meme in Spain ), has fallen in the Round of 16 of the Women's 49 kg competition. It would have been funnier if she had reached the final, as the Spanish entry has reached it as well (they wouldn't have meet until then, as they fell on different sides of the bracket).