A thread for your stupid Olympics questions

[FriendlyNeighbourhoodAccountant]

If you have any "stupid" questions about the Olympics here's the place to ask them. Hopefully some knowledgeable people will know the answers.

At this temperature it's too hot for me to walk my dog but the horses are participating in the jumping events. Does the heat not impact them in the same way? Is it because they're bigger? Is it just because they're horses?

Regarding Imane Khelif; there is no proof she is XY. The claim she is came from the Russian head of the IBA after she beat a Russian boxer. The IBA was banned from the olympics due to corruption.

It is a way of getting the group of cyclists through the city streets until it is safer for riders to go all out racing. The car in front sets the initial speed, like the Pace Car in Formula 1.

Watching the men's road cycling yesterday Belgian guy got a puncture 3km from the finish line, he jumped off and got a new bike from his support team - my question is where are these guys during the race, and how do they keep out of they way of the other cyclists?

They are in cars following the route. I think they have to generally be a certain distance from the riders which is why took them a moment to catch up.

I dont understand why they dont use solid tires given how thin and narrow they are and this avoid punctures. If the other riders had been closer it would have cost him the race.

All teams will have support vehicles driving a short distance behind, with spare bikes on the roof. The riders have radios and can also indicate by signalling if there is a problem.

Once the race breaks up a bit it’s easier for the vehicles to stay close to their riders but they can get stuck further behind, in which case it will take longer to have their bike replaced! I think there might also be some event cars that can provide generic equipment in an emergency.

No radios in the Olympics which is why the Belgian rider was desperately signalling to be told the time between him and the chasers when he got on his new bike.

Oh interesting, is that just for the road race then? I’m almost certain the time trialers had radios.

I'm not sure I just heard the commentator in the road race say there was no radio in the race and thats why he didn't know how far in front he was.

Thanks all for the info re cycling, very interesting.
He was lucky his team were so close by, and that he was so far ahead. If the second guy was with him / close to him it could easily have cost him the gold. Although the commentator did say he thought BEL would continue on the puncture given how close he was to the finish.

Watching the men's vault just now, I want to know if the gymnastic judges can see a replay/slow motion (like we see on screen) or if they just have to go by what they see in that instant?

For the same reasons that the vast majority of other cyclists don't use solid tyres - they're heavy and have a high rolling resistance so are slow, don't give as good grip as pneumatic tyres and are very uncomfortable.

Ah I didnt know that. I guess the disadvantages outweighs the advantage of not getting a puncture.

I wondered this too. I know in diving they judge in real time, based on watching live. And the scores come up very quickly after the dives.
The fact that the scores take much longer to come up in the gymnastics makes me think there must be an element of review or consideration.

From what I know about gymnastics it's because they have to add up all the elements to make sure the D score entered is correct, add in any deductions for stepping out etc and then add the E score

I don't think they watch a reply but willing to stand corrected.

I'm sure I heard one of the commentators saying they don't get to watch replays, the gymnast had many a tiny error that probably wouldn't be visible in actual time. And the commentator was saying the judges probably wouldn't notice as they don't get the replays.

These numbers hanging off their shorts! It needs to be sorted! 😤

My question is about boxing. If the sport has separate sex categories because it would be dangerous for a woman to be punched by a man (because a man can punch harder), does that mean it's less dangerous for a man to be hit by that harder punch? I don't know whether it's only considered dangerous if it's a head punch (would a man's head withstand the punch better than a woman's?), or if a punch on a woman's ribs, for example, would be more dangerous for her than for a man to receive the same punch to the ribs? I'm supposing a woman's bones break more easily?

Why are the male sprinters wearing so much unnecessary bling? Several are wearing wristwatches. Others, including Noah Lyles are wearing necklaces, earrings etc. Why wouldn’t they want to be as light as possible? When margins are so tight, doesn’t every gram count?

Something that irrationally annoys me is the fact the running athlete's number is pinned on with safety pins - just like a fun run!
I always think there should be a fancier more 'high tech' way of doing this - safety pins just seems a bit 'amateur'.
(Haven't noticed what the other sports use - probably the same)

That's exactly what we thought!

When determining a person's sex, it boils down to: gamete production.
Sperm - male
Eggs - female.

There is no third gamete, so the person is one or the other, and that's the category they should compete under.

So, the Algerian fella, is indeed a fella.
I know what else he is, too.

They looked cool, though!

Studies show women are more susceptible to concussion. The IOC has removed protective from male boxing but retained it for the female boxing because women are more vulnerable.
Female bones are less dense/weaker than male bones so yes they are more likely to break when hit with male strength than male bones are. Be that ribs or jaws or any other.

Why do female volleyballers wear skimpier clothing than male volleyballers? The men wear shorts and basketball vests. Why don't the women? Same with runners. Why the difference bar the obvious physical differences?

No, it’s a personal preference - the German team objected to having to wear tiny pants and fought to be allowed leggings.