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?

Has GB got an athlete in the break dancing? The Australians had a 36 year old dancer and it was a tad cringe to say the least.

My question is if break dancing is an olympic sport (not sure I agree it should be) why isn't other dancing?

Ive no idea but I was hoping to watch some of it. I thought the BBC would cover it with it being a new one.

Why are archery and shooting in the Olympics but darts and snooker aren't?

Andrea was interviewed again yesterday. I think it was after the 10m board and again it was awful. She replied as if she was reading from a teleprompt but still couldn’t get what she wanted to say right and she was in tears. The interviewer this time was a young reporter and he stood there with his mouth hanging open as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing and hearing. He actually had a WTF expression on his gormless face.

I hope that going forward Andrea finds herself in better mental health but it’s time for her parents to step in and query whether she’s well enough to be doing this.

It's a crown, and I'm sure I've seen men with it too

Probably because they aren't played in enough countries.

To be considered as a new Olympic sport, the candidate activity must be widely played on every continent, and be open to both men and women (which is why we won't be seeing Olympic netball)

Aren't they given by randoms in the crowd rather than being an official thing? I've seen a few but they certainly aren't given to everyone. I assume it's like finding someone in the crowd with your national flag to nick for a lap of honour. Someone waves a plastic crown/tiara at you and you can either take it and put it on or ignore them.

Thanks @RoseAndRose

i think the crown people are giving to gold medal winners is to represent a crown of laurels - a symbol of victory

I dont think they can be anything official as not many athletes have had them (I havent seen any).

They don't as I think it is from people in the crowds. Not offici

Are the flags at the medal ceremonies being raised by police/military personnel from the winning country? And if so, has every country had to send a flag raiser, regardless of the likelihood of them winning everything?

Finally getting coverage now! It's most bizarre. Wonder how its judged.

I feel as if Andrew Cotter would be offering a bit more than just, 'yaaas, queen'.

I'd hazard a guess that it has something to do with most types of dance being considered, and indeed considering themselves, art forms rather than sports. Plus whilst there are of course competitions for most types of dance, as I understand it, competition is more of an intrinsic part of break dancing, with the "dance battle" format being quite a key part of the culture. So maybe it lends itself more to the Olympics? I can't say I'm a fan, I wouldn't go to watch it, but there is clearly a lot of skill and athleticism involved.

I dont think they can be anything official as not many athletes have had them (I havent seen any)

it’s from people in the crowd. The female runner who won the 1500m was given it by someone she knew and went over to greet.

I expect the crowns are easier for people to source than a laurel wreath which is traditionally given to a victor.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-history-of-laurel#:~:text=A%20laurel%20is%20a%20shrub,or%20achievement%20is%20bestowed%20upon.

What is the athletics track made from? It looks really smooth. Is it cushioned? Runners who've fallen have seemed to be able to get up quite quickly and most have been able to carry on, no visible injuries/grazes/friction burns, etc.
Primary school playgrounds should be made with this stuff!

Mollusc shells.

I watched the breaking earlier on discovery plus (the only thing I have watched there because their coverage is piss poor) and while the Australian breaker was terrible it was well worth watching. Breaking is competitive anyway and they had no idea what music the djs would play, everything was made up on the spot.

I’ve definitely seen athletes being given crowns or tiaras from the crowd, they aren’t being presented during the medal ceremony.

I'm not sure what the actual materials are, but Olympic tracks (and others in venues for the World championships and possibly the Commonwealth Games) are made of some super vulcanised rubber, with additions that give the maximum return of energy. (And yes, the company says it includes ground shells as one ingredient, but I don't know if that's eye-catching greenwashing ot a major component). And of course they all have some super substrate as well. They have to have suitable grippiness, and also be tough enough for use by blade runners in the Paralympics.

You can run on one in the Olympic park in London - the athletes' warm up track (made of same stuff, but trad redbrick colour not purple) is still there in an arena next to the main stadium.

It's the same in any sport, every bit of tech being refined to maximise performance. The return of energy from the track is the same sort of principle as the high performance shoes that all the elite wear these days (Nike Maxfly, IIRC)

It was pages ago now but thanks to the poster who put up the link to the article about the difficulties pole vaulters have with getting their poles to the competition in one piece. Fascinating reading!

They're not presented, and I thought they were an option to grab alongside national flags of the finalists, so they can parade around as they choose.

@ASaltyWoman the flag raisers are all French from different branches of the armed forces. It was funny to see them coming in in their fatigues carrying all their formal uniform then a couple of hours later being so very smart for the flags

Olympic sports traditionally had their origin in military activities, so archery and shooting have always been in. Darts and snooker are not usually required on the battlefield, so were overlooked, I don’t know whether they have tried to become one more recently,

If a diver puts their hand on their head midair, is that to help them twizzle, or is it protective in case they're too close to the board and bang their head? And if the latter, is it compulsory to hold their head?