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?

Oh! Cool! Flowers look nicer but I suppose there is the environmental impact

@Lentilweaver they definitely have. My son has lost out this way a few times obviously not at Olympic level.

@Summerdazey marathon runners definitely sometimes stop for a wee or poo.

I think once Bolt was such a sensation the thinking around what would make a great sprinter changed.

I think "sports" that are no longer played outside of the Olympics should be dropped... like shot-put, discus, and the hammer throw.

Elite marathoners rarely need to wee during the event, though there was the infamous Paula Radcliffe 'bladder event' as she neared the finish line at the Athens Marathon... maybe 20 years ago.

Yes @Runningupthecurtains , obviously. But the margins are so impossibly tiny it seems meaningless to me- especially if at the finish it's a matter of pressing a plate or whatever it is harder than the other person.

Yep. They wee themselves or stop and wee at the side of the road. Tbf it’s not that much of an issue in Olympic distance Triathlon or even the Marathon because it’s only a couple of hours. But being unwell can certainly cause some issues. In long course Ttri, toilet stops are quite normal and pissing yourself (or worse!) is par for the course if you’re in contention for a podium in place.

For an example of a marathon toilet stop see Paula Radcliffe in Athens!

These are as popular as any other sport. Amateur athletics clubs across the country will compete in leagues which include there disciplines. And they are still very much part of the Diamond League. Just because you don’t follow athletics, doesn’t mean they aren’t ‘real sports’.

Given that I run a marathon in over 4 hrs without needing to stop for a wee, most of the elites should be able to go 2/2.15hrs without! (although clearly there are exceptions that prove the rule)

Shot put, discus and hammer take place in all major athletics events. Plus some of them are in decathlon and heptathlon.

Bolt was known to be a relatively slow starter though (maybe because he was (is!) so tall). His strength was very much in the second part of the race, when he used to power through - I guess in part due to his longer legs.

Yes you have to push it with the force of your palm not just finger tips

I heard Peaty say this in interview

What’s the differences between the quadruple sculls and coxless four? They look the same to me

Is there a minimum age for entry? In particular I'm thinking of gymnastics - I seem to remember that some of the gymnasts were very young (maybe 13 / 14) when I was younger, but they all look older than that now.

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?

Firstly, the horses competing at the Olympics are not the sort of random nags you see grazing in a field. They are super-fit athletes, just like the human competitors, and they travel to the host country well in advance of the competition to acclimatise.

Secondly, a lot of good research into horse performance & recovery in hot weather was done ahead of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. They learned a lot about the most efficient & effective method of cooling the horses & bringing their body temperature back to normal in a quick but controlled manner.

Immediately after they compete the horses are stood in front of large fans, their saddles etc are removed and copious amounts of cool water is sloshed over their bodies. This water heats up very quickly, so it is ‘squeegied’ off. The fans create moving air to help with evaporation which produces cooling. This process is repeated until the horse’s temperature, heart rate etc return to normal. It’s highly effective.

In the sculls they have 2 oars each (so 8 in total) and the 4s have one oar each.

Why one is referred to as coxless and the other isn't I'm not sure, as neither have a cox!

Do they get paid or have to pay to compete or is it all free.
Same question regarding transport and accommodation.

I think that in skulling you have an oar in each hand and in coxless fours you have two hands on one oar alternated through the boat.

Yes and a poo

Paula Radcliffe famously had a poo 💩 during a marathon

Also Tom Daley in Beijing. And Sky Brown (if I've remembered her name correctly) in the skateboarding. There are some very young competitors out there. But I don't know the answer to your question!

Which countries athletes are sleeping in olympic village rooms cooled with air-con - and which countries have been put in the sweltering 'eco' rooms that have none?

Is there a correlation between air-con assignment and performance, by country?

It changed to 16 at some point although not sure when.

For gymnastics that is. Other sports have different age limits

Like this :

Yes he was slower out of the blocks than shorter runners but he could counter that slower start by needing fewer strides to complete the race. The thinking had been that no-one that tall could run quickly enough to make up for the slowness of their start but Bolt wasn't as slow into full stride as would be expected for someone 6'5" - he was slower than his rivals in the first few meters but not so slow that he couldn't catch them.

Expenses will be met by the country's Olympic federation rather than by the individual. That's partly why there's a strict selection policy, as it will cost to send athletes.
As to what the individuals get, it varies hugely by sport. The big names will get sponsorships and grants, but there will be plenty who are self funding their training. And in lots of sports, many athletes will also have a 'real' job.
There has been some controversy this time round, because gold medalists in the athletics will get a financial award as well as the medal. I don't know what's brought that about, or why it's only in athletics.