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?

He's not the only one who did that in the triathlon. The silver medalist has publicly thanked his team mate for doing the same thing.

There are flags on the ceiling. At least there are in most swimming pools so I assume that's the case in the Olympics

Pro athletes have been allowed to compete in every sport in the Olympics since 1986.

I think the spotters are there to make sure they are doing things like complete strokes. Like there's a rule in breaststroke, if you do an arm pull, you have to do the kick. They check things like if they've touched the boards with two hands in breast stroke/butterfly, if they have done legal turns etc.

I’m pretty sure they being them. The city I live in used to host Sail GP (huge catamarans). My office was next to the wharf where the teams were stationed and there were just endless enormous containers filled with mega expensive boats. So they must ship them that way.

How do the horses get to foreign countries? Do they go in aeroplanes?

I mean I don't imagine they sprout their own wings, so are there specialist equine air transport services? (Or do they just go first class so I don't see them? ).

Each country will have rules about who can represent them based on heritage, citizenship etc. the Gadirova twins, who represent Team GB in gymnastics were born in Dublin for example.

all NI athletes have to decide if they will rep for Team GB or Team Ireland. It can be a difficult decision for a lot of reasons. Rory McIlroy has spoken about it at length. Pragmatically, some athletes will choose the country which will give them the best shot at appearing at the Olympics.

How come we see horses being whipped during the races at the grand national (and put down if they’re injured) and that’s deemed ok but dressage horses being whipped is an absolute no-no?

It's not OK
There is a big risk that equestrian sports are in danger of losing their social licence.
It is good that horse welfare is being flagged but you are right, it needs applying consistently and equally.
The main issue is money, racing earns some people too much money so the horse will always come second.

They are judges. The ones at the start end time the races with stopwatches in case the pads fail. They also check that the swimmers' turns are legal.

Completely different types of whips. Racing whips are more like a foam pad type of thing and have been specially designed to ensure they’re not too “painful” (although not totally convinced on that personally). The whip CDJ was using was a schooling whip which should never be used to whip a horse (you use it to sort of trail behind them) and would be incredibly painful.

They go in the cargo hold in a stable built into a container, there’s some videos on TikTok that show how they do it if you’re interested.

@Mumandcarer80 There’s no GB football team because England, Scotland, Wales & NI have their own national teams. There was one in 2012 which ended up being mostly young England players because there was a fear that by playing as team GB the individual national teams would be made to play as part of GB going forward (or something like that)

Personally, I don’t think football should be an Olympic sport anyway.

@Elliania fair enough re the poster I take it back.

There are a few air carriers that fly horses around (not just the Olympic horses, lots of race horses travel), it’s quite big business.

Not sure about the comment somebody has made about them going in the aircraft hold though…that might give the impression they are left isolated below floor level and that’s not what happens.

They are usually carried on the main deck of freight aircraft, situated in individual pens/compartments and usually with grooms and vets on hand.

DodoTired
Is it true that there are tons of condoms and other contraceptives distributed and available everywhere in the Olympic village because it becomes a giant shaggaton for athletes?

I was reading about this, apparently after they've competed they're full of adrenaline and endorphins, it's hard to sleep or relax and they have to use something as an outlet.
Sex seems the obvious choice I suppose.

I wonder if any of the athletes competing now are the result of a 2000 or 2004 encounter 😄

@notimagain thank you!!! That's fascinating. I think I would like to travel in "horse class" rather than "cattle class" in future! 🙂

Actually according to the Cambridge dictionary website the word chill can be used as an adjective for relaxed. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/chill

So please, feel free to chill with your pednatry.

Yup what @YaWeeFurryBastard said! There are also strict rules & regulations with regards to racing whips and how many times a jockey can use them during a race. Plus the other big difference is not only the type of whip but where they strike the horse.
Jockeys during a race will either flick the whip alongside the horses' head (so they see a flicking movement out of the corner of their eye which keeps them moving) or flick the whip onto the rump of the horse which, and this is especially true for a racehorse, very densely padded and muscled. So you're flicking a padded whip onto a padded area of the horse whereas CDJ was whipping the horse around it's legs which contain a lot of delicate nerves and tendons with very little in the way of padding. It's also a lot more likely to frighten a horse and cause them to rear, buck or bolt.

You might be onto something…the pre/post flight facilities might beat many an airport hotel 😊

“The HORSE INN is perfect to host and relax horses before or after their trip and has many advantages :

• 55 spacious & luxurious stalls (3x5m or 6x5m)
• Healthcare & Check area
• Veterinary available
• Loading platform on dollies
• Special horses flooring & ramps
• Soothing environment
• Hot & cold water”

https://www.horse-inn-liege.com/en/horses/

Only if you would like to be sedated as well.

No, the German gymnasts don’t wear catsuits because they’re on their period. They took a stand some years ago about the skimpiness of leotards and the bare legs. Don’t think any other countries have followed suit though.
Gymnasts are deducted marks if they adjust their leotard mid routine. One competitor got an awful wedgie some years back which basically made the leotard look like a thong and left her whole bum cheeks bare but she didn’t sort it till the routine finished.
Some use some sort of spray on sticky stuff to hold their leotards in place.
Wedgies are probably less likely in these days as many countries get their leotards made to measure, plus blinged up of course. I think the Americans’ have 10,000 crystals on each of theirs.

Haven't read the thread and I'm not sure if I'm missing something obvious:
Why do they row backwards?

Because the action of rowing (pulling the oars) pushes the water in the direction away to propel the boat.
If you've ever tried to row 'backwards' (ie - pushing rather than pulling oars) it would all make perfect sense!

It’s long been rumoured that a British athlete competing in Moscow July 1980 fathered a child - born april 1981 later. Child in question was brought up by a single mother in Russia and went on to become an Olympic champion some years later.

Comparing pics of the athletes at the same age there is a similarity and there a couple of pics on the internet where they are together as adults and do look like father and son.