|
Post by dose on Apr 11, 2011 5:29:48 GMT -8
Six new events added to the Olympic Winter Games programme in SochiThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) today confirmed the inclusion of six new events on the programme of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014. They are ski half-pipe (men and women), women’s ski jumping, biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team relay. The decision to include the new events was based on a report presented by the Olympic Programme Commission (OPC) to the IOC Executive Board (EB) in Acapulco in October last year. The OPC studied the proposal of the individual International Sports Federations and, at the request of the EB, compiled a detailed analysis of all candidate events at their respective world championships this winter. In addition, the OPC looked at an operational feasibility study conducted by the organisers of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games. The key positive factors included whether the changes would increase universality, gender equity and youth appeal, and, in general, add value to the Games. Other considerations included the cost of infrastructure, and the impact on the overall quota and the number of events. “The inclusion of these events on the Olympic Winter Games programme is sure to be appreciated by athletes and sports fans alike,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “These are exciting, entertaining events that perfectly complement the existing events on the sports programme, bring added appeal and increase the number of women participating at the Games. I look forward to watching the athletes compete in these events in Sochi 2014.” Five other events - ski slopestyle (men and women), snowboard slopestyle (men and women), and Alpine team parallel competition - are subject to a further feasibility study. A decision on the inclusion of these five events will be made within the coming weeks. www.olympic.org/olympic-games?articleid=124134For more information on the six new events: www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Programme_commission/INFO_New_sports_sochi.pdfNew events for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in SochiSki Halfpipe - Men and Women: (International Ski Federation - FIS) Ski halfpipe is a young and dynamic event that will complement the recent introductions of the popular freestyle ski cross and snowboard halfpipe events that drew high spectator numbers and television audiences at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. One competitor at a time performs a routine of acrobatic jumps, flips, twists and other manoeuvres on a half-pipe. The athletes are judged on their take-offs, the height they reach above the top of the pipe, and difficulty of their manoeuvres. A qualification round and final round are staged, with two runs per athlete in both. Ski halfpipe will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. Women’s Ski Jumping: (International Ski Federation - FIS) Women’s ski jumping is an individual event performed on the normal hill that operates under the same competition format as the corresponding men’s competition. There are two competition rounds: the first and final rounds. Each athlete gets two jumps and receives a score based on distance and style. The athlete with the highest combined score is the winner. Women’s ski jumping will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. Biathlon Mixed Relay: (International Biathlon Union - IBU) The mixed relay has proven very popular with biathlon fans, and the qualification system for the event is partly designed to encourage National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to pay equal attention to the development of athletes of both genders. The mixed relay features two female athletes and two male athletes from the same NOC competing together. Women race a 6 km leg and men race a 7.5 km leg in the following order: W-W-M-M. Each athlete shoots twice (1 prone, 1 standing). For every missed target a penalty loop of 150 m must be skied. The start is performed simultaneously in three rows, with the start order based on the results of the World Cup Nations Cup Score (combined for men and women). Biathlon Mixed Relay will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. Figure Skating Team Event: (International Skating Union - ISU) The figure skating team event will feature teams made up of six skaters: one male skater, one female skater, one skating pair and one ice dance couple. Points are awarded to each skater/ couple. The team with the highest number of aggregate points is declared the winner. The figure skating team event will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck. Luge Team Relay: (International Luge Federation - FIL) This new race format features teams comprised of a doubles sled, a women’s singles sled and a men’s singles sled. All three entrants from one team slide one after another with the clock stopping only after the third sled has crossed the finish line. A touch pad at the finish line must be activated by an athlete in one sled before the gate at the start line opens for the following team member to compete. The luge team relay will make its first appearance in January 2012 at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck.
|
|
|
Post by Laura (Lori) on Mar 30, 2012 13:45:56 GMT -8
Y'all DO realize that we're more than halfway through this 'Olympic Cycle', don't cha? The upcoming 2012-2013 competition season is the FINAL full season before Olympic Trials! Does anyone know what venues are considering bids to host Olympic Trials? The following website shows an architectural rendering of the short track venue, and it notes that the test event will be: ISU World Cup Short Track (February, 2013)www.sochi2014.com/en/objects/sea/figure_skating/The Sochi 2014 Facebook Page posted new pictures today that show what this venue looks like during construction: www.facebook.com/home.php#!/media/set/?set=a.10150638529183861.388592.143539188860&type=3 Tags: Sochi Russia Winter Olympics 2014 / Short Track Speedskating
|
|
|
Post by Laura (Lori) on Apr 26, 2012 14:00:39 GMT -8
Are. You. KIDDING ME? Party poopers. There were some warnings about this at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, so I think we can expect more of the same in Sochi - which is why I'm copying it here as well as on the London 2012 thread: The Games Shall Not Be Tweeted: London Laws Make Posting Pics From Inside Olympics CriminalFor athletes the rules are incredibly strict during Games time: Tweeting, posting to Facebook, or to any online content sharing service, pictures of yourself with any sponsor product that is not an Olympic sponsor could result in disqualification. Athletes cannot publish any sound or audio of any event, nor can they serve as ‘broadcasters’ which means that they are barred from talking about events or the goings on of events with other athletes.
For fans of the Olympics the rules are even stricter. Individuals are, according to strict reading of the law, barred from uploading any photos or videos from inside any venue. Presumably under the new Olympic law posting a picture of you and the fam’ inside a venue could be a criminal offense.Read More: dailyhouse.com/2012/04/26/the-games-shall-not-be-tweeted-london-laws-make-posting-pics-from-inside-olympics-criminal/
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2012 15:01:29 GMT -8
can you say......
BIG BROTHER COMETH
|
|
|
Post by Laura (Lori) on Apr 26, 2012 15:12:55 GMT -8
Just one more reason I prefer my easy chair for Olympic viewing.
...which means that they are barred from talking about events or the goings on of events with other athletes.
Hey, if you don't tell somebody about it, it didn't really happen, eh?
|
|
|
Post by mtnme on Apr 28, 2012 11:50:22 GMT -8
can you say...... BIG BROTHER COMETHYou're being kind... FASCISTS!
|
|
therockfairy
Member
I'll wear my cynicism like a tattoo
Posts: 3
|
Post by therockfairy on Aug 15, 2012 2:45:03 GMT -8
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2013 18:05:05 GMT -8
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2013 9:37:11 GMT -8
Ludus Tours begins its first promotion of the Winter Games in Sochi. www.ludustours.com/sochi2014.shtmlLet me remind you--if staying on a cruise ship in the Black Sea during the Olys sounds like a great idea, remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 20:20:34 GMT -8
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 20:23:18 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by mtnme on Mar 23, 2013 0:54:19 GMT -8
There are a LOT of reasons for figure skatings viewership decline, and one of them is the same problem short track has. A poster made a valid point: "Well, of COURSE it is "In decline" if NO MEDIA OUTLETS CARRY IT, DUH. Geez, I had to watch the LATVIAN feed to see any of it."Figure skating used to be on REGULARLY on TV. I certainly can attest to watching 'the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat' on Wide World Of Sports fairly frequently. Now? Not so much. Short track on the other hand has never enjoyed that kind of mainstream media exposure. And as the post above attests, you have a hard time finding it even on the internet...and when you DO, it's a given, we in the good ol' USA will be blacked out from seeing it. The freaking ST world championships, and the only way to even watch it was to buy some spiffy software service that fools the server into thinking you live in another country. I'm personally tired of this network garbage. They buy the rights to these sports broadcasts, then refuse to air it, and refuse to let anyone else see it elsewhere either. Way to kill a sport guys...or many sports as the case may be. Gasp, one of your other posts linked to an article on how a lot of Olympic sports are having a hard time getting funding. Not surprising really is it? If no one can watch any of these sports anywhere in the U.S., despite all the media access we have, is it any wonder viewers lose interest? Out of sight, out of mind. And if they can't give the viewers the opportunity to watch it even when there is interest, how can anyone expect them to be interested in supporting those sports (that they can't watch anywhere) with donations? Maybe a writing campaign to the major networks on THEIR culpability in killing these sports in the U.S. is in order, as they are surely just as guilty as anything else. As for figure skating, I will say, their new scoring system that they brought on some years back is what is truly killing the sport. I figure skated as a kid, and watched it religiously for years. With the arrival of the likes of Tara Lapinski, it was the beginning of the end... These posts from the article are all too true (Although I don't agree with the compulsory figures comment): "What will give a boost to the sport is to bring back compulsory figures and skaters who actually have grace and athleticism! Most skaters now are too young, too gawky and have absolutely no grace! The last, great field of skaters were in the late 80's and 90's!"
"The problem with ladies figure skating is that the 'ladies' look like little girls! They are gawky and gangly. I agree that the last great field were in the late 80's and 90's!"
"..they are little girls and the boys are getting too young also! They have not physically matured and have absolutely no grace! Even many of the older, mature adult skaters seem to lack grace! ...in the 80's & early 90's figure skating events were numerous on tv, and were the highlight of the Olympics! They did very well in the ratings and now they have fallen into a slump - I think because of the lack of talent thanks to the rule changes. I also feel that a major problem in public support is due to the stupid decision to change the scoring system - instead of merely firing and banning any & all currupt judges!"
All true. I lost interest when the elegance and artistry of the sport and any true musicality and basic skating ability was exchanged for little half pint jumping beans. Stroke, stroke, jump. Stroke, stroke spin...Stroke, stoke, jump, jump...repeat. Snooze, bore me... The rules were changed so that the more jumps you attempted, the more points you got. So needless to say, the skaters packed their programs with jumps with very little linking of the moves together to create an appealing to look at whole. In addition, skaters got credit for attempting more difficult jumps they truly hadn't mastered, chancing it in a competition even though they knew that they landed on their keasters more consistently than they landing the jump on their feet. The trend towards younger and younger skaters is due to the body mechanics of jumps. Little girls don't have those pesky hips, bosoms and thighs that slow their rotation in the air and throw them off balance until the get to know their new, more mature, yet elegant body. (Note Tara L. won her Gold medal when a mere 15. She turned pro before she had to go through the awkwardness of growing up and having to get to know and control her new, more womanly body. Bet she wouldn't have jumped as well as she did at 15. Despite landing her jumps, they never looked very attractive. Thus, she was still boring as hell to watch.) As a result, due to the jumps being given waaaaayyyy too much importance over all the other elements of the sport, those other elements were neglected, much to the sports detriment. I do see flashes of brilliance from skaters today, but the damage has been done. I lost interest...and I haven't been inspired enough to get it back.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2013 21:17:46 GMT -8
Very true Mtnme. One of my favorite youtube past times is watching Torville & Dean, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michelle Kwan, Katerina Witt, Scott Hamilton, Brian Boitano. Oh wait --- aren't they all from the 80's/early 90's.
Network TV believes we need one more CSI type show to watch on Saturday nights, or one more sporting event on Sunday afternoons, or gawd forbid another Kardashian with their own show as they "take over another city."
Makes you wonder why there isn't an Olympic network, doesn't it?
|
|
|
Post by Joyce on Mar 24, 2013 5:24:02 GMT -8
Gasp - Actually there is an Olympic Network - Universal Sports (NBC) - a cable channel. It was conceived a few years back for the purpose of providing access to Olympic Sports during the quadrennial. It was great, a good number of the Olympic sports were available. There was a weekly schedule on-line of all the sports, usually included all the WC and Championships - and they were repeated several times during the week. They even televised the SST WC's and Champs, commentated by Andy Gabel. They are also available for viewing on-line. Universal Sports was included in my cable channels, but we lost it in January 2011(?) when Time Warner failed to renew the contract because of its increased cost for access. We were basically cut-off. Apparently it is now only available if you have Direct TV. I don't know if NBC shot itself in the foot by jacking up their price for access.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2013 17:18:37 GMT -8
That's the problem--it's cable! ;0 We lost it too!
I should have been more clear in my post. I wish there was a non-cable Olympic network. Should that happen though, it would be relegated to partial scheduling and available in the wee hours of the morning.
|
|