Sports Sydney 2000 Olympic Games: 20th Anniversary

[PhatBoy]

Crap like 3x3 basketball is what is wrong with Olympics these days. No need for it

Sent from my CPH1879 using Tapatalk

Agreed.

In addition to the 'if the Olympics isn't the pinnacle of your sport, it shouldn't be there' argument, I would also add that if the best exponents of a particular sport, outside boxing, are not playing it, it shouldn't be there.

the best basketballers in the world will be playing the proper basketball tournament.
The best rugby players in the world won't be playing sevens.

 

[Kram]

****ing golf being in is the worst.

 

[t_94]

****ing golf is the worst.

EFA

 

[Catfish Alley]

I rate the Hockey, we used to play a fair bit of it at school in PE and it's great to watch at the Olympics.

The opinion on field hockey over here is kinda funny. Canadians consider it a game for little kids who haven't learned to skate yet. They are surprised adults play it.

 

[FRUMPY]

The opinion on field hockey over here is kinda funny. Canadians consider it a game for little kids who haven't learned to skate yet. They are surprised adults play it.

Thats fair enough, ice hockey is massive over there so makes sense.

 

[mr bagcroft]

Wow, that went quick.
Niki Webster went all the way from too young...to needing another footy season..to legit and bangable..and back down the other end of the bell curve again.
Time...an amazing thing.

 

[PhatBoy]

Wow, that went quick.
Niki Webster went all the way from too young...to needing another footy season..to legit and bangable..and back down the other end of the bell curve again.
Time...an amazing thing.

A mate of mine had a shot at giving her one. HE knocked HER back. I was stunned.

 

[The Passenger]

Wow, that went quick.
Niki Webster went all the way from too young...to needing another footy season..to legit and bangable..and back down the other end of the bell curve again.
Time...an amazing thing.

She probably has pointy elbows.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Thanks to this thread I've spent a decent chunk of the week watching Roy and HG clips on youtube. It's amazing how many familiar names and faces pop up, whether it's gymnasts, archers or the more mainstream athletes. Guess it was a pretty influential part of my childhood.

I went to one of the soccer matches in Adelaide. I reckon Nigeria against someone. Also seeing the torch was a huge deal. I think it came right by our house, had to walk about 100m to see it. That thing was a piece of art.

One of the teachers at my school was a volunteer official for the volleyball I think. She wore her outfit into school one day and was an absolute boss.

I don't even want to know how much merch and collectibles I had and probably still have in boxes somewhere.

 

[Scotland]

I remember the volunteers being a big thing. On TV anyway, not like I was there.

If we ended up with the Olympics again in 2032 (Brisbane are/were keen but the AFL don't have authority over the IOC to just give it to them) would people still pitch in? I doubt there would be as much enthusiasm and I can't see it bringing the community together. There was still an innocence in 2000, more people see the Olympics for a giant corporate machine now. Plus we are massive theatregoers. 'straya suck people switch off. I wasn't excited about the 2020 Olympic pre-COVID and I barely remember anything from 2016. We sucked at swimming and it was another waste of billions of dollars in a developing world nation? I find the Winter Olympics more interesting now because the sports are a bit of a novelty.

Cue some BBOK 'hur hur years of Liberal govt' rant.

 

[Sparkle]

If we ended up with the Olympics again in 2032 (Brisbane are/were keen but the AFL don't have authority over the IOC to just give it to them) would people still pitch in?

I reckon there would be a fair few people help out and volunteer provided it was marketed well. Something along the lines of 'how great was Sydney, now we get to do it all again, and this time you can be part of it'

Kids and teenagers for the Sydney games would be in their late thirties and early fourties, and young-middle aged adults would be hovering around fifty and sixty, which (at least from what I've seen in footage of Sydney) was the core age for volunteers. Because Sydney has lived on so fondly for many people (there's many posts in just this thread that show that) that there's a fair chance people would be keen to do it all again, and those who were too young to volunteer or immerse themselves completely would jump at the chance to go around again

The problem would be to not go overboard with the comparisons to Sydney. The furtherest the comparing could go would be the pitch line I mentioned above. Because Sydney was so good, it would be incredibly hard to match and with the advances in technology it's almost not possible

 

[Richard Cranium]

Also, this happened:

 

[scottishfiction]

Thanks to this thread I've spent a decent chunk of the week watching Roy and HG clips on youtube. It's amazing how many familiar names and faces pop up, whether it's gymnasts, archers or the more mainstream athletes. Guess it was a pretty influential part of my childhood.

I went to one of the soccer matches in Adelaide. I reckon Nigeria against someone. Also seeing the torch was a huge deal. I think it came right by our house, had to walk about 100m to see it. That thing was a piece of art.

One of the teachers at my school was a volunteer official for the volleyball I think. She wore her outfit into school one day and was an absolute boss.

I don't even want to know how much merch and collectibles I had and probably still have in boxes somewhere.

great call – aside from the classic torch they generally used a variation of until Atlanta 96 (coincidentally the shittest torch and shittest Olympics), the Sydney 2000 torch has to be the most iconic. that sort of retrofuturist sort of thing just felt really sleek and modern and summed up the outlook of the games and the optimism of that era.

Australia really ****ed up its potential, didn't it?

 

[Scotland]

Sydney stacks up well compared to Athens, Beijing and Rio in terms of infrastructure. London built some temporary stadiums and the main stadium replaced Upton Park as the home of West Ham.

Some of the venues from Athens and Beijng look like the Sarajevo bobsleigh track which is older than me and was damaged during a civil war. Sad how many good facilities were abandoned and turned to ruin so quickly. If they built a swimming pool or baseball stadium or whatever here there wouldn't be an ongoing commercial return but I'd like to think it would get used.

 

[Admiral Byng]

The opinion on field hockey over here is kinda funny. Canadians consider it a game for little kids who haven't learned to skate yet. They are surprised adults play it.

The weather has got a bit to do with it, not many frozen lakes around here to practice on.

 

[Admiral Byng]

Sydney stacks up well compared to Athens, Beijing and Rio in terms of infrastructure. London built some temporary stadiums and the main stadium replaced Upton Park as the home of West Ham.

Some of the venues from Athens and Beijng look like the Sarajevo bobsleigh track which is older than me and was damaged during a civil war. Sad how many good facilities were abandoned and turned to ruin so quickly. If they built a swimming pool or baseball stadium or whatever here there wouldn't be an ongoing commercial return but I'd like to think it would get used.

I think the general consensus now is that hosting big events like the Olympics or FIFA World Cup are just not worth the money spent on them. It's all just a big pissup for politicians and diplomats. It rarely leaves any lasting benefit for the host country.

I reckon the Olympics should pick a venue and host the next 4 or 5 games there over the next 20 years, or however long is the normal lifespan of major sporting infrastructure. At least it would get used more than once.

 

[Catfish Alley]

The weather has got a bit to do with it, not many frozen lakes around here to practice on.

You’d think they’d play it warmer seasons just to be outdoors and keep up the stick handling skills. But there are ice rinks everywhere to play year round I guess.

 

[scottishfiction]

I think the general consensus now is that hosting big events like the Olympics or FIFA World Cup are just not worth the money spent on them. It's all just a big pissup for politicians and diplomats. It rarely leaves any lasting benefit for the host country.

I reckon the Olympics should pick a venue and host the next 4 or 5 games there over the next 20 years, or however long is the normal lifespan of major sporting infrastructure. At least it would get used more than once.

the irony is the countries who deserve World Cups the least – and put on the shittest ones – have the worst legacy.

South Africa and Brazil have huge social and economical issues and even though they like their sport – Brazil obviously – 60,000 seat stadiums everywhere are redundant. same as Russia and Qatar.

give England World Cup 2018 and it barely changes a thing. adds some improved rail but you don't have to upgrade Wembley or Old Trafford or St James' Park, those that needed one got one regardless (Anfield), and things like a new Portsmouth/Bournemouth stadium are completely sensical.

same for Australia 2022. half the stadiums already have the capacity and grounds in Newcastle, Wollongong, Canberra, and northern Queensland are screaming out for rejigs – they're all tired or overdue for brand new arenas. you could have those secondary markets at 45k temporary then bump them down to 35,000 permanents.

and... those competitions would have been far more fun for football.

 

[Scotland]

I think the general consensus now is that hosting big events like the Olympics or FIFA World Cup are just not worth the money spent on them. It's all just a big pissup for politicians and diplomats. It rarely leaves any lasting benefit for the host country.

I reckon the Olympics should pick a venue and host the next 4 or 5 games there over the next 20 years, or however long is the normal lifespan of major sporting infrastructure. At least it would get used more than once.

Yep it better suits first world nations with established infrastructure. Building everything from scratch and hoping for a return doesn't pan out. Plus with the corporate partnerships the IOC have I think a lot of the revenue gets funneled away from the host city anyway.

 

[Catfish Alley]

There really should only be about a dozen countries that should host the Olympics. That kind of doesn’t fit with their message of inclusiveness though.

 

[Harry#7]

Was about 25 and it was great time to be in Sydney, everyone felt part of a fantastic vibe in the city. I went to heap of cultural events around the city, free live music, stiff like that. The live sites were great too. Went to watch sone soccer matches, rare chance to see some world class players. It was brilliant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bomberboyokay]

If we ended up with the Olympics again in 2032 (Brisbane are/were keen but the AFL don't have authority over the IOC to just give it to them) would people still pitch in? I doubt there would be as much enthusiasm and I can't see it bringing the community together. There was still an innocence in 2000, more people see the Olympics for a giant corporate machine now. Plus we are massive theatregoers. 'straya suck people switch off. I wasn't excited about the 2020 Olympic pre-COVID and I barely remember anything from 2016. We sucked at swimming and it was another waste of billions of dollars in a developing world nation? I find the Winter Olympics more interesting now because the sports are a bit of a novelty.

Cue some BBOK 'hur hur years of Liberal govt' rant.

Can't see Australia hosting the Olympics again. Doubt the AOC could even get necessary government support for a bid they were a chance of winning. Politicians would rip into it and general public know too much about what really goes into the IOC sandwich (or however the saying goes). People would be loud about their disapproval. Time leading up to 2000 was lightning in a bottle.

 

[Scotland]

Soccer should be canned from the Olympics. Insulting to other athletes that it's a glorified U/23 comp that players don't care about.

 

[Scotland]

Can't see Australia hosting the Olympics again. Doubt the AOC could even get necessary government support for a bid they were a chance of winning. Politics would rip into it and general public know too much about what goes really into the IOC sandwich (or however the saying goes). People wouldn't be quiet about their disapproval.

Australia PM backs Queensland 2032 Olympic bid

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has thrown his support behind a potential bid by Queensland state to host the 2032 Olympics, saying the government "will be there every step of the way".

au.news.yahoo.com

"A Brisbane Olympics has the potential to be a game-changer for southeast Queensland and my government will be there every step of the way," he told reporters in Japan late Sunday.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Australia PM backs Queensland 2032 Olympic bid

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has thrown his support behind a potential bid by Queensland state to host the 2032 Olympics, saying the government "will be there every step of the way".

au.news.yahoo.com

"A Brisbane Olympics has the potential to be a game-changer for southeast Queensland and my government will be there every step of the way," he told reporters in Japan late Sunday.

It's one thing supporting it in preliminary stages. Quite another doing it when a bill will come due.