the Tokyo Olympics are turning into a mess

[gwb-trading]

This is normal for any Olympic team that do not have enough playing time together prior to the Olympics.

For example, the United States Olympic Men's basketball team had ZERO playing time together and they played a friendly against Nigeria and lost just before the Tokyo Olympic Games. Note: They were missing a few key players due to the playoffs.

• https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/10/usa-nigeria-basketball-upset-kevin-durant

Yet, my money will always be on the U.S. teams to recover as they get more playing time together during the Olympic Games.

wrbtrader

Women's soccer has typically been different in the U.S. Remember in the past there were many years where there were no women's club teams as their leagues folded... and the times where the pay from the teams was very low as the teams struggled to survive. The key U.S. women players (e.g. Mia Hamm) relied on the national camps along with World Cup and Olympic exposure to drive their commercial value & endorsements. Typically the U.S. women's soccer team played together for at least two months prior a World's Cup or Olympics. Many times they toured the country as a team playing friendly matches against clubs or other countries prior the World Cup or Olympics -- this helped drive their commercial / endorsement value as well.

For this 2021 Olympics all of this changed -- first there was no plan to travel the U.S. playing friendlies against other nations for a couple months -- due to COVID outside teams were not traveling here. Coupled with the women's soccer clubs were demanding to hold on to their key players as long as possible before the games -- and the teams & their contracts are much stronger now -- both in requirements for players attendance and supporting endorsement opportunities for the players.

 

[wrbtrader]

Women's soccer has typically been different in the U.S. Remember in the past there were many years where there were no women's club teams as their leagues folded... and the times where the pay from the teams was very low as the teams struggled to survive. The key U.S. women players (e.g. Mia Hamm) relied on the national camps along with World Cup and Olympic exposure to drive their commercial value & endorsements. Typically the U.S. women's soccer team played together for at least two months prior a World's Cup or Olympics. Many times they toured the country as a team playing friendly matches against clubs or other countries prior the World Cup or Olympics -- this helped drive their commercial / endorsement value as well.

For this 2021 Olympics all of this changed -- first there was no plan to travel the U.S. playing friendlies against other nations for a couple months -- due to COVID outside teams were not traveling here. Coupled with the women's soccer clubs were demanding to hold on to their key players as long as possible before the games -- and the teams & their contracts are much stronger now -- both in requirements for players attendance and supporting endorsement opportunities for the players.

Let us just hope that they can gel fast together for their game tomorrow (Saturday) and win against New Zealand so that they can squeeze out of their Group G into the knockout round.

Then again, I expect a lot of upsets in many different sports at the Olympic Games because of all the crazy shit the past year with Covid because training and routines have been greatly disrupted.

We should see a lot of sports with underdogs taking home the Gold, Silver or Bronze that were not expected to do such.

wrbtrader

 

[TreeFrogTrader]

It is probably the one sport I have a true interest in.

That's what she said when the bed broke!

 

[gwb-trading]

Interesting situation...

The Japanese boxer who opened the Tokyo Olympics was denied a chance to actually compete in the games because her qualifier was cancelled
https://www.insider.com/tokyo-olymp...n-opening-ceremony-qualifier-cancelled-2021-7

• The Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony began with boxer Arisa Tsubata running alone on a treadmill.
• Tsubata won't actually compete at the games because her qualifier was cancelled.
• The IOC decided to award places for boxers in Tokyo based on ranking points instead.

(More at above url)

 

[gwb-trading]

Trying to evade being ejected by avoiding being tested in Tokyo... Not going to work.

Olympic Athletes Who Refuse To Be Tested For COVID-19 Can't Compete In Tokyo
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a37103760/are-olympic-athletes-vaccinated/

 

[userque]

Trying to evade being ejected by avoiding being tested in Tokyo... Not going to work.

Olympic Athletes Who Refuse To Be Tested For COVID-19 Can't Compete In Tokyo
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a37103760/are-olympic-athletes-vaccinated/

What happens if the majority eventually test positive? Do they ban the negative testers from competing? ... and bring back the previous positive testers?

 

[Nine_Ender]

Truly not. But the meme is amusing.

The USA women's team lost to Sweden because they did not play together as a team. Usually the U.S. women's team plays together for weeks before going to the World Cup or Olympics. This year -- most left their club teams just a few days before the start of the Olympics.

The U.S. women's soccer team was dominated by Sweden -- it was not even close. The U.S. team looked uncoordinated, lacking communication, devoid to tactical flair, and failed at many levels.

This does not bode well for their upcoming matches.

It's ok you can watch Canada in the final . Maybe this time we won't get a incompetent ref calling a bs 10 second infraction on the goaltender to swing a match.

 

[El OchoCinco]

It's ok you can watch Canada in the final . Maybe this time we won't get a incompetent ref calling a bs 10 second infraction on the goaltender to swing a match.

Japan was WC runner up so if they grt their act together on home soil they could be in the Final also

 

[gwb-trading]

Let us just hope that they can gel fast together for their game tomorrow (Saturday) and win against New Zealand so that they can squeeze out of their Group G into the knockout round.

Then again, I expect a lot of upsets in many different sports at the Olympic Games because of all the crazy shit the past year with Covid because training and routines have been greatly disrupted.

We should see a lot of sports with underdogs taking home the Gold, Silver or Bronze that were not expected to do such.

wrbtrader

Well the U.S. women's soccer team beat New Zealand 6 to 1 --- things are looking better.

 

[gwb-trading]

About 100 US Olympians at Tokyo Games unvaccinated, official says
Tokyo Games were pushed back a year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/100-us-olympians-tokyo-games-unvaccinated

The Tokyo Olympics opened Friday under a cloud of uncertainty as the coronavirus pandemic still hangs over the entire world with some athletes contracting the illness even before the Games got underway.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) said about 100 of the 613 U.S. athletes in Tokyo for the Olympics remain unvaccinated. USOPC medical director Dr. Jonathan Finnoff said 567 athletes have filled out their health histories and a resounding majority replied they were vaccinated.

"Eighty-three percent is actually a substantial number and we're quite happy with it," Finnoff said.

The International Olympic Committee estimated that about 85% of residents in the Olympic Village were vaccinated. The number is based on the reports from each country’s Olympic committee but is not an independently verified number.

Finnoff said the U.S. wasn’t differentiating its treatment of athletes based on vaccination status.

"The best thing to do is to assume everyone's at risk, and reduce risk by introducing COVID mitigation measures that we know work," he said.

So far, only two American athletes are known to have tested positive for the coronavirus while in Japan – beach volleyball player Taylor Crabb and alternate gymnast Kara Eaker.

The coronavirus pandemic pushed the start of the Tokyo Games back a year. Organizers determined at the last minute that domestic fans were to be banned from attending the Games.