Paris Olympics

For a while the whole field got a shared second chance, ie if runner 1 goes early on the first start they're fine, but if runner 2 goes early in the second start it's a DQ.

They scrapped that iirc because there was a possibility that people were deliberately false starting to put more pressure on the faster starters.

Personally I think the once and you're out rule is fine, in terms of raw numbers the time saved might seem small but relative to how far apart the athletes are, gaining .1 of a second is enormous (you can false start even if you after the gun - if you go within .1 that's also a false start because humans can't react that fast so you must have been guessing). It's harsh, but you have one job. It's been that way in swimming for ages.

The problem I have is the new repechage system, which is just dumb as hell. Already we've seen people just pulling up half way through a heat because they want to save themselves for repechage, but in other cases people are just not showing up to the race to save themselves for other races.

Our girl went to a local indoor skate park for a couple of years. There are two girls that did well there and aren’t at Olympic level but compete nationally. One of those had a bad accident in the bowl there and my Mrs (who follows her on socials) says she’s gone quiet - which is a shame. School if ours is anything to go by is only about bloody four and a half hours so if they can motivate themselves to put their phones down, there are really good facilities about now - there’s two in Manchester with loads of bowls, ramps, pipes and drops. I think it’s mint that loads of girls are getting into it.

I do wish the fashion was more classic and not just Nike and Adidas. You never hear any punk through the PA!

It would be fun to turn on the Olympics and see grizzled stoners slamming their nuts on the rails while Bad Religion blasts out the PA and everyone is decked out in Etnies shoes and too big Dickies jeans

Although I get the impression the BMX and mountain bikes are still broadly in that orbit

Even I don’t want stapling your cock to a table then being sick on it to be an Olympic sport. We did watch plenty of Dirty Sanchez back in the day though.

What about holding your sack over a pool table pocket for a pot? I saw that once and surely there’s an international sporting market.

Darts is also untapped.

The only skateboarding event should be a mass race down alpe d'huez with giant nets just off the edges to catch flying (and obviously DNF) skaters.

Yeah, though I imagine if you're nursing an injury there's got to be a lot of temptation to try and protect it, which is likely to cause you to not fully commit and then wipe out more.

/armchair tony hawk coach

Come on Skye!

Can see where you are coming from, there’s a lot of grace in a good street run though isn’t there and a lot of variety.

Again, come on Sky!

Really sad that the not-really-Brit missed her silver.

Phenomenal that these literal kids are risking their necks like this and at the Olympics no less. And in contrast to some of the slapped arse faces I saw at the gymnastics, they are properly happy for each other. Really enjoyed that.

Andy MacDonald is also competing in skateboarding on the basis of his Dad's nationality, he's very much an American really but I don't think anyone will care too much if he's successful.

Plus he's 51, Gen-X ain't dead yet.

Formula 1 is on its Summer break so the godawful TV directors for that are probably moonlighting.

I enjoyed the pole vaulters going mental together over the world record breaking last night.


Then the commentators were like “it only half counts because he deliberately only breaks it by the smallest margin so he can break it again next time and look like billy big balls with nine world records to his name because thats what his sponsors want”. Alright guys, give it a rest, he’s just jumped over a pub

Oh thank god they got Laura away from being trapped in a room on her own with Claire Balding.