Rio Paralympics successful

Once again, congratulations Rio. Congratulations Brazil.

ANYONE who tuned into the 2016 Paralympic games, which were held in Rio de Janeiro in the fortnight leading up to September 18th, would agree that this year’s edition has been a success. In the days before the opening ceremony, it seemed more likely that the event would be a flop. …

Yet out of adversity came triumph. A last-ditch appeal to the Brazilian public worked. They flocked to the venues, snapped up cheap tickets (some for as little as ten reals, or $3) and turned the games into the second-most attended in Paralympic history. Total sales surpassed 2m last week, topping the 1.5m sold in Beijing in 2008; the final number could rival the 2.8m record set in London four years ago. Nearly 170,000 spectators thronged to the Olympic Park on September 10th, a greater crowd than at any point during the Olympics. …

As the fortnight ended, perhaps the only obvious blemish was the death of 48-year-old Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who suffered a cardiac arrest in the road race on September 17th. …

The Rio Paralympics were successful, but the disability classifications are not

There were problems too, obviously. Click through for a breakdown of those.

400px-2016_summer_paralympics_logo-svg

Vitaly Marinitch resigns

Many were wondering if there would be any shake up in the USA Men’s program.

End of the year Vitaly is leaving the Olympic Training Centre where many of the National Team train.

vitaly-marinitch

Hungarian Olympic gymnast Agnes Keleti

Ágnes Keleti (born 9 January 1921) is a Hungarian-Israeli retired artistic gymnast and coach. While representing Hungary in the Summer Olympics, she won 10 Olympic medals including five gold …

Keleti holds more Olympic medals than any other person with Israeli citizenship …

Click PLAY or watch it on Facebook.

related – Why Aly Raisman Is a Mensch

Thanks Stacey.

Germany was GREAT in Rio

Lauren Hopkins:

The German Democratic Republic in the east was one of the dominating programs from its first Summer Games in 1968 straight up until its final appearance in 1988 while West Germany struggled to put the program on the map. …

… this year, it seemed like everything was working in their favor. Their top gymnasts — Elisabeth Seitz, Sophie Scheder, and Pauline Schäfer, known as the “three Hambüchens” — continued working toward peak difficulty and consistency, while plenty of up-and-comers began coming together in their own right, especially as Tabea Alt finally reached the senior ranks.

Germany killed it at the Olympic Test Event, qualifying to the Games second behind Brazil …

… in qualifications, there were zero concerns as they barreled from one event to the next with only minor missteps, none of which counted into their team totals. Finishing on bars, the strongest event for the women overall, they managed four hit sets, dropping Alt’s 14.666 to finish third-best in the world on the event with a 45.699. …

Things only heated up for team finals, where the Germans had twelve fully hit routines to earn a 173.672, their best finish in recent history, and less than three points shy of the podium. …

Germany’s “First” Team Final

Click PLAY or watch a montage on YouTube.

2024 Olympics: Los Angeles, Budapest, Paris or Rome?

International Olympic Committee members will vote to decide the 2024 Olympic host city on Sept. 13, 2017.

That in mind, the Los Angeles Olympic bid committee published a video Tuesday titled “Dream City,” promoting the features of Southern California for 2 minutes and closing with its slogan, “Follow the Sun.” …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Rome may withdraw its bid in the next month, with its new mayor voicing opposition. …

NBC

2020 U.S. Olympic team

Rebecca Johnson has already posted a long range guess:

Gabby Perea
Aria Brusch
Jordan Chiles
Aly Raisman
Simone Biles

If History Repeats Itself: Tokyo 2020 USA Olympic Team ‘Predictions’

Jordan Chiles
Jordan Chiles

Click PLAY or watch Jordan’s Bars dismount on YouTube.

For Tokyo the Team will be 4 women. Let’s assume the one of the five not competing will be first alternate.