2024 Paris Paralympics

[Chris2K]

Cricket is coming back in 2028, and there is absolutely zero reason for it to do so outside of "expanding the game", and I assume a dump truck of money from Indian broadcasters. It already has 3 World Championships.

[K]

I'm looking forward to the athletics. I've been following the build up a little bit. 

[Lineker]

She needed one medal at Paris 2024 in order to become the outright most successful British woman in Olympic history... so this video must be pretty awful.

[stokeriño]

In her statement she said the video "does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils" ...so, my best guess is some kind of cruelty? Can't think what else it could be if both the horses and pupils are involved.

[Chris2K]

I think it has to be some kind of animal cruelty or it would be more serious than just withdrawing from the Olympics. The problem is, she can say it doesn't reflect her training, but if there's a video showing something awful then it does, regardless of how often it happened.

 

[lanky316]

It's got to look really bad, even if it was a one time "lapse of judgement" - a phrase that always makes me think of a politician "accidentally" telling a racist joke - it certainly will reflect badly on her but obviously she feels she won't be able to ride out the storm for the couple of days people pay attention to dressage. Still if I want to see "The Teio Step" I'll just rewatch the miracle race and old Japanese racing footage.

[Bobfoc]

Doesn't almost everyone say something along the lines of "This doesn't represent my normal behaviour" whenever they're caught doing something wrong? I don't want to judge before more details are reported, but it's hard to give someone the benefit of the doubt when they're using that kind of language.

[Chris2K]

There is something good coming from all this:

Quote

Becky Moody and her horse Jagerbomb are Team GB's alternate combination for the dressage.

 

[Gazz]

Sponsered by Red Bull

[lanky316]

24 minutes ago, Chris2K said:

There is something good coming from all this:

 

Nerd that I am, genuinely went to check the breeding to see if was related to Vodka. He isn't for the record.

[Baddar]

6 month ban on top now.

[Adam]

It is allegedly for excessively whipping a horse in training.

[Krabby]

Also, I didn't know this before, but apparently the Dutch volleyball team features a Child rapist. That's pretty damn wild.

[Bobfoc]

He only served one year in prison as well.

[Colly]

Imagine being one of his team mates. 

[Krabby]

5 minutes ago, Colly said:

Imagine being one of his team mates. 

Supposedly his partner is all for it and says the guy is like a father figure or something

Quote

“I feel comfortable with him, we take good care of each other,” he said. “I’m 23, he’s 29. He’s also a kind of a second father to me, who supports me. Now we’re going to the Games and it has become a big thing. But everything else has stayed the same.”

“It’s a shame that people talk about him like that,” Immers said. “I know the Steven of today, and I’m happy about that. He’s a very good partner. He’s good company on and off the field, and that’s the most important thing for me.”

And the Dutch chief basically said that the backlash is only strong because everything gets exaggerated around the Olympics. 

That's like...effing crazy to me...the Steven of Today? How about the 12 year old he raped, how are they doing?

[Colly]

Ah, I assumed volleyball volleyball rather than beach, I suppose that makes more sense that he's got one weirdo onside than an entire squad of people who might have a backbone.

[Bobfoc]

20 minutes ago, Krabby said:

How about the 12 year old he raped, how are they doing?

Self-harming and having overdosed at least once, according to reports. Van der Velde has also said that he was "a teenage still figuring things out" when he did it.

It might be that banning him from the Olympics poses too much of a legal headache, but it's a bad look for the games. So often, we hear about how the Olympics are meant to inspire children to try out sports and potentially become the next crop of high-level athletes. Having a competitor who carried out an elaborate plan to harm a child and seemingly showing little remorse is grossly contrary to that message.

[Krabby]

7 minutes ago, Bobfoc said:

Self-harming and having overdosed at least once, according to reports. Van der Velde has also said that he was "a teenage still figuring things out" when he did it.

It might be that banning him from the Olympics poses too much of a legal headache, but it's a bad look for the games. So often, we hear about how the Olympics are meant to inspire children to try out sports and potentially become the next crop of high-level athletes. Having a competitor who carried out an elaborate plan to harm a child and seemingly showing little remorse is grossly contrary to that message.

That sucks so so so much and is so shitty that he is in the Olympics - most people manage to figure things out in their teenage years without raping anyone.

[METALMAN]