To be fair, I'm not in a position to write anything definitive about the Olympics for the simple reason that I barely saw any of it. Thus, I am reduced to reliance on Robert Hardman's excellent summary in The Mail. The first photograph sums it up and indicates that I was not alone in ignoring the whole ghastly pantomime:
According to Mr. Hardman, "At some events, you could measure the vacant plastic by the acre." Hardly surprising given that Brazil is a corrupt, disease-ridden, third world country run by crooks and gangsters but at least the corruption made it that much easier for them to deal with the equally corrupt Grand Panjandrums who run the international Olympic games. Meanwhile, as the greasy money changed hands in the swank hotels and villas, back in the slums of Rio:
The shootings continue. The poverty continues. The 30 per cent of the population with no sanitation now have even less chance of a flushing lavatory because the city has blown the budget on crummy sporting facilities.
Also, if you listened carefully you might just have heard a ghostly laugh from hell currently occupied by the late, unlamented João Havelange, a former Brazilian capo di tutti capi who ran both the Olympics and that other example of international sporting rectitude, FIFA. - yeeeeeeees, quite!
So the stadia were unfinished, the seats were empty, the athletes' accommodation was slum-like, the food was atrocious, the swimming pools kept turning green and, to cap it all, the money's all gone so there's nothing left for the 'crip' games. They should thank their lucky stars that they don't have to go! Meanwhile, our dopey 'pols' and all those get-rich-quick 'sporting administrators' are boasting - yes, actually boasting - about how many 'zillions' of our money has been spent for all those sweaty 'hearties' to do whatever it is they actually do.
Well, I want my money back!
Brazil is fast becoming Venezuela. This Olympics sink hole may just speed things up. Another failed state in South America.
Posted by: Whitewall | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 12:50
Maybe they should join the EU!
Posted by: Cuffleyburgers | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 14:25
As you say Duffers, an excellent article.
But there is no political mileage in anybody in a position to do anything actually calling the bastards out on this and so it'll continue...
It would be a start if media and taxpayers in civilised countries refused to allow their politicans to make their stupid bids, but even then it will be decades before it becomes obvious that only 3rd world shitholes ever do the games.
Posted by: Cuffleyburgers | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 14:36
What I also don't get is the utterly deluded sense of triumph, superiority, and feel-good factor that winning 88 medals has induced in the great unwashed. Each medal cost £4 million quid - what do you expect if you supply that amount of wedge? Probably more, actually, so 88 medals actually represents an underperformance for the resources put in.
And that £4 million per medal came from National Lottery and Tax Payer funding.
So in summation: The Olympics is routinely won by the state with the greatest drugs, gambling, and money to input into the competition.
So much for the Olympic ideals - I'm guessing they're not supposed to be drugs, gambling, and money?
Illustrates the extent of the brain-dead, nationalist Brits who thinks that 88 medals under such circs means we're something spesh. Makes you start to understand how things like Brexit can happen ...
Then there's the Independent trying to lie with statistics that it only meant £1-09 per annum for each Brit Tax Payer ...
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/rio-2016-team-gb-medals-how-much-did-each-cost-uk-tax-olympics-medal-table-a7203321.html
Well £1-09 x 65,000,000 Brit Tax Payers x 4 years = £283 million Tax.
And £4 million x 88 medals = £352* million total Lotto and Tax.
So the Brit Tax Payer was the overwhelmingly bigger funder - if the Indie figures are to be believed.
"Opiating the people with their own money".
SoD
* £352 million is bit of a magic number for "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" this Summer, eh, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, know what I mean? ...
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 15:13
Here you go: -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/21/rio-2016-alternate-medal-table-how-countries-rank-when-we-adjust/
When it comes to medals per capita, and medals per unit of GDP, we're no where - in spite of all that money!
Someone wrote a book recently about Putin's Russia called "Nothing is true, and everything is possible".
I think that would be a good moto for post-Brexit Britain: -
"Nothing is true, and everything is possible".
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 15:25
Oh God, just when I was hoping against hope that you could actually produce a comment without mentioning Brexit - you blew it!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 16:55
My dear duffers, ff this helps: sometimes I look at my daughter and wonder "what the hell happened?"
Posted by: missred | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 17:09
You missed the Olympics Hide and Seek final ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAic3SY6i_U
"Delving dago", heh, they don't ell 'em like that anymore, do they, no siree?!
Back to the seventies, perhaps, you know, that thing, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more, might not be so bad after all ...
SoD
Posted by: Loz | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 22:10
"At some events, you could measure the vacant plastic by the acre."
Well David here's you another picture with some plastic. As to whether its vacant or not I'll, leave you to figure it out.
If you can't, drop Andra an email.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-guns-idUSKCN10Z2MW
Posted by: JK | Wednesday, 24 August 2016 at 23:21
Thanks for the link, JK.
STICK ITNAIL ITPosted by: TheBigHenry | Thursday, 25 August 2016 at 07:04
Thank you for the Monty Python link, SoD, that was brilliant, I hadn't seen it before.
Shame they're not around to satirise our lords and masters in brussles (hopefully for not too much longer) that would have been a target rich environment for them!!
But they certainly nailed the olympics even back then when it was probably slightly less crassly corrupt than it is now.
Yes sir the 70's were certainly fantastic, I've got a kipper tie which I am looking forward to being able to wear again once article 50 has been invoked, plus some tartan trousers altho' they probably no longer fit.
BTW Corbyn obviously understands what's going on and is doing his best to bring it on! Traditional minded trotskyite. He should be careful tho', those little hammers they supply for smashing train windows in an emergency are remarkably like ice picks - wouldn't want anybody getting ideas...
Posted by: Cuffleyburgers | Thursday, 25 August 2016 at 09:13