2020 Summer Olympics

[zeroapoc]

In a few months the 2020 Summer Olympics will be awarded to either Istanbul, Madrid, or Tokyo.

Where would you like them to be held?

 

[zeroapoc]

I want Istanbul just because it would be more unique. Tokyo would be a repeat host city and we just had one of those with London. And Spain held them in 1992 in Barcelona.

 

[runawayboulder]

It doesn't matter either way because we'll be watching it on a delay in the U.S.

 

[zeroapoc]

We'll probably have better coverage options in 2020.

 

[Sakuraba]

If it's in Istanbul, I wonder how much of the Christian Byzantine history will be featured in the celebrations. Would it even be recognized?

Tokyo would be a good one, one I might even attend.

Madrid is the least interesting to me, but would be novel because it would be the first Summer Games held at a high elevation since, what, Mexico City? A personal note for me, since I'm a tennis fan, would be if Rafa Nadal would play the 2020 games in his home country. He'd be 33 with a lot of miles on his knees.

 

[DeadThePoet]

Definitely Instanbul, and I also hope Squash is in as well.

 

[Warhammer]

Either way, we here in the US lose.

 

[Themanofbat]

Either way, we here in the US lose.

And lest we forget... it's all about the US...

 

[zeroapoc]

Most of the time.

 

[Themanofbat]

hahahahaha.... of course...

 

[Warhammer]

And lest we forget... it's all about the US...

Uhh...you lose too. You get to stay either stay up all night to watch it live or avoid spoilers and watch a replay.

 

[Themanofbat]

Uhh...you lose too. You get to stay either stay up all night to watch it live or avoid spoilers and watch a replay.

Yes... you're right... in regards to the late timing... but I wouldn't call myself a loser for living in a different part of the globe... which is what I initially responded to...

 

[zeroapoc]

Well what he means is really the coverage we got for the 2012 games. Nothing was live and results were hard to avoid beforehand.

 

[Themanofbat]

I get it... and there are ways around it... obviously, I'm not sure who sits around the tube watching all day Olympic coverage for two weeks, unless you're unemployed... but there will be special events/games that I will tough it out to watch live... 100 meters... soccer games...etc...

And while extremely difficult, it's not impossible to avoid SportsCenter while you watch the event on your PVR...

 

[zeroapoc]

NBC screwed up bad last year. In an ad for their morning show they showed a swimmer celebrating her gold medal with her family like an hour before her race aired.

 

[Themanofbat]

Geez Louise, what a bone-headed manoeuvre ...

 

[Kelly]

I get it... and there are ways around it... obviously, I'm not sure who sits around the tube watching all day Olympic coverage for two weeks, unless you're unemployed... but there will be special events/games that I will tough it out to watch live... 100 meters... soccer games...etc...

And while extremely difficult, it's not impossible to avoid SportsCenter while you watch the event on your PVR...

Teachers, people on vacation, stay at home moms and dads, high school students off for the summer, shift workers, people who work at home. The coverage was much better on other networks. NBC did a horrible job...far too much behind the scenes stuff, and not enough actual coverage of the events. They wanted the ratings during prime time so they held off on a lot of stuff that people had already watched, or heard about, and wasted the actual time by showing human interest (far from interesting) crap.

 

[coby]

Tokyo I think will be the best place.

 

[zeroapoc]

Will they hiss at the Chinese as payback for Beijing 2008?

 

[zeroapoc]

It was. But there was an issue with how the Japanese athletes were being treated by the crowds.

 

[regwec]

If it's in Istanbul, I wonder how much of the Christian Byzantine history will be featured in the celebrations. Would it even be recognized?

Interesting question. Even if it was referenced, it might be slightly uncomfortable in the sense that it would be the story of one culture's displacement by another. For all that, Turkey is an admirably secular place, and Turks themselves seem to have nationalism as their primary identifier, rather than religion. I think the pre-Islamic past might be given a heavily Roman, cultural rather than religious flavour.

I would love Istanbul to host the games. It's a beautiful city full of beautiful people, and Turkey seems to be a country with so much potential. As with a lot of countries at the moment, its politics seems to be unsettled and polarised, but the same could probably be said of Spain.

 

[craigdbfan]

Looks like Tokyo won.

Akira freaking predicted this back in the 80's.

 

[regwec]

A shame, really, but I suppose Tokyo was the safer option.

 

[Kelly]

Whelp, another city that has to build every venue once again, and loses billions. Way to go IOC.

 

[regwec]

Why do you think it will be more costly for Tokyo than anywhere else?