The OFFICIAL 2014 Winter Olympics Thread

[Hatman 🍁]

Question to ZuWo, how did Switzerland select its curling teams? I know last time you had a Trials.

[ZuWo]

Question to ZuWo, how did Switzerland select its curling teams? I know last time you had a Trials.

The Swiss Curling Association made a ranking based on the teams' performance at international competitions such as European and World Championships and the World Curling Tour. Last year the best team among the men (Michel) and women (Ott) were selected.

[Tender Branson]

After crashing badly just 2 weeks ago, then placing 2nd in the 4-Hills Tournament a few days ago, Thomas Morgenstern today crashed badly again, suffering a serious head (but not life-threatening) injury and lung contusion. He was flown to the Salzburg University clinic, where he'll be in emergency care for the next 3 days.



You can watch his crash here:

http://iptv.orf.at/stories/2213538

Morgenstern is an Austrian Gold medal candidate in ski jumping.

...

Thomas Morgenstern gets ‘all clear,’ Olympics possible

Austrian ski jumper Thomas Morgenstern could compete at the Winter Olympics one month after a scary crash last week that he can’t remember.

Morgenstern was given a “definite all clear” by doctors Monday, three days after suffering skull and lung injuries, but will remain in rehabilitation mode for the next two weeks.

After that, it will be determined if he can jump in Sochi.

“His recovery process has been very satisfying so far,” head of clinic Josef Obrist said, according to The Associated Press. “The bleeding and the contusion have completely diminished. There was a risk of brain swelling, but that hasn’t occurred.”

Morgenstern is a three-time Olympic champion, winning the normal hill in 2006 and the team event in 2006 and 2010.

http://olympictalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/13/thomas-morgenstern-ski-jumping-crash-recovery

[Hatman 🍁]

Question to ZuWo, how did Switzerland select its curling teams? I know last time you had a Trials.

The Swiss Curling Association made a ranking based on the teams' performance at international competitions such as European and World Championships and the World Curling Tour. Last year the best team among the men (Michel) and women (Ott) were selected.

With all the good Swiss teams this year, they should have held a Trials. Right now Ott is the #3 Swiss team on the money list. Michel is #2, I think.

[ZuWo]

Question to ZuWo, how did Switzerland select its curling teams? I know last time you had a Trials.

The Swiss Curling Association made a ranking based on the teams' performance at international competitions such as European and World Championships and the World Curling Tour. Last year the best team among the men (Michel) and women (Ott) were selected.

With all the good Swiss teams this year, they should have held a Trials. Right now Ott is the #3 Swiss team on the money list. Michel is #2, I think.

I wouldn't have minded an Olympic trial, either. At the end of the day Ott and Michel seem like the most solid picks, though. Ott has been remarkably consistent at international events during the last few years and will be the most experienced skip at the Olympics. After Salt Lake City, Torino and Vancouver Sochi will be her fourth Olympics.
On the men's side Michel's team is simply the best in Switzerland besides maybe Team De Cruz. I really hope De Cruz will qualify for the World Championships later this year, but I don't think they are experienced enough to compete at the Olympics already.

[Hatman 🍁]

Ott is getting old, though. One thing that this year has proved in Canadian curling is that the old guns are starting to lose out, while younger teams are taking over. Look no further than Jacobs winning the Trials.

But also, look at the Scotties provincials. In BC, you have a team right out of juniors knocking off Kelly Scott, in Alberta you have Sweeting defeating Bernard, in Manitoba Chelsea Carey finally wins, in Ontario you have a young team winning (Middaugh didn't even make the playoffs)- not to mention the defending champion Homan rink. Also, the Territories will be represented by the same team that will be representing the Yukon at the Canadian Juniors this year, as they knocked off perennial territorial champion Kerry Galusha.

[Platypus]

Hoping for a hat trick from possibly the most attractive woman in the games, both in looks and personality.

[Platypus]

FWIW, the AOC's official target is 5 medals, including at least 1 gold. Medal chances (some brighter than others, with asterisk)...

Dale Begg-Smith, Moguls
Pierre Boda, Short track skating
Torah Bright, Snowboard halfpipe* and slopestyle*
Belle Brockhoff, Snowboard Cross (openly lesbian, so everyone should cheer her on, yes?)
Britt Cox, Moguls
Holly Crawford, Snowboard halfpipe
Matt Graham, Moguls
Russ Henshaw, Ski Slopestyle*
Jarryd Hughes, Snowboard Cross
Nate Johnstone, Snowboard halfpipe
Lydia Lassila, Aerials*
David Morris, Aerials*
Laura Peele, Aerials
Chumpy Pullin, Snowboard Cross*
Anna Segal, Ski Slopestyle*
Amy Sheehan, Ski halfpipe
Michelle Steele, Skeleton

With declared intent to finish in the top 15, this is easily the strongest Australian team ever. It's weird to think that we only won our first winter medal in 1998 qand first old in 2002 and we're now a serious chance at top 15. We've won 5 medals all up so far, and have a real chance to double that in this games.

[Platypus]

Also a girl I went to school with is not yet qualified, but if she does she's an outside chance of doing something impressive. Katya Crema in the Freestyle Skiing has an 8th at the 2013 World Championships, so you never know

[Hatman 🍁]

Ahh, I see that turncoat is still at it, is he?

[Tender Branson]

FWIW, the AOC's official target is 5 medals, including at least 1 gold. Medal chances (some brighter than others, with asterisk)...

Dale Begg-Smith, Moguls
Pierre Boda, Short track skating
Torah Bright, Snowboard halfpipe* and slopestyle*
Belle Brockhoff, Snowboard Cross (openly lesbian, so everyone should cheer her on, yes?)
Britt Cox, Moguls
Holly Crawford, Snowboard halfpipe
Matt Graham, Moguls
Russ Henshaw, Ski Slopestyle*
Jarryd Hughes, Snowboard Cross
Nate Johnstone, Snowboard halfpipe
Lydia Lassila, Aerials*
David Morris, Aerials*
Laura Peele, Aerials
Chumpy Pullin, Snowboard Cross*
Anna Segal, Ski Slopestyle*
Amy Sheehan, Ski halfpipe
Michelle Steele, Skeleton

With declared intent to finish in the top 15, this is easily the strongest Australian team ever. It's weird to think that we only won our first winter medal in 1998 qand first old in 2002 and we're now a serious chance at top 15. We've won 5 medals all up so far, and have a real chance to double that in this games.

Jarryd Hughes has actually great chances for a medal.

He's currently 2nd in the Snowboard Cross world cup rankings this season.

[Tender Branson]

Belle Brockhoff, Snowboard Cross (openly lesbian, so everyone should cheer her on, yes?)

Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, the Austrian ski-jumper and Gold medalist at the 2011 Nordic Ski World Championships, is lesbian too and "married" her girlfriend last August ("married", because Austria has civil unions only, that are different to hetero marriage in several aspects):



But Sara Takanashi will likely win Gold at the Olympics, because Iraschko-Stolz had a foot injury and only ranked 8th to 15th in the competitions so far this year.

[NewYorkExpress]

http://www.today.com/sochi/jamaican-bobsled-team-heads-sochi-over-120k-fans-its-dream-2D11958894

The Jamaican bobsled team is going to Sochi!!!  Should be fun to see athletes mostly used to a tropical climate try to compete in the bitter cold...

[Hatman 🍁]

http://www.today.com/sochi/jamaican-bobsled-team-heads-sochi-over-120k-fans-its-dream-2D11958894

The Jamaican bobsled team is going to Sochi!!!  Should be fun to see athletes mostly used to a tropical climate try to compete in the bitter cold...

Obviously you have never seen Cool Runnings. Jamaica always sends a bobsled team.

[Tender Branson]

Belle Brockhoff, Snowboard Cross (openly lesbian, so everyone should cheer her on, yes?)

Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, the Austrian ski-jumper and Gold medalist at the 2011 Nordic Ski World Championships, is lesbian too and "married" her girlfriend last August ("married", because Austria has civil unions only, that are different to hetero marriage in several aspects):



But Sara Takanashi will likely win Gold at the Olympics, because Iraschko-Stolz had a foot injury and only ranked 8th to 15th in the competitions so far this year.

The ORF writes today that the lesbian Daniela Iraschko-Stolz might actually become the Austrian flag carrier at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Of course nothing official yet.

I wonder if the Austrian Olympic Committee really has the guts to do this and point a big middle-finger towards Putin ...

http://orf.at/stories/2215271/2215270

[MaxQue]

Canada named Hayley Wickenheiser, a female hockey player, as the flag-bearer. She is also known for critizing this summer the gay legislation of Putin, so, I'm a bit surprised about it. Many French people are unhappy since the flag-bearer is not speaking French for the 4th time in a row.

[Hatman 🍁]

She's a good choice, since she wasn't given the captaincy, despite being the captain for the last 2(?) Olympics. And you know, being the best female hockey player ever.

[MaxQue]

She's a good choice, since she wasn't given the captaincy, despite being the captain for the last 2(?) Olympics. And you know, being the best female hockey player ever.

She was in fac the captain ntil a few days, when the new head coach gave it to Ouellette.

[Tender Branson]

Belle Brockhoff, Snowboard Cross (openly lesbian, so everyone should cheer her on, yes?)

Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, the Austrian ski-jumper and Gold medalist at the 2011 Nordic Ski World Championships, is lesbian too and "married" her girlfriend last August ("married", because Austria has civil unions only, that are different to hetero marriage in several aspects):



But Sara Takanashi will likely win Gold at the Olympics, because Iraschko-Stolz had a foot injury and only ranked 8th to 15th in the competitions so far this year.

The ORF writes today that the lesbian Daniela Iraschko-Stolz might actually become the Austrian flag carrier at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Of course nothing official yet.

I wonder if the Austrian Olympic Committee really has the guts to do this and point a big middle-finger towards Putin ...

http://orf.at/stories/2215271/2215270

Well, she seems to come back in time for the Olympics and we could in fact have a openly lesbian Gold medalist in front of Putin:

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It would be great if she wins the Gold medal in Sochi.

For Putin it would be like:

[Platypus]

*Insert Hitler had no real issue with Jesse Owens who claimed he received far more racism at the welcome home parades than he ever did in Berlin claim here*

Anyway, I', definitely hoping for a good handful of lgbt medals, but I always do. This year it's especially important though, of course.

[Tender Branson]

Belle Brockhoff, Snowboard Cross (openly lesbian, so everyone should cheer her on, yes?)

Daniela Iraschko-Stolz, the Austrian ski-jumper and Gold medalist at the 2011 Nordic Ski World Championships, is lesbian too and "married" her girlfriend last August ("married", because Austria has civil unions only, that are different to hetero marriage in several aspects):



But Sara Takanashi will likely win Gold at the Olympics, because Iraschko-Stolz had a foot injury and only ranked 8th to 15th in the competitions so far this year.

The ORF writes today that the lesbian Daniela Iraschko-Stolz might actually become the Austrian flag carrier at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

Of course nothing official yet.

I wonder if the Austrian Olympic Committee really has the guts to do this and point a big middle-finger towards Putin ...

http://orf.at/stories/2215271/2215270

No, they didn't have the guts:

Benjamin Raich (Alpine Skiier) will be the flag-carrier.

[Tender Branson]

All Austrian Olympic starters (they were nominated today):



Click right for big version.

[Tender Branson]

Hoping for a hat trick from possibly the most attractive woman in the games, both in looks and personality.

You sure ?



But the snowboarding chicks are generally very hot.

[Tender Branson]

F**k:

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[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Garlic picking around Sochi to be 'banned' during Olympics

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It is good to know that the Olympics will be safe from garlic. If nothing else, the Transylvanian team may now have a chance for medals.