The China Thread

[Valmy]

It is really dumb. It is Russia, so I don't see the point of it all.

[The Larch]

FFS - I thought that was the Refugee Olympics team and was really pleased how well they're doing (when I wasn't pleasantly surprised to see the Republic of China doing so well)

Truly an onion of incomprehension

You really thought that the refugees were 5th in the medal table?

Until when does the ban last? They already had to pull something similar to this ROC stuff in the last winter olympics, right?

[Sheilbh]

You really thought that the refugees were 5th in the medal table?

I was surprised at how little attention the good news/heart-warming story of the summer was getting.

[Valmy]

You really thought that the refugees were 5th in the medal table?

I was surprised at how little attention the good news/heart-warming story of the summer was getting.

One would think Putin's political exiles do nothing but train for the Olympics. Surely the sheer number of athletes involved at least caused you to question this narrative

[The Larch]

You really thought that the refugees were 5th in the medal table?

I was surprised at how little attention the good news/heart-warming story of the summer was getting.

That's an impressive level of self-delusion. 

[Sheilbh]

One would think Putin's political exiles do nothing but train for the Olympics. Surely the sheer number of athletes involved at least caused you to question this narrative

Look - arguably there were many occassions when I should have put this together earlier. But somehow none of them did until you all kept talking about ROC and Russia

That's an impressive level of self-delusion. 

A blissful and fundamentally happier level of self-delusion. I was a happy pig and now I'm an unhappy human

[Tamas]

What's the ROC Russia thing?

ROC = Russian Olympic Committee.  It's a way to allow their doped-up athletes to compete without breaking the ban on Russian participation, as punishing the athletes as a whole for the doping scheme that they participated in was deemed unfair. 

Really, it's a huge propaganda boost to the regime, as every Russian medal is able to be shown as a glorious victory against a world that is oppressing Russia, and they can point to the ban as proof of the perfidy of the Olympic Committee.

OMG A NEIL SIGHTING

[The Larch]

You really thought that the refugees were 5th in the medal table?

I was surprised at how little attention the good news/heart-warming story of the summer was getting.

One would think Putin's political exiles do nothing but train for the Olympics. Surely the sheer number of athletes involved at least caused you to question this narrative

The refugee Olympic team is composed mostly of Syrians, with Iran and South Sudan being the next countries of origin by number of people, and they all come the Middle East and Africa (except from one Venezuelan), there's not a single Russian exile in the team.

[Agelastus]

FFS - I thought that was the Refugee Olympics team and was really pleased how well they're doing (when I wasn't pleasantly surprised to see the Republic of China doing so well)

Truly an onion of incomprehension

Oh, I thought you were making a statement by calling the Russian Olympic Committee Team refugees (from Putin's drugs regime etc.)

I actually hadn't heard of the Refugee Olympic Team until this thread.

Although, the Refugee Team would be ROT, not ROC wouldn't they?

[The Larch]

FFS - I thought that was the Refugee Olympics team and was really pleased how well they're doing (when I wasn't pleasantly surprised to see the Republic of China doing so well)

Truly an onion of incomprehension

Oh, I thought you were making a statement by calling the Russian Olympic Committee Team refugees (from Putin's drugs regime etc.)

I actually hadn't heard of the Refugee Olympic Team until this thread.

Although, the Refugee Team would be ROT, not ROC wouldn't they?

Their official acronym is EOR, the French version of ROT.

[Sheilbh]

Although, the Refugee Team would be ROT, not ROC wouldn't they?

Once again, I cannot emphasise enough how little thought I gave this 

[HVC]

FFS - I thought that was the Refugee Olympics team and was really pleased how well they're doing (when I wasn't pleasantly surprised to see the Republic of China doing so well)

Truly an onion of incomprehension

Oh, I thought you were making a statement by calling the Russian Olympic Committee Team refugees (from Putin's drugs regime etc.)

I actually hadn't heard of the Refugee Olympic Team until this thread.

Although, the Refugee Team would be ROT, not ROC wouldn't they?

Their official acronym is EOR, the French version of ROT.

so the refugee team was given a name that sounds like the depressed winnie the poo donkey?

[garbon]

Although, the Refugee Team would be ROT, not ROC wouldn't they?

Once again, I cannot emphasise enough how little thought I gave this 

[The Minsky Moment]

ROC is the polite name the Olympic Committee chose for Roided Out Cheats

[Josquius]

On the one hand sure. Fuck Russia. Cheating arse holes.
But you do have to be fair to those Russian athletes who had nothing to do with this and let them compete.
If only the old Olympics could be possible in the modern day - anyone can show up and take part. Their country is a fun side note rather than a big deal.
Obviously in the modern world this would be a disaster that takes years to get through.