Watch Every Sport, Paris Olympics Edition!

Judo

Have I watched it before? I don't think so.

What match/stage? Women's final, Slovenia vs Mexico

Overall Impression?
Very enjoyable, though I'm still at the stage with judo where I don't have a firm grasp on the rules and terminology. Obviously you need to pin the other person certain ways, but I'm not at a place to appreciate the nuances involved. Still, I had fun watching.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Water Polo, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Water Polo

Have I watched it before? Only a second or two here and there.

What match/stage? Women's, USA vs Spain

Overall Impression?
I just don't think that this is a sport for me. It feels like a more dynamic sport that's been slowed down by being in water. It looks exhausting (as anything does when you take a sport and are like, "Now do it swimming!"), and props to the athletes.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Update:

[x] Archery
[x] Artistic Gymnastics
[] Artistic Swimming
[] Athletics
[x] Badminton
[x] Basketball***
[x] Basketball 3X3
[x] Beach Volleyball
[x] Boxing
[] Breaking
[x] Canoe/Kayak Slalom
[] Canoe/Kayak Sprint
[x] Cycling BMX Freestyle***
[x] Cycling BMX Racing***
[x] Cycling Mountain Bike
[] Cycling Road
[] Cycling Track
[] Diving
[] Equestrian
[x] Fencing
[] Football
[] Golf
[x] Hockey
[x] Judo
[] Marathon Swimming
[] Modern Pentathlon
[] Rhythmic Gymnastic
[] Rowing
[x] Rugby Sevens
[x] Sailing**
[x] Shooting*
[x] Skateboarding***
[] Sport Climbing
[x] Surfing
[x] Swimming
[x] Table Tennis***
[] Taekwondo
[x] Tennis
[] Trampoline
[] Triathlon
[x] Volleyball***
[x] Water Polo
[] Weightlifting
[] Wrestling

*I’ve only seen ‘shotgun’ so far.
**most boring sport to watch from what I've seen so far.
***most exciting/awesome sports seen so far.

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Golf

Have I watched it before? Yes

What match/stage? Not sure!

Overall Impression?
I've only played golf maybe twice (golf-golf, not putting a ball under a windmill and around a flamingo golf). I just don't find it that interesting to play or to watch.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Rowing

Have I watched it before? Yes, a bit here and there over the years.

What match/stage? Several semi-finals, men's and women's

Overall Impression?
I realize that using a rowing machine at the gym is not the same as, you know, rowing in the water at the Olympics. But I do have to say that understanding some of the physical sensation and movement of it does help me click a bit more with this sport. It's one of those weird things where they are all moving so fast that they kind of look like they aren't moving that fast at all? I do really like those moments of seeing the rowing coaches at the end of each group talking to their team. (I was interested to see that one of the men's teams had a woman as their person at the end, so maybe this is like a coaching position and not considered a "competing" position?). I liked it, but it wasn't something that I felt super compelled to keep watching. Watching the teams get into sync/stride with each other is really cool.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Athletics, Badminton, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Badminton

Have I watched it before? Yes, a bit here and there over the years.

What match/stage? Mixed doubles bronze medal game, Korea vs Japan

Overall Impression?
The most enjoyable thing about professional badminton is just how hilariously far removed it is from the haphazard, sagging-net, swing-and-miss games I remember playing as a kid. With adults playing the court looks comically small. But that said, the spatial awareness from the athletes is really cool, as is their control of the birdie which, to my memory, just often did its own thing. (Maybe not so unpredictable when you actually know what you're doing).



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Athletics, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Athletics

Have I watched it before? Oh, yeah.

What match/stage? Men's 10,000m

Overall Impression?
This was a really cool race to watch. There's so much strategy involved in such a long race, and you see so many lead changes. The pace that the lead group set for this race was grueling, and one athlete just physically fell over about halfway in. The fact that one of the racers was running his last ever go at this event added drama, and it's always nice to see the athletes at the end be genuinely happy for each other. (Though I did feel bad for the Canadian runner who seemed like he had third place locked up and then fell to fourth in the last moments). The race set an Olympic record, and the number of people who set national records, personal records, etc was really cool.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Triathlon, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Did you happen to catch the Woman from China being proposed to after she won the gold medal?

No, how fun!

I'm watching the gold medal match now.

Triathlon

Have I watched it before? Never all the way through

What match/stage? Men's final

Overall Impression?
I'm sorry, but I will never get over the vicarious, visceral discomfort of the idea of getting out of the water and onto a bicycle seat. *shudder*. Anyway, thoughts of terrible swamp crotch aside, I enjoyed watching this event. There were some surprises in the last bit of the running portion. Also, nothing like a cameraperson coming in for a shot of the winner, only to be cut off by another athlete crossing the finish line and immediately profusely vomiting. It was neat seeing them bike and run through the different streets.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Sailing, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Sailing

Have I watched it before? Nope!

What match/stage? Women's skiff final

Overall Impression?
This was much more compelling than I expected, and it took me a bit to get a grasp on how the competition works (the boats have to circle different markers before returning to cross a finish line). I still do not understand how the scoring works exactly (low scores are good, and the announcer kept saying "number of boats", but I didn't get it). There was some pretty incredible drama at the end as two of the boats got confused and thought they were crossing the finish line but totally weren't, which completely changed the order of who finished in what place. Fun and different, but not something I'd seek out again.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling BMX Racing, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Weightlifting, Wrestling

One of my favourite things to see during an Olympic games is when some outsider wins a bronze medal and jumps around all over the place for joy. It makes up for the odd sour-puss favourite missing out on a gold and winning silver, looking despondent - which I kind of understand. It's all about expectations.

[X] Cycling BMX Racing
[X] Judo
[X] Water Polo
[X] Athletics

I'd never seen the BMX racing event before, with the incredible multitude of hills and the very unfortunate crashes which spell the end for those who fall (the end of the race, and Olympic dream.) I never quite understand any of the martial arts when I watch them. I see what I think must be a winning move, someone gets pinned, and then...no points. Later, suddenly, a player wins a point for some reason I can't quite understand. Some sports defy all logic. Water polo looks to be one of the dirtiest sports in the games. There's so much pushing, tugging, dunking and slapping around - I don't know what it is with those people. Seeing the French guy just collapse during the 10,000m race reminds me of how I wouldn't be able to help myself if I were a competitor - I'd go too hard at the start with early bird enthusiasm.

Australia is having one of their best Olympics ever - 11 gold medals at the approximate halfway point. We're not so hot at athletics though, so when the swimming ends and that starts, they tend to dry up a bit. We usually do quite good in rowing events, hockey and sailing. I've seen us do really well during the indoor cycling events - especially that round-robin point-scoring event that I can't remember the name of. Do they still do that silly walking event, where it looks like everyone is cheating by breaking out into a jog? At the Sydney games one of our competitors was way out in front, and just about to enter the stadium before she was disqualified - one of the most heartbreaking Olympic moments I've seen.

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It's also interesting to learn about countries specializing in sports that I just didn't realize was a thing.

Like, obviously I know that the USA has a legacy with women's gymnastics. Australian swimmers. Someone from an African nation winning a long-distance running sport? No way!

But I hadn't realized that badminton is so dominated by Asian nations (Japan, Korea, China), and the same with the shooting sports. It's fun hearing about how different nations ebb and flow in the different sports. Obviously that's sometimes on the back of a handful of athletes, but other times it's honestly because of the culture of the country itself.

Cycling BMX Racing

Have I watched it before? Nope!

What match/stage? Women's semi-final?

Overall Impression?
I mean . . . eh. It is really fun watching them catch air over the jumps and jockey for position. But there's something about BMX---the bikes are so tiny!!!---that I just can't click with. As always, much respect to the athletes. I probably couldn't pedal one of those bikes more than three feet.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Shooting, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Shooting

Have I watched it before? Nope!

What match/stage? Mixed teams final

Overall Impression?
This should be like archery, in theory. But the problem is that you aren't actually watching them hit the targets. The camera shows the people, and then there are these little screens in the corner that show you where they hit. It makes it feel . . . not quite real. I was impressed at learning how small the targets are that they attempt to hit, and both teams were likable.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Trampoline, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Tennis

Have I watched it before? Yes!

What match/stage? Nadal v. Djokovic

Overall Impression?
I enjoy tennis. This match was half over when I tuned in, and it had been a blow-out up to that point. But around when I started watching, Nadal had a bit of a rally and the game got more interesting.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Surfing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Trampoline, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Surfing

Have I watched it before? Yes!

What match/stage? Men's qualifying heats

Overall Impression?
I've only watched surfing a few times. I don't entirely understand how the scoring works, but that doesn't matter. It's really fun watching the waves form, watching the surfers decide which waves to try and grab. There's a fun element of luck because the ocean is just doing its own thing. The pacing can be a bit odd, because sometimes you spend several minutes just watching people bobbing in the water waiting for a wave. I like the format of just having 20 minutes to get the best score you can.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Trampoline, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Trampoline

Have I watched it before? Yes, a few Olympics ago.

What match/stage? Men's finals

Overall Impression?
Trampoline is a sport that I feel like I should enjoy more. I do like it, but it doesn't hold my interest for whatever reason. One of the athletes accidentally went off course and fell to the ground. He was fine, but it was a bit scary. (Many props to the spotters). They do go really impressively high.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Swimming

Have I watched it before? Yes, always end up watching some every Olympics.

What match/stage? Lots of the finals.

Overall Impression?
I think that swimming is a great Olympic sport. Much like track and field you have the "sprint" style races, the longer races, and then the relays. Katie Ledecky is incredible. I also love that the French have Leon Marchand because it's always so sweet when the home crowd has someone who will bring home some medals.



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling BMX Freestyle, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling

Cycling BMX Freestyle

Have I watched it before? Does BMX Bandits count? No?

What match/stage? Finals

Overall Impression?
I'm sure that this is a very challenging sport, but it simply does not engage me. And like I wrote before: I cannot get over the silliness of the little bikes!



Sports remaining: Artistic Gymnastics, Artistic Swimming, Breaking, Canoe/Kayak Sprint, Cycling Mountain Bike, Cycling Road, Cycling Track, Diving, Football, Handball, Hockey, Marathon Swimming, Modern Pentathlon, Rhythmic Gymnastic, Skateboarding, Sport Climbing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, Wrestling