Rio 2016 Olympic Update (Day 6)
The Olympics are approaching their first week with plenty of successes and plenty of failures along with a fair share of inspirational stories.
For some sports it the end of the Olympics as things come to a close and the last medals are handed out.
For other sports, the end of the first seven days is just the beginning of their time in the spotlight.
There will be a number of athletes with butterflies as their time to compete on the big stage is finally here.
Most are not used to this type of spotlight and the Olympics are the true test of whether or not they can step up when the pressure is on in front of the entire world.
For others, though the Olympic experience is a far different one as they have been through many different types of pressure in their careers.
Those are the professional athletes that make their way to the Olympics in a select number of events.
These athletes are, to some, the centre of some controversy as they believe that the Olympics should be a competition between amateur athletes only.
These are the purists who want to see the athletes who participate in these sports for the pure love of the sport rather than the money that comes with the sport.
On the other side though are those fans who truly want to see the best against the best at the Olympics.
They want to see the best of their countries participate and sometimes that means those players who get paid to play.
In the winter most of this debate is centred around the hockey tournament where NHL players have been playing for decades and where the Olympic tournament has become one of the major championships for hockey and for countries.
In the summer Olympics, the same cannot be said as there are more chances for professional athletes to play but many are not considered major championships or even close to major.
At Rio, the challenge of getting these athletes to play only got tougher when the risks of the Zika Virus updates.
In basketball, it has not been uncommon to see top players drop out after long seasons but with Zika it made the choice easier for the best in the world.
The same happened in Tennis where some of the top-ranked players in the world decided to forgo the Olympics mainly due to the risks involved in going to the Olympics.
The biggest impact though came in a new sport to the Olympic Program as Golf returned to the Olympics for the first time since 1904.
It was supposed to be a big deal with a major sport joining and the IOC hoping that the Olympics become a major title every four years.
Then came the drop-outs as the top four golfers in the world all decided to pass on the tournament.
Almost all used Zika as their excuse for not making the trip to Brazil.
It was a shot to the return of the sport as the best would no longer be playing in what was supposed to be a big part of the games this year.
Big names bowed out and all because of a virus outbreak with very real risks.
Although the tournament lost some of its star power the fact is that the golf continued on as the tournament officially began on Day 6.
The first round of the tournament still had plenty of names near the top after the round and the drop-outs of many of the top golfers leaves this tournament wide open.
It was to be a showcase but despite the drop-outs it may be one of the more entertaining tournaments on the year.
The gap between the golfers that will be attending the Olympics is much smaller than it might have been.
That could make for a great tournament and despite the lack of those superstars, it could set a great tone for golf at the Olympics.
The Canadian Story:
Continuing to Make History
Before the Rio Penny Oleksiak was a little-known 16-year-old swimmer but now she is a household name after becoming the only Canadian athlete to win four medals in one Olympic Games when she grabbed her fourth and Canada’s first gold on Day 6
Match-up Set
The Canadian Women’s Soccer Team is looking to repeat their performance from 2012 when they earned an inspiring bronze but to get there they will need to get past the French when the two face-off in the quarter-finals
A Good Start
Canada is the defending champion in Olympic Golf and with the sport back for the first time since 1904 there are Canadians hoping to keep it that way as Graham DeLaet finished the first round in second place as he hopes to remain at the top until the final round
Controversy Again
Canadians have had their fair share of controversy in the Olympics and it continued this year as Vasek Pospisil and Daniel Nestor saw plenty of controversial calls in their semi-finals but they will need to put it behind them as they play for bronze
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Day 6 Medal Results: |
Day 7 Medal Events: |
| Archery Women’s Individual 1. Chang Hye-jin (KOR) 2. Lisa Unruh (GER) 3. Ki Bo-Bae (KOR) Canoe Slalom Cycling (Track) Fencing Gymnastics| Judo Rowing Rugby Sevens Shooting Swimming Table Tennis |
Archery Men’s Individual Athletics Cycling (Track) Equestrian Fencing Judo Rowing Shooting Tennis Trampoline Swimming Weightlifting |
The Sport Addiction 