Cultural differences

The track for the women's triathalon looks to be located in a drainage ditch similar to the one behind my dad's old apartment in Houston. The Houston ditch was needed to carry runoff from the immense parking lot of Memorial City Mall. Not sure what drains through the Chinese ditch.

I like a prizefight that isn't fake

You say you want trampoline in the Olympics, I say whatevs. But why is trampoline its own event instead of just another gymnastics apparatus?

Medal counts

First thing first. The medal count, as a practice, is straight up stupid and nobody should pay any attention to it. That said, contra Bob Costas, the fact that the China has won only one more total medals than the USA (32-31) would only indicate that the medal count is close in cases where China had not won twice as many (20-10) gold medals.

Oh, Canada

Switched over to CBC for men's gymnastics because NBC's coverage was so jingoistic and heard this about a Canadian gymnast, "he's having a great competition, scored 15 on the vault, which was a higher score than some of the other athletes."

Women's ten meter air rifle

Really?

Fencing

Item: Zagunis!

Item: I can't help but wonder: do those fencing masks filter the air at all?

Item: Fencing is one of those sports that it's best to get out of the way early, don't you think?

Item: Coincidentally, I assume, just this evening I found myself wondering how the epee could possibly have found its way into any nation's armory.

Item: Jacobson is the Monica Seles of fencing.

Item: Oh. I guess everybody is the Monica Seles of fencing. My bad.

Item: Apparently, the announcers are required to say, "Jacobson is very analytical. A Yale graduate" once per match. Anyone surprised to learn that our best fencers are Yale graduates? Howzabout, anyone surprised to learn that our best fencers are the children of Yale graduates?

Item: Not for nothing, I think fencers are among the last true amateurs.