The Olympics in Rio have started! - Which country are you going for?

[jono_thompson]

The Rio Olympics launched yesterday, and we have just had the first day of competitions.

What sports are you most interested in watching?
What country are you cheering for?
Is the Olympics going to give you more opportunity for comic content?

[AnnaLandin]

I'm aggressively disinterested in sports in general, but this is the one time of year when they're unavoidable, so I suppose I have to muster whatever meagre scraps of patriotism I have in me and wave a very small flag for Sweden.

The only sports I really care about are the equestrian ones, because I was a horse-nerd as a kid - I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping Rolf-Göran Bengtsson finally gets his Olympic gold medal. He was so close to getting it last time, but then his horse fell ill and he couldn't compete. He's already got two Olympic silver medals, and he's getting on a bit in years; it'd be a nice way to wrap up his career as a competitive show jumper.

I doubt I'll be watching actively, though. I've got work to do!

[efdvorsky]

I'm...actually very against the Olympics this year...

BUT I can't help but cheer for Puerto Rico, mostly in Judo since the team's trainer was my Judo instructor in college and I love pointing at the TV like "there's Hiromi Tomita! He's grouchier than ever!" No joke, the guy is probably in his late 70's, early 80's and he'd climb up a rope to the ceiling with one hand and pointing at us shouting "YOU'RE ALL LAZY. MIERDA. IF I CAN DO THIS, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING." (He's a legend within the Judo circle as being the son of one of the first students in the sport (Tomita Tsunejiro)) So sticking to watch will be a habit out of respect for him.

Other than that maaaaybe fencing if I remember when it airs.

[joannekwan]

I'm not much of a sports person but ever since Athens, I look forward to the Olympics every time. I enjoy the camaraderie, the human interest stories, and just how intense the sports can be. Politics aside, I just like seeing the athletes being people, doing what they love, trying their best. Like today (or yesterday now I guess) the German gymnast who tore his ACL during the floor routine going on to the pommel horse to get his team to the next round. I love stuff like that.

And of course I'll support the US, it's mah home.
I like cheering for little countries too.

[J.Z.Castillo]

MEEEE!!!! I love sports!!!! I am going for USA obviously because I live here, but a part of me is fiercely also rooting for Colombia, my home country!

I am so excited for swimming (I was a swimmer for 13 years!), gymnastics, and diving! They are awesome sports and provide a lot of free opportunities to draw bodies in action! I am also looking forward for volleyball, beach and indoor (did y'all see tonight's women's beach volleyball match between Australia and USA??? SO GOOD! Kerri Walsh Jennings is a BEAST!) I also like track and field!

Also, I am SO EXCITED for surfing to make an Olympic comeback in 2020!!! I surf every now and then when the cold waters of the North East US are not bothering me AND my comic's MC is a surfer so I have a really big passion for the sport, lol.

I feel like I am such a jock in a sea of artists hahaha SORRY!

[Ringarune]

Ah, I luv watching the Olympics, it's so much fun ^^

Hmmm, I guess swimming is pretty cool to watch, and I'm pretty much open to watching any sport that's on TV at the time. I'm cheering for the U.S. since it's my home country, and also Poland because my family's from there. Unfortunately the Olympics aren't going to give me any opportunities for comics since mine's heavily story based.

[eleoza]

None. I highly dislike these sport events.
An insane amount of money gets poured into it, which is already a waste in my opinion. And on top of that the homes of the poor were destroyed because of it in Rio.
Entertainment > humanity.

[sorrelma]

i don't watch much sports but i'm SO rooting for ibtihaj muhammad (US women's fencing in sabre style!) i love fencing and she is a super cool lady

unfortunately i won't be watching her compete live because the round is scheduled for 5am my time lol

[AnnaLandin]

And on top of that the homes of the poor were destroyed because of it in Rio.

Ah, yeah. This. I find it astonishing how the IOC can repeatedly give the games to nations and cities that then proceed to destroy the lives of lower-income people, exploit their workers and get themselves into massive debts to built arenas and hotels that are then never used again.

It happened with Rio this year, it happened with Sotji during the winter Olympics, it happened with the Bejing Olympics, and it's happened before that too. Heck, it happens with so many global sporting events - just look at the soccer world championships in Qatar, when literal slave-labour built the arenas, and FIFA shrugged it off.

[punkarsenic]

ngl i pay zero attention to sports, i dont understand them, but im rooting for palestine. theyre not competing in a lot of sports, but to get anyone to rio when your country's under such harsh fire shows real determination. i think if they won smth itd be just brilliant.

@Lucazu youre right abt the destruction in rio - the same thing happened in london and i remember friends and neighbors having really mixed feelings about the entire thing. and then beijing clearing the hutongs... the olympics always signals destruction for someone.

[ConradComics]

Team sports mainly: Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, etc. I'm rooting for the States, since I'm from there, but I dunno, Australia really looks to have brought it this year, so I'm keeping an eye on them.

As far as content, nah, most of my ideas don't center around sports, despite my love of them.

[jono_thompson]

@furankuc4ld Yes! Australia is leading in the medal tallies! Woot woot! My home country, so I'm very happy for what we have achieved so far!

[J.Z.Castillo]

NUUUHHH UUUUHHHH United States 12 Australia 6, they both have 3 gold medals, though.

[jono_thompson]

@mrjonzap I was talking about yesterday, we were definitely at the top