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These are the worst gaffes of the Olympics — at least so far

The Summer Games are barely a week old, and it seems the gaffes meter has been constantly red-lining

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For some Olympic athletes and support folk in Tokyo, the five Os in the traditional Olympic-rings symbol actually help spell out OOOOOPS.

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The Summer Games are barely a week old, and it seems the gaffes meter has been constantly red-lining.

Look, we’re not pointing and laughing at sub-par, admirably attempted athletic performances here. Those understandably occur, in every event. With there being thousands and thousands of athletes, favourites will shockingly lose, nobodies will get figuratively slaughtered, and well-meaning volunteers will screw up. Granted.

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But, wow, at these Games there just seems to be an endless stream of unheard-of flips, flops, flaps, floundering, flukes and flabbergasting flubs.

Few of which are remotely funny, as hard as it might be to not chuckle at some.

For instance, there was the British men’s coxless fours rowing team, which the Daily Mail’s website said missed out on a medal for the first time in “DECADES” after the rower responsible for steering admittedly “forgot the steering” part. The Brits not only got off rhythm and placed fourth, but nearly crossed lanes and crashed into the adjacent Italian rowers, who were understandably furious afterward, as the physical distraction might have cost them a medal.

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Athletes compete in the men’s individual triathlon competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo on July 26, 2021.
Athletes compete in the men’s individual triathlon competition during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo on July 26, 2021. Photo by ANTONIO BRONIC /POOL/AFP via Getty Images

There was the driver of an inflatable boat of photojournalists who zipped out to catch up to the leaders at the start of the men’s triathlon, unaware his boat blocked the next wave of swimmers. It forced an entire race restart.

The uber cocky U.S. women’s soccer team didn’t even win its group in preliminary play, failing to score twice in three games, including a 3-0 loss to Sweden and 0-0 tie with Australia. Their similarly heavily favoured comrades in women’s softball wobbled in almost every game before losing the gold medal to Japan. Pass the Kleenex? OK, not quite.

Similarly on the men’s side of soccer, Germany failed to reach the playoff round. In group play the perennial world power that always loves to destroy overmatched foes got roughed up by Brazil 4-2, and tied the Ivory Coast 1-1.

There was the Polish Swimming Federation, which sent six more swimmers (23) to Tokyo than the international governing body permits (17). “Imagine,” Polish swimmer Alicja Tchorz fumed on Facebook, upon being sent back home, “dedicating five years of your life and striving for another start at the most important sporting event, giving up your private life and work, sacrificing your family — and your dedication results in a total flop.”

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Specjaliści z PZP🚨🚨🚨 Czegoś takiego nikt się nie spodziewał. Najpierw informacja o przesunięciu IO o rok❌,kwarantanna i...

Posted by Alicja Tchórz on Sunday, July 18, 2021

Yet more appallingly, a German cycling coach was overheard on TV describing two Algerian riders with a reprehensible slur, for which he apologized. And a South Korean broadcaster got rightly hammered after making myriad demeaning or inappropriate references to stereotypes while various countries’ athletes paraded by during the opening ceremony.

Weather-wise, not that there would have been much more anyone could have done about it once Tokyo was selected as host of these Summer Games, but the brutally hot weather so far is just ruining the Olympic experience for many athletes. Tennis is almost unplayable on such searing artificial surfaces.

Italy’s Fabio Fognini lies on the court during his Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games men’s singles third round tennis match against Russia’s Daniil Medvede.
Italy’s Fabio Fognini lies on the court during his Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games men’s singles third round tennis match against Russia’s Daniil Medvede. Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE /AFP via Getty Images

The Dutch women outdoor cyclists finally got their, um, group together and produced a gold-medal winner Wednesday in the time trial. Annemiek van Vleuten had to ask, “I’m No. 1, right?” after crossing the finish line first, because she mistakenly thought she’d done the same thing days earlier in the 137-km road race — only to be told she’d actually placed second, behind a little-known Austrian who’d burst far ahead and never fell back, to the surprise of all top cyclists including the Dutch.

Finally, there was this. Per The Guardian, a Brit medal favourite on Wednesday had a self-admitted “stinker” of a synchro-dive that was so embarrassingly poor, and so over-rotated, that offended BBC commentator Leon Taylor said the man landed “pretty much flat on his back.”

The diver’s name? Laugher. Jack Laugher.

Not funny. Don’t laugh.

JoKryk@postmedia.com

@JohnKryk

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