Olympic Notes Part 2:

Now the Olympics are over here are some stand-outs from the second half of the Rio Olympics

1. Canadian Women (still) kick butt:  Whether it’s boxing, soccer, diving, or trampoline our women Olympians are people Canadians should be proud of.  Penny Oleksiak wins gold and what does she do? Comes home to get ready for Grade 11.  What a humble young woman.

2. A Bromance erupts: Andre De Grasse, and Usain Bolt locked eyes across a crowded Olympic track.  They smiled, and it was instant love.  This was Bolt’s last Olympics, and he named De Grasse his heir.  Andre held up his part of the bargain winning two bronze, and silver.

3.  How not to role model 2: Week one it was Hope Solo calling Team Sweden’s football team cowards.  This week it’s Ryan Lochte. The 32 year told his story of armed robbery to NBC’s Billy Bush.  Fact-checking or his mom talking to the media depending on who you believe quickly proved Lochte’s story false.  The truth: He, and his team-mates were drunk, and stopped at a gas station washroom where they allegedly vandalized the door.  The attendant demanded payment to fix it. He’s lost endorsements from Ralph Lauren, and Speedo.  Lochte also could face a suspension from USA Swimming.

b) Middle-East politics bleeds into the Olympics: Egypt this time.  A judoka (judo competitor) Islam el-Shehbaby refused to shake hands with an Israeli athlete following a match.  el-Shehbaby was sent home for his unsportsmanlike conduct.  He faced pressure on social media not to compete against the Israeli athlete because it would shame Islam.  This isn’t the first time it’s happened at these games.  The Lebanese team refused to share a bus with the Israeli team.

4.  A Musical Interlude:  Bravo CBC for the decision to air the full Tragically Hip concert Saturday.  The broadcast introduced by Ron McLean from Rio garnered 11 million in Canada plus 900,000 streaming it from around the world.  Thanks for letting history trump ratings.

5. Olympics in Cartoons: