THE MIXED ZONE

Bev Wake keeps an eye out for the witty, wild and plain ridiculous.

Booing goes to another

level: Much has been made at the Olympics about Brazilian fans and their penchant for booing. They boo at soccer and volleyball matches, boxing and badminton, and had to be hushed at tennis matches.

They are, as International Olympic Committee communications chief Mark Adams said last week, pretty egalitarian when it comes to booing: “They seem to be able to boo athletes from many cultures.”

Although organizers have tried to educate locals in an attempt to stop what is seen in many cultures as poor sportsmanship, most athletes are taking it in stride.

Irish badminton player Scott Evans was booed each time he recorded a point in his 21-8, 19-21, 21-8 win over Brazil’s Ygor Coelho De Oliveira.

“I knew that stuff like this could happen tonight and I’m just happy that I was able to play with a crowd like this,” he said afterward.

Brazilian rival Argentina has been among the top targets, with fans taking it a step beyond booing. There’s been no need for a translator, Argentine basketball player and Brooklyn Nets forward Luis Scola said.

“I don’t speak Portuguese,” he said, “but I had a pretty good idea what they were saying.”

The toughest part of training: Countless hours in the gym, thousands of kilometres on the bike, time away from family — all the sacrifices were worth it, British cyclist Elinor Barker said Saturday after winning gold in team pursuit. “This is for every time we didn’t go out, every time we ordered fish instead of pizza,” she said.

Sixth time’s the charm:

Abdullah Alrashidi won a bronze medal in shooting in Rio, competing as an Independent Olympic Athlete after Kuwait was suspended by the IOC. He was ecstatic to finally reach the podium after failing to do so since 1996. “Some people say, ‘Why don’t you give up and stop.’ I say for 20 years, I work hard. I say, ‘No. Maybe I have chance this Olympic Games and I need one Olympic Games medal in my house.’”