It looks like they’re actually tier 1 (they seem to be standing on a white platform), but what, if any, weight is each layer above them? I can see narrow platforms, but are they all taking most of the weight?
I’m not sure whether this was meant as an athletic or purely aesthetic display – since they’re billed as ‘acrobats’, I assumed skill was involved, so what would be the best and worst case scenario those 8-10 in the narrowest tier would be supporting?
e: was there any kind of structural support in this? I’m not finding much about it.
Here’s a Snopes article about this event at the 1980s Olympics in Moscow.
If you watch closely how most of them are standing and holding the platform above them I doubt they are holding any weight. Most of them have hands crossed, elbows unlocked, or bear the wiight woth neck (heads down) so they are holding nothing. Also some levels are clearly not holding anything from the floor above. So since It can’t stand floating, some kind of platform is involved.
My conclusion is they are just standing in an aseathic way over a platform and not carrying any wight.
Just to make the top layer of women possible, the top layer of men would have to carry the weight of at least 2 women each + the platform weight for who knows how long.
I assume a center beam supporting the platforms runs through all the platforms, obscured by the people.
Yeah ofcourse, i was just trying to showcase how absurd even one layer of this would be without a pillar.