I-n-j-i-n Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 That's it. I'm not watching the Gymnastics anymore. It is fixed. That is all there is to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Penwald Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW We're being judged unfairly. Seriously, get over it. It's nothing new; the country where the event is happening has an advantage. I remember the commentators on Eurosport being absolutely speechless when Sarah Hughes got way too good scores at the Figure Skating World Championships in Washington, D.C. in 2003 (she placed sixth, though her performance should have gotten her tenth place at best). It's the same this time, only the other way around. Is it fair? No. Is it good? No. Would we be happier if it didn't happen? Yes. Is it likely to change? Unfortunately, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arek the Absolute Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Woo, bmx coming up tonight. Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaser-1 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW We're being judged unfairly. Seriously, get over it. It's nothing new; the country where the event is happening has an advantage. I remember the commentators on Eurosport being absolutely speechless when Sarah Hughes got way too good scores at the Figure Skating World Championships in Washington, D.C. in 2003 (she placed sixth, though her performance should have gotten her tenth place at best). It's the same this time, only the other way around. Is it fair? No. Is it good? No. Would we be happier if it didn't happen? Yes. Is it likely to change? Unfortunately, no. Problem with your example is that Sarah Hughes did not place in the top 3, nor was she near the top 3. In this case, it's messing with people's chances at a medal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Coop Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Finally, little Shawn gets herself a Gold. You could tell she just wanted to explode when she was officially in first after the final gymnast went on the balance beam. Good for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Taucer Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Gold for Shawn! Huzzah! I'm dissappointed Horton didn't win gold on highbar, though; I thought he definitely had a better routine than Zou Kai. That was one seriously awesome routine. Still, silver is nothing to scoff at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Lime Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 USA has like 20+ gold medals... whereas China has 40+ gold. Why do you think that is? I think its because its China's chance to show the world that they too have good athletes and they afraid to show it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MkVaff Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 USA has like 20+ gold medals... whereas China has 40+ gold.Why do you think that is? I think its because its China's chance to show the world that they too have good athletes and they afraid to show it off. Well they only have like ummm 1.3 billion people to choose from don't they? There's gotta be SOME good athletes somewhere in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValorXII Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Well I guess that makes Australia's effort even more superb with a population of only 20 million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoffrey Taucer Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I wonder which country has the most Olympians per capita? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Woo, bmx coming up tonight. Awesome BMX is an olympic sport? Since when? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linkspast Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 BMX is an olympic sport?Since when? this is the first year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maco70 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 this is the first year. Go figure. Anyone noteworthy competing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuskyFerret Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Go figure.Anyone noteworthy competing? Well Australia has a rider who legally changed his name to Kamakazi. That's it. No first name, no last name. Just Kamakazi. We hope he doesn't bomb out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-n-j-i-n Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW We're being judged unfairly. Seriously, get over it. It's nothing new; the country where the event is happening has an advantage. I remember the commentators on Eurosport being absolutely speechless when Sarah Hughes got way too good scores at the Figure Skating World Championships in Washington, D.C. in 2003 (she placed sixth, though her performance should have gotten her tenth place at best). It's the same this time, only the other way around. Is it fair? No. Is it good? No. Would we be happier if it didn't happen? Yes. Is it likely to change? Unfortunately, no. Looks like the one griping the most here is you. So people will complain because they got gipped. Live with it. People will complain about unfair decisions. *GASP*. BTW, the scoring system changing every Olympics is pretty comical though. Last time it was the Korean/Hamm controversy (The IOC basically said that Korean guy basically won but didn't redistribute medals or give multiple medals). What was so bad about giving multiple goals depending on good performances? I think the 'must win' aspect of this year's Olympics is ridiculous. Especially when the specific scoring got it wrong almost every time. USA has like 20+ gold medals... whereas China has 40+ gold.Why do you think that is? I think its because its China's chance to show the world that they too have good athletes and they afraid to show it off. Also their Soviet-era style way of borderline illegally fencing kids into sporting boarding schools when they're really young and have no life to look forward to than with sports. Americans basically do sports because it's fun and because it's a choice. It seems to most poorer nations, it's either get famous or stay anonymous and insignificant. Oh, and Bernard Lagat failed to live up to the hype and didn't even qualify. I felt like I wasted a few hours watching that Osaka championships. And Lagat was the great American hope in that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triad Orion Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Also their Soviet-era style way of borderline illegally fencing kids into sporting boarding schools when they're really young and have no life to look forward to than with sports. Americans basically do sports because it's fun and because it's a choice. It seems to most poorer nations, it's either get famous or stay anonymous and insignificant. Yeah, this is pretty much the case with China. It's rather barbaric. Considering our Olympians are strictly volunteers, we do really well for ourselves. And also, yes. Australia's been kicking some ass this year. I was actually shocked to see them lose to the US in women's water polo. Considering the Australians had a winning record against the US and I think are considered the better team, to see the US win was a surprise. ...Though they did blow a three goal lead in one quarter, despite it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Considering our Olympians are strictly volunteers, we do really well for ourselves. Maybe that's *why* we do well. I think it makes sense that Olympians who push themselves to succeed are going to end up doing better than ones being pushed by others, in addition to being subjected to the enormous pressure of "national pride." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Wolf Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 Honestly though, I'm watching the Chinese this olympics with great interest, and not because of anything they're doing in the events. I've seen the girls on the gym floor hugging each other, laughing, and interacting with the other teams, I've seen the men do the same thing. I saw Cheng Fei cry on camera the other day. I've seen this in all their events, and I LOVE IT. Evidently they've been having a bit of a cultural revolution in China, and the thing that's amazing here is that even 4 years ago in Athens, you did NOT see this kind of emotional freedom from ANY Chinese athlete. You saw something almost like fear if they failed. It was literally forbidden to show anything but stone faced determination. I don't know how close China follows the USSR pattern of treating their athletes, but if it's in the ballpark, they had good reason to be fearful of failure. It's important to remember that while a US olympian competes for sheer love of the sport, and that's great, many many MANY athletes in the Olympics are there because it is their last great hope of a better life. Yevgeny Plesckenko of Russia, a figure skater who took gold in (I think) 2002, stated flat out the main reason he wanted it so bad was so he could afford to get his wife out of Russia and into the US. This is true of thousands of athletes. So for me, the greatest olympic inspiration has been watching the quiet cultural revolution in China that's beginning to become evident in the hearts of its people. I know the judging has been messed up too, but it doesn't hurt quite so bad when you remember that Alicia Sacramone gets to come home a beloved hero even with her mistakes. For Cheng Fei and her team, the difference between gold and silver could very well be the difference between riches and poverty. So despite all the judging issues, I think China has earned their golds, I think they've done it because their PEOPLE are becoming proud of their country at last, and I commend them because it means a better life for all of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathtank Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I just entered to say: ARGENTINA 3 - Brasil 0 (male soccer) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!! .lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-n-j-i-n Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 I find it amazing that almost all the most noteworthy records including a lot of world records are being broken this year. Swimming events had almost all their world records broken, the former female weightlifting record was ABSOLUTELY SHATTERED, the running 100m and 200m, the pole vaulting record and even a few odd scoring records. China coming out is nice, even if they only have semi-come out because their totalitarianism will probably stay for good. But it seems like the rest of the world's athletes are coming out too. And breaking records almost everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triad Orion Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 These broken records really make me wonder just how much more we can push the limits of human strength, endurance, dexterity, and speed. It's extremely amazing to watch in action, but I think it's even more difficult to fathom people going *faster* than that. And I guess that's the real thrill of the Olympics. Seeing them try! XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobaltstarfire Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I dunno about the case of the fields and tracks, but in the case of the pool, one of the reason records have been broken so much in that pool is because of it's design apparently. Basically it's a "faster" pool. It has two extra lanes and is deeper than normal pools, so waves and currents and stuff created in the pool from swimming are less of a hindrance on the swimmers, allowing them to go faster when they swim. Or at least that's what I've heard. My physics master boyfriend says it makes sense but he's not sure how much of an effect it truly had on the swimmers times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I think the suits help a lot too. Big upgrade from the ol' Speedo bikini bottoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Penwald Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Looks like the one griping the most here is you. So people will complain because they got gipped. Live with it. People will complain about unfair decisions. *GASP*. Well, I'm not one of the people who complained for pages BTW, the scoring system changing every Olympics is pretty comical though. Last time it was the Korean/Hamm controversy (The IOC basically said that Korean guy basically won but didn't redistribute medals or give multiple medals).What was so bad about giving multiple goals depending on good performances? I think the 'must win' aspect of this year's Olympics is ridiculous. Especially when the specific scoring got it wrong almost every time. I don't get this either. After all, they hand out double medals in swimming/track and field, too. I guess it's simply because you have scores that you strike out in gymnastics/diving etc, and if it's a tie, you can take the ones which weren't used in the first place. Still, a pretty dumb system. Oh, and Bernard Lagat failed to live up to the hype and didn't even qualify. I felt like I wasted a few hours watching that Osaka championships. And Lagat was the great American hope in that one. Come on, Ôsaka was almost exactly one year ago (end of august). A lot can happen in one year. But you're right; I was surprised by his lackluster performance, too. ------------------------------------------------- And now for something mostly unrelated: I was wondering about the way the USA arranges the medal standings. For as long as I can remember (been really watching Olympic games since 1996, so that'd be 12 years), the medal standing has always been sorted according to number of gold medals (at least here in Europe). Now, all of a sudden (it seems), it's sorted according to total number of medals. The TV station Eurosport even had a smill bit about this, interviewing some US sports journalist who claimed that it always has been this way in the US. Is this true? Confirm? Deny? Try again? Because all this "nu-uh, we're first" you see on the internet and in the US news has left Europeans (and even Australians, apparently) pretty bewildered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutritious Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 Because all this "nu-uh, we're first" you see on the internet and in the US news has left Europeans (and even Australians, apparently) pretty bewildered. Actually, I've been wondering the same thing. After looking on the nbc olympics website, it sorts by total medals. In previous years, I thought it was only by gold medal total. I guess you use whatever system puts you ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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