Olympics is getting hard to watch

[spherica]

I've been watching the 2004 Olympics since the open ceremonies, watching Canada go for Gold (GO CANADA)

I'm getting rather (harsh words goes here) with the judgings, especially the Gymnastics events. With what looks like 7 appeals due to unfair, and/or bad judging, this is one of the worse Olympics I seen.

The points awarded to the Filip Yanev of Bugaria was absoluted ridiculous, as was the points awarded to Marian Dragulescu of Romania for falling down.  Now I realize that dropped Canadian Kyle Shewfelt to fourth position, but still, a Bronze medal for falling down.

There has to be something done, or a new way of judging events, to keep them fair for the atheletes, and not so political. Want to add more here, but will get me into another tangent.


Next thing I don't like and wish they would get revised is the drug testing.  I hate it when someone wins Gold, then has it stripped due to illegal substance. What bothers me about this is, what about the one guy that didn't qualify because someone shouldn't have been there in the first place. Best ot worse athlete, when you are going for Gold, you give it everything you got, plus a little for your country, thus why you see so many personal bests being made, and also the underdogs win some races.

Why are the drug tests not done before an event is started.

I read a post elsewhere, where one guy says they should let drugs into the Olympics, it makes it more exciting. I posted, Lets give our car keys to drunks. Just because it makes driving more exciting, but that doesn't make it right.

Anyway, just a vent 

[Andy]

Good point about the drugs tests! Spherica.

Overall I'm enjoying the Olympics. I'm just thinking that sports like Football don't need to be included since they already get plenty of international competitive events on a weekly basis and it is so comercialized and has such a passionate following of stars and personalities. Swimming, sailing and badminton for example are much less seen on TV and the Olympics gives us a great chance to enjoy these events. Also, the host nation must find the small team/individual events much lower cost to host.

[spherica]

I rather enjoy most of the events. Rowing, Diving, Swimming, etc. etc.  My TV usually stays on Channel 11 for Olypic coverage.....and Canadian coverage.

I was crushed to just see Perdita Felicien crash into the first hurdle for medal contention. And even felt for Russian Irina Shevchenko who lost her chances when she got knocked over by Perdita when the crash occured......what can you say, its the Olympics.

Just for some added coverage of those appeals http://www.cbc.ca/story/olympics/national/2004/08/24/Sports/russiaappeal040824.html   there are a couple links to other "discrepancies"

[Philou]

Why are the drug tests not done before an event is started Spherica, it's because it would not be enough. If you control every body before an event like this, some will take something just before their race and we would become more and more suspicious.

For me the problem is different. In the USA, in some sports, some drug are allowed. They are taken under medical advise by adults.
For the adults who choose sport as work, I think that they should be allowed to take products under medical control. Actuelly, I'a sure that some of them are drugged and they do not know it!

If people want to see a man running the 100m in  30 seconds, I can do it, but it will not be exciting...

[spherica]

YA, I can probably do it in 30 seconds....if I can ride my bike  LOL

I just found this drug article...found it kind of humorous   http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-1409-8969/sports/drugs_sport/clip10

[Doru]

While I DO agree with you that the referees have been SERIOUSLY affecting the result in the gymnastics contest you are not being quite fair with Marian Dragulescu (and Im saying this and trying to be objective). He did indeed miss the second jump (and WAS penalyzed for that...he received 9.300 or so for it)but you have to remember that he scored a 9,90 for the first jump which is the highest in both MEN and WOMEN contests. So please leave him out of it, will you. If you want to name somebody you should probably mention Paul Hamm who ridiculously won the mens overall contest after almost hitting the referee table when he jumped and fell much worse than Dragulescu did.
I DO see that the big countries are sometimes (when possible!) getting the medals in compensation and NOT for the actual performance...which sucks big time. Sports is not very different from politics these days. (in fact the politicians use it for their propaganda).

[spherica]

Trust me when I say, I'm not pointing fingures at the athletes, he did have a great score for his first vault, I'm pointing my fingures at judges.

You know what, I'm not getting into a big discussion over this but I went back to check on what you had said as I had only caught a bit of the All-Around Gymnastics, and that when I found this article -  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002008836_webhamm18.html 

But he (Hamm) needed help, and he got it as one by one, his competition fell away. First went Yang, who lost the gold medal to Russian star Alexei Nemov in Sydney four years ago and then finished second to Hamm at last year's worlds.

Doing a one-armed pirouette on the high bar, Yang reached to grab the bar with his free hand and came away empty. Swinging wildly like a kid on the monkey bars, Yang tried to hang on but couldn't, dropping to the ground and taking his medal hopes with him.

Isao Yoneda of Japan fell on a similar move. Ioan Suciu of Romania stalled on a handstand. Marian Dragulescu couldn't keep his arms locked on a flip on the parallel bars, sinking well beneath the bar with his legs flailing.

When the rotation finally ended, Hamm had moved all the way back to fourth place, only .313 points out of first.

Kim was the second gymnast on floor, and his routine was solid but not spectacular. He looked up as he walked off the floor, then went to the sideline to wait. About five minutes later, it was Yang's turn on the high bar. His routine was serviceable, too, but hardly golden, and a small step on his landing gave Hamm a chance.

Seemed everyone was having trouble in the event, not just Hamm

[Doru]

Im not argumentative about it either...but Ive seen most of the contest and in the end it all felt like Hamm was supposed to win it (I might feel it wrong though). He is a good gymnast (probably the best in that contest) but I really disliked the way he won it.

Anyway enjoy the rest of it (luckily there are some sports where judges cant affect rankings)

[spherica]

Though I would share a few of these cartoons with all.




My favorite




For the full list  http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/interactives/photo_galleries/cartoon_gallery/

[12noon]

Very good.
 
Yes, i like those pictures.

[Lampwize]

Very very funny, I'm going to send them around to my buddies 

[Hope]

For me the problem is different. In the USA, in some sports, some drug are allowed. They are taken under medical advise by adults.
For the adults who choose sport as work, I think that they should be allowed to take products under medical control. Actuelly, I'a sure that some of them are drugged and they do not know it!

In the US the only drugs permitted in sports are pain medications used to allow an athelete to compete while injured. To me this is stupid, but it is permitted. This is also permitted in the Olympics.

These are not the drugs that are banned i the Olympics though. The drugs that are banned are "Performance Enhancing Drugs" such as steroids and the like. These are not permitted in any US sports. The only professional sport this is not tested for is Baseball. That is now changing.

These hurt a body more than anything. These do not show the true ability of an athelete and ruins the sport.

I have not watched the Olympics. I have not enjoyed the coverage here in the States. They cover only the "popular" sports (i.e.: gymnastics, swimming). These come on in prime time long after the events have ended. I dont' want to stay up to 11 pm every night watching sports when I am on the road commuting to work at 6 am. There is very little coverage during the 5pm - 7 pm hours when I am actually interested in watching tv. Why? because the news is on. So instead of giving us the option to choose Olympics over news, we are only provided news. I think our station is doing a terrible job of covering the olympics.

My biggest complaint about the Olympics this year is that official website. It is TERRIBLE. The information is so hard to find and not in an organized fashion. I have spent hours up there trying to find out who was on what teams. Here is an example. I was very interested in the US Woman's basketball team. I was wondering how many were professionals and how many where in college or just graduated. There was no information on the team anywhere on the offical olympic site. I had to go searching for the team usa basketball site. That is terrible. I want to know what medals China and Austrailia and Russia have won. I can't find that unless I look by sport. I don't want to do that. That takes a lot of time. I just want a quick run down of what sports and what medals when I sellect a country.

</steps down off soapbox and quits complaining>

[susieq]

Spherica, appreciate your "Thorpedo" cartoon                  « Reply #8 on: Today at 03:13:26am »

To the guest who thinks

"I DO see that the big countries are sometimes (when possible!) getting

the medals in compensation and NOT for the actual performance...which

sucks big time."

  would you like to visit,  http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1182665.htm 
Eighty years is a long trot at the end of which is simply to get a "compensatory medal" !!!

[Philou]

These are not the drugs that are banned i the Olympics though. The drugs that are banned are "Performance Enhancing Drugs" such as steroids and the like. These are not permitted in any US sports. The only professional sport this is not tested for is Baseball.

I was thinking about baseball and I imagined that it was the same for professionnal basket and other disciplines... The problem is that medication for pain are not allways allowed. I'm talking for exemple about the "Tour de France"; Lance has a special authorisation for his medication and a lot of other teams desagree... Even if 2 peels against pain do not explain that Lance is going much faster... Sometimes it's hard to accept that some one is much better.

[Hope]

I was thinking about baseball and I imagined that it was the same for professionnal basket and other disciplines...

No, the other sports have dealt with these issues already. They know the damage that can be done.

The problem is that medication for pain are not allways allowed. I'm talking for exemple about the "Tour de France"; Lance has a special authorisation for his medication and a lot of other teams desagree... Even if 2 peels against pain do not explain that Lance is going much faster... Sometimes it's hard to accept that some one is much better.

Lance Armstrong was a bit of a different case though. The medications he is taking is so the cancer does not return. It is also a hormone supplement because of the nature of his cancer. He had several doctors from different countries confirm that. I do understand the concerns, but I think he is a unique case.

I do not agree with profession or ameture athletes using prescription pain medicine so they can compete. That is just stupidity. It is asking for addictions and more injuries. The doctors, coaches, managers and owners all need to take notice of this problem. They are people, not objects.