It seems that every day brings some sort of new Olympic related controversy. So I thought to start a thread just on that. Oh, and forget about the lip synching, fake fireworks, and paid seat fillers; we all have heard about that by now. Just post new controversies. I'll start: Gesture of affection, eh? Well, here's my gesture of affection handoff1 And if that's not bad enough, another pic surfaced of other Spaniards practicing racial sensitivity in preparation for the big O: Ralph
I don't think it was an intentional act of racism... it was probably just a not very well thought out advert... Racism is huge problem in Europe, and many people don't understand why somethings/acts are racist... for example, Gasol understood why Chinese were offended, while his other team8s didn't... and it's because Gasol's been in the US for a long period of time and understands racism... do i think they should get away with it? no... but at the same time, i don't think they deserve a lynching either... at most a fine used to help promote anti-racism in Spain...
Or, during the Olympics, China can just start giving away flag of Spain door mats... -bowroflarms Ralph
Hrmm, I heard about this. I also heard that some of the girls in China's gymnastics team are underage?-what? And I was watching the Olympics the other day and the girls do look very young.
True, there is that rumor. I first posted this in another thread, so I'm quoting myself: http://www.dramasian.com/forum/showthread.php?p=600174#post600174 Much ado about nothing? Conspiracy to cheat? Who knows? But the PRC has been shown to have a fervor for a Win At All Cost attitude so I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand. However, there is no direct irrefutable evidence of such (as yet). On a totally different note, the PRC reportedly has dedicated on standby over 200,000 security personnel, including more than 100 combat ready aircraft. 30,000 officers are actively involved in Big O security while the rest are on ready alert. And I guess they don't want any disruptions, even from venues that they specifically set out for such. It has been reported that park areas that had been set aside as official zones for protests during the Olympics, have sat empty. This is because just the act of applying for the protest permit will get you arrested and thrown in jail. Several would be protesters have learned that the hard way. Ralph
Yeah, everyone is using the Speedo SZR swimsuits, they take at least a few seconds or miliseconds off. They cost around $500 and can be sued 10 times. I guess it's a bit unfair for the older Olympians, but hey, there are no rules on swimsuits, so....
Not a controversy, but did anyone else notice how blond the US team seems to be this year? They must have a contract with a peroxide supplier. LOL... Ralph
well faking minority groups... wat more can be said fake games? mayb the medals are fake gold n silver lol
From the interview, Shawn Johnson said that all the girls dye their hair blond and paint their nails gold, as a lucky charm to win the women's group medal. BUT THEY LOST! <--- too bad that Sacramone fell 2 times
who knows asian people usually look younger then they are , as for spain and alot of europe given the chance racisim seems to be second nature espically against the chinese because business wise they seem to dominate alot of the local industry.
Continuing controversy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XayxYPo4-nU&feature=user http://www.cnn.com/video/savp/evp/?loc=dom&vid=/video/sports/2008/08/14/kaye.gymnasts.age.cnn It would be really interesting to watch her over the next four years to see how more she grows (if at all). Actually, they can perform a bone age scan to check for epiphyseal disk closure at the end of her long bones. If she didn't reach puberty yet, her disks should still be able to grow. -detect If the IOC finds out a few years later that she really was not eligible to compete because she was underage, they can always move to take back any medals that China has won. That would be interesting. In the second video, a former US Olympian suggests that all this controversy is simply because the US didn't win; that had the US won the event, there would be no discussion or talk about the ages of the China team. In effect, she's saying that it may just be sour grapes on the US's part. Personally, I think there is a certain amount of truth to that. However, that's had the US won (in effect, the PRC would have cheated but still lost; intellectually, it would have mattered but emotionally, not as much). But that didn't happen. The US lost. So, the general feeling is, the PRC won... but only because they cheated. That's what sticking in people's craws. And in this report: The second part about the Viet gymnast is rather sad. Even the IOC medic said that it was probably inadvertent (accidental), and the poor girl already came in LAST PLACE!!! They still had to disgrace her even more by banning her. That, is zero tolerance; draconian, but ruthlessly fair. Ralph
^^ It doesn't make sense to me why there's an age limit in gymnastics... and it kind of makes the sport a joke... I mean if a 12 year old wanted to compete against a 16 to 40 year old in any other Olympic event (i.e... baseball, basketball, weightlifting, track & field....basically all of the other events in the Olympics) the edge goes to the older person... The excuse that a lot of people that are complaining are saying that a younger person doesn't understand the significance of the Olympic games so they do feel the pressure that the older contestants feel ... If your good enough to compete you should be able to compete. Just imagine if the USA basketball team were to play against a bunch of 12 year olds and lose and if there excuse was that the 12 yr olds don't know the significance of the Olympics they would be the laughing stock of the world...
That's because there are serious reasons of physics why smaller bodies can move or spin faster (a record player is a good analogy; the smaller disc is easier to spin than a large one); in effect making better scores more likely. Your analogy above is comparing apples and oranges. It would be more accurate if basketball, as a sport, required triple somersaults, balance beam spins, or uneven parallel bar flips; exactly the type of skills better suited for smaller, more compact bodies. Further, there are no age limits in the Olympics per se, but rather in certain specific sports or events; gymnastic contestants must be 16 years old (based on internationally accepted rules of the sport) in the year that they compete. That said, the whole idea of "winning" at anything, is to gain the respect and admiration of your peers, that one was able to rise above the fray through sheer effort of will and talent. But to win at all costs, by stacking the deck, by using underhanded, unseemly method or manner, or fraud, gains neither respect nor admiration. Instead, it would subject one to ridicule and disdain. A true sportsman (or Olympian in the spirit of the word) would rather lose well than win poorly. Ralph
This is just sad: Yeah, GO CHINA! In this year's Olympics Prevarication finals, China wins another GOLD! Ralph
^ wow..... that is pretty messed up how the government is using it to arrest people...... totally ignoring their people.... terrible....
Well, for what it's worth, the age question has finally elicited a response from the IOC. It would be the height of embarrassment if they had to rescind the awards that the PRC got. But on the other hand, an investigation by the IOC to prove that there was no age cheat is what is needed to quell the suspicions and accusations, so either way this is a good thing: Lu ShanZhen's comment, that this was only instigated because the US came in second is really off the mark; it would be saying that cheating as alleged, only affected the US. Every other nation that participated in this event is affected. If true, the team that came in fourth would be entitled to a bronze medal where they had gotten nothing at all; the bronze medalist would be entitled to the silver. More importantly, the overall credibility and reputation of the IOC is at stake here and that's why it's investigating. Ralph
ye it was just like how the americans were protesting against was it the 100m sprint for womens final about how their runner thought it was a false start.
