2008 Beijing Olympics

[williamjm]

[quote name='Commodore' post='1483191' date='Aug 17 2008, 06.07']The marathon was great, I just can't get into the 100m, it's like watching a drag race, it's over too quick and the differences between the athletes is miniscule.[/quote]

Usually the difference between the athletes is minimal, not so much this year though.

[quote]I thought that Greece had some hopefuls in track and field coming up.[/quote]

Apparently their defending woman's 400 metres hurdles champion just failed a drug test which probably won't help their prospects.

[quote]Cycling, sailing and rowing are usually our strengths, we're just more dominant than normal. The cycling in particular has been amazing - 5 golds, 3 silvers and two bronzes (ETA - With more to come....).[/quote]

The track cycling has been very impressive, I can't remember ever seeing the British dominate an Olympic sport so completely, the commentators were pointing out that every time a British competitor has stepped onto the track for either a heat or a final they've won every time except in the Points race (where we won bronze, I feel a bit sorry for Chris Newton, it must feel a bit anti-climatic compared to winning gold in everything else). I reckon they might get another 4 golds as well, Chris Hoy looks unbeatable in the sprint to take his third gold of the games perhaps with his team-mate taking silver, Victoria Pendleton might well win in the women's sprint as well and since they beat their world record by two seconds in the semi-final I reckon the men's team pursuit are pretty certain to win as well.

I can't ever remember seeing Britain as high as third in the medal table before, I wonder when the last time was that happened? Pity the athletics won't be contributing much beyond a possible triple jump gold and maybe a medal in the women's 400m and possibly the relays.

[Altherion]

Just saw the women's vault competition... it is understood that there will be some home team advantage, but this is getting a little bit ridiculous. There is no way anyone else would get 15+ for the kind of performance the Chinese girl did on the second vault.

[Eponine]

[quote name='cyrano' post='1483663' date='Aug 17 2008, 20.08']Yes.

Well, that saved me a bunch of typing. The less lazy folk are all shipped off to the states where they become doctors or own 7-11s rather than compete for peanuts in an amateur event that has transient glory.[/quote]

Olympic sports can be a path to success for people in poorer countries though. There's a reason why there are more students from Kenya in American universities than from any other African country (and almost more than from all other African countries combined, I believe). Many schools in Kenya are started or funded through former runners who returned from making racing money in America to improve education in Kenya.

[TerraPrime]

[quote name='Altherion' post='1483762' date='Aug 17 2008, 21.30']Just saw the women's vault competition... it is understood that there will be some home team advantage, but this is getting a little bit ridiculous. There is no way anyone else would get 15+ for the kind of performance the Chinese girl did on the second vault.[/quote]

Yes, it's a terrible shame that the scoring was so biased. I feel bad for the American athlete who got nudged from a bronze as a result of this biased scoring.

[mashiara]

[quote name='williamjm' post='1483669' date='Aug 18 2008, 03.18']Apparently their defending woman's 400 metres hurdles champion just failed a drug test which probably won't help their prospects.[/quote]

That pisses me off. It pisses me off that athletes are failing drug tests and then try to claim they were set up and it's all a part of some greater conspiracy. I'm all for conspiracy theories but even I will stop before claiming that the IOC has it in for Greek athletes. The sad thing is that about a dozen or more of them have failed drug tests in the past three months. :(

The amazing thing about the latest fiasco was that the Greek Olympic Federation decided to send that athlete to the Olympics instead of a different one that was actually 2 seconds faster, because it wanted her to "have the opportunity to defend her title and put a stop to all the rumors that started when she won the gold four years ago". Talk about making a bad judgment call.

[Commodore]

How can the judges score someone higher on the vault that didn't even complete a landing, unreal.

[The Inquisitor]

Sailing: 49er.

The Spanish duo win the last regatta under heavy wind. Due to the wind, the Danish boat breaks its main mast and must return to the docks to fix it. Instead of it, they grab the Croat boat which was already disqualified and sail under their colours in a boat that wasn't theirs (something which is strictly forbidden), so they finish 8th and manage to save their lead over Spain, thus winning the gold by a few points.

Naturally, the Spanish federation complains about that to the sailing comittee. They discuss it all night, and the Danes feel they will get their gold snatched away.

The following day, the saling comitee states that Denmark wins the gold and Spain silver.

Now how sick is that?

[koudoulis]

no offense but i think its kinda cool

good job for the danes . very viking on their behalf , which i think is the apropriate attitude for this sport.

[The Inquisitor]

So I was watching this victory ceremony, and

Gold: Netherlands
Silver: Cuba
Bronze: Spain

So that counts basically as a Gold, Silver and Bronze for Spain, right?

[The Inquisitor]

Just watching female gymnastics. Apparatus final: asymetric bars.

China wins a gold medal, USA silver (Nastia Liukin) and China bronze. And the chinese claim He Kexin, the gold medalist is over 16 in order to participate?!?!?!

Bollocks. Bollocks. Bollocks. Bollocks. :bs:

Seriously, do they think we are so gullible?

[Ran]

But, no. Tell us how you really feel? ;)

[Wilf]

[quote name='The Inquisitor' post='1484072' date='Aug 18 2008, 13.34']Just watching female gymnastics. Apparatus final: asymetric bars.

China wins a gold medal, USA silver (Nastia Liukin) and China bronze. And the chinese claim He Kexin, the gold medalist is over 16 in order to participate?!?!?!

Bollocks. Bollocks. Bollocks. Bollocks. :bs:

Seriously, do they think we are so gullible?[/quote]

And Liukin is a real red, white and blue American, right? :P

Who cares about the age. I mean the Brits entered a 14 year old in the synchronised diving. The point is they're good and therefore should be allowed to compete. No age discrimination!

[The Inquisitor]

[quote name='Ran' post='1484114' date='Aug 18 2008, 14.31']But, no. Tell us how you really feel? ;)[/quote]

I feel like when we lost an olympic final or something in footie against Nigeria some years ago. The football competition was then U-21 (or was it U-23 as it is today?) and the Nigerian footballers, supposedly under 21 years kept on greeting their teenager children in the stands...

Funny? Hell, yes.

Within the olympic spirit? No. Its cheating. If the rules say there's a strict age limit for participants, then its the law.

Too bad we have to take their word with the (enormously gargantuan) benefit of the doubt in the case of African footballers and Chinese gymnasts.

[Padraig]

[quote]The point is they're good and therefore should be allowed to compete. No age discrimination![/quote]
The reason they aren't allowed to compete is because it was generally felt in the gymnastics community that children were been abused (i.e. working ridiculously long hours at very young ages) in order to prepare for the Olympics. Its a valid reason IMO and its a bit silly to dismiss it because it is "age discrimination".

If the same thing happens in diving then the same steps can be taken.

[quote]Naturally, the Spanish federation complains about that to the sailing comittee. They discuss it all night, and the Danes feel they will get their gold snatched away.[/quote]
Another bizare story.

[quote]Many schools in Kenya are started or funded through former runners who returned from making racing money in America to improve education in Kenya.[/quote]
They probably make most of their money in Europe. Athletics isn't a money maker in the the US outside of the collegiate circuit.

[Wilf]

I'm glad Dutch tv shows all sports online so not only can you watch it at work, but you can also choose the sport you want to watch, so I got to see the great table tennis match between Ma Lin and Timo Boll. The best European player against the best Chinese player (Ma Lin deservedly won).

Finally some real table tennis to watch (the women's team tournament showed very little in good table tennis).

[EHK for Darwin]

[quote name='Wilf' post='1484157' date='Aug 18 2008, 08.21']And Liukin is a real red, white and blue American, right? :P

Who cares about the age. I mean the Brits entered a 14 year old in the synchronised diving. The point is they're good and therefore should be allowed to compete. No age discrimination![/quote]

I don't care about age either. But the rules are the rules. And while they exist, countries should follow them. And be penalized when they don't.


[quote]That pisses me off. It pisses me off that athletes are failing drug tests and then try to claim they were set up and it's all a part of some greater conspiracy. I'm all for conspiracy theories but even I will stop before claiming that the IOC has it in for Greek athletes. The sad thing is that about a dozen or more of them have failed drug tests in the past three months.[/quote]

Hadn't heard about this. Weren't a bunch of greeks busted for performance enhancers in Athens too? Starting to sound like an institutional problem there.

[Scienide]

There's jump-off now for team showjumping. Canada vs. US for the Gold!

[Wilf]

[quote name='Padraig' post='1484175' date='Aug 18 2008, 15.34']The reason they aren't allowed to compete is because it was generally felt in the gymnastics community that children were been abused (i.e. working ridiculously long hours at very young ages) in order to prepare for the Olympics. Its a valid reason IMO and its a bit silly to dismiss it because it is "age discrimination".[/quote]

Now I wonder if this rule actually stopped any gymnasts (or their parents) from starting from as young an age as possible. And the amount of training hours probably also doesn't get regulated.

So in the end (just like in most other sports) comes down to, the younger you begin and the more training hours you put in the more likely you are of winning.

Of course rules are rules, but I think we can all agree that there are plenty of rules in sports that are just ridiculous. For instance the Holland 4 x 100 women's relay swimming was asked why hadn't jumped in the water after they won the gold to celebrate with their 4th swimmer and they answered that they would be disqualified (even though the race was already over) if one of them jumped in the water to celebrate. RIDICULOUS!

[mashiara]

[quote name='Il Chiarimento' post='1484196' date='Aug 18 2008, 16.50']Hadn't heard about this. Weren't a bunch of greeks busted for performance enhancers in Athens too? Starting to sound like an institutional problem there.[/quote]

If we're talking about the same incident, yes. That's why I mentioned about a dozen people. About three or so months ago a bunch of weight lifters were caught using some enhancer, and then later a swimmer. This is the same chemical enhancer that the track and field athlete used so clearly we have a bigger problem here. Everybody is blaming the athletes and their coaches but I do think steps should be taking.

If you refer to the Athens Olympics 4 years ago then I don't recall a great number of people being busted. One medal winner in weight lifting is all I can call from memory. And of course the Thanou-Kenteris scandal, were nothing was ever proven. :dunno: Not that I think them innocent, I don't think you'll find many people here who don't think they were taking 'something' and that's why they avoided the drug test and staged that accident.

[Andriy Czarchenko]

I thought it was that you can´t jump in before the whole race was over and not just your own teams race.