G7ARYM
MISSION VIEJO
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Joined: 03/22/2007
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I enjoy the watching Olympics and the varied events deemed worthy of inclusion. I can appreciate the dedication of the athletes in the “Minor” sports which are not seen on national TV except during the 2 weeks every four years.
However, the importance given to the medal count gives credit to nations when it is the individual who in many cases have little or no connection to or support from that nation is way overdone. A silver medal swimmer born here, parents born here but competing for an eastern European country the grand parents came from. A basketball player born here with the same foreign connection. Track athletes educated here with US college scholarships where 6 or 7 in a field of 8 have Div 1 NCAA US national championships.
Finally I would like to see awards split into medals for competitive events and others for exhibition sports. If you race, jump, throw, sword fight, shoot arrows or air pistol or win a heads up match then that is a competition. If the event is decided by judges giving out subjective scores then it is an exhibition (Boxing is somewhere in between). This takes nothing away from the difficulty of the activity or unbelievable athleticism required to perform on thebalance beam or do an inward 3 ½ somersault, triple twisting, pike position dive off the 10 meter platform. But it is still a performance or exhibition and not a competition. Please, a world record in the 100/200m dash, 400m IM swim or a 50km walk gold isn’t quite equaled by one in the pommel horse or rhythmic gymnastics hoop event. There, now I feel better.
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SteveRuff
Bacliff, Texas, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 11/06/2004
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I certainly agree that the judged sports are more difficult to swallow than the result based ones. When a gymnast falls to her knees on one landing and takes a step on her 2nd but still edges out many others who did not have such obvious flaws makes the competition suspect. The point brought up by the television commentators makes sense to me, countries who are represented can't participate in judging, so every major country, with all the competent judges, are not used. That leaves judges from Lower Slobovia giving scores that end in the ridiculous tie breaker that cost Nastia her gold medal in the uneven parallel bars.
I also agree that shopping for a country to represent should be banned. Compete for your native country. If you are a naturalized US citizen then that is who you compete for. We train them and make them ready for high level competition then they go back "home" and beat us. I suspect after the Olympics they will be back here and probably never live in their native country again.
Both retired. 1 year until son finishes college, then financial freedom! We lost Max, the Schnoodle after 16 wonderful years but now enjoy Nicklaus Von Schnoodle (Nicky), who is a full time job. Our new Allegro Bay 34 XB is wonderful.
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Doug4.7
Hartselle, AL, USA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/02/2003
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SteveRuff wrote:I also agree that shopping for a country to represent should be banned. Compete for your native country. If you are a naturalized US citizen then that is who you compete for. I thought that was the way it was. A good number of the players in the NBA are actually citizens of other countries. Same thing with college athletes. I know that if my kids goes to school in England, plays on the soccer team, that he/she would play on the US team in the Olympics.
Just because a person goes to school, or works in some country, it does not automatically make them a citizen of that country.
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