# ***OFFICIAL*** - 2008 Beijing Olympics Thread



## plazzman

Discuss all things regarding the biggest international sports celebration here. The Olympic games happen every four years, and this year, they are held in Beijing, China from August 8th - August 24th. Celebrate sport, root for your country, and enjoy the games.​


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## Walker

The US soccer team won a game!! :happy03:

Now they face the Netherlands.


One of the few sports I'll following during the Olympics.


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## MLS

Gary Russell Jr. (US boxer) had to drop out because he passed out while trying to cut weight. Frankie Gavin (UK boxer) also had to drop out becuae he wasn't going to make weight. 

What sucks for the boxers is that they have to make weight every sinlge time they fight in the olympics.


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## plazzman

The fireworks for the openning ceremony was INSANNNEEEEEE, damn, those Asians know how to put on a show.

I'll be looking out for Weightlifting, Judo, Soccer and 100m, thats it, the rest sucks. 

And I'll definitely make sure to avoid the NBC broadcast, they're so damn biased.


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## BloodJunkie

I love the Olympics, I'll be watching the events you listed plazz as well as long jump, wrestling, and the diving! I love the diving!

I've also been known to get stuck watching the gymnastics at times, I don't know why but I do.


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## ShadyNismo

My home city, gonna watch anything that will entertain me :thumb02:


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## Cartheron

plazzman said:


> The fireworks for the openning ceremony was INSANNNEEEEEE, damn, those Asians know how to put on a show.
> 
> I'll be looking out for Weightlifting, Judo, Soccer and 100m, thats it, the rest sucks.
> 
> And I'll definitely make sure to avoid the NBC broadcast, they're so damn biased.


Bitch! Watch the Tennis and support the lady in my avatar. :thumb02:


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## Steph05050

i like the diving too and softball


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## Judoka

So far...

Australia Vs Serbia(Only soccer game to be televised so far) was absolute bullsh*t. Terrible game, Australia was lucky to get a 1-1 draw and not a 8-0 loss. It seemed our game plan was to boot it up field and hope for the best every time we got it which is like our main national team up until about 5 years ago and it didn't work then and we stop doing it and actually use some proper tactics and guess what happens? Qualify for the world cup.

The opening ceremony from what little i saw looked great, I saw a giant circle of Kung Fu guys which i thought looked really really good.

I like watching it all and the Judo starts today and hopefully the Aussies do well, i know a few so i will be supporting them.


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## plazzman

I'm actually watching the Tai Chi circle right now. I truly don't think there will every be an openning ceremony as elaborate as this ever again, unless they bring the World Cup over or Olympics back to China or Japan.


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## kilik

I admit Plazz that opening ceremony had my mouth open the whole time. I couldnt believe that their were people inside those boxes when they came out.

I dont know how GB can top that ceremony.

Cant wait for the 100m final. Potentially Gay vs Powell vs Bolt and ofcourse their could always be a big upset.


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## plazzman

Im sorry to say, but I highly doubt you guys will be able to top that. This make's Athens look like a couple of bums dancing around a burning barrel.


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## Composure

My parents are watching it on TV, I can't seem to get into it though. =\


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## plazzman

F*cking NBC....

They mix politics into everything!


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## Cartheron

I won't spoil it Plazz, but how they light the stadium torch is awesome. :thumbsup:


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## Judoka

Cartheron said:


> I won't spoil it Plazz, but how they light the stadium torch is awesome. :thumbsup:


Missed it as i couldn't be bothered staying up early into the morning watching it but the photos i have seen of that is amazing.


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## kilik

See that is why I love the BBC (the channel the olympics is on). Has no adverts between shows and has a brilliant interactive system so that it shows multiple events at a time.


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## Cochise

ANyone who has an HD set and HD channels. Watch it on UHD. Its high def, and is (somewhat) UNBIASED!

Edit: Nevermind, they were just doing the trials.....should of figured a major tv station like NBC would buy out the rights in a heart beat.


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## plazzman

Cartheron said:


> I won't spoil it Plazz, but how they light the stadium torch is awesome. :thumbsup:


Oh yeah, I;ve already seen the whole event, just wanted to see it again.


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## The Legend

I love the Olympics, my two main focuses are if the Men's basketball team can get gold and if Michael Phelps can get the record for most gold medals in one year.


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## Cochise

By the looks of it, us Americans are getting a lot of volleyball tommarow on NBC. 


Any one notice how bored Bush looked halfway through the show. Geez...

Amazing light show, and about 7 years worth of rehersals right there.


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## Judoka

Well...

20 hours of Handball coverage for the whole Olympics.

Taekwondo gets a little bit in the early morning, boxing gets about 2 hours and Wrestling and Judo get 0 hours coverage for the whole thing.


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## plazzman

Yeah man, I'm dying to see some Judo. All we've gotten so far have been Mens gymnastics and Cycling, which is pretty gay. But I am watching women's beach volly ball, and frankly, Im very arroused.


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## GMW

I'll be watching the gymnastics only probably.


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## Judoka

plazzman said:


> Yeah man, I'm dying to see some Judo. All we've gotten so far have been Mens gymnastics and Cycling, which is pretty gay. But I am watching women's beach volly ball, and frankly, Im very arroused.


I am watching the mens and i know how you feel.....:confused05:


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## Cochise

Boxing is on. There is this French guy who is getting killed, but just won't stay on the ground.


They did a stats sheet on USA boxing. and we went from 7 medals in boxing.....to 2 in about 12 years. That is three Olympic games.


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## Sinister

This thread is smoggy 

Yeah the BBC is probably the best broadcasting company there is, they tell it how it is amongst everything.

Not the biggest fan of the Summer Olympics, I find the Winter Games to have the better sports to watch. Interested in baseball, softball, and the 100m dash.


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## MJB23

I hate the Olympics because nothing is televised. They show like 2 sports and thats it.

Does anyone know where I can watch the olympic wrestling? There's a couple guys competing I know of and I really want to see how they do.


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## Cartheron

lol I remember being in the US for the Atlanta Olympics. They showed sod all and it was in the US. :laugh: The BBC is pretty fkin awesome for coverage. It's on live on at least one of their channels whatever the time of day. Plus you can flick through the interactive service to watch whatever you like. Then there are highlight programs on throughout the day too if you missed anything due to time difference/work etc. They delay or even cancel other programs if some event finals/semi-finals go on for longer than expected. Oh yeah and NO ADVERTISEMENT BREAKS.  

PS - Plazz this is the kind of thing our $200/year tv licence pays for. ;]


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## MJB23

F*ck NBC I want the BBC if they have full coverage.


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## mmawrestler

*man I F*cking love the summer olympics.
did anyone esle catch the opening ceromone, that was the most spectacular thing ever, like a pride event but way better production, that means alot.
Ive been watching gymnastics for like 3 hours today I cant get enough of the floor routines*


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## Judoka

mjbish23 said:


> F*ck NBC I want the BBC if they have full coverage.


So do i and i know how you feel. Handball gets a total of 20 hours coverage in Australia for the whole thing while Wrestling and Judo get 0, it pisses me off.


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## MJB23

That's BS. Who cares about handball? Honestly wrestling and judo are so much more interesting then freaken handball. I wouldn't even care if it was on at like 1 or 2 in the morning as long as it got some coverage and I was afforded the opportunity to watch it. The coverage for the olympics used to be so much better then it was before.


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## Judoka

mjbish23 said:


> That's BS. Who cares about handball? Honestly wrestling and judo are so much more interesting then freaken handball. I wouldn't even care if it was on at like 1 or 2 in the morning as long as it got some coverage and I was afforded the opportunity to watch it. The coverage for the olympics used to be so much better then it was before.


Exactly, Judo and Wrestling here doesn't even get half an hour coverage at 2am.


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## MJB23

Same here. I checked my local listing and it didnt say Judo or wrestling were going to be televised at all. They are showing a little boxing but its mostly soccer, volleyball, and gymnastics. I don't mind the soccer and gymnastics but i'd rather watch wrestling.


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## Hett

The 100m relay race was just AMAZING!!


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## Judoka

Woot! Maria Pekli's fight just came on TV so so far....2 minutes of Judo! Ah well at least it is some and i saw an Aussie win. She now goes onto a match where if she wins she will fight for Gold if not then Bronze.


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## Gluteal Cleft

I watched the women's Judo live on the net. Can you not do that down in Aussieland?


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## Judoka

Gluteal Cleft said:


> I watched the women's Judo live on the net. Can you not do that down in Aussieland?


Yeah but used all my downloads on.....er..Judo...videos...:confused05:

They showed 3 of Maria Pekli's bouts and that's all.

on a serious note, Bad luck for Maria Pekli i am truly sad for her. She was very unlucky not to get a medal. Her husband fights in a few days as well and it was a very good effort to even be there as she has to care for her child who has a rare disease and has to be tube feed and lots of things. I was hoping for her to medal then anyone else combined at the Olympics. it would be been awesome to medal at her final Olympics.


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## kilik

Did anyone see the Judo 73kg finals for gold and bronze? they both finished in under 20 seconds.


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## Judoka

kilik said:


> Did anyone see the Judo 73kg finals for gold and bronze? they both finished in under 20 seconds.


Was it good or sloppy but enough to win?

There is 2 bronze medals awarded in each weight division for Judo and 2 bronze medal matches.


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## Cartheron

And she is on her way. Dementieva beat Bondarenko 6-1, 6-4. :thumb02: And w00t GBR got a gold and bronze in the womens 400m freestyle.


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## The Legend

Did anybody see the 4x100 men's relay last night?


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## Cochise

Rogers and Dalhausser just got a win. Totally made up for the loss a few days back.


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## kilik

Judoka said:


> Was it good or sloppy but enough to win?
> 
> There is 2 bronze medals awarded in each weight division for Judo and 2 bronze medal matches.


It was just two very quick throws that ended the match, I dont know that much about Judo but do you win if you take the guys back?


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## Mikles

I missed the Judo, all thats been on it seems is rowing, volleyball, boxing, cycling, swimming, and gymnastics. I guess I will have to go to NBC and download it.


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## Cartheron

kilik said:


> It was just two very quick throws that ended the match, I dont know that much about Judo but do you win if you take the guys back?


Nope. You win if you get an Ippon throw (opponent lands flat on their back), get your opponent to submit, get a hold with their shoulders and upperback on the matt for 30(?) secs or by points (highest scoring throw/hold wins) over 3 minutes. As I remember it you can win by getting two Waza-ari scoring throws (7 points) also for a waza-ari-awaseti-ippon. 

Been a long time though. Judoka will probably have a better answer. ;]


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## plazzman

How's Paq-man doing in boxing?


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## Cochise

plazzman said:


> How's Paq-man doing in boxing?


So far all I have got here is the LHW division and the Welterweight Division.


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## bbjd7

The Legend said:


> Did anybody see the 4x100 men's relay last night?


Yea that was crazy Im noy a huge swimming fan but that was amazing.

btw where can i watch the judo?


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## wukkadb

bbjd7 said:


> Yea that was crazy Im noy a huge swimming fan but that was amazing.
> 
> btw where can i watch the judo?


Right hurr:
http://www.judovision.org/?cat=203


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## Judoka

kilik said:


> It was just two very quick throws that ended the match, I dont know that much about Judo but do you win if you take the guys back?


No, in fact people will turtle up on the ground voluntarily, I don't do this but most do. Why? Not only are there submissions but pins as well and also many don't want to fight on the ground and it can easily be avoided by turtling up and stalling the fight because as much as i hate it the referee will stand up the fight in lightning fast time.

You can win by Ippon, Waza-ari(two of these equals Ippon), Yuko and Koka is the lowest score.

It depends how well you throw on what you score.

On the ground there are no scores but you can win by Submission(Chokes, armlocks) or pin(you have to pin for 25 seconds). Submission or pinning for 25 seconds scores you Ippon.


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## TheNegation

Chinese are doing some impressive shit in the weightlifting.


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## Cartheron

For those with bad Olympic coverage and you can't get a BBC channel then go here ---> BBC Olympic event schedule and check when things are on that you want to watch (scroll down there are more channels). More often than not you can go to the first page ---> Live/Repeated action and watch it.  They generally have a good highlights show for the entire day too. Obviously biased to showing more of GBR, but they show most of the main events too. 

They said they'd be showing the women's Judo in the early morning here in the UK (5am). So it will probably be on one of the streams. :thumbsup:


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## The Legend

bbjd7 said:


> Yea that was crazy Im noy a huge swimming fan but that was amazing.
> 
> btw where can i watch the judo?


Yeah I only watch it when the Olympics are on because that is the only time I see it on. I was getting disappointed for a second because I thought we were going to lose and I didn't want France to win especially after what they said. 

go to nbcsports.com to watch judo.


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## kilik

Judoka said:


> No, in fact people will turtle up on the ground voluntarily, I don't do this but most do. Why? Not only are there submissions but pins as well and also many don't want to fight on the ground and it can easily be avoided by turtling up and stalling the fight because as much as i hate it the referee will stand up the fight in lightning fast time.
> 
> You can win by *Ippon*, Waza-ari(two of these equals Ippon), Yuko and Koka is the lowest score.
> 
> It depends how well you throw on what you score.
> 
> On the ground there are no scores but you can win by Submission(Chokes, armlocks) or pin(you have to pin for 25 seconds). Submission or pinning for 25 seconds scores you *Ippon*.


They were both won by Ippon, the guys who got thrown to the ground seemed to of given up, thanks judoka you really live up to your name.


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## MJB23

The Legend said:


> Yeah I only watch it when the Olympics are on because that is the only time I see it on. I was getting disappointed for a second because I thought we were going to lose and I didn't want France to win especially after what they said.
> 
> go to nbcsports.com to watch judo.


Thanks for that link at nbcsports. Now I get to watch the wrestling tonight :thumbsup:


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## Cochise

Has anyone noticed that everyone in the mens diving division is gay? Except The Russians? Is that some kind of stereotype or something. And how the heck in there a 14 year old kid there? His body size screwed up the English in the event.


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## Judoka

Cochise said:


> Has anyone noticed that everyone in the mens diving division is gay? Except The Russians? Is that some kind of stereotype or something. And how the heck in there a 14 year old kid there? His body size screwed up the English in the event.


Helm and Newbury for Aus are pretty good, Dunno about the rest. The Chinese in that event were excellent and i don't even like Diving.

I agree it did screw up the English's dive but also the other guy apparently wasn't diving well but i won't try to understand because i defiantly do not.


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## Cochise

Same here, this was my first time watching, trying to understand it. The Germans pulled one out of the air to win though.


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## MJB23

The diving was pretty cool. It's got to be hard to do that perfectly in synch with another person.


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## plazzman

The Chinese mens Gymnastics team is tearing a hole in the competitions asses! 

These guys are so damn amazing.


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## Judoka

plazzman said:


> The Chinese mens Gymnastics team is tearing a hole in the competitions asses!
> 
> These guys are so damn amazing.


I agree. Not only is it more athletes and home advantage but the Chinese seemed to have trained their asses off and have worked harder then the others.

Mark Anthony is fighting now in Judo for Aus. So far everyone except Maria Pekli has lost their first match in Judo for Australia.


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## ean6789

Equestrian is where its at bitches!!! Haha
For reals tho I'm looking forward to swimming (get some phelps action yaya), basketball, soccer (looking for argentina to repeat in both, go Ginobli and Messi!) and gymnastics.


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## Ivan

Well Russia is the current european champion and Croatia beat em this morning raise01: .. in the words of Fjodor and Mirko .. who is next.. its the Olimpic gold medalist .. thats where we wanna be so yeah .. u get the picture


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## Walker

Never though I'd be saying this but the swimming relay comeback of the US versus France had me cheering out loud- that was a badass race. :thumbsup:


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## Ivan

:thumb02: I didnt see that but i heard that it was a great finish by USA .. and beating the old record in almost 4 seconds is legendary.. 

too bad i couldnt watch Croatia in waterpolo .. we beat Serbia which is our famous neighbour.. 

what a lovely day


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## Hett

There is no way these Chinese women's gymnasts are over 14 years old...but I'm sure the Chinese government would never lie about something in these Olympics.:confused05:


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## XitUp

Does anyone know where I can watch the wrestling online cos the NBC site is being rubbish and the BBC are not showing any?


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## TheNegation

Chinese athletes > Capitalism.

Fact.

I have missed about half the weightlifting I keep turning on my TV to see the weightlifting screen thig fade out and then they go on to dressage or womens volleyball or some shit.


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## Hett

TheNegation said:


> Chinese athletes > Capitalism.
> 
> Fact.


I'm not even sure what that means.


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## Uchaaa

Who do you think is gonna win it in the end, usa or china? I bet with a friend for 5 euros that usa will win.


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## BloodJunkie

Uchaaa said:


> Who do you think is gonna win it in the end, usa or china? I bet with a friend for 5 euros that usa will win.


What do you mean? 

Are yu talking bout the final medal count? If you are then yes, USA will have more golds and total medals. We haven't even gotten to the athletics competitions yet and China won't be doing anything there.


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## Walker

Did they even show the Judo or Wrestling comps or did I just miss them? I saw that the medals have been won but I saw no coverage. :thumbsdown:


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## MJB23

There was some wrestling on msnbc yesterday at like 2 or 3 but on nbcsports.com they had the wrestling and judo on last night and the night before.


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## Walker

mjbish23 said:


> There was some wrestling on msnbc yesterday at like 2 or 3 but on nbcsports.com they had the wrestling and judo on last night and the night before.


Ah cool thanks for the info- I've mainly been watching ABC so I've really only seen swimming and have been turning it off when the pre-teens are doing gymnastics.


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## MLS

Boxing really, really needs to update their scoring system because it is screwing fighters over.


Edit: Anyone see this?

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33a_1218642189&p=1


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## Hett

MLS said:


> Boxing really, really needs to update their scoring system because it is screwing fighters over.
> 
> 
> Edit: Anyone see this?
> 
> http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33a_1218642189&p=1


I was just about to post that, that is so sick



Uchaaa said:


> Who do you think is gonna win it in the end, usa or china? I bet with a friend for 5 euros that usa will win.


I really think the USA is going to win the count. I don't know much about China athletics besides they are extremely good at diving and gymnastics. I don't know if they are strong at the track and field games yet to come.


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## BloodJunkie

MLS said:


> Edit: Anyone see this?
> 
> http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33a_1218642189&p=1


OOOOO! That's horrible!

My arm hurts now with sympathy pains


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## MJB23

Walker said:


> Ah cool thanks for the info- I've mainly been watching ABC so I've really only seen swimming and have been turning it off when the pre-teens are doing gymnastics.


Why arent you watching the gymnastics? They've been really good.



MLS said:


> Boxing really, really needs to update their scoring system because it is screwing fighters over.
> 
> 
> Edit: Anyone see this?
> 
> http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33a_1218642189&p=1


That was just terrible. It made my arm hurt watching it.


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## Walker

MLS said:


> Boxing really, really needs to update their scoring system because it is screwing fighters over.
> 
> 
> Edit: Anyone see this?
> 
> http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=33a_1218642189&p=1


In Jr. High I tried a clean and jerk and fell back with the bar landing on my chest fracturing my wrist and that was nothing compared to that elbow- freaking gruesome. 

I really cannot understand the punch count in boxing- I was watching a fight with a guy from France and he was awarded 1 point for 4 rounds that had multiple exchanges yet only one boxer was getting the points. I really have no idea how they compute those numbers. :dunno:



mjbish23 said:


> Why arent you watching the gymnastics? They've been really good.


I've never really been a big fan of judged sports as far competitors doing the same moves- I see one competitor do a certain move and another do it almost exactly the same(Obviously I am no professional judge) and one gets a 9.8 and the other 9.5. I like more transparent and clear rules/ways to how a competitor can win, plus in the Olympics I've too many cases of judges favoring their own competitors- Roy Jones Jr. in Seoul(I believe) comes to mind as one of the worst I've seen. Even the Korean guy was "WTF? I won? Seriously?"

Obviously this happens in MMA with judging I know but I understand better what the judges are looking for though admitedly it still leads to controversal decisions as well.

With gymnastics and figure skating- when people aren't able to compete(normally) after they reach a very low age low 20s and can't compete just because their bodies have matured because they no longer have elastic joints isn't a great sport IMO. It means they are only able to compete because their bodies haven't naturally matured hence why the Chinese(alledgely) have been using kids that are even under the age of 16. No bueno in my opinion.


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## MLS

Walker said:


> I really cannot understand the punch count in boxing- I was watching a fight with a guy from France and he was awarded 1 point for 4 rounds that had multiple exchanges yet only one boxer was getting the points. I really have no idea how they compute those numbers. :dunno:


Either do the judges. There are only supposed to be certain areas where punches count and they have to be clean punches, so if a guy slightly blocks a punch it won't count. Not to mention body shots are almost non existence. Rau'shee Warren got absolutely robbed in his fight.


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## swpthleg

What was the proof of age required from the Chinese girl gymnasts? Did they show up with a piece of paper with "I am 16" written on it in green crayon like the "I am 12" Little League ID in the Benchwarmers?


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## Hett

swpthleg said:


> What was the proof of age required from the Chinese girl gymnasts? Did they show up with a piece of paper with "I am 16" written on it in green crayon like the "I am 12" Little League ID in the Benchwarmers?


I think they only needed government issued passports...and we know the Chinese government would never lie.:sarcastic12:


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## Judoka

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UfYxjEctaM&eurl=http://www.judovision.org/?p=1790

Korea's Choi highlight with his run for the gold at this Olympics.


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## Cartheron

lol so bitter over the gymnastics.


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## Walker

I ain't bitter because I don't give a rat's ass about gymnastics nor have I watched any of it.

I am upset over the soccer- we actually tied the Netherlands but then get a red card and fight hard but lose to Nigeria to get bumped out. 

The African teams have been our bane in the last 2 major events- Nigeria here and Ghana boots us out of the past World Cup. 

Will be pulling for Argentina the rest of the way. :thumbsup:


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## eric2004bc

http://tapespace.com/view/Weightlifter_Dislocates_Elbow anyone see this?
damn that looks painful, but i laughed when i saw about 7 beijing people come running with signs to block it out hwile teh medical team come in lol

EDIT: can anyone explain to me the scoring system in JUDO as i dont understand it lol
1 min the scores 1-1 then its 1-111 ?


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## XitUp

The amount of points you get depend on the quality of the throw.


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## 69nites

MLS said:


> Either do the judges. There are only supposed to be certain areas where punches count and they have to be clean punches, so if a guy slightly blocks a punch it won't count. Not to mention body shots are almost non existence. Rau'shee Warren got absolutely robbed in his fight.


Olympic boxing is 100% retarded.


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## MLS

I'm not quite sure what I'm watching but I believe that speed walking is in the olympics. :confused02:

Edit: I'm sorry, they are calling it race walking. :dunno:


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## BloodJunkie

MLS said:


> I'm not quite sure what I'm watching but I believe that speed walking is in the olympics. :confused02:
> 
> Edit: I'm sorry, they are calling it race walking. :dunno:


That "race" walking is garbage! Those aren't world class athletes, thats called not being able to run fast enough to win a race!

By the way, Michael Phelps is the freakin man!


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## plazzman

I have two problems with Phelps.

Actually, it's not Phelps himself.

1. The dude is in like 9 different events, so automatically, he has a chance to win more than any other athlete (outside his sport) so it's KINDA unfair to call him the greatest olympian ever. But don't get me wrong, dudes a beast and a very nice guy.

2. His coverage. Its silly, I tuned into NBC for a sec to see if they were showing anything CBC wasn't and for 45 freakin minutes, that loser presenter with the half bangs and doe eyes replayed the race a million times, called Spitz, called Pizza Hut, called everyone, replayed it some more, and talked some more nonesense about it.

Shit, it's the Olympics, not the Michael Phelps, USA USA show.

/rant


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## BloodJunkie

plazzman said:


> I have two problems with Phelps.
> 
> Actually, it's not Phelps himself.
> 
> 1. The dude is in like 9 different events, so automatically, he has a chance to win more than any other athlete (outside his sport) so it's KINDA unfair to call him the greatest olympian ever. But don't get me wrong, dudes a beast and a very nice guy.
> 
> 2. His coverage. Its silly, I tuned into NBC for a sec to see if they were showing anything CBC wasn't and for 45 freakin minutes, that loser presenter with the half bangs and doe eyes replayed the race a million times, called Spitz, called Pizza Hut, called everyone, replayed it some more, and talked some more nonesense about it.
> 
> Shit, it's the Olympics, not the Michael Phelps, USA USA show.
> 
> /rant



........cough"hater"cough 

Seriously though, the coverage on him is ridiculous. 

I know that he competes in more events but that doesn't make his feat any less impressive. Its the equivalent of a track athlete competeing in all the different distances and winning them all. The fact that he can compete and win in so many different events is exactly what makes him so amazing. Other people have to specialize to have a chance at the gold. Phelps specializes in whooping ass in everything!


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## plazzman

Well yes, he is a great athlete, but the fact that he's won 8 medals is because he's a fantastic swimmer in a sport that has 8 categories, as opposed to someone like Usain Bolt, who's also a fantastic athlete but can only win 1-2 medals.

I think NBC is making too big of a deal about medal count.


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## BloodJunkie

I hear ya. The medal count isn't as important as they make it seem but you can expect that kind of crap from NBC. 

Every day I turn the Olympics on at 8pm which is when they start the coverage each day over here. Thats primetime and what do they show everyday.....f**king volleyball for 2 hours and then they play the events that don't suck until 2AM, it pisses me off to no end. Who the F**K wants to watch volleyball during the primest-primetime? And the whole time that volleyball is on I'm thinking, I could have seen somebody get hip tossed onto thier face if they would show some damn judo! I don't understand why they cover sucky things religiously and pass up sports that kick ass.

/rant


----------



## plazzman

lol yeah, I hear that as well. I had to tune into the French channel today to watch some Judo (incredible 78+ womans, Chinese came back with 10s left to end with beautiful ippon) but couldn't understand shit.

My station here shows some pretty good stuff, in about an hour they're showing soccer which is kickass. But they decided to show the whole baseball game (which I somehow watched, kinda liked it) And they showed Gymnastics 11 times. And if I was 15 again, I'd say it was hot as hell.

I love volleyball as a sport and play it abidly, but I hate how they do a freakin cheer after EVERY F*CKING POINT!


----------



## Judoka

I agree, it is to hard to call Phelps the best Olympian ever for the reasons Plazz mentioned. But an amazing athlete and among the top but it's apples and oranges, to hard to compare the top athletes to each other. I would be interested to see who would win with Phelps now against Ian Thorpe in his prime.

See Janelle Shepperd for Australia in that weight division Plazz?

They are showing 2 soccer games tonight.


----------



## MetalMunkey

Phelps is one more away, I know it's getting annoying but it's still a pretty compelling story. I don't see how the US will lose the IM relay.

Did anyone watch the video on the swedish wrestler who dropped his bronze medal after recieving it because he was pissed about some call in the semis?


----------



## Cartheron

F%^& YES! Dementieva in the final! Hope she goes one better than eight years ago. _"Gold! Always believe in your sooooooul!"_ 

/me laughs at Plazz

BBC coverage 24/7 for the win baby. :thumb02:


----------



## Judoka

Is it just me or does the Goalkeeper for the Netherlands look like Anderson Silva...


----------



## MetalMunkey

So I finally found the match with the Swedish wrestler and I saw why he was so pissed. I won't explain the rule (long and complicated) but he was given a penalty and the other wrestler was a given a point that won the match. He lost the first round and was winning the second until that point was awarded. I don't agree with him dropping his medal, I do agree he was robbed the chance to finish the match.


----------



## Walker

plazzman said:


> I love volleyball as a sport and play it abidly, but I hate how they do a freakin cheer after EVERY F*CKING POINT!


SWEET! I thought I had missed it but I get to watch the 2nd half of Argentina-Netherlands. :happy01:Messi is the man!​ 
Plazz- I have a deep deep hatred of volleyball(watching that is) but it comes from the fact that my sister played it in High school and I had to be stuck up at school watching -the freshman, JV and varsity teams play every SOB game before my parents would show up watch her game and then take us home. I HATE how they high-five each other even after losing a point?!? :angry08:​ 
I lost a lot of good hours of my life watching those games and it was before they wore the nice little tights too. :thumbsdown:​ 
The one segment on Phelps that I really enjoyed was how much the dude gets to eat, something like 12,000 calories in a day. I wish I could eat like that.​ 

Second half about to start- Diego Maradona in the stands- doesn't look coked up :thumb02:- Argentina FTW!! 


EDIT: Aw man that should have been a goal!​


----------



## swpthleg

12,000 calories a day. I think if I eat over 2000 I'd gain weight even with working out.

Bastard. The girl gymnasts prolly have to live on chicken and vegetables and no chocolate ever.

I do not get all the high fiving in volleyball. My kid plays and they are constantly high fiving?


----------



## Walker

*GOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!!!!*


:happy03:

Argentina up 2-1!!


----------



## MJB23

MetalMunkey said:


> So I finally found the match with the Swedish wrestler and I saw why he was so pissed. I won't explain the rule (long and complicated) but he was given a penalty and the other wrestler was a given a point that won the match. He lost the first round and was winning the second until that point was awarded. I don't agree with him dropping his medal, I do agree he was robbed the chance to finish the match.


The refs for wrestling were garbage. I was watching one match and the ref didn't speak either of the languages the 2 wrestlers did and every time he had the set up for the second part of the round when one guy is done he wouldn't blow his whistle, most refs blow it as soon as you touch, so they kept going before he blew the whistle and he ended up giving a point to the guy on the bottom which won him the match. The other guy was pretty much crying cuz he got fucked over so badly.


----------



## JT42

All the hate for volleyball and gymnastics? Man those are my two favorites to watch! Gymnastics is just absolutely NUTS the stuff they can do. I just sit in awe the entire time.


----------



## Walker

jtaylor42 said:


> All the hate for volleyball and gymnastics? Man those are my two favorites to watch! Gymnastics is just absolutely NUTS the stuff they can do. I just sit in awe the entire time.


Volleyball-mental scars from high school torture. Gymnastics- just not a big fan.
I love playing sand volleyball while drinking beer at Aussie's. :thumb02: 
And I took gymnastics as a kid-me likey the rings. 




OOOOhhh man- Argentina+Brazil+olympic semi-finals=:drool01:​


----------



## MJB23

I like the beach volleyball and the gymnastics. I don't like the gym volleyball tho.


----------



## JT42

Yeah beach volleyball is the only way to go. I love to play but its always hard to get good people to play with. Oh well, nice to be able to watch the pro's every now and then


----------



## MJB23

Volleyball is a ton of fun to play but like you said it's hard to find people that are good at it to play with.


----------



## MetalMunkey

mjbish23 said:


> The refs for wrestling were garbage. I was watching one match and the ref didn't speak either of the languages the 2 wrestlers did and every time he had the set up for the second part of the round when one guy is done he wouldn't blow his whistle, most refs blow it as soon as you touch, so they kept going before he blew the whistle and he ended up giving a point to the guy on the bottom which won him the match. The other guy was pretty much crying cuz he got fucked over so badly.


Well, there are universal hand signals and terms, whether he was using them or not I dont know.

The rules for Greco are a complete joke now. Greco was my favorite style, now I'd just hate it because of how you're opponent can just stall out the first minute of each round and then try and get the lucky draw of being on bottom first. I remember when I wrestled if you tucked your head or blocked off the other opponent from trying to make contact you were penalized. now, it's perfectly fine. just seems wierd to me. Now, I have reservations to going back and coaching for a club. Women's wrestling up right now online.

Write up on corruption in Olympic wrestling: Corruption on the Olympic Wrestling Stage?


----------



## MJB23

MetalMunkey said:


> The rules for Greco are a complete joke now. Greco was my favorite style, now I'd just hate it because of how you're opponent can just stall out the first minute of each round and then try and get the lucky draw of being on bottom first. I remember when I wrestled if you tucked your head or blocked off the other opponent from trying to make contact you were penalized. now, it's perfectly fine. just seems wierd to me. Now, I have reservations to going back and coaching for a club. Women's wrestling up right now online.


I wrestled folkstyle and never wrestled freestyle or greco but I knew the rules and i'd watched it before. The rules for the Olympics suck. Like you said they just stall the whole time. It's not fun to watch.


----------



## MetalMunkey

mjbish23 said:


> I wrestled folkstyle and never wrestled freestyle or greco but I knew the rules and i'd watched it before. The rules for the Olympics suck. Like you said they just stall the whole time. It's not fun to watch.


Honestly after watching a few hours the other night it feels like a few of the Europian nations were taking advantage of the no stalling thing. The US wrestlers, the asian teams, russia, and a couple others were really trying to push the pace but a fair few of their opponents would just ride out the match.


----------



## Judoka

Notice any similarities?


----------



## MJB23

MetalMunkey said:


> Honestly after watching a few hours the other night it feels like a few of the Europian nations were taking advantage of the no stalling thing. The US wrestlers, the asian teams, russia, and a couple others were really trying to push the pace but a fair few of their opponents would just ride out the match.


Yeah it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped it would be. I wish they had folkstyle wrestling in the Olympics because to me it's a lot more interesting then Greco.


----------



## MetalMunkey

mjbish23 said:


> Yeah it wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped it would be. I wish they had folkstyle wrestling in the Olympics because to me it's a lot more interesting then Greco.


Right now I'd agree with you, but a few years ago Greco was about the big throws: Suplexes, belly to belly, shoulder throws. just sexy, sexy throws now it's about stalling. But I still like competing in Greco over folkstyle. Folkstyles too much about control.


----------



## MJB23

MetalMunkey said:


> Right now I'd agree with you, but a few years ago Greco was about the big throws: Suplexes, belly to belly, shoulder throws. just sexy, sexy throws now it's about stalling. But I still like competing in Greco over folkstyle. Folkstyles too much about control.


If Greco was like it used to be I would love it so much but Olympic Greco is all stalling like you said. High school aged Greco is exciting tho and has a lot of throws.


----------



## plazzman

9.68 with a shutdown at 80m. Flash re-incarnated.


----------



## MLS

Wrestling was boring.


----------



## MetalMunkey

MLS said:


> Wrestling was boring.


Yeah, hopefully Men's Frestyle will be much better.


----------



## XitUp

plazzman said:


> 9.68 with a shutdown at 80m. Flash re-incarnated.


In a few months he'll be getting millions to break it again. If he didn't shut down near the end and slap his chest I think he'll easy do it. The man is amazing.

Congrats to team GB's swimmers, cyclists and boat folks.


----------



## Cartheron

See that woman in my sig and avatar? Olympic Gold medalist bitches. Finally after 10 years competing at the top, she wins a major event. :thumb02: Dementieva power!


----------



## JT42

Alicia Sacramone competes again TONIGHT!! :cool04:


----------



## WarHERO

jtaylor42 said:


> Alicia Sacramone competes again TONIGHT!! :cool04:


She is a very cute girl. :winner01:


----------



## swpthleg

Was anyone else blown away by the badass little Romanian girl that was 1 minute ahead of everyone else in the marathon?? I sat there mesmerized by her beauteous big stride (even visible from the freakin helicopter) and periodically my husband would look up and say something like "Christ she's still goin." I can't remember her name atm but her image helped me get through my own pathetic 4.5 miles today.

also I was loving the aerial views of Beijing and the CGI tracing the route of the race through the city. Fiendishly clever urban design.


----------



## Gluteal Cleft

WarHERO said:


> She is a very cute girl. :winner01:


http://machochip.com/2008/05/gymnast-alicia-sacramone-has-a.php


----------



## plazzman

WarHERO said:


> She is a very cute girl. :winner01:


Is she legal, causeh if so...



swpthleg said:


> Was anyone else blown away by the badass little Romanian girl that was 1 minute ahead of everyone else in the marathon?? I sat there mesmerized by her beauteous big stride (even visible from the freakin helicopter) and periodically my husband would look up and say something like "Christ she's still goin." I can't remember her name atm but her image helped me get through my own pathetic 4.5 miles today.
> 
> also I was loving the aerial views of Beijing and the CGI tracing the route of the race through the city. Fiendishly clever urban design.


Never would I sit there for a full 2 and a half hours to watch people run, but as soon as Dita openned up that lead, I sat there mesmerized and watched the whole damn thing. Truely amazing.


----------



## joey__stalin

Alicia looks kinda man-ish and has the neck of a wrestler.


----------



## Hett

plazzman said:


> Is she legal, causeh if so...


http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=622/bio/

Google her name for some more impressive pics than on this page. Not only is she legal, she's 20...so she's well above any legal grey areas.


----------



## Cartheron

swpthleg said:


> Was anyone else blown away by the badass little Romanian girl that was 1 minute ahead of everyone else in the marathon?? I sat there mesmerized by her beauteous big stride (even visible from the freakin helicopter) and periodically my husband would look up and say something like "Christ she's still goin." I can't remember her name atm but her image helped me get through my own pathetic 4.5 miles today.
> 
> also I was loving the aerial views of Beijing and the CGI tracing the route of the race through the city. Fiendishly clever urban design.


Mhm, was a good day for eastern europeans. Stayed up to watch the marathon lol from like 2am to 4.30am won by Romania. Then woke up at 9am to watch women's tennis final, won by Dementieva (russia) <3. In fact they got Gold Silver AND Bronze in it! Then Izbasa won the women's floor final in the Gymnastics for Romania with a near flawless routine. 

I can't believe Anna Pavlova vaulted too early and had her second score voided because of it. Most experienced gymnast there too and she made her only mistake on the floor routine she had performed perfectly three times already. :< Hopefully her and Steliana Nistor get medals in the remaining individual events. :thumbsup:

*me loves Romanian and Russian athletes* 

PS - GB got their first medal ever in the mens individuals gymnastics - Louis Smith :thumb02:


----------



## JT42

Sacramone got ROBBED :angry01::sign04::angry08::angry04::angry07:

Guess I better fly to Boston to console her


----------



## plazzman

Bahaha, Jamaican women sweeped the 100m dash. Shits gonna be crazy over here in Toronto.


----------



## Hett

jtaylor42 said:


> Sacramone got ROBBED :angry01::sign04::angry08::angry04::angry07:
> 
> Guess I better fly to Boston to console her


Yep, it's been a common theme for Chinese gymnasts to score higher than they should.:confused05:


----------



## Cartheron

*Wants to sell a bottle of whine (vintage summer 2008)*

:laugh:


----------



## MJB23

jtaylor42 said:


> Sacramone got ROBBED :angry01::sign04::angry08::angry04::angry07:
> 
> Guess I better fly to Boston to console her


The gymnastics this year are such BS. Sacramone got like a 15.370 on the vault for a near perfect attempt. A chinese woman goes, fucks up on her hand placement and then falls on her face when she lands and manages to get a 15.070 or somewhere close to that. Does that make any sense?


----------



## eric2004bc

mjbish23 said:


> The gymnastics this year are such BS. Sacramone got like a 15.370 on the vault for a near perfect attempt. A chinese woman goes, fucks up on her hand placement and then falls on her face when she lands and manages to get a 15.070 or somewhere close to that. Does that make any sense?


and today in the womans single aparatus in the Un even bars, USA got exactly the same score as China and tehy were both first for teh gold but teh awarded the china teh gold and USA the silver and didnt even say why, i was like :S and beth tweedle done a pretty amazing routine much better then the china grl who got bronze and beth still came in 4th, gymnastics havnt been good judging this year


----------



## Cochise

I'm gonna be feeling weird rooting for Team USA when the face Georgia in the mens Semi Final for Beach Vollyball. But the thung is I have been a fan of Rogers/Dalhausser for 8 years now.


----------



## plazzman

mjbish23 said:


> The gymnastics this year are such BS. Sacramone got like a 15.370 on the vault for a near perfect attempt. A chinese woman goes, fucks up on her hand placement and then falls on her face when she lands and manages to get a 15.070 or somewhere close to that. Does that make any sense?


Don't act like it's cause they're American, that's pretty ignorant. Remember in Athens when Paul Hamm won the gold because they f*cked up the Korean guy's score?

Gymnastics has always been shady in the judging. But not as shady as Boxing.




eric2004bc said:


> and today in the womans single aparatus in the Un even bars, USA got exactly the same score as China and tehy were both first for teh gold but teh awarded the china teh gold and USA the silver and didnt even say why, i was like :S and beth tweedle done a pretty amazing routine much better then the china grl who got bronze and beth still came in 4th, gymnastics havnt been good judging this year


Theres obviously a tie breaking system, I don't know why the IOC has to publicly announce it after every event, it's up to your local broadcaster to fill you in on that.


----------



## MLS

plazzman said:


> Gymnastics has always been shady in the judging. But not as shady as Boxing.


I agree with what you said Plazz and Teddy Atlas pretty much came out and said that there was some shady shit going on in the boxing scoring/reffing.


----------



## JT42

mjbish23 said:


> The gymnastics this year are such BS. Sacramone got like a 15.370 on the vault for a near perfect attempt. A chinese woman goes, fucks up on her hand placement and then falls on her face when she lands and manages to get a 15.070 or somewhere close to that. Does that make any sense?


I completely agree. I am not saying the judges are anti-USA but that was some VERY shady judging. Sucks that they train for so long and make it to that point only to be screwed over


----------



## MLS

The Chinese pitchers have now hit 6 US batters.


----------



## MJB23

It was completely accidental, i'm sure :sarcastic12:


----------



## MJB23

plazzman said:


> Don't act like it's cause they're American, that's pretty ignorant. Remember in Athens when Paul Hamm won the gold because they f*cked up the Korean guy's score?
> 
> Gymnastics has always been shady in the judging. But not as shady as Boxing.


I'm not saying it's just because they are American because there are other ones that got screwed too but I notice the American scores the most because obviously I want them to win. There is definetly some pro-chinese scoring going on and it is pretty shady.


----------



## swpthleg

the american girl gymnasts were ROBBED straight up....This smells like the figure skating judging scandal years back where the Americans were ultimately given the gold medal they deserved, and a judge was removed.


----------



## MetalMunkey

Part of the problem with Alicia's vaults is the second 1 was too low. If the difficulty was over 6.000 she probably would have the bronze medal right now. But I do remember in the preliminaries, Shawn Johnson on the Balance Beam wobbled like once on a difficult maneuver. Then a Chinese athlete later had a lower difficulty routine and wobbled damn near every pass and even on a couple dance moves and got deducted the exact same as Johnson. Even the announcers were like, "that's not right."


----------



## plazzman

Anyone watch NBC? 

Whos that seriously manly chick who sometimes hosts. Looks and sounds like a horse?


----------



## Sinister

swpthleg said:


> the american girl gymnasts were ROBBED straight up....This smells like the figure skating judging scandal years back where the Americans were ultimately given the gold medal they deserved, and a judge was removed.


I think you mean the Canadians that were robbed, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier lost to those Russians when the Canadians ran the perfect set, and the Russians fucked up and still got gold. The Canadians got the gold after though and the Russians kept there gold medals too.

It was a French judge as well. Damn French, out to get everyone.


----------



## Steph05050

that american gymnastics girl i forget her name...not shawn the other one with the strange name seems like a total bitch and sore loser tonight yeah she got robbed and i understand but the other night she was such a bitch i swear...u cant win everything....it bothered me how she pouted and whined the whole time and didnt congrats anyone after their routine not even her teammate


----------



## swpthleg

That's Nastia Liukin. I think she may have had a bit part in that gymnastics movie Stick It b/c she fits the stereotype of whiny gymnastics princess so well. "it's not called gymnicetics!"


----------



## Walker

MLS said:


> The Chinese pitchers have now hit 6 US batters.


It might have been payback for when the Chinese catcher got BLASTED by the American coming into home. I think it was the 4th or 5th inning and it was a Pete Rose at the all-star game blast- was a big hit. I didn't think it was dirty but the Chinese coach(who used to be a Dodger) was irate after the play. Methinks he instructed them to get some payback.


On the gymnastics- yet another reason why I don't watch them.​


----------



## 69nites

Walker said:


> It might have been payback for when the Chinese catcher got BLASTED by the American coming into home. I think it was the 4th or 5th inning and it was a Pete Rose at the all-star game blast- was a big hit. I didn't think it was dirty but the Chinese coach(who used to be a Dodger) was irate after the play. Methinks he instructed them to get some payback.
> 
> 
> On the gymnastics- yet another reason why I don't watch them.​


that's just part of the game. Hitting batters isn't.


----------



## Walker

69nites said:


> that's just part of the game. Hitting batters isn't.


 
Hitting batters is a part of the game- guy hits a HR and takes his take going around the bases to show up the pitcher- it's a decent chance the next time he's up- he gets plunked. Quite honestly I never said the guy who blasted the catcher neccessarily did anything wrong in my post. :dunno:

I put "BLASTED" because that's exactly what happened- it looked like a linebacker taking a receivers head off for coming over the middle in football. Part of game yes but I really can't see how you can say hitting batters isn't part of the game especially when it happens accidentaly in games all the time. :confused02:​


----------



## 69nites

Walker said:


> Hitting batters is a part of the game- guy hits a HR and takes his take going around the bases to show up the pitcher- it's a decent chance the next time he's up- he gets plunked. Quite honestly I never said the guy who blasted the catcher neccessarily did anything wrong in my post. :dunno:
> 
> I put "BLASTED" because that's exactly what happened- it looked like a linebacker taking a receivers head off for coming over the middle in football. Part of game yes but I really can't see how you can say hitting batters isn't part of the game especially when it happens accidentaly in games all the time. :confused02:​


smashing into a catcher to break the ball loose is something you train to do .


----------



## MLS

Walker, they had already hit 3 batters when the US guy hit the catcher, one guy had been hit twice at that point.


----------



## XitUp

If you look at medal count/population GB are doing amazingly. Australia too. :thumb02:


----------



## Walker

MLS said:


> Walker, they had already hit 3 batters when the US guy hit the catcher, one guy had been hit twice at that point.


 

Ah- I did not know the sequence of events- it was on at the gym when I was working out and I heard people talking about the hit so I saw the replays and then later saw one USA player get hit. My bad. :thumbsup:​


----------



## Hett

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/be...t/The-REAL-Olympic-medal-count?urn=oly,101537

"The REAL Olympic medal count"



> Look, I don't know much about gymnastics, but I do know that landing a vault on two feet is better than landing one on two knees. Olympic gymnastics judges evidently disagree with me, as they awarded China's Cheng Fei a bronze medal yesterday even after she fell on her vault landing. American Alicia Sacramone finished fourth despite, you know, not falling.
> 
> And today, 12-year old 16-year old Chinese gymnast He Kexin won gold over Nastia Liukin based on an obscure tiebreaking rule. The two received the same score from the judges, but He won a tiebreak because an Australian judge apparently was watching a different competition.
> 
> Every judging break seems to have gone China's way during these Olympics. I'm not suggesting a conspiracy, I just think that judges are humans who are influenced by big names, fans and other external factors. Oh, and they're also terrible. Judged events will always be viewed with skepticism by those who lose for this reason, particularly those who lose to a member of the home delegation. (Think Roy Jones Jr. at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.)
> 
> It is because of this skewed inconsistency that Fourth-Place Medal introduces The Real 2008 Medal Count. Our medal count will tally medals won in sports decided on the field of play, not by a judge in a teal blazer.
> 
> The judged Olympic events we will ignore for our tally are: boxing, diving, equestrian, gymnastics, judo, taekwondo, trampoline and wrestling. We debated whether to include boxing, wrestling and the martial arts in the list, as they can be decided by competitors. However, because the judging is prone to error and shenaningans, we will include it.
> 
> The Real 2008 Medal Count
> 
> China: 22 gold; 11 silver; 11 bronze
> 
> United States: 21 gold; 19 silver; 21 bronze
> 
> As you can see, in the events where medals are determined by competitors rather than judges, the gold medal gap between China and the U.S. is greatly narrowed, and the total medal count is an American runaway. Counting the judged events, China has a commanding lead in golds. Hmmm... Nope, nothing fishy about that!


----------



## plazzman

^^^ Main reason why I hate international competition, right there.


----------



## JT42

I totally agree that judges seem to be "influenced" by the big names. Cheng Fei was a heavy favorite and was "supposed" to win the vault. I think that played a big part in giving her the high score despite totally messing up her second run.


----------



## Judoka

The judging at this Olympics has been atrocious as a whole in my opinion. If they were trying to do it secretly it obviously isn't going to work and will stick out like a sore thumb.

Boxing has a terrible/outdated scoring system anyway.


----------



## XitUp

Cheating German bitch grabbing onto Cassie Patton in the 10k swim. Still, we got Silver and Bronze :thumb02:


----------



## Walker

Dag-nab-it! I missed the game but SWEET:​ 
*Argentina - 3*​ 
*Brazil -* 0​ 


It doesn't matter that you can hardly see the zero 'cause that's what they scored- zero, nada, nil, nothing- bupkiss!! Bring on Nigeria baby!​ 
Gots to admit I'm watching way more coverage than I thought I would- I just watched my first Handball game and I really liked. Reminded me a bit of lacrosse- w/o the sticks and hitting.​


----------



## plazzman

My god, Olympic TKD is so stupid! And the bitches competing are batshit crazy!


----------



## BloodJunkie

plazzman said:


> My god, Olympic TKD is so stupid! And the bitches competing are *batshit crazy*!


that's an understatement! haha


----------



## swpthleg

I thought you guys would have figured out by now that biatches who practice TKD are straight up crazy.


----------



## Cartheron

You don't understand the code that the gymnastics is now marked upon. It's now done on difficulty (like it should have been) first and then you get deductions for execution. Some apparatus have bonus points for artistry (notably floor and beam). If you have a difficulty rating of 6.00 you can't get any higher than a 16.00 score. If someone has a difficulty of 7.00 (highest score they can get is 17.0) even with an 0.5 deduction, a 0.3 deduction AND a 0.1 deduction they will still get a higher score than the person who did a perfect 6.0 difficulty vault. 

This all started because of the retarded marking that happened with Alexei Nemov in the Athens Olympics on the high bar final. Where he did an insanely difficult routine but due to 10.0 being the highest score deductions placed him out of the medals. Under the new system he would probably have won gold. In a sport such as gymnastics, difficulty executed well should be rewarded higher than mediocrity executed brilliantly. The sport needs to escalate to higher levels and difficulty is how you go about pushing the barrier.


----------



## Hett

Women's gold medal outdoor volleyball match is on right now.


----------



## JT42

Hett said:


> Women's gold medal outdoor volleyball match is on right now.


Watched that last night. Great game and May/Walsh seem unstoppable. Doesnt matter who it goes to they just dont seem to have any holes in their game right now.


----------



## Hett

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/be...estigation-into-He-Kexin-s-age?urn=oly,102564

*IOC orders investigation into He Kexin's age
*

The best line from the story at the very end

_Why risk everything to put a 14-year old in the competition when they could have replaced her with an of-age 16-year old gymnast? Sure, He is a better gymnast than the Chinese gymnasts who were eligible to compete, but with the judges they had at the Olympics, would it really have mattered?_



> The International Olympic Committee has ordered an investigation into the age of Chinese gymnast He Kexin, The Times of London reports. Faced with almost insurmountable evidence which suggests that He is two years younger than the birth date listed on her Chinese passport, the IOC has launched an inquiry that could result in the stripping of He's gold medals.
> 
> This news comes on the heels of another Times report that details the findings of a New York computer security expert who found official Chinese documents that list He's age as 14 years and 220 days. Mike Walker used a Chinese search engine's cache feature to find He's actual date of birth on spreadsheets from a Chinese government website. The spreadsheets were taken down off the site recently and He's name had been removed.
> 
> Assuming the IOC is committed to a real investigation and not some dog and pony show, the revelation that the Chinese government covered up the ages of gymnasts could end up being the defining moment of these Games for the host country. Officials wanted the Olympics to be a coming out party for a new China. But while the Games have been a huge success, there is a legitimate possibility that China's legacy from Beijing '08 will be that of a massive government cover-up, not the magical Opening Ceremony or the transformation of Beijing or anything else positive.
> 
> All the good work China did to put on these Olympics could be forgotten because of an unnecessary, arrogant move by the government. Why risk everything to put a 14-year old in the competition when they could have replaced her with an of-age 16-year old gymnast? Sure, He is a better gymnast than the Chinese gymnasts who were eligible to compete, but with the judges they had at the Olympics, would it really have mattered?
> 
> Photo via Getty Images
> 
> Important note: Commenting on our posts is welcome and encouraged, but please keep language and tone civil. Also, some commenters have taken to impersonating Fourth-Place Medal writers. Please note that our writers would never post objectionable material on the blog or in the comments.


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## swpthleg

What have we learned today kids?

Letting China host the Olympics just b/c of their most favored trade nation status is bad, mmkay?


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## MJB23

I'm glad they are being investigated. It's obvious the girl is not 16. Hopefully they actually do the investigation and they arent just doing this for show.


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## plazzman

I like how this "14" year old is doing better than most girls older than her.


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## MJB23

That's because younger girls have more flexibility then older girls.


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## Cartheron

mjbish23 said:


> That's because younger girls have more flexibility then older girls.


Flexibilty isn't the be all and end all of gymnastics, they have to have insane core strength and power too (along with the obvious technique). Plus there have been "women" competitors and medalists too. Hell, the silver medalist on vault this year for the women was 33 years old. . .


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## MJB23

Cartheron said:


> Flexibilty isn't the be all and end all of gymnastics, they have to have insane core strength and power too (along with the obvious technique). Plus there have been "women" competitors and medalists too. Hell, the silver medalist on vault this year for the women was 33 years old. . .


I'm not a gymnast so I don't know all the inside workings of gymnastics but don't you think that if there was no advantage to being younger then the age allowed that China wouldn't have allegedly cheated and the IOC wouldn't be investigating it? Obviously there is some advantage towards being younger, smaller, whatever because countries have filed complaints and the IOC is pursuing an investigation.


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## plazzman

It thought it had something to do with the pressure placed on the younger gymnasts in training rather than an advantage due to age.

If it was like that then the World Juniors would look like the freakin Matrix.


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## Cartheron

mjbish23 said:


> I'm not a gymnast so I don't know all the inside workings of gymnastics but don't you think that if there was no advantage to being younger then the age allowed that China wouldn't have allegedly cheated and the IOC wouldn't be investigating it? Obviously there is some advantage towards being younger, smaller, whatever because countries have filed complaints and the IOC is pursuing an investigation.


I didn't say anything of the sort. I'm just saying flexibility isn't the be all and end all of gymnastics and neither is being younger. 

Also the burnout factor on gymnasts is pretty high. The reason why a lot of them are so young is because they simply cannot keep training at that high intensity for so many years. This leads to a high turnover in an international team. There are obvious exceptions, Khorkina, Dawes and Chusovitina spring to mind, who probably had their training highly specialised and tailored to maintain international competition standards at their "older" ages. It's obviously possible for the gymnasts to continue (and remain succesful), but I expect many aren't willing to keep it up for so long along with all it's associated sacrifices. Just the exceptional few.


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## MJB23

I think it has to do with the pressure but during one of the broadcasts they also were talking about how younger girls are more flexibile because they are still growing and their growth plates haven't fused, ligaments tightened etc. Like I said in my other post there has to be an advantage to it otherwise no one would be bitching.


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## Cartheron

mjbish23 said:


> I think it has to do with the pressure but during one of the broadcasts they also were talking about how younger girls are more flexibile because they are still growing and their growth plates haven't fused, ligaments tightened etc. Like I said in my other post there has to be an advantage to it otherwise no one would be bitching.


People are bitching because they didn't win. Like in the 100m womens final. . . 

"BUT I THORT I CAN HAZ FALSE STARTED?!"

Seriously, that was a really bad appeal attempt. :confused03:


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## Hett

Cartheron said:


> People are bitching because they didn't win.


Believe it or not, there are legitimate reasons to complain. If the Chinese broke the rules, the Chinese broke the rules.


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## Cartheron

Oh I know. If they broke the rules they broke the rules and should be penalised as is fitting. :thumbsup: 

But if they didn't win people wouldn't be complaining as loud. ;] But they should still be penalised.


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## Hett

Cartheron said:


> But if they didn't win people wouldn't be complaining as loud. ;]


:thumb02:


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## Hett

Beach Volleyball sweep!


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## Cochise

Dally (That is right I call him Dally) and Rogers are my two favorite atheletes from the Olympics. I was just so happy to see them win, its like.....EPIC! Great match too, Brazilians scared me to f*ckers.


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## MJB23

Yeah that was a great match. I think that's the first time the Americans took both mens and womens beach volleyball gold in the same olympics.


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## Hett

Pretty good read

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/ne...?slug=dw-medalcount082208&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

*U.S. will be rocked by China’s heavy medals*



> Across the Chinese media, the story has hit saturation coverage. China, once mocked as “the weaklings of Asia,” is going to win what it calls the total medal count for the Beijing Games.
> 
> China, like most of the world, values gold medals above all and only counts them in the standings. With 47 and counting, its total dwarfs all other nations. The United States is second with 31.
> 
> In the U.S., all medals are counted, so the Americans still hold a lead (102-89 after Friday’s competition) by that standard. The U.S. is trying to retain the total medal supremacy (by its count) it’s held since boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The U.S. has won the most golds since 1996.
> 
> In China, the accounting differences don’t matter. By the Chinese’s standard, this is over. And that’s the only standard. They talk about China’s victory all day on state-run television. Stories are all over the nation’s government-controlled major newspapers.
> 
> “China’s Gold Boom!” screamed one show on CCTV.
> 
> The difficult thing for the Americans to stomach is the situation is unlikely to change in future Games. This isn’t a one-time surge by a host nation. This isn’t even a run of great success.
> 
> China’s system of athletics places value on the medal count above all – as opposed to professional success or athlete choice. Whether the U.S. holds on this time or not, eventually China’s system, coupled with its 1.3 billion people, should be unstoppable.
> 
> The U.S. can’t and, despite USOC claims, probably won’t want to compete in the same manner.
> 
> “China has been systematically targeting every single available medal, and we’re going to have to do that in the future,” the USOC’s Peter Ueberroth said. “It’s going to be very difficult (to dislodge China). The resources that they put toward their Olympic team and the population base and the dedication is fantastic.”
> 
> The proof of America’s challenge was in successful American athletes all over Beijing the last two days.
> 
> There was Hope Solo as she climbed a gold medal stand for women’s soccer, Tayshaun Prince as he grabbed a rebound in a men’s basketball semifinal victory over Argentina, and Jennie Finch as she teared up at winning just silver in what is expected to be the last softball competition. All are world-class athletes and all helped deliver a medal. If the goal is the medal count, though, none of the three may have maximized their ability.
> 
> If they had competed in individual sports where they could’ve racked up multiple medals, rather than be part of a team that won just one, those three could have been more valuable by medal count standards.
> 
> In China, they wouldn’t have had a choice. A sports star, like the property a house is built on, is owned by the government. The pursuit of sport is for national pride. The motivation is societal, as opposed to capitalistic in the United States.
> 
> *China selects athletes at young ages and pushes them into sports in which their expected body types might thrive. In the U.S., an athlete is allowed to follow his own path to success or failure.*
> 
> The results are dramatic. In an effort to bolster its Olympic standing – the total medal count – China embarked on a program in which it placed particular emphasis in competitions that awarded many medals and where world competition wasn’t particularly robust. As recently as 1988, China won just five golds.
> 
> In these Games, it has been powered by eight golds in weightlifting, seven in diving and five in shooting. While the Chinese have won their share of heavily contested competitions, such as women’s gymnastics, the focus on more obscure sports has paid dividends.
> 
> China doesn’t apologize for it. Nor should it. It has its goal and the perfect plan to attain it.
> 
> In the U.S., the athlete’s goal is most often himself. The two sports that siphon off the most male athletes are football and basketball. Combined, they yield just a single medal.
> 
> Would Jake Long be a great hammer thrower and thus valuable to the USOC? Considering his powerful 6-foot-7, 315-pound frame, long arms and quick feet, it stands to reason yes. Long, though, was the first overall pick of the NFL draft and signed a contract worth $57 million to block for the Miami Dolphins.
> 
> No one in their right mind in the States would expect him to do anything else.
> 
> In men’s basketball, where the U.S. is favored to win gold, imagine the value the players would have if they broke off into individual pursuits. LeBron James as a heavyweight boxer? Prince and his 6-8 height and 7-2 wing span as a swimmer? Michael Redd as a dead-eye shooter (rifle, not jump)?
> 
> If they were Chinese, they might produce many medals rather than a combined one.
> 
> While some Chinese athletes make considerable money in endorsements and performance contracts – hurdler Liu Xiang’s likeness is everywhere here – the lack of professional sports opportunities create a mindset foreign to America and conducive to Olympic glory.
> 
> Then there are Solo and Finch, two high-profile female athletes. The U.S. is particularly strong in women’s sports, although much of it is in team competition. Just on Thursday here, American teams in beach volleyball and soccer all won gold. Softball won silver, and basketball and indoor volleyball each advanced to gold-medal games.
> 
> That’s an enormous amount of gifted athletes producing just five potential medals. And softball is slated for elimination from play after these Olympics.
> 
> Team sports, thanks to Title IX legislation from the early 1970s, have been a powerful and positive force in the lives of American girls, whether they reach this level or not. It’s a system that remains the right one for the United States and through the years has produced 2,200 total medals (over 900 of them gold), more than twice any other nation.
> 
> China is coming, though. America will have to accept that what’s best for it may not be best for nationalistic headlines or prideful medal counts.
> 
> Soon enough, the Chinese winning the medal count won’t be a question of accounting or even such big news.


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## MJB23

Oh noes China is going win a medal count that really doesn't matter for anything. Great they can win medals; how about they take all of that time, money, and effort and work on their human rights violations or try to cut down on the pollution and carbon dioxide they excrete into the air (China is on of the top polluting countries in the world). I like the Olympics just as much as the next guy but it's kind of getting out of hand. Medals and the medal count don't matter for anything. It doesn't mean your country is superior or better. There are way better things they could be doing to better mankind as a whole.


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## plazzman

God damn, these female Russian athletes are so damn sexy!


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## Judoka

plazzman said:


> God damn, these female Russian athletes are so damn sexy!


I agree, stripping should be be an Olympic sport...Womens division only.


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## Walker

*Argentina- :happy04:*

*:winner01: Gold Medalists in Mens Soccer! :happy03:*​


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## Cartheron

plazzman said:


> God damn, these female Russian athletes are so damn sexy!


Russian and Romanian women ftw.


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## Cochise

Those Crazy Cubans! When will they ever learn?


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## MJB23

> Court: Wrestler who dropped medal was right
> 
> 9 hours, 42 minutes ago
> 
> *
> Buzz Up
> *
> Print
> 
> BEIJING (AP)—It turns out that the Greco-Roman wrestler who was stripped of his bronze medal for dropping it in disgust on the mat had reason for being angry, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
> 
> Ara Abrahamian of Sweden complained to CAS that a penalty in the second round of his 84-kilogram bout on Aug. 14 against Italian Andrea Minguzzi wasn’t assessed until after the round ended. Once factored in, Abrahamian automatically lost the match. Minguzzi went on to win the gold medal.
> 
> Abrahamian’s coach was then denied a request for a video review, then the wrestling federation—the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, or FILA—refused to consider a protest.
> 
> The 28-year-old Abrahamian had to be restrained from going after matside officials following his loss to Minguzzi. He stormed away from the area where interviews are conducted and slammed a door to the dressing rooms.
> 
> After he was given his bronze during the medals ceremony, Abrahamian walked off the podium, went over to mat and dropped it in disgust and walked away. On Aug. 15, the International Olympic Committee disqualified Abrahamian and stripped his medal for violating the spirit of fair play during the medal ceremony.
> 
> The Armenian-born Abrahamian—who also lost a 2004 Olympic semifinal match on a disputed call—initially wanted judges in the bout tossed out and his medal restored. But in the end, he only wanted CAS to verify that the lack of an immediate appeals process is a loophole that needs to be fixed. It also was referred to as a violation of “the Olympic Charter and FILA’s own rules about fair play.”
> 
> Judges said Abrahamian was right.
> 
> “We limit ourselves to ruling that FILA must, consistently with the (Olympic) Charter and general principles of fairness, establish for the future a jury of appeal to determine the validity or otherwise of complaints of the kind ventilated by (Abrahamian),” the judges wrote.
> 
> Elsewhere in the 20-page ruling, judges noted several times that FILA did not appear at a hearing.


http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-oly-wre--abrahamian-cas&prov=ap&type=lgns


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## XitUp

mjbish23 said:


> Great they can win medals; how about they take all of that time, money, and effort and work on their human rights violations or try to cut down on the pollution and carbon dioxide they excrete into the air (China is on of the top polluting countries in the world). I like the Olympics just as much as the next guy but it's kind of getting out of hand. Medals and the medal count don't matter for anything. It doesn't mean your country is superior or better. There are way better things they could be doing to better mankind as a whole.


Was this meant to be ironic? You do know that the USA makes way more CO2 emissions per head of population than anyone else right? And I won't bring up the human rights thing.

Please don't try to turn this topic into a political debate.


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## TheNegation

XitUp said:


> Please don't try to turn this topic into a political debate.


i resisted the urge to point out the irony in his post for taht very reason.


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## Walker

I didn't watch much of the closing ceremony but I was very glad I tuned in for that drum display- that was awesome. :thumb02:​


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## plazzman

I'm sad that it's over


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## BloodJunkie

Me too! I really enjoy the Olympics. 2 more years now before the winter games.

By the way, China was very impressive these games. Totally kicked our asses. I stand corrected on what I said at the beginning of the games. I anticipated us not sucking fat one in the Track & Field events.


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## TheNegation

I'm sorry we didn't get a gold. Our boxing lads did good though, gotta hand it to them.

I wish I'd watched more of the Judo.


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## BloodJunkie

TheNegation said:


> I'm sorry we didn't get a gold. Our boxing lads did good though, gotta hand it to them.
> 
> I wish I'd watched more of the Judo.


Kind of a rough Olympics for you guys. Hopefully the winters in 2 years will be better.


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## TheNegation

Ah we knew where we stood going in, the only dissapointment was the rowing. Two of those kids we sent were 19 though and did great, and both were called JohnJoe roll on 2012. Guarantee one of them will get a Gold.


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## Cartheron

plazzman said:


> I'm sad that it's over


Same here. I enjoyed everything I watched, even things I didn't like before. It was an honour to watch everyone compete. Soooooooo getting tickets for whatever I can for London 2012, got about £2,500 saved already. :thumb02: 

And damn, best games for GBR in 100 years. :0


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## BloodJunkie

Cartheron said:


> Same here. I enjoyed everything I watched, even things I didn't like before. It was an honour to watch everyone compete. Soooooooo getting tickets for whatever I can for London 2012, got about £2,500 saved already. :thumb02:
> 
> And damn, best games for GBR in 100 years. :0


Yep, you guys did real well this games. Congrats!


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## Cartheron

The BBC's commentators were going crazy. It made that much better. Normally they are pretty much unbiased, but they let it hang out a bit. Check it here at about 20 secs onwards. :laugh: "GREAT BRITAIN HAVE WON A GOLD IN THE SWIMMING POOL!" :laugh:

Actually here's the BBC's review of the Beijing Olympics, it's a nice watch. Y'know, just to show you what you guys with crud coverage missed. ;p 

BBC Beijing Olympics Review

Dunno if all countries can watch it, it's quiet long though 30 mins. Definitely worth the time to watch. :thumbsup:


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## Judoka

It was a good games.

As usually the USA performed well, China came out flying. Great Britain did well and Australia did about average but exceptionally well considering our population. 

Kenya and Ethiopia yet again dominated the long distance and Jamaica was the most dominant in short distance. Bolt is incredible, IMHO Bolt is better then Phelps, he just didn't compete in as many events.


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## XitUp

Judoka said:


> Great Britain did well and Australia did about average but exceptionally well considering our population.


There were tables in the Independent at the weekend showing medals/population. I think Jamaica did the best on that count.


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## Hett

I can't wait for 2012, I'm really going to try and make the trip across the pond. I've always wanted to visit London. But if Chicago gets the Olympics for 2016, I probably won't go and wait for them to come here and visit London some other time when it's not so crowded.


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## swpthleg

I would love to go back to London, my husband and kids have never been and I haven't been since I was 16.

personally I hope China has hosted their last Olympics.


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## TheNegation

swpthleg said:


> personally I hope China has hosted their last Olympics.


Why, the judging?


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## swpthleg

A number of reasons which have already been discussed in this thread.


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## XitUp

TheNegation said:


> Why, the judging?


She just hates them. She's a secret racist


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## swpthleg

Please refer to my prior post. I'm not racist.


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## XitUp

I know love, it was a joke. Hence the


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## TheNegation

swpthleg said:


> Please refer to my prior post. I'm not racist.


Denial. Shes a racist.


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## Hett

An update

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/gymnastics/news/story?id=3606837

*Inquiry into Chinese gymnasts' ages broadens to include 2000 Games*



> China's gold medal gymnasts aren't the only ones whose ages are getting a closer look.
> 
> The investigation into the eligibility of the Chinese women's team in Beijing has been expanded to include members of the 2000 squad, which won the bronze medal in Sydney, The Associated Press has learned.
> 
> International gymnastics officials are examining whether Yang Yun and Dong Fangxiao, in particular, were old enough to compete.
> 
> "If we had a look at all the articles that came before, during and after the games, there were always rumors about the ages of China's athletes in Sydney," Andre Gueisbuhler, secretary general of the International Gymnastics Federation, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
> 
> "We did not have another choice," he said. "If we want to remain credible, then we have to look into things."
> 
> No other Chinese teams are being investigated, Gueisbuhler said.
> 
> "At this moment in time, we just have concerns about 2000 and 2008," he said.
> 
> The investigation is ongoing, a month after the Beijing Games ended, and there is no timetable for when it will be finished.
> 
> "It's a work in progress," said Emmanuelle Moreau, spokeswoman for the International Olympic Committee. "Until the work has been completed, there is nothing we can say."
> 
> Yang's age has long been an issue for debate.
> 
> In a June 2007 interview that aired on state broadcaster China Central Television, Yang said she was 14 at the Sydney Games.
> 
> Gymnastics rules require athletes to be 16 during an Olympic year in order to compete.
> 
> "At the time I was only 14," she said in the interview, done in Chinese. "I thought that if I failed this time, I'll do it again next time. There's still hope."
> 
> That interview, which has been widely reported, contradicts her official birthdate, which is listed as Dec. 2, 1984 and made her eligible for Sydney.
> 
> Dong's birthdate is listed as Jan. 20, 1983, making her 17 at the time of the Sydney Games. Her blog, however, includes a reference to being born in 1985.
> 
> Yang is now engaged to Olympic all-around champion Yang Wei. Dong was a national technical official at the Beijing Olympics, serving as the secretary on vault. She was not part of any judging panel.
> 
> Kui Yuanyuan, Ling Jie, Liu Xuan and Huang Mandan were the other members of China's 2000 squad.
> 
> Age falsification has been a problem in gymnastics since the 1980s, after the minimum age was raised from 14 to 15 in an effort to protect young athletes, whose bodies are still developing, from serious injuries. Younger gymnasts are also thought to have an advantage because they are more flexible and are likely to have an easier time doing the tough skills the sport requires. They also aren't as likely to have a fear of failure.
> 
> The minimum age was raised to its current 16 in 1997.
> 
> There were questions about the ages of China's Beijing squad months before the games, with media reports and online records suggesting several of the gymnasts on the six-woman squad might be as young as 14.
> 
> In August, The Associated Press found registration lists previously posted on the Web site of the General Administration of Sport of China that showed He Kexin and Yang Yilin were too young to compete. A Nov. 3 story by the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, suggested He was only 14.
> 
> But Chinese officials insisted -- repeatedly and heatedly -- that all of its gymnasts were old enough, and they had not cheated their way to their first Olympic team gold. The FIG and IOC hoped the matter had been put to rest before the games, when the IOC said it had checked all of the girls' passports and found them to be valid.
> 
> The controversy never went away, though, and the IOC announced three days before the games ended that it had asked the FIG to investigate one more time.
> 
> China turned over birth certificates, passports, ID cards and family residence permits for He, Yang, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin and Li Shanshan.
> 
> "The international federation has required the delivery of birth certificates and all the documents like family books, entries in schools and things like that," IOC president Jacques Rogge said on the final day of the games. "They have received the documents, and at first sight it seems to be OK."
> 
> If evidence of cheating is found, it could affect as many as four of the six medals the Chinese women won in Beijing. In addition to the team gold, He won gold on uneven bars and Yang got bronze medals on bars and in the all-around.
> 
> "We are waiting to hear the outcome of the IOC investigation just like everyone else," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics.


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