Oops, never mind. I guess I'll take my picture and climb back under my rock.
I'm soooo embarassed...
Posted on 08/30/2004 1:08:52 PM PDT by MikeJ75
Why are so many people up in arms about the questionable judging at the Olympics?
OK, an American won a gold medal because the "experts" judging the event didn't give the right score to a South Korean.
Are you surprised? I'm not.
It's typical. Blame the American. Make men's all-around champion Paul Hamm give back his medal.
Don't blame the judges, blame the American. That's what the International Gymnastics Federation wants to have happen.
These aren't your Jim McKay-hosted Olympics anymore. The feel-good times of the Games are gone.
From the top of the International Olympic Committee on down to the athletes and judges, it's all about commercial greed. All we need is that Leon character from the Budweiser commercials to show up and win a medal.
Bribes and gifts for IOC members are almost a requirement by countries looking to host an Olympiad.
Cheating and doping allegations of athletes seem to be more of a focus than ever.
You'd think the judging for events would have gotten better, not worse than the figure skating fiasco in Salt Lake City in 2002.
The Olympic Spirit is a joke when the IOC refuses to award two gold medals.
South Korean Yang Tae-Young was robbed of the gold because of poor judging. Hamm is being used as a scapegoat to deflect attention away from the ineptitude of those running the Games.
Hamm has done nothing wrong and should keep his gold medal.
The 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles turned the Olympics into a money-making competition and the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona gave pro athletes the avenue to go for the gold and endorsements.
The 2004 Games' return to Athens just showed me there isn't much integrity left either.
hows about letting them all abide by the decisions of the judges, which ARE final (if I get this right)?
isn't accepting the official's judgement part of the game?
Had the South Korean been judged properly he wouldn't have even gotten the bronze.
Case closed.
They should add "Blame the American" as a sport at the next Olympics.
How many Americans can you blame in a 60 second period? The one with the most eloquent rant wins. Factual content not required.
I find it appalling for you to imply that Paul Hamm is not a winner.
I agree with this. After all, the Olympics set the precedent when they made the Soviets give back their fraudulent Basketball medals in '72.....right???????
</sarcasm*>
Michael Moore would be a shoo-in for the gold.
Don't blame the judges, blame the American.
I blame the judges. They are inept. Paul Hamm should give back the Gold Medal that he did not earn.
The world interprets our "sensitivity" as weakness. They know that when you rule, you MUST exercise the power you have....or it erodes.
Think about this....Are they dissing us because we look like wimps?
Did he do the right thing? He won the Olympic Gold and did so fair and square. The judges made a mistake in the start value for the Korean, but they also failed to take a deduction which would have put him out of medal contention. Hamm has done nothing but the right thing. He has been a respectful and polite champion despite all of the controversy and despite the world attacking him.
If I were him I would give up the medal - NOT because he doesn't desrve it - I would give the medal back simply for the pleasure of telling everyone to Kiss my A$$
If this is true, then Hamm is the real winner.
In judged competitions judging mishaps are as much a part of the game as odd bounces in the NFL. Complaining the gold should be given to the Korean because the judges messed up is like complaining the Lombardi should be given to Buffalo because "wide right" was an abnormal bounce. It's all part of the game, the winner is the winner; and Hamm is the winner as the result of routine selection, execution of his routines, and the oddball bounces of whatever it is between the judges' ears.
Oops, never mind. I guess I'll take my picture and climb back under my rock.
I'm soooo embarassed...
I thought the new Olympic pastime was calling the U.S. basketball team a group of thugs.
Now the Olympics are like our our elections. The competition is just round one, with round two going to the lawyers and journalists.
BTW, the NBC gymnastics commentator reviewed the videotape and found the judges also made a .2 error in the Korean's favor, which if corrected would have dumped him out of the medals even if the other error had been fixed.
No matter how you cut it, Hamm should keep his medal and people should get off his back.
I sensed the games might have some problems when the delegation for "Palestine", a terrorist non-country whose current leadership perpetrated the massacre of Israeli Olympians, proudly entered the stadium to the cheers of the mob.
Wrong. They didn't like the final results as far as who won what medal so they devised a false objective excuse. They needed an objective excuse ( wrong scoring scheme ) rather than "We don't like those judges' opinions so give the medal back". The subjective excuse doesn't lead to people browbeating the guy into giving his legitimately won medal back.
There is a Florida election 2000 element involved in all this that I haven't yet put all together. I do remember certain supposed conservatives back then saying things like it would be a wonderful gesture that ultimately helps Republicans if we let Gore steal the presidency.
Paul Hamm has proven his meddle (pun intended) by the dignity with which he has born this outrage.
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