2012 Olympics

[Iminicus]

4 Women's Badminton Teams Disqualified

 

 

Four badminton teams were kicked out of the women's doubles Wednesday for trying to lose on purpose, conduct that a top IOC executive said strikes at the heart of Olympic competition.

 

The eight doubles players from China, South Korea, and Indonesia were cited by the Badminton World Federation for "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport."

 

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/164689...l#ixzz22N3KHqXh

Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

 

What does everyone think of this?

[BondTrader]

E: Wasn't watching it when I first made this post, but I looked and there's some on now, and the finals later. Here's the times for it. Bare in mind there's a number of types (Epee, Sabre, and Foil) and I have no idea what makes them different. I've only watched Epee so far and seem to have a grasp of it, but apparently it's the most straightforward.

 

It's Women's Sabre semi finals atm, I have no idea what's happening.

E2: Holy sh*t Sabre is so much more fun than Epee.

After all your hype about this I decided to give it a watch. Wasn't able to watch Sabre but watched foil and it's actually really cool but foil is kind of irritating because they need to "strike" (I really can't think of the right term to describe it) each other between the chest and neck while on an attacking form so if you score a point while on defense it will not be counted. Watched the GB vs. Poland team foil and it was cool. The women from both countries were actually very good looking. Too bad the masks covered them. I was disappointed with GB though since they were dominated and I always had this picture that they were always better in fencing.

 

----------

Now for my Olympic moment of the day (so far)

 

Some Hungarian woman, Abigal Joo competing in Judo suffered an ankle injury during a quarter-final against the American Kayla Harrison. Although the injury was pretty bad the Hungarian decided to go and fight for the remaining two minutes even though she was limping while the American tore her apart heartlessly going for her injured ankle until the end of the fight.

So, Joo went into the repechage and decided to fight this Polish, Daria Pogorzilec. The Polish girl was very sensitive to the injury and fought against the Hungarian however not going for her weak ankle and allowing Joo to compete fairly. Personally, I admire what Pogorzilec did for the Hungarian but she gave the Hungarian too much freedom to fight and in the last minute Joo executed an Ipoon (when you flip the other person over your shoulder) which ends the fight automatically (kind of like a KO). The Polish chick must have felt pretty bad since she was too easy on the opponent and ended up losing. Still, the fact she allowed the other to compete makes me have some faith in humanity.

[OchyGTA]

Nice to see team GB win another two gold in shooting and canoe slalom today. Hoepfully we can add another from women's judo now.

[Robinski]

Been out most of the day so I haven't had a chance to catch any of the Team Foil Fencing. From what I've gathered though it's the most complicated discipline, as fgcarva suggests. The Sabre last night was great though; really fast paced and exciting. I didn't see a match go past the second round because someone always got to 15 points dead quick.

 

Gonna be glued to the telly tomorrow following the athletics, especially the women's heptathlon. I'm actually going to a mate's before we go out on the night but they will be watching because I will make them. I really hope Jess Ennis does well in it because she's had this enormous pressure piled on her. Not only is she great at her sport but she's pretty fit as well, a combination that's pretty much made her the poster girl for Team GB. It's a bit unfair to have that much pressure and limelight on you, so I hope she can really deliver.

 

 

In other news, Team GB overtook Naughty Korea in the medal standings today and are now 5th.

 

E: This just in, hockey is awesome too.

Edited August 2, 2012 by Robinski

[El Dildo]

 

The eight doubles players from China, South Korea, and Indonesia were cited by the Badminton World Federation for "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport."

 

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/164689...l#ixzz22N3KHqXh

Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

 

What does everyone think of this?

technically those players were using strategy.

you could try and blame the format because the brackets were setup in a way that encouraged certain teams to "force" certain matchups even if it meant losing.

 

unfortunately this doesn't make it right and I would still blame the players first.

it's just very poor sportsmanship. and it also violates the rules of the Olympics.

 

no matter what the rules are in your individual sport, the overarching rules of the Olympic games (which you agree to before agreeing to the rules of your sport) say that every competitor MUST compete with 100% of their effort. basically it says that you HAVE to play to win; intentionally throwing games - for whatever reason - violates the spirit of competition itself and is strictly frowned upon.

 

so ultimately it was the right decision to disqualify them.

and I agree. shame on them for coming to the Olympics and then not even trying. they were being broadcast LIVE in front of a LIVE audience who PAID MONEY to go there and watch them play. there's no good excuse for how they acted.

[BondTrader]

I'm actually really excited for the 50m finals tomorrow. It's just a short competition so the athletes go all out for the 21 seconds from start to finish. Feels like I am watching the Kentucky Derby. You get a rush, especially when you're rooting for someone.

 

Anyone see the oldest athlete in the 2012 Olympics? Hiroshi Hoketsu, a 71-year old Japanese equestrian. I saw one of his independent dressage presentations and found it to be quite exciting. Seeing a 71-year old compete with the "young'ns" is somewhat inspiring.

[El Dildo]

lol... sorry but it's not "inspiring."

it's pretty dumb.

 

you know why he gets to be the oldest Olympian ever? because he's not doing anything.

dressage is by far the WORST "sport" (it's not really a sport) to EVER be added to the Olympics. it literally makes no sense.

the Olympics is for human competition. this is just a horse dancing around. the human does nothing but sit there and make small adjustments on the reins in order to get the horse moving a certain way.

 

this is not sport.

this might be some kind of competition, but it's not an athletic sport and it's not a human doing the work.

 

could a 71 year old actually compete in a real sport alongside real athletes?

of course not.

 

dressage is a joke

[BondTrader]

lol... sorry but it's not "inspiring."

it's pretty dumb.

 

you know why he gets to be the oldest Olympian ever? because he's not doing anything.

dressage is by far the WORST "sport" (it's not really a sport) to EVER be added to the Olympics. it literally makes no sense.

the Olympics is for human competition. this is just a horse dancing around. the human does nothing but sit there and make small adjustments on the reins in order to get the horse moving a certain way.

 

this is not sport.

this might be some kind of competition, but it's not an athletic sport and it's not a human doing the work.

 

could a 71 year old actually compete in a real sport alongside real athletes?

of course not.

 

dressage is a joke

Of course it's not a real "sport", neither is the floor section in gymnastics but I'm not questioning that. However being a 71year old "athlete" is still impressive because this man trains the same routine every day and dedicates himself. It's like having a 71 year old ballet dancer keep pace with dancers in their 20s.

 

Your reply was unnecessary and uncalled for. I did not intend to question the definition of an "athlete" or a "sport" but to praise a man who dedicates himself to being a professional at a "sport" instead of staying at home watching the games on TV.

[El Dildo]

 

neither is the floor section in gymnastics but I'm not questioning that.

no actually that IS a sport.

it requires great human athleticism, focus, and bodily control.

 

it fits every definition for Olympic competition.

 

 

It's like having a 71 year old ballet dancer keep pace with dancers in their 20s.

LOL!

no it's not.

 

ballet dancing still requires more athleticism and grace than a dressage rider will ever achieve.

a 71 year old ballet dancer could NEVER even begin to hold their ground against a dancer in their 20's.

 

a dressage rider is nothing like a ballet dancer.

which is EXACTLY why this guy who's 71 years old is allowed to compete. because he's not really doing anything. there's very little - if any - physical exertion on the part of the rider. that's why it's possible to have someone so old "competing". even though the horse does all the work.

 

maybe the horse should get the medal and not the rider...

 

 

Your reply was unnecessary and uncalled for.

this is a forum... for having discussions.

my reply was 100% legitimate. as is this reply

[BondTrader]

So you don't think horseback riding is a sport as well? Because apparently the horse does all the work, neither is racing horses? Because apparently the horse is the one that runs. Ok, then. I won't spend my time discussing with someone who uses "LOL" in their replies and does not capitalize the first letters of a sentence. Here's the final verdict; he's in the Olympics competing in something the IOC calls a sport, you are not.

 

[El Dildo]

 

So you don't think horseback riding is a sport as well? Because apparently the horse does all the work, neither is racing horses? Because apparently the horse is the one that runs.

yes, exactly.

those are also just competitions, they're not really sports.

at the very least they're not human sports. they're human-assisted, but the horse is the one performing. the human does less than half the work of the animal.

 

 

Ok, then. I won't spend my time discussing with someone who uses "LOL" in their replies and does not capitalize the first letters of a sentence.

1.) using "LOL" does not change the point of my argument. why would that bother you?

 

2.) my grammar, spelling, and command of the English language are near perfect. the only reason I don't capitalize every first letter is because I can type faster that way. this is just a forum, it's informal, and I can type however I want. once again it doesn't change the point of my argument. why does it bother you?

 

you're being immature.

 

 

Here's the final verdict; he's in the Olympics competing in something the IOC calls a sport, you are not.

that's not a verdict.

 

just because I'm not in the Olympics doesn't mean I can't have an opinion on the subject.

you're not in the Olympics either. I guess that means anything you say is also irrelevant. right?

 

the IOC is not the authority on sport.

they're the authority on the Olympic games which (while still enjoyable) have really become a mess of corporate profit and TV ratings.

 

the IOC added equestrian events for the same reason that it added badminton, beach volleyball, and target shooting; the more events you have the more people will watch and the more money you make. it doesn't mean that those things are sports, especially not in the spirit of the original Olympics.

[Vercetti27]

I agree with Diablo, it ain't a sport, it's quite literally pathetic to include it. could you imagine that in the original olympics?

[AlexGTAGamer]

Did anyone else see the story of Guy Adams, a journalist who works for The Independent who had his Twitter account suspended after he criticized NBC's coverage of the London Olympics?

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/am...ms-7987906.html

 

And on the case of Twitter, what about the news of the person who accused Tom Daley of letting down his father, who died of cancer last year?

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jul/31/l...y-twitter-troll

 

Said person has been arrested now.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/...suspect-17.html

[Doc Rikowski]

Don't get me started on the sports that shouldn't be in the Olympics... I have a long list!

 

- All Equestrian ones: the horse is the athlete... At least introduce back Polo!

 

- All sports where the winner is decided by a jury vote and a dubious system of points: diving, gymnastics, synchronized swimming.

Why? Cause the winners are decided subjectively and usually all decisions are a little biased.

I get the athletic part of these sports but they should not grant a medal. Just a diploma or something similar. Basically demonstrative sports.

 

- Archery and Shooting: skill based games, not sports.

 

- Table Tennis: it's a game, not a sport. If Table Tennis is an Olympic sport then also Table Football should be included... And billiard/snooker.

 

- Badminton: simply ridiculous that Badminton is an Olympic Sport and Squash not. Who plays Badminton ffs?!

 

- Sailing: the boat is the athlete.

 

And then some real sports are not in the Olympics: Baseball (discontinued), Cricket, Karate, Rugby (will be in 2016 but still) etc

 

All of the above is my personal opinion. I know most of the people will disagree but that's just how I see it.

I can't consider them Sports at all.

[Ryan]

- Sailing: the boat is the athlete

I disagree. You can have the most expensive sail boat out there and if you don't know how to sail it, you're not going anywhere. It takes skill to know how position your sails to get the maximum out of them. It can also be physically enduring having to move around the boat, hauling in on your sail sheets and more. It's not easy at the level they're at.

[BondTrader]

 

- All Equestrian ones: the horse is the athlete... At least introduce back Polo!

 

- Sailing: the boat is the athlete.

This can be said about car racing such as F-1 since in the past few years telemetry has been proved to do 60% of the job. And like Ryan has said, saying requires a lot from someone physically, more than many other Olympic sports like Football.

 

- Table Tennis: it's a game, not a sport. If Table Tennis is an Olympic sport then also Table Football should be included... And billiard/snooker.

Agreed.

 

- All sports where the winner is decided by a jury vote and a dubious system of points: diving, gymnastics, synchronized swimming.

Why? Cause the winners are decided subjectively and usually all decisions are a little biased.

I understand this, but this includes sports like fencing and boxing which are as Olympic as you can get since they're two of the most traditional Olympic sports (maybe fencing more so).

 

- Badminton: simply ridiculous that Badminton is an Olympic Sport and Squash not. Who plays Badminton ffs?!

Don't have a problem with Badminton but you're right, squash should be an Olympic sport.

 

Also, I can take dressage, I can take floor gymnastics, hell I can take Golf which is starting in 2016 but I cannot see Baseball as an Olympic sport. I just can't.

[Baseball]

Which Olympic sport do you think requires the most physical abilities? I'd go with water polo.

[BondTrader]

Which Olympic sport do you think requires the most physical abilities? I'd go with water polo.

I'd second that. Followed by swimming in general and table tennis perhaps Basketball.

[darthYENIK]

The most physical ability? Gymnastics requires lots of all around strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. Men usually ignore it because it's pretty girly, but you have to hand it to gymnasts, they have to be able to swing around bars, pommel horses, and those ring things. And then they jump and do flips, and all sorts of crazy stuff.

 

As for equestrian events. Anyone who's ever ridden a horse, I mean seriously ridden a horse, would disagree that the horse is the only one doing the work. It's not like riding a motorcycle, where you just sit there, pull the throttle and you ride off. The same goes for shooting and archery. It's not a video game where you just move the cross-hairs and fire. Especially archery. You need to be precise with your movements, control your breathing, you have to do this over and over, and you have to hit the target.

 

P.S. THE US TIED CHINA IN GOLD MEDALS! I don't know if they count every medal in team events, but if they don't, we should be way ahead thanks to the women gymnasts, and the men and women's swim teams both winning 4x200m freestyle relays. That's 10 extra golds right there.

Edited August 3, 2012 by darthYENIK

[BondTrader]

P.S. THE US TIED CHINA IN GOLD MEDALS! I don't know if they count every medal in team events, but if they don't, we should be way ahead thanks to the women gymnasts, and the men and women's swim teams both winning 4x200m freestyle relays. That's 10 extra golds right there.

A team event medal is counted as one medal e.g. A football (soccer) Gold medal won't get you 18 Gold medals but one, for the event only.

[Icarus]

Those people who do gymnastics are crazy. I'd kill to have that kind of physical ability.

 

I was watching some of the recaps this evening from the rowing events earlier today (Canadian women's eight team took silver) and the swimming events. I saw the one girl from the United States in the semi-final round in swimming break her own world record from the previous night. Amazing.

[Robinski]

Beijing 2008- Women's 100m Hurdles- Dawn Harper - 12.54s - GOLD

London 2012- Women's Heptathlon- Jessica Ennis - 12.54s

 

She set a gold standard time in the heptathlon. Awesome.

Edited August 3, 2012 by Robinski

[Jimothybuxton]

Nice to see GB finally climbing the medal table. Fourth atm, behind South Korea (who we have more medals than anyway so we should be third). Obviously not expecting to get anywhere near China or America.

 

You Americans better finish higher than the Chinese though.

[Nah Tso Gud]

You Americans better finish higher than the Chinese though.

I think that'd be a pretty great accomplishment.

 

Anyone watching tennis?

 

I hope Andy Murray could pull off the gold medal.... that would be quite interesting.

 

He's come up just short at Wimbledon a few times now, and there hasn't been anyone from GB that has won it since ( I think ) the 1930s... so it would be very peculiar if he were to win.... at Wimbledon, for the Olympics as opposed to the Open at Wimbledon .

[Doc Rikowski]

 

- All Equestrian ones: the horse is the athlete... At least introduce back Polo!

 

- Sailing: the boat is the athlete.

This can be said about car racing such as F-1 since in the past few years telemetry has been proved to do 60% of the job. And like Ryan has said, saying requires a lot from someone physically, more than many other Olympic sports like Football.

 

- Table Tennis: it's a game, not a sport. If Table Tennis is an Olympic sport then also Table Football should be included... And billiard/snooker.

Agreed.

 

- All sports where the winner is decided by a jury vote and a dubious system of points: diving, gymnastics, synchronized swimming.

Why? Cause the winners are decided subjectively and usually all decisions are a little biased.

I understand this, but this includes sports like fencing and boxing which are as Olympic as you can get since they're two of the most traditional Olympic sports (maybe fencing more so).

 

- Badminton: simply ridiculous that Badminton is an Olympic Sport and Squash not. Who plays Badminton ffs?!

Don't have a problem with Badminton but you're right, squash should be an Olympic sport.

 

Also, I can take dressage, I can take floor gymnastics, hell I can take Golf which is starting in 2016 but I cannot see Baseball as an Olympic sport. I just can't.

In fact I do not consider F1 as a sport. Same for other "motorsports".

It's just competitive racing.

But I'll give you that sailing needs a bit of skill and physical effort. But it's still racing imo. Not a sport.

 

In fencing and boxing you still have to hit your opponent.

The hits can be counted as points especially in fencing.

There is some judging but overall you can smash your opponent to the ground in boxing and you can win by hits in fencing.

In diving and gymnastic I see everyone doing the same. Some slightly better than the rest. Some make mistakes.

Some do it perfect but they get less points cause they are not considered among the big ones.

It's pretty ridiculous.

[4 Bagger]

Nice to see GB finally climbing the medal table. Fourth atm, behind South Korea (who we have more medals than anyway so we should be third). Obviously not expecting to get anywhere near China or America.

 

You Americans better finish higher than the Chinese though.

Yeah it's good to see a few medals belonging to GB now. I was doubtful at the beginning but it's good to see them with a few.

 

I hope USA finish above China too.

[Gtaghost22]

 

poor guy broke his arm, his name is Sa Jae Hyouk

[Icarus]

I was reading about that earlier. Christ, that must have hurt like a bitch. I remember doing some powerlifting (not the same as weightlifting, but I can still appreciate what they do) when I was in high school, but to watch those guys clean and jerk over 500 pounds is just insane.

 

I need to watch some of the previous events. Is there somewhere online you can do that? I tried YouTube, but it's not very consistent.

[El Dildo]

 

You Americans better finish higher than the Chinese though.

I hope USA finish above China too.

but why?

it doesn't really mean anything.

 

the US and China always finish in the top 3 versus all countries because we simply have more people in more events than any other country. the odds are in our favor long before you factor in raw talent. usually the Summer Olympics end with the USA on top in total medal count, but China usually has the most gold medals.

 

so who is really the winner?

the country with the most overall or the country with the most gold?

[Ryan]

Just watched the Canada - GB soccer game and I gotta say, I'm pretty surprised we won.