Everyone’s getting screwed at the Olympics
It seems like everybody is getting screwed at the Olympics this year, and I’m not talking in the way Hope Solo so boastfully confessed.
While the games always seem to be surrounded by controversy, this year has been story after story of athletes getting cheated out of a medal, or at least a shot at one. Yes, this means an equal number of people are lucking their way into spots they have no business being in, but I think the sting of wrongful defeat makes for a much more compelling read than the sullied glory of those moving on.
Wieber’s all-around woes
USA gymnast Jordyn Wieber is quickly learning the double-edged sword that comes with being on the American gymnastics team. While she gets to compete as one of the now famous Fab Five team, it also has cost her a ticket to the individual all-around final. Despite having the fourth highest score in preliminaries, only bested by one non-teammate, namely Russia’s Victoria Komova, Wieber will not be advancing to the finals because of a rule that states that only two athletes from each country can qualify. Americans Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas edged out Wieber in the preliminaries of gymnastics most coveted title, so now Wieber will be forced to watch the entire field she beat compete in her place.
Time not on Shin’s side
South Korean fencer Shin A Lam was totally screwed out of a chance at capturing gold when a clock malfunction gave German Britta Heidemann the extra seconds she needed to score a touch and win the match. There was a 20-minute delay before the decision was made to award the match to Heidemann. Shin, broken-hearted and crying, refused to leave the piste because it would signal her acceptance of the decision. Her coach filed for an appeal that was denied and Shin was forced to compete in the midst of her breakdown. Needless to say, she missed medaling.
Cochrane gets bumped
Canadian swimmer Ryan Cochrane won his heat in the 400-meter freestyle with the belief that it landed him a spot in the finals later that night. Five hours later he was informed that he wouldn’t be racing and instead would be settling for a 9th place finish because South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan—the defending gold medalist and world-record holder—had won his appeal of his disqualification for flinching on the start blocks earlier in the day.
Fool’s gold
Every winner of a gold medal will learn that they have been essentially screwed over when they bite into their medal and the gold coating chips off to reveal what their medal really is—silver. Yes, the so-called gold medals are only 7.5 percent gold, the rest is just a filler of the first loser’s medal. At least they can take comfort in knowing they aren’t sporting the bronze, which is made of melted pennies and broken dreams.
I beg to differ with your view of the decision against Shin: When the clock went on despite the bout being stopped, the referee correctly had it reset, without any protest at the time. The clocks only register whole seconds, and for a good reason: you cannot execute any proper action in 0,05 secs. Futher, I fail to see the advantage for Heidemann: in the additional plays that the referee granted, Shin could *just as well* have scored the decisive hit. However as I recall the bout, she instead rested on her advantage, while it was Heidemann who chose to actually fence and went on to score.
Finally, what do we suggest the referee should have done? Declare the bout over with 0:01 still on the clock and pronounce Shin the winner, to proceed into the olympic final, because luck of the draw had given her priority? Would have been “fairer” and “conforming”? Would it then have been Heidemann who’d have made your list?
If you read the words I so carefully chose, it was the clock malfunction that I attributed to her loss of medal, not the decision. If one cannot execute a proper action in .05 seconds as you suggest, then how could Heidemann have won? My point is that the the ref couldn’t have called it a match with 1 second left because there WASN’T 1 second left. Had the clock not malfunctioned (it’s the Olympics and you’d hope it wouldn’t come down to some bush league thing like that) the match very well would have had a different victor.
And per your question as to whether Heidemann would have made my list given different circumstances such as you provided– probably. If you notice I added the Canadian swimmer who was bumped out of the finals because of an appeal that went through. Had the appeal not gone through, would the South Korean have made the list? Probably.
These are just some of the stories that highlight the controversy in games that actually have to do with sport. From IOC rules to the appeals that are denied to the appeals that go through, someone is getting screwed on either end. But as I mentioned in the beginning, isn’t it more compelling to hear about the crushed dreams?
Oh…..we’re calling this the “Screw Canada Games” here….ever hear of a British or American horse being disqualified from competing with the equivalent to a paper cut on it’s leg? Or, that awful decision by the referee in the Canada USA women’s soccer game? Or how about the 4th place finish of our duets synchro team after a near flawless routine with more difficulty than China’s or Spains (who both had errors in synchronicity today). I’m friggin’ sick of watching these games and won’t be watching another summer Olympic as long as I live….especially if they disqualify Christine Sinclair from playing the bronze medal match for speaking out!
These games for a lot of us are nothing but a joke….
Leave your response!
The Sports Betting Social Network
Podcast Powered By Podbean
Google Translate
Poll Question
Categories
Twitter
Friends of BetHubb Sports Blog
Archived Stories
Most Commented
Recent Comments