An example of a bad Olympic Hero

[snow patrol]

<< It's a great sight to see all of the countries put away their differences to compete under one large arena >>

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Doomsday]

The way the Russians are trained is the reason they act like that. You have to understand that they are trained very hard, and taught to accept nothing but 1st place. To them 2nd place is just the first loser. It's the same thing as China and Japan are ilke. It's all honor.

 

[Gizmology]

Oh please. These girls are gathered together when they are like 4-5 years old, taken away from there parents so they can be completely dedicated to gymnastics. The pressure that is on them is unimaginable. I am sure they don't mean any disrespect and I didn't get any impression of that. Plus, when you look at them, they are generally not very &quot;cheery&quot; looking during competition so what do you expect.

PLUS, 2nd place = First Loser....

-Giz

 

[RaDragon]

<< they treated the silver like garbage >>



...yep, some sore losers. the USA would have happily enjoyed getting a silver or a bronze. heck, we were pretty content w/ nothing @ all!

 

[snow patrol]

Nice to see we have some reasonable and understanding folks around here

 

[Thunderbooty]

<< The USA didn't even have the balls to show up to get their silver medals that one year in hockey/bball. Thats a disgrace to the world. >>



I think the mens basketball is a different issue, if we are refferring to the USA/Russia game, they boycotted it because they were obviously wronged by the amount of time on the clock. They had the gold taken from them, these girls lost it fairly.

 

[ForeverSilky]

The USA vs. Russia game in which the USA lost was the biggest pile of horsesh*t I've ever seen.

 

[dennilfloss]

Compare that with Nicholas Gill, the Canadian who lost by ipon to the world champion from Japan in judo 100kg class. He had won a bronze in Barcelona and in Atlanta had been expected to do well but lost by ipon to Huyzenga in 5 seconds. He did not abandon the sport (unlike a defeated presidential candidate) and now he got a silver (he also got a silver at the world championships if I remember well). He was really happy with the silver and the crowd loved him duting the medal ceremony. He was happy with his performance, having been tied on points with Inoue and holding his own against a physically stronger opponent until one swift opportunity ended the match. he never sounded cocky or bitched against his opponent in his interview, he praised him.

Talk about judo ears though. Can someone say plastic surgery when he retires from comptition?

I'm A Loser (Dean Christie)

 

[403Forbidden]

fry those bitches!

 

[Gizmology]

dennifloss,

Are Judo ears like when they get all puffy and sh*t?

-Giz

 

[prontospyder]

If the Russian trainers would at least give their gymnasts a hug after each performance...instead of walking away from them in disgust...those girls would be more satisfied with what they did.

It's just not fair to blame those girls.

 

[Adul]

What really got the Russions was that they lost to the romainions, which has never happen before. Also, I was just watching one girl who was just happy to have a personal bext in poll vault. Why does this say about the russions? Their priorities are f()ck up!

 

[Yeeny]

the USA would have happily enjoyed getting a silver or a bronze. heck, we were pretty content w/ nothing @ all!

Why does the name Nancy Kerrigan come to mind when I read that?

Those girls are driven to win, and if they don't they are considered failures by their whole country. I could not imagine the shame they have heaped on them when they lose an event like that.

 

[Pennstate]

Well, their careers are over. Now it time for them to get fat. Have you guys seen the newsweek photos of '96 US gymnasts? They are all FAT!

 

[403Forbidden]

fry those bitches!

 

[snow patrol]

403Forbidden - stfu you moron.

 

[BiB]

Bah, being an athlete in some of those countries sux a$$. I saw this chinese girl and her parents gave her to what I like to refer as an olympic slave training center for gymnastics when she was like 3. What a crappy life. These people _live_ their sports. Everything else is not even worth thinking about. And yet do they dominate western society where some of our athletes have families, good jobs, etc. ? No they don't. I think they waste their life to get a shot at a piece of metal. Being an olympic athlete is great, but if it means the rest of your life is entirely on hold well then thats pretty stupid.

And ultimately, for the vast majority of people alive encouragement will get you to the top of your game, not constant threat of shame and people being disugsted at you. That threat puts you in a negative mindset and you cannot work optimally.

BiB

 

[vi edit]

I could be wrong here, but aren't the olympics for the athletes, not the people watching them? Of course, here in america we are brainwashed by Nike, McDonalds, and a slew of other companies perverting the olympics, and making the opposite.

But anyway, the athlete made their without you guys watching them throughout their career, they were the ones busting their asses up on that pole/mat/whatever, if they aren't happy then it's their problem, not yours.

It's because of the media perversion that I no longer watch the olympics

 

[snoogans]

So, uh...who won the Gold and Bronze?

 

[BigSmooth]

snoogans: Romania and China, I believe.

 

[Nick Stone]

Have you ever noticed how many of those &quot;human interest stories&quot; about the Russian Women athletes (ice skaters, gymnasts, etc.) involve orphaned children. Or parents and coaches who commited suicide.
After watching these girls, I honestly wonder if any of them have NOT considered suicide at one time or another in their brief careers. I don't think I have ever looked at &quot;suicide&quot; in this light before. Death before failure -- it almost seems.
I'm not saying that other countries/organizations (including the USA) don't put tremendous pressure on the athletes to perform but --
Now this is not an original idea, but If you eliminated these types of &quot;team sport&quot; and you were competing only for yourself (Remember -- the cold war is over) then maybe it would reduce the pressure on the girls and their coaches.
It must certainly be true that they have no other life. And after their gymnastics careers are over -- win or lose - they still have exactly NO LIFE.

 

[BiB]

I agree with Nick. As I mentioned watching this story on one of the chinese gymnists it showed her when she must have been about 3, could barely talk being bent all over the place and pushed into stretching positions and what not and being made to walk on the high bar. Frankly it made me a bit sick. Nobody at the age of 3-4 can decide properly that they want to spend their life in an OSTF (Olympic Slave Training Facility), the countries that take kids and shove them into OSTF's need to stop doing it.

 

[Ne0]

Kurt Angle. It's true! It's true!

 

[extra]

my dad works in russia....give those girls a break....like someone else said, it was most likely the way they were trained. hate to say it, but people over there are USED to being brainwashed. These are people that have been most likely taken advantage of all their lives by their government, they're used to dissapointment, to a lot of people over there choice is still a foreign concept...and now people are complaining because they wouldn't accept 2nd place? i say good for them...they're probably fed up with the sh*t that's been fed to them all their lives...

 

[403Forbidden]

Snow Patrol - you just want to get with those girls...

fry those um...girls!