Why the bitterness/bad sportsmanship about the Olympics?

Question

People are claiming that Chinese judge's are partial and thus Chinese athletes get higher points in events like Gymnastics. However please get your facts straight, the judges is an international panel of judges from different countries. Thus, your argument that Chinese judges give more points to Chinese athletes doesn't work. In addition, by saying that Chinese judges are partial, you are basically insulting their integrity. Don't blame the scoring when a team loses and please be a good sport.

Sure, complain about the age thing all you want but the bottom line is, China is owning the other countries in Gold Count with or without the gymnastic medals, so stop the complaining, please, it not only make you look bad but America as well.

If you want to talk fair, I can go on for all day about how there's 30something medals given out in the swimming category where each type of swim has 100m, 200m, 400m etc. and how that is not fair because America sweeps them all. I can go on all day on how there should be more diving events (which will get owned by the Chinese) but I'm not going to because it's stupid.

So please please stop the bitterness / bad sportsmanship and if you want to complain, at the very least, get your facts straight.

Answer 1

I have spent three days on here arguing the same points and I could not agree more!

I am sure that patriotism and parochialism go too far on occasion, for Judges, athletes and even we fans but when all is said and done, I am sure that, in the main, everyone tries their best.

Any system, sporting or otherwise, in which human judgement is required, will entail by default HUMAN errors shall be made.

Many of the judging systems are designed to try and accommodate these errors, (e.g. the dropping of the extreme scores in the gymnastics) but there is no such thing as perfection.

I am sure that the athletes revel in facing the best competition from every nation and I note that while they all strive to win, it is rare to see anything but good sportsmanship from the losers, even while their hearts must break from the disappointment.

We would all be well served to learn from their example and try to live by the same standards in our enthusiasm for our favourite athletes. That is, after all, the Olympic ideal!

I wish you all the very best of luck for your athletes and your countries.

Answer 2

It's not bad sportmanship when you want fairness.

Answer 3

amen

Answer 4

Amen.

Answer 5

Very good point. I would have posted the same thing, but you worded it best. The medalists won their gongs far and square!  And well done Britain and Germany, making it up the table with China, USA and the Aussies!

Answer 6

And the same can be said in the reverse perspective.  What about in 2004 in Athens when Paul Hamm not only fell on his landing, but he nearly hit the judges table because he fell so far?  YET he still won the gold, and beat out the Korean silver medalist, Kim Dae-Eun by 0.012 of a point.  Kim Dae-Eun was also cheated when his routine was scored a 9.9 in difficulty, when it should have been scored a 10.0.  Yet, nobody is defending him, rather glorifying Hamm, because Hamm is American.

So to those who are arguing that China "cheated" because Cheng Fei fell on her landing, is it fair, then, when the American is the one who got the medal when he fell as well?  If you use the same arguments that you use to attack Cheng Fei in the reverse direction, Paul Hamm "cheated" too.

Rather, you should put hostilities aside and respect the decision of the judges because they have YEARS of experience over casual viewers watching on television.

Answer 7

i couldn't agree with you more.

thats wat happens wen u dnt hve alot of intelligent ppl around.

i think the judgin was fair, ppl shouldn't b complaining.

the judges r professional and they see wat needs to b seen, we dnt. so you all need to stop it

Answer 8

Apparently you didn't watch the Chinese gal land squarely on both knees on the Vault and still take the Bronze medal in that event.

Answer 9

Yep, fully agree

Answer 10

Ditto.

Answer 11

America is full of bad sports. They are jealous of the Chinese. I agreee to everything you just said.

Answer 12

Judged sports in general are going to be questioned,

So when you say why everybody complain's about it, I don't see why it is so unexpected that they question a sport that is being judged?

That is why Judged sports I do not pay any attention to because people will always have an argument why there team lost.

The marathon's are the hardest event in my opinion and you always get a winner without anyone really blaming any judges.

Answer 13

Apparently you didn't watch the gymnastics portion of the olympics. The women's gymnastics judging president had to come over and reprimand the judges for their outrageously low scoring of the U.S. women's gymnasts. That's the only reason we got any medals. Even the professional olympic gymnasts who were commentating said the U.S. scores were amazingly low, and the Chinese scores were amazingly high and they've been in and watching gymnastics for their whole life. Just because the Judges are foreign to China doesn't mean the Chinese olympic officials didn't bribe or threaten them. I mean they probably beat their athletes so......

Just because the U.S. may focus on the events with the most medals doesn't make it unfair. Actually, we dominate in almost all sports and the ones we don't we at least get silver or bronze. I'm a sportsman but I despise cheating. If it's fair, I'll give props. The only sad thing is these young girls are being put through all this controversy and probably feel that they're looked at as cheaters especially cause they know they're underage. These girls can't feel the pride they would if they would of won fair and worst of all, after all their hard work, they may be stripped of their medals.