Beijing Summer Olympics 2008 Options

[datass]

yeah i heard that too, liukin lost more marks than he.

[hi-C]

I didn't watch it live, just the condensed version, so I don't really get how they chose between He and Liukin. So they had the exact same score, then what? Someone care to elaborate?

From what I understand (and my Cantonese is not excellent), they chose based on what category they lost marks on - apparently Liukin lost more points in a more important category? But I have no idea on the details.

So you know how they automatically throw out each competitor's highest and lowest judge's score right? In the event of a tie breaker, they take away the next highest score. So even though it was a tie, with the tie breaker, it left He with 9.1, 9.1, 9.0 and Liukin with 9.1, 9.0, 9.0.

I hope I explained that well enough. That's what they said on the TV last night.

[Teesa]

Anyone watch Women's Pole Vault?
Isinbaeva was amazing! And she has a killer bod.

yes! i was really happy for her because that one USA person was like, we're going to kick some russian butt! uhmm, not so much! and she set an olympic world record. awesome.

Michael Phelps is going to get so much ass when he gets back, hes going to win Gold Medals because of it.

" Omg, and its his 15th strait ass! He's done it! Michael Phelps has done it again! "

hahaaa, i wish i lived in baltimore damn it.

So you know how they automatically throw out each competitor's highest and lowest judge's score right? In the event of a tie breaker, they take away the next highest score. So even though it was a tie, with the tie breaker, it left He with 9.1, 9.1, 9.0 and Liukin with 9.1, 9.0, 9.0.

I hope I explained that well enough. That's what they said on the TV last night.

that is serious bullshit. i read an article last night that said that judges had to scramble for the rulebooks because they didn't know how to calculate the scores. they should have just given out TWO gold medals. WTF.

edit//although i am SUPER happy for shawn johnson!

This post has been edited by batman: Mar 9 2010, 12:33 PM

[Gigi]

^ You know what, if they don't even know how to calculate the freakin' scores, then they totally should have given out two gold medals. HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW? Especially in the event of a gold medal tiebreaker!

And thanks, Carrie, for the wonderful explanation.

lol Teesa, did you see Isinbaeva in-between her attempts? She hid under her white blanket, it was so cute!

Let me just say, I love Alexandre Despatie, but not enough for him to break the (hopeful) Chinese diving sweep. Silver is awesome though. CANADA WOOOOT.

[Tomates]

In the next two weeks, I swear they're going to come out with some gymnastic voting scandal. It's been too all over the place. And that tie breaker between He and Liukin was bullshit.

Oh yeah i saw some of it, its really fishy and i was quite skeptical the whole time when i was watching the finals

[hi-C]

hahaaa, i wish i lived in baltimore damn it.

No you don't. Baltimore SUCKS.

that is serious bullshit. i read an article last night that said that judges had to scramble for the rulebooks because they didn't know how to calculate the scores. they should have just given out TWO gold medals. WTF.

Unfortunately, the IOC rules stipulate that there can be no ties.

^ You know what, if they don't even know how to calculate the freakin' scores, then they totally should have given out two gold medals. HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW? Especially in the event of a gold medal tiebreaker!

Well, the judges didn't calculate the tiebreaker, the computer did (I forgot to mention that). It does it automatically.

But the major problem with the judging is, according to the sports commentators last night, that -- in order to remove bias -- none of the countries with athletes competing have judges. So that means no judges from the USA, China, Russia, Romania, etc. Therefore the judging is left in the hands of countries like Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, etc, countries that have never produced an award winning gymnast. They don't know what to look for, ergo, they're too inexperienced to judge the Olympics.

Reason for edit: I think you meant "no judges," not "so"? - Cristy

[Joanne]

^ Wow, that's weird and kind of unfair! Why do some other sports allow people from the countries of which the athletes are from to judge? (I hope that made sense) Or is it a FIG thing? =\

[firechild]

Anyone watch Women's Pole Vault?

Isinbaeva was amazing! And she has a killer bod.

Yeah 6' 6" inches.

a world record

Одно для России!

[hi-C]

^ Wow, that's weird and kind of unfair! Why do some other sports allow people from the countries of which the athletes are from to judge? (I hope that made sense) Or is it a FIG thing? =\

I'm sure it's a FIG thing. Since, you know, the voting scandal last Olympics with one of the Hamm twins.

[Gigi]

Carrie, I think it's going a little too far to say that they're totally inexperienced, although I realize you're just quoting this from the commentators. Just because a country hasn't put out an award-winning gymnast, doesn't mean that they're not experienced enough to judge. (Don't quote me on this because I'm not sure): The judges should be following a standardized system of giving points, and they should have gone over that extensively before the Olympics even began. From what I imagine, I don't think the judges just meet up on the day and start judging. There's definitely some qualifications that need to be fulfilled in order to be a judge. The IOC would not allow anything otherwise, and neither would the FIG. They should be world-class judges.

I do agree that they would not be as experienced as judges from the gymnasts' countries though.

However, I have a bone to pick with the commentators. The competitors were judged by the same people, who, as I mentioned before, should have judged them fairly, objectively, and by the same standards. For arguement's sake, let's just assume that the judges were inexperienced. The Chinese team faced the same inexperienced judges as the American team. What the commentators are making it sound like is that the inexperienced judges only benefited the Chinese team, and f**ked over the American team. If anything, the judges would make the same errors in judgment for both teams, and therefore their inexperience in judging would be a moot point. But for the commentators to imply that it was the judges that gave the wrong points to America is to imply that there was outright cheating going on, cheating that only benefited the Chinese.

Isn't it a little funny that this comes up only after the tiebreaker controversy? How about all the times that the Chinese (or any other country, for that matter), came in to a close second or third to the Americans? There's no conceivable doubt that the American gymnast was more deserving. However, if this inexperience truly applies to all the gymnasts, then wouldn't all the times that Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin won their gold medals be in question? The point I'm trying to make is that all the gymnasts have both benefited and judged wrongly by these so-called inexperienced judges, and therefore it's an even playing field for everybody. The hope is that the net result of the judging should reveal the true winner. In He's case (and Johnson, and Liukin, and every other medal-winner in the gymnastics so far), I think that has been the case.

Sorry for the outrageously long post. Also, no one should take offense in what I say - it just seems like the American commentators are being nitpicky at something that's not really significant.

-----------------------------------

Anyone read about the American silver medalist for Women's pole vault, Jenn Stuczynski?

She's the one that made the "I hope Americans would kick some Russian Butt" comment. Yelena Isinbaeva, the Russian gold medalist, replied with: "She must respect me and ... know her position ... Now she knows it."

Stuczynski's reply: "I think Yelena talks a lot ... I think she's told what to say so I don't really read anything that she says, that she might come out with." Stuczynski said her goal "isn't really to catch her."

What's your opinion? Honestly I think Stuczynski's being a sore loser, and Isinbaeva really f**king KICKED ASS that day.

[hi-C]

Yeah, I think the commentators, although I agree with them in that Liukin should have won last night (I like her style better), are putting too much emphasis on judging mistakes. There's a reason why they're commenting and not judging the competition themselves.

LOL @ the exchange between Stuczynski and Isinbaeva. That's almost as good as that French dude and that Serbian dude hatin' on Michael Phelps.

[towntown2]

I have a feeling that Stuczynski's coach has something to do with her comments.
I don't know why, but it's mostly from the way he acted when she went over to him before Yelena broke the record.

Good for Yelena to win.
She did really good.

[Teesa]

^ i know! her coach was maaaaaaaaaaaaaad, haha.

and gigi, i didn't know she hid under her blanket-how cute! yes, she definitely kicked major butt.

lol carrie, i've never been there, but i (like the rest of america) have michael fever.

yeah, i agree gigi-i've always been wary about the judging in sports that seem to be more subjectively judged (i.e. skating, gymnastics, etc.) i don't know. i don't have that much faith in the system, but hey, i don't have that much knowledge on the subject either!

[towntown2]

I think Nastia should be recognized for the grace she displayed while handling the situation.
She looked disappointed, but she remained a good sport about it.
She's gaining like a bajillion sympathy points now.

[brooklyneast05]

i would be mad if a 13 year old beat me too.

[Teesa]

hahaaa, i know. that girl looked extremely young!

but i felt so bad watching nastia tear up. i would have been screaming and throwing a tantrum :)

[Tung]

i would have been screaming and throwing a tantrum :)

i would have been there to lend my hand to wipe those tears away.

[salcha4u]

i would be mad if a 13 year old beat me too.

She had such a good attitude about it...and the fact that she didn't even care about He's age.

[towntown2]

She had such a good attitude about it...and the fact that she didn't even care about He's age.

I'm sure she does.
She can't really say anything about it publicly, but I'll bet she and her teammates dish about it behind closed doors.

[datass]

^haha i bet that she does.
but he actually looks older than most of the other ones, just not old enough

[Teesa]

i would have been there to lend my hand to wipe those tears away.

anyone catch the usa v. serbia volleyball game?? awesome!

[hi-C]

i would be mad if a 13 year old beat me too.

Trufax, man.


Is anyone else looking forward to the gymnastics Champion's Gala tonight? It's my favorite part of the Olympics.

[Gigi]

Although I've heard a shitload of controversy surrounding gymnastics, at the end of the day, I feel like Liukin and her teammates are great sports about it - none of this Stuczynski bullcrap. That's not to say it doesn't happen in the locker room XD.

The Chinese women's gymnastics team was weak this year - they only won the team gold because others choked. Liukin and Johnson are way better competitors - if you could make a team with just those two, they would win for sure. But all the Chinese girls f**ked up along the way in the individual events. So while they're (allegedly) using their young age as an advantage, their inexperience also bites them in the butt a bit.

Chinese men's gymnastics KICKED ASS though. I'm definitely curious to see what London 2012 will bring us.

Speaking of London - HOLY CRAP what an ugly logo.

It's ugly fosho. But I'm wondering if the numbers are supposed to look like something...like a dude holding a torch maybe? Confused.

[hi-C]

^ Hey... it's a "2012" all funkified! I like it

[Joanne]

^x2 WTF at the logo. I think it looks so ugly... maybe they were trying to make it look like Greek lettering? LOL


btw, YAY FOR CANADA! 13 medals wooooot! =D