The Olympics-more Trouble Than It's Worth?

[husker 0]

I love watching the Olympics like many other people. It is pretty cool to see athletes from all over the world compete in sporting events. However, it seems to me that the Olympics may be causing more trouble than what it's worth. The debate over drug involvement, underage gymnasts, tie scores, dropping s medal on the ground, and falling on the vault are all examples of things that have been debated. It seems to me that all of these things are ruining the Olympics. What's the point in winning a gold medal when everyone questions it? It seems to me that the Olympics are creating a dislike towards China for most Americans. Although it is very unlikely, a war could possibly break out over the Olympics. I was wondering everyone else's feelings are towards this. Do the Olympics create too much hate? Feel free to agree or disagree.

[Saint_Michael 3]

I would have to agree that 29th Olympiad has become the most political and full of lies that all these medals won and records broken quickly disappear from the news when the bad stuff has happen. Personally I think the Olympics hurt China more then they realize, to many sting operations to get protesters and thrown them in jail, possible cheating with underage athletes and even I believe that those girls are underage, but only a lie detector and some scientific stuff will get the truth out on that. Thus one of many reasons I stay away from politics to much BS with no resolution in site. Of course the media doesn't help the situation either, but I would say if China were to start a war right now, I bet they could conquer half the world because of the size of their army and what not. Either way the Olympics is nothing then some athletes cheating and heck I am surprise that China hasn't accused Phelps the USA basketball Team, USA baseball and soft teams of cheating and stuff.Of course I am with the people who think Nastia Liukin got robbed, and I wouldn't be surprise if China hasn't bribed some of the judges either.

[mm22 0]

It seems to me that the Olympics are creating a dislike towards China for most Americans. Although it is very unlikely, a war could possibly break out over the Olympics. I was wondering everyone else's feelings are towards this. Do the Olympics create too much hate? Feel free to agree or disagree.

I don't think a war could break out over the Olympics, although a conflict would theoretically be possible over economical and political reasons which are often the basis of the Olympics themselves... but I want to be optimistic and believe the Olympics will contribute to improve reciprocal knowledge between China and the world which in my opinion is the beginning of reciprocal understanding.

You're right about the Olympic spirit which might not be present as originally was (in ancient Greece they even paused wars for the Games, right?) and a lot of sports are now overloaded with money and celebrities, still I think the rare moments of "pure sport" have some emotion to offer, regardless under which flag they originate... at least this is what makes me still watch sports... sometimes

[midnightvamp 1]

Well, I for one have been questioning a lot of things about the judging in the Olympics. If there is technology that allows the television viewers to watch things with replays and such, why aren't the judges themselves watching the events with different camera angles and replays? To me it makes no sense to watch something like diving, and then be told that "oh, but the judges probably won't pick up on any of the mistakes we just told you all about, because they can't see it from the angle around the pool they are watching, and they don't get video replays to watch..." I even heard the announcers say that the judges tend to not score most of the small mistakes when the crowd cheers loudly for the certain athletes. It really shouldn't be up to crowd cheering to determine who did best. But I really don't understand why in the age of all this technology, the judges aren't using all things available to themselves (like the video replays, with different angles and such) to make the most accurate scores available for things.Another thing that really didn't sit well with me was during one of the swimming matches that Michael Phelps won. The one where it was so close at the end, that I couldn't really tell one way or another which swimmer got to the line first. Now, I'm sure there technology is great, and that it probably is right... but why on earth would you be allowed to protest the finish of an event if you aren't allowed to show video replays during the protest? It seems stupid to allow a team to protest, but not allow them to use the technology to help them make their case. Shouldn't something like that use every possible technology that is available to be used to get to the most detailed finish, just to be sure?Now I'm perfectly happy that Phelps got his 8 medal record... but I think there should be some kind of fair way to contest a score, should the event happen that a protest is called. Not allowing to show video replays during a protest just doesn't seem fair to me. It's like sure, we can't stop you from protesting, but we can definitely stop you from using any evidence that might prove you right...The gymnastics is a whole other matter... like how people can fall, and still finish better than people that have a clean routine... now I don't know about judging and all... but to me, it seems like if you fall, you didn't land the element in the routine, and that element's big "bonus points" should be removed from the starting score. Because all it takes for people to win seemed to be "trying" (and often failing) to do the hard stuff, just because that gives you a higher starting score than actually making a clean routine (even if it wasn't quite as difficult). If you can't land the jumps... then why do you get the points for it? Just because you tried? Seems unfair to me.I don't know.. I was wondering if it was because I'm older now, and see the Olympics differently... but now I find myself questioning a lot of things that have to do with the games. It kind of leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth, because it's tainted with the thought that someone could be doing something to mess up the results of the games (especially the ones that need subjective judging) so it's hard to tell if everyone that gets the medals are all the ones that deserve them.

[arnz 0]

I personally think world politics does play a role towards an event where the World Athletes and Sportpeople are meant to get together under the spirit of "harmony", olympic spirit, etc, which as China has shown this year, or even the 1980 Moscow Olympics where a number of western nations decided to boycott the games. At the same time, there has been controversy about drug cheats, the use of technology and the like as awell, which does seem a bit sad considering what technology has done for sport over the years.

[bishoujo 0]

I wouldn't think so... I actually find some of the drama pretty entertaining, and I know a lot of people around me do too. I mean, some of the stuff that happens still remains in our sports and entertainment section of the news, not World or Politics. With regards to corruption and drug abuse, the point is, in the end many of these cases are still discovered, people get punished and the public has something to lash out at. Although these events create nasty scars for the Olympics and the countries involved, at least this goes to show that sportsmanship and justice still prevail. You can't expect any major competition or event to be completely fuss-free and clean. Just because these faults are more excessive in the Olympics because of the magnitude of the event doesn't mean it's 'more trouble than it's worth'.

Edited September 3, 2008 by bishoujo (see edit history)

[innosia 1]

I wouldn't think so... I actually find some of the drama pretty entertaining, and I know a lot of people around me do too. I mean, some of the stuff that happens still remains in our sports and entertainment section of the news, not World or Politics. With regards to corruption and drug abuse, the point is, in the end many of these cases are still discovered, people get punished and the public has something to lash out at. Although these events create nasty scars for the Olympics and the countries involved, at least this goes to show that sportsmanship and justice still prevail. You can't expect any major competition or event to be completely fuss-free and clean. Just because these faults are more excessive in the Olympics because of the magnitude of the event doesn't mean it's 'more trouble than it's worth'.

In my opinions, Olympic events is only for gathering public attentions. when China as the host of this olympic 2008, it seems that China has gather alot of effort in hosting this event. Like the olympic ground is built in a fast way so that the event could be done there. And in this new olympic, i have watched that china wins a lot of medal aside of those rumours. I have checked myself on the net to see if China is really using underage athletes but all the link is already down, dont know that whether it is for real or the link is already down before that. Apart of it, does china really does not have enough or powerful athletes beside those are thought underages? I dont think so, i must think that this must be some kind of political issue which is used by china for some reasons. Though the possibility that medal is stripped away from china, that does not make china loses their attentions against world. The world will be much like growing attention even more to china, because of those rumours and troubles, dont you guy think so?

But aside of all that, I think todays olympic does not have sport value anymore, it much like a war ground, where people are proving not that how skillful they are, but to win the medal, the bronze, and some might be pressurized from the government, the government must win vision have made many burden to the athletes themselves, so the thought room of them is locked down to their creativity. Thus this olympic event only showing the world that, oh this country is best or best not, but the athlete themselves will soon gone by the wind with the cash they have been given, but the spirit of olympic does not event worth mentioning in today culture.

Even sports become politics today, sport like olympics is much like a politic hide behind a mask, which is rather ugly than we were taught about in history lessons. In this point of view, i think that because the world issue has been grown too fast to stimulate every section of our life to become a politic, life is much harder than ever, and we are facing this music in a rythmn that always repeat in our ear and say win win win win, its much like a repeated thinking of showing how great we are and thus we as human has lack the side that we are actually the same human like any of those, though they are athletes or they are not, we are facing a life we can't think about, its just like our future is a stagnant and monotonous life with money, and politic issue keep repeating in our brain.