The Olympics - what's the point?

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Teri-sha Illistyn: I also heard, its kinda old news now I bet, that the USA Baseball Team didnt even qualify. And as for basketball... the Dream Team is pretty much over with. Court trials and inflated egos have shut those 2 games down for us before the events even started. Feeling a little bitter tonite...

Yep. There is so much national pride in the baseball players that the so-called no. 1 baseball nation in the world is indeed out of the Olympics.

Put simply the pros didn't show. They play for money, not for patriotism obviously. Clearly America cannot claim to be the no. 1 baseball team now that they've lost the Olympics. Noshowers are included in the assessment. If a lack of patriotism meant a team played badly and lost no-one would be saying "ah but if they played their best they'd have one". They did play their unmotivated best. Why different for no-shows?

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Teri-sha Illistyn: Drugs are just part of the reason the Olympics dont inerest me much. Here are some others... The term Olympics is copyrighted.. whats up with that... the Olympics have been around for centuries before copyrights were invented. Everything about them ( and many other things ) are so commercialized that the spirit of the Olympics seemes drowned out. Everybody is still panicing over terrorists attacks. I myself dont feel any anticipation over the games anymore. If I wanna know who won what, I just type in 1 of many web addresses and I have it. I could write more, but i think ive done enough bitching. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Corruption and cheating was the whole reason the ancient Olympics stopped. Looks like history will repeat. The spirit of the games is gone. Where is amateurism? They're all pro atheletes now. Though the games don't pay for winning, endorsements do.

[Yorick]

Originally posted by Donut: 20 top US athletes will be missing the Olympics because of drug sacandals, several GB athletes have failed tests and many from other nations. Now the suprise Olympic 200 metre champion has failed to attend for a test. I wonder what his excuse will be! Car crash or something!! Kederis hardly ever competes - what is he hiding? Kederis faces Olympic ban Greece's 200m champion Kostas Kederis has been called to an International Olympics Committee hearing on Friday after he missed a mandatory drugs test. Kederis, due to attend the test with women's Sydney 100m silver medallist Katerina Thanou, failed to appear. The pair were given permission by the Greek committee to collect belongings from their homes and asked to take the test later in the evening. A missed test could in theory result in the duo being suspended from the Games. Istvan Gyulai, secretary-general of the International Association of Athletics Federations, said: "To our mind this doesn't constitute a refusal (which would result in a ban). "According to our information, the Greek team leader was informed but not the athletes." In response, Greek chef de mission Giannis Papadogiannaki said: "We will have to wait until tomorrow. "It's positive that the two athletes were asked to appear before the disciplinary commission. The IOC has to examine whether there is intent or negligence." Kederis, a shock winner of the 200m in Sydney four years ago, and Thanou were due to attend the test at 1930 local time. Christos Tzekos, coach of the two athletes, said they were at their home at the time of the test. Having missed it, they apparently asked to take a test later in the evening at the clinic in the Olympic Village rather than at the anti-doping laboratory in Athens. The 31-year-old Kederis rarely runs outside Greece except in major championships. Last year, the IAAF investigated a report that Kederis, Thanou and Tzekos were seen in Qatar after telling the Greek athletics federation (SEGAS) they were training in Crete. Tzekos had earlier on Thursday confirmed his athlete was at the Olympic Village in Athens after stopping in Germany en route from training in the United States. "Kostas is at the village," Tzekos said. "We stopped over in Germany to see his doctors and got back late on Wednesday. Tzekos reported that Kederis was recovering from minor injuries. "He has some minor niggles but nothing serious," Tzekos added. "There are always these last-minute issues." Kederis has been tipped to light the Olympic cauldron at Friday's opening ceremony.

To be honest, I thought Kederis was a drug cheat the moment I saw him win. The only white guy to win a sprint race for a very long time, comes out of no-where, never won a major race. C'mon.

Regardless, if he's innocent, and genuinely had a good day, it shows how far the games have sunk, if the first thing people think is "drugs".

He had a neck like a bull too. Looked like a weightlifter, not a sprinter. Like Ben Johnson did.

[Rikard T'Aranaxz]

Originally posted by Yorick: quote: Originally posted by Teri-sha Illistyn: I also heard, its kinda old news now I bet, that the USA Baseball Team didnt even qualify. And as for basketball... the Dream Team is pretty much over with. Court trials and inflated egos have shut those 2 games down for us before the events even started. Feeling a little bitter tonite...

Yep. There is so much national pride in the baseball players that the so-called no. 1 baseball nation in the world is indeed out of the Olympics.

Put simply the pros didn't show. They play for money, not for patriotism obviously. Clearly America cannot claim to be the no. 1 baseball team now that they've lost the Olympics. Noshowers are included in the assessment. If a lack of patriotism meant a team played badly and lost no-one would be saying "ah but if they played their best they'd have one". They did play their unmotivated best. Why different for no-shows? [/QUOTE]To the best of my knowledge Cuba has always been the no1 baseball nation, not USA

[Lavindathar]

Pah, I agree Donut.

I've no interest in the olympics at all.

But when you talk about the US Baseball team, is it currently US Baseball season over there now?

Cos maybe they just prefer to play for their club?

Man Utd have lost two class players to the Olympics at the start of the season and im gutted.

So pah.

[Timber Loftis]

It'd be a lot more sensible if pros didn't play in the Olympics at all. I liked it better that way.

[Yorick]

Well well. He quit, rather than be sacked. CHEAT!

[Hivetyrant]

Well im not normally interested in the Olymics, but when I heard this morning about the guy that threw a shotput 22m! and then got fouled, I started to watch some of the events. Some of the people there are amazing!

[Larry_OHF]

Sports Illustrated mentions that five lifters were banned as well for failing drug tests.

SI.com

For the sake of the argument that has turned its attention to what the US is doing wrong, at least they were not in this line-up.

[ 08-19-2004, 08:28 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Davros]

I should hope not Larry . Weighlifting is not something you see much of in the US because the big money is in power-lifting which as a non-olympic sport and doesn't have such strict guidelines against chemical substances.

[ 08-19-2004, 08:41 AM: Message edited by: Davros ]