Olympic ideal exposed as farce on sad
night in China
Associated Press,
by
Paul Newberry
Original Article
Posted By: earlybird,
2/19/2022 12:32:18 PM
BEIJING — No matter how the IOC tries to spin it, the enduring symbol of the Beijing Games -- and really, the entire Olympic movement -- is a sad little girl put in an untenable position by adults who have no shame.
A lot of serious issues will need to be addressed after the flame is extinguished, from doping rules to age limits to tyrannical coaches, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger questions:
What will it take for the Olympics to truly live up to its ideals?
Is meaningful change even possible at this point?
“Who will save Olympic and Paralympic sport in our time?” asked Max Cobb, the president
Reply 1 - Posted by:
Laotzu 2/19/2022 12:35:31 PM (No. 1076628)
Two institutions are so irreparably corrupt they should be banned in perpetuity -- Olympic figure skating and the Democrat Party.
25 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Hugh Akston 2/19/2022 12:42:24 PM (No. 1076635)
Show of hands of anyone who spent one second watching any of the Olympics? Bueller?
Another show of hands of anyone who watches anything on NBC? Anyone? Bueller?
33 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
slipstik 2/19/2022 1:53:19 PM (No. 1076709)
Humanity has a flaw, one of probably many. Power.
The thirst for power is a drive that some of us can't control. I don't know if it's genetic, or maybe God builds it in at the factory.
The thirst for power drives everything from road rage to international military face offs resulting in hundreds of thousands dying horrible deaths.
The thirst for power expresses itself in the mistreatment of others, whether they be demonstrators against tyranny or teen aged athletes forced to perform beyond their capabilities for national prestige.
Power begets power. Power corrupts all of humanity. Buy adidas, feed the power. Join Facebook, feed the power. Lock yourself down, feed the power. Accept the poison shots, feed the power. Everything we do feeds somebody's power score.
I hope and pray that someday we can cough up this affliction and be done with it, but that day is not here yet.
6 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Venturer 2/19/2022 2:00:00 PM (No. 1076716)
I guess someone is watching the Olympics.
I caught a couple of shot of it on the news. The only snow there is what they produce by machine. Just more fake illusions.
4 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Jethro bo 2/19/2022 2:25:24 PM (No. 1076735)
Olympics are going on? Who knew?
5 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
MDConservative 2/19/2022 3:17:37 PM (No. 1076775)
Please, the crocodile tears are too much. The Olympics are entertainment dressed in athletic clothing. Figure skating is #1 on that list of shams. The kid was the gold medal favorite. Let's satisfy Tara Lipinski or the ghost of Dick Button and disallow her skating. And then let the howling begin about how unfair that would be. Poor kid, 15 years old, a veteran of top flight athletics and development, suddenly needing protection from the wolves who put her in the top slot. None of these athletes is a virgin at that level. They, their parents, coaches and national committees know exactly how it works. Like that kid who makes a deal with he devil at the crossroads. Let's stop acting so naive about all this.
2 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Strike3 2/19/2022 3:37:18 PM (No. 1076793)
The Russian skater was a minor incident in the farce that the games have become. I would like to see professional athletes no longer included. I would omit the so-called specialty sports that have been invented mostly in America, skateboarding, basketball, hockey, etc. The original Olympics held by the Greeks featured mainly individual strength, speed and military skills with hand-held weapons - much more interesting.
7 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
RuckusTom 2/19/2022 4:35:18 PM (No. 1076829)
IPhones, the internet, video games, social media. Who cares about they Olympics like we did when we only had 4 stations to watch on TV and the US and the USSR were in a cold war?
2 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Flyball Dogs 2/19/2022 4:49:14 PM (No. 1076845)
#1, you forgot the golden calf: gymnastics.
3 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
red1066 2/19/2022 5:25:01 PM (No. 1076864)
The reputation of the Olympics has been going downhill for decades. It's become a money losing venture for countries for at least the last thirty years, and a money-grubbing venture for everyone involved in making Olympic decisions. Many years ago, it was suggested that the summer and winter Olympics each have one permanent location because the cost of putting on the Olympics was getting so expensive for the winning bidder. It was shot down by the same type of people who gave China the Olympics twice in the last ten years. A permanent location would eliminate bribes to the Olympic insiders who decide where the games are to be played. It would also eliminate them from getting free travel with five-star accommodations to places all over the world.
3 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
hooter 2/19/2022 5:40:00 PM (No. 1076873)
The China hockey out of 19 15 were foreigners. How does that pass? When asked if they had to give up their passports the response was we aren't allowed to talk about that.
4 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
udanja99 2/19/2022 6:14:42 PM (No. 1076922)
I haven’t watched since they started allowing professionals to compete. Haven’t missed it at all.
2 people like this.
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Beijing should not have been chosen. Valieva should not have been allowed to skate. Rules should not have been bent to allow US skiier Eileen Gu to compete on China’s team. And on and on.