Beijing Olympics

College Confidential Community
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<p>Tiebreaker: the first and second tiebreakers still resulted in a tie so the third tiebreaker was used. In the third tiebreaker, the lowest three scores for each gymnast are averaged, and whoever has the highest average is declared the winner. So (and I'm sorry I can't remember the exact countries the judges were from or how they overlapped for the two girls, so this is just an example) Liukin's tiebreaker score was based on the scores she received from Judges A, B, and D and He's tiebreaker score was based on the scores she received from Judges B, C and E. Or whatever.</p>

<p>Age matters. If you consider that it takes X number of hours to reach an Olympic level of proficiency in gymnastics, in order to reach that level of proficiency in fewer years (to be able to compete at a younger age), you need to spend more time per day/week/month in the gym. More time in the gym at younger ages can lead to more injuries and permanent damage to bones, joints, etc. (of course gymnastics in general can lead to this, but the younger the gymnast, the worse it can be). And since they're spending more time in the gym, they have less time for other things, like school, family, playing (we're talking about young children, remember) or whatever.</p>

<p>Also, a pre-pubescent body lends itself to gymnastics particularly well. Strength to weight ration will peak, the center of gravity is higher (above the butt, where it is for most post-pubescent women). You'll notice that the older gymnasts that continue to compete often have a very slim-hipped, broad-shouldered body type and they are generally short (like that 33 year old!), also an advantage.</p>

<p>But even though younger gymnasts "can" compete with older ones, should they? FIG has decided not - that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. I think it will be very sad if it turns out that the Chinese government has exploited these girls for propaganda purposes, and also ironic, since one of the reasons the age limit was established was to prevent young girls from being exploited. And there's no denying that they're fantastically talented athletes.</p>

<p>That being said, if it turns out to be true, I don't think they should be allowed to keep their medals. Otherwise, what would be the basis for taking back medals from any athlete who's later found to have competed illegally?</p>

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<p>About the little girl who faked the singing at the opening ceremony. Actually if you watched the chinese live version of the opening ceremony coverage on cctv olympics channel that day, the commentators actually noted the fact that the song was the work of two young performers' "combined effort," and they also gave the names of both kids, the actor and the actual singer. I'm just a little surprised that our most excellent Western media finally figured out this stuff days after the opening...</p>

<p>Also, I hope people can give a little more understanding to the organizers, the participants, and everyone who contributed to this year's games. Please try not to resort to the old "alright let's blame the government" tactic over and over again.</p>

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<p>if gymnastics is what those girls CHOOSE to do b/c they like it and they want to...i'd still say "why not?" but if they'r truly an object to the chinese goverment or whatever and they'r exploited (involuntarily practicing gymnastics), then that's a whole different issue. i'm not sure which is the case here.</p>

<p>i don't think the medals should be taken back. if everything is true, it's the government's fault, not those girls'. not bein able to get a medal is hurtful....what about having ur medal taken back?? that's gotta hurt more.</p>

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<p>I agree that it would be very sad and it's not their fault but rules are rules. </p>

<p>Did you hear the sad story about Cheng Fei (the oldest looking girl on their team)...she called her parents at one point and said she wanted to come home. They told her no.</p>

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<p>"Did you hear the sad story about Cheng Fei (the oldest looking girl on their team)...she called her parents at one point and said she wanted to come home. They told her no." </p>

<p>I think that's merely an aspect of Chinese culture. Parents always strictly discipline their children while treating outside guests with humility and hospitality. In the imperial times, a father would often address his son as "quan zi," literally translated into English "quan zi" means "dog son." It's not that the father doesn't respect his son, but that before guests and people from outside the family, addressing your own son as "quan zi" is a sign of humbleness and strict family discipline. It's a totally different culture and mindset from what we have here in the West. </p>

<p>Jaf, I agree with you that rules are rules. However, in China, that phrase means almost nothing. For 2000 years, the "law" meant nothing more than a piece of paper to China's rulers. Nowadays, the rule of law has already drastically improved, but many people still won't take it seriously. From my many encounters with people here in China, the general public consensus is that rules are "made by people," so there is always the flexibility to change rules, modify them at certain times to generate the maximum efficiency outcome.</p>

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<p>i've never heard of the term "quan zi".......unless the spelling is different or wrong or somethin...</p>

<p>anyway, chinese ppl definitely stricter than any other. i'd even say they're more "hardworking" than other ppl. i mean u see the chinese ppl at school and they'r all about how-am-i-going-to-get-that-A-in-calculus-BC......of course, a big part of that results from pressure from parents. chinese parents love their children just as much as other parents love their children. it's just a matter of showing and...well....concealing it. they'r less likely to say "hey bob, good job!" than the average caucasian mom/dad if u have not noticed yet. lol. </p>

<p>take cheng fei for example...her parents might come off as rude or insensitive but i guess it's just a way of pushing the girl. their way of showin that they support her...asian parents are way ahead of others when it comes to "i want my child to be numero uno"</p>

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<p>To me, the Cheng Fei story isn't that strange. These athletes are at the top of the world. Do you expect their road to the Olympics to be bumpless? She was probably going through a difficult patch, doubting herself. Most parents would agree that the best thing to tell the child is, "Be persistent." I can't think of a good parent that would let their child collapse under challeneges and shirk away.</p>

<p>Her love for gymnastics seemed very clear to me when she broke down in tears after her dismal floor routine. She cares about the sport and the competition, or else she would not have reacted so strongly.</p>

<p>But yourname has an accurate assessment of Chinese parents. (Were you describing my Chinese parents? I've even had the "Why don't you just say good job?" argument with them.)</p>

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<p>the term "quan zi" is quite an antiquated way of describing one's son in front of guests in a humble way. It was used quite prevalently, especially among the elites and their social gatherings during the imperial times.</p>

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<p>can u write it in chinese? if it was spelled correctly, i should and would definitely know it. lol i just can never read chinese in alphabets. haha</p>

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<p>犬子- I think that should be right.</p>

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<p>oh okay now i get it. lol yea ur right</p>

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<p>Did anyone find the London handover part in the closing ceremony to be a bit too avant garde for its own good? As if they couldn't overemphasize the fact that it's going to be a <em>very</em> modern Olympics in 2012, they stuck the singer in a metallic silver dress. </p>

<p>Have to say though, watching the Olympics live here in Trafalgar Sq with the crowd is quite something.</p>

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<p>i can't wait to see what london has to/will offer in 2012...</p>

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<p>anyone know the name of the song before each medal ceremony?</p>

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<p>Bravo China! Spectacular Extravaganza!</p>

<p>The world has come to see China, and China has welcomed the world with open arms. This time, you do not need to learn how to speak Mandarin or have a masters degree in international relations to understand the obvious message of friendship and openness of the Chinese people. Bravo!</p>

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<p>Just not the Chinese government.</p>

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<p>Oh, I think I'll have to include my warm congrats to the Chinese Government as well. Although they've been enduring all the negativity and bad publicity from the western press in the past few years, I think they managed their actions quite smoothly. Another rather unique thing about the Chinese government is their ability to input tremendous focus into things they think are good for their national interests. In the last 30 years, their policies of openning up and liberalization have transformed the world and China, as you could clearly see at this year's olympics.</p>

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<p>I agree. The government has been bearing the brunt of it all, but they really were key to orchestrating the entire event from beginning to end so kudos to them for proving myself and many wrong.</p>

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<p>lol is the gymnastics age issue STILL goin on?? just wondering haha</p>

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<p>Of course, it will no longer be an issue. China has spent north of 40 billion USD in preparations for the games. The IOC won't be stupid enough to ignore those numbers, and certainly won't be foolish enough to dispute and alienate 1/5 of the world. All in all, I don't think it's a matter of being fair or unfair in the first place.</p>