The Olympic Games 2008 (sport topic)
- Thread starter Forostar
- Start date
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
It was a Cuban http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGqUg7FGhY
Oh hahahahahahaha. I mean, that's appaling, the right measures were taken for punishing such an atrocious loss of temper...but it's funny that the referee who got kicked in the face was Swedish. I mean, it's horrible that the referee was Swedish. I mean....I laughed.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
So, China did extremely well. In the all-time rankings the country jumped from position 12 to 7!
G S B
1. USA 927 725 635
2. Soviet Union 395 323 299
3. Great Britain 204 254 249
4. France 191 209 233
5. Italy 191 158 174
6. Germany 189 217 237
7. China (12) 163 117 106
8. Hungary (7) 159 140 158
9. DDR ( 8 ) 153 129 127
10. Sweden (9) 139 158 171
11. Australia (10) 131 137 164
12. Japan (11) 123 112 125
13. Russia (14) 108 97 110
14. Finland (13) 100 83 115
15. Romania 86 89 117
16. Netherlands 72 80 95
G S B
1. USA 927 725 635
2. Soviet Union 395 323 299
3. Great Britain 204 254 249
4. France 191 209 233
5. Italy 191 158 174
6. Germany 189 217 237
7. China (12) 163 117 106
8. Hungary (7) 159 140 158
9. DDR ( 8 ) 153 129 127
10. Sweden (9) 139 158 171
11. Australia (10) 131 137 164
12. Japan (11) 123 112 125
13. Russia (14) 108 97 110
14. Finland (13) 100 83 115
15. Romania 86 89 117
16. Netherlands 72 80 95
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
I knew you would start about that, Per. I am not aware of the official reasons. Until now they click
I'd say yes. Those people were "Germans" weren't they?
On the other hand I'd say no because the DDR was a notorious doping country.
But the Soviet Union is a different matter. Besides Russians there were others.
@Acacia: I think it would be more logical that the most populated countries should rank as most successful, but especially when we talk about countries with enough money for school and sports.
edit:
Uhh, I was just about to be negative about Canada, but then I found out that they have even less citizens than e.g. Poland, Spain, Argentina or Columbia(!) Size surely doesn't matter!
Still Canada has way more citizens than some of the countries in that list.
I'd say yes. Those people were "Germans" weren't they?
On the other hand I'd say no because the DDR was a notorious doping country.
But the Soviet Union is a different matter. Besides Russians there were others.
@Acacia: I think it would be more logical that the most populated countries should rank as most successful, but especially when we talk about countries with enough money for school and sports.
edit:
Uhh, I was just about to be negative about Canada, but then I found out that they have even less citizens than e.g. Poland, Spain, Argentina or Columbia(!) Size surely doesn't matter!
Still Canada has way more citizens than some of the countries in that list.
I don't actually have an opinion on it, I just thought it'd make an interesting discussion. 
It would seem logical to me that if you counted the DDR separate, you should also separate pre-1990 West Germany from today's Germany. But then, what are you going to do about pre-1945 Germany?
It would seem logical to me that if you counted the DDR separate, you should also separate pre-1990 West Germany from today's Germany. But then, what are you going to do about pre-1945 Germany?
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
Yep. I only think some other concurring countries could make problems. Already, the USA are childish about this year's ranking. They seem to state that the total of medals is more important than the amount of golden medals only. I also noticed this in the Games' first week at CNN, where the USA were leading the medal table, instead of China.
America refuses to accept defeat in Olympic medal count
It was the perfect end to a perfect Olympic Games for China as the Olympic flame was handed over to London in one of the world's greatest stadiums last night. As memories of a sensational Games faded, China celebrated achieving its ultimate aim of heading the Olympic medals table for the first time. Unless you are in America, where you will discover that Team USA remain the force in world sport.
The race for the Olympic title is measured in medals, it just depends on which medals you consult. The IOC issues its league table based on the number of golds won, which gives China the honours, but then admits that there is no official system in place to decide who is top dog. So the American public is reading tables counting the total number of medals, including silver and bronze, won at the Games. On that measure, the US keep the whip hand over the home nation.
The undeniable fact, though, is that this has been China's Games in every sense. A century ago at the 1908 Games in London, China did not even field a team. Now they have overtaken Russia and loom in the US's sights. In Beijing, China contested almost every event and, even where they could not win medals, showed signs that they will be a formidable force in London.
Even in their weakest sports, there were breakthroughs. In sailing, for example, Yin Jian won China's first medal when she took windsurfing gold. She is just the start: in Qingdao, the venue for the Olympic sailing regatta, there are already 80 yacht clubs with 42 schools offering specific courses in sailing for more than 2,000 children. China plans to take over from Britain in ruling the Olympic waves.
Whatever way they count, the fact remains that Beijing was the first time in 72 years that the US have not headed the gold-medal standings - and it has clearly hurt, never more so than on the track, where US officials were talking up the team's performance while quietly launching an internal inquiry into what went wrong.
The answer was Usain Bolt, of course, the phenomenon who ended America's grip on the 100 metres. Jamaica blasted the US off the podium at Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium and claimed dominance of the high-speed events for men and women. Six golds and a total of 11 medals was an impressive performance from a country with a population of three million, a fifth of the number of residents of Beijing.
Like Australia, who sank from fourth in Athens to sixth in Beijing on the IOC medals table, the US will have to accept that the rest of the world is catching up fast and that they will not be able to flex their sporting muscles for much longer.
The US may feign ignorance, but there is a new Olympic order led by China, whichever league table you read.
America refuses to accept defeat in Olympic medal count
It was the perfect end to a perfect Olympic Games for China as the Olympic flame was handed over to London in one of the world's greatest stadiums last night. As memories of a sensational Games faded, China celebrated achieving its ultimate aim of heading the Olympic medals table for the first time. Unless you are in America, where you will discover that Team USA remain the force in world sport.
The race for the Olympic title is measured in medals, it just depends on which medals you consult. The IOC issues its league table based on the number of golds won, which gives China the honours, but then admits that there is no official system in place to decide who is top dog. So the American public is reading tables counting the total number of medals, including silver and bronze, won at the Games. On that measure, the US keep the whip hand over the home nation.
The undeniable fact, though, is that this has been China's Games in every sense. A century ago at the 1908 Games in London, China did not even field a team. Now they have overtaken Russia and loom in the US's sights. In Beijing, China contested almost every event and, even where they could not win medals, showed signs that they will be a formidable force in London.
Even in their weakest sports, there were breakthroughs. In sailing, for example, Yin Jian won China's first medal when she took windsurfing gold. She is just the start: in Qingdao, the venue for the Olympic sailing regatta, there are already 80 yacht clubs with 42 schools offering specific courses in sailing for more than 2,000 children. China plans to take over from Britain in ruling the Olympic waves.
Whatever way they count, the fact remains that Beijing was the first time in 72 years that the US have not headed the gold-medal standings - and it has clearly hurt, never more so than on the track, where US officials were talking up the team's performance while quietly launching an internal inquiry into what went wrong.
The answer was Usain Bolt, of course, the phenomenon who ended America's grip on the 100 metres. Jamaica blasted the US off the podium at Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium and claimed dominance of the high-speed events for men and women. Six golds and a total of 11 medals was an impressive performance from a country with a population of three million, a fifth of the number of residents of Beijing.
Like Australia, who sank from fourth in Athens to sixth in Beijing on the IOC medals table, the US will have to accept that the rest of the world is catching up fast and that they will not be able to flex their sporting muscles for much longer.
The US may feign ignorance, but there is a new Olympic order led by China, whichever league table you read.
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
If you count three points for gold, two for silver and one from bronze, China is still above the USA.
I don't think population has too much bearing on how good or bad a nation could be at sport. Sure it can help, but you need the infrastructure in the first place. You can throw as much money and people at a sport as you want, but if the athletes are just not good enough or the coaching is not up to scratch, and so on - then it fails. Australia has a third of the population of Italy, but got almost twice the medals.Forostar said:
No surprise there. The "World Powers" as you put it are rich countries with many resources for athletes to train. That's just a fact. Poorer countries simply don't have public swimming halls or sports clubs. So there's more athletes training in those countries, hence more people with Olympic skills. More athletes can be sent to the games, hence more chances for medals. You don't have to see a conspiracy in everything.
Onhell
Infinite Dreamer
Perun said:
who you talking to here? because both times I've mentioned it I never considered it a "conspiracy", only what you pointed out...
On a side note, that is why Cuba (aside from the Tae Kwan Do fiasco in these olympics...) is usually an olympic surprise. If I remember correctly in Sydney they were in the top 10... they have over 150 medals even after boycotting two games, no other latin american country boasts such results.
Speaking of that Cuba Tae Kwan Do ref kicking, I read somewhere that an olympic judge said that the athlete was correct, that the call was wrong-- however said the kicking was obviously wrong.
And I recall Sweden making a big deal when their wrestling guy was disqualified from the final match and had to fight for bronze instead, because the ref made a wrong call...and now only to have one of their ref's do the same thing! I see an irony in this that makes me laugh at my own country.