London Summer Olympics 2012
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vesicles
Colonel
It definitely seems like there is a double standard when it comes to Chinese athletes. Western athletes can brag about their sacrifice and dedication, as a heroic act (see Citibank commercials about athletes not watching TV for a whole year, etc). However, when it's the Chinese athletes, somehow doing the same thing becomes a bad thing for the Chinese govn't... People always mention the state-run sports programs in China. Somehow it has been made out to sound like these kids have been dragged kicking and screaming into these schools. However, the fact is the recruitment process is more like American Idle or America Got Talent. The recruit team goes to a city and post ads and asking those interested come to a stadium for physical tests. When a kid passes the test, he/she would be recommended for certain programs based on their physical characteristics. Whether the kid would join such program is all up to the kid and his/her parents. That's why you always hear some athletes from poor families. These kids can endure hardship of training better and the possibility of glory also becomes a big motivation for these kids from poor families. Kids from wealthy families, however, have many more options and choose NOT to go through these programs even if they have the physical capability to do so. So it is obvious that these programs are completely voluntary. If these kids are forced into these programs, there would be equal amount of kids from wealthy families and from poor families. As a matter of fact, there should be even more wealthy kids in these programs if they are forced into it since wealthy kids get better nutrition and can be physically more fit than those kids from poor families. Yet, it is a opposite. So it is clear this is a voluntary since joining these sport programs is a better alternative for kids from poor families. So those who come for the test and who eventually got recruited into the program are almost always the ones who WANTED to join the programs.
And yes, they are pushed hard in the programs, but they can quit any time they want. There is no barbed wire and no high walls trapping them inside of a compound. These kids can leave whenever they want if they don't want to be the program anymore. Those who eventually decided to stay and thrive are the ones who have dedication and are willing to sacrifice to perfect their craft. I don't know the statistics, but I can imagine, for one that eventually succeed in China's sports program, many more cannot stand the hard work and quit in the middle of it.
About the badminton scandal. I can't believe they made such a big deal out of it. When was the last time you see a sport team intentionally lose to get a better position in the Playoffs? Well, probably a couple days ago... It is such a common thing for many teams to do that. In the NBA, many teams intentionally lose to manipulate their position in the Playoffs so that they can face an opponent that is a better match-up for them. In baseball, they intentionally walk an efficient hitter to prevent potential home runs. This is called strategy. If anything, IOC should bare most of the blame for coming up with the "group" event.
And yes, they are pushed hard in the programs, but they can quit any time they want. There is no barbed wire and no high walls trapping them inside of a compound. These kids can leave whenever they want if they don't want to be the program anymore. Those who eventually decided to stay and thrive are the ones who have dedication and are willing to sacrifice to perfect their craft. I don't know the statistics, but I can imagine, for one that eventually succeed in China's sports program, many more cannot stand the hard work and quit in the middle of it.
About the badminton scandal. I can't believe they made such a big deal out of it. When was the last time you see a sport team intentionally lose to get a better position in the Playoffs? Well, probably a couple days ago... It is such a common thing for many teams to do that. In the NBA, many teams intentionally lose to manipulate their position in the Playoffs so that they can face an opponent that is a better match-up for them. In baseball, they intentionally walk an efficient hitter to prevent potential home runs. This is called strategy. If anything, IOC should bare most of the blame for coming up with the "group" event.
plawolf
Lieutenant General
Well, isn't the whole point of this deliberate negative publicity blitz precisely to distract from the scoreboard?
If anything, the treatment and training of Chinese athletes in decades past was far worse and harsher than today, yet did we hear much from the western media about their plight?
Rightly or wrongly, a great many Chinese feel that the western media has decided that if they cannot beat China fair and square out on field, they are going to do their damnedest to piss all over China's parade and take as much gloss off of the accomplishments of the athletes and China as a nation as possible.
The west is creating a publicity and image problem for itself of epic proportions not just in China, but in pretty much the entire non-white world. Journalists need to be made aware that their petty and sometimes spiteful actions can and will cause real damage between relations of people's and countries in the real world.
The first thing that needs to be drilled into their heads is that everyone with half a brain can see clearly through their pretense and excuses of being against the Chinese government but someone being for the Chinese people. They are showing their true colors by hating all over individual athletes for no reason other than their race.
One of the most laughable defenses I have heard being raise was that the critics are not racists because they are not hating on all Asians, just the Chinese, so it's political, not racists.
Yes, I don't understand how someone could say that with a straight face either.Journalists in the west have too long been only concerned about their rights and freedoms that they have forgotten that they have responsibilities and duties that come hand in hand with those rights and freedoms that they love so much.
For most of the world, the western media are ambassadors for their nations. What the western media reports, foreigners are going to take as representative of the views and opinions of the western public. When the western media acts in petty, spiteful and other dishonorable and immoral ways, that reflect badly on western society as a whole. It might not be right or accurate, but that is a reality of the world that has to be accepted and understood.
It is painful to see the seeds of distrust and mutual loathing being planted so publicly and blatantly by a tiny tiny minority of people and have them being cheered on, defended and applauded by the masses who do not realize the potential damage these people are likely to cause, and how badly they are harming the interests of the people they claim to be serving.
vesicles
Colonel
Swimming is getting to the end while most of the finals in diving, badminton, table tennis, etc have yet to begin...
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
During the Beijing games they made a big deal about how the Olympic Green wasn't full of people at this point. So far I haven't seen huge crowds at the Olympic Green here. They also made a big deal about empty seats in Beijing. How do they explain it here? You don't hear much about Brazil's women's soccer team being stuck out in the middle of nowhere in the English countryside with no cell service on a broken bus for like half a day. Another bus even drove by them heading back but the driver wouldn't take them because he was off hours. They finally got to their hotel but had no practice time to get ready and lost their next match. The London opening ceremony had ten thousand volunteers performing. China had fifteen thousand but somehow that was a sign of how Chinese are automotons to get that many people together in country with twenty times more people. It tells you something that the IOC has already said China is not going to get the games again for at least a few decades and it has nothing to do with China failing.
It's impossible to avoid politics in the Olympics. The same message China is scrutinized in world politics is the same in the Olympics. We're not going to accept Chinese achievements until they conform to our way regardless. Ye's swimming achievement is questionable because they didn't oversee it. So how does that happen? The Chinese have to reform so that their institutions, their people are in control of it. That's the only way they'll ever accept it.
Personally I think China should stop pursuing the kind of "respect" from international community events like these. I know some think I'm talking about aggression. Of course to some stopping China from pursuing acceptance placing China in a lower position and others in a higher position is at the same level of alarm as an act of aggression. After Brazil, China should stop attending the Olympics because of their continued disrespect. I'm not saying this out of anger because of what's happening in London. I'm not at all surprised this is happening. Anything China sees internationally of value that especially critics are in control of, they're going to use it to embarrass China. How do you stop it? Don't value it in the first place. How do you slay a god? Stop worshipping it and it will wither away and be never heard from again. China should continue to pursue sporting achievements just not at the Olympics... to the least just to show them their records will be broken. The only big sporting powerhouse is the US. People noted in here how there seems to be a lot of support for Ye in the international community. I've notice that too but I think it's because more people are sick of the US winning than they believe Ye is innocent. And that's coming from their fellow traditional allies that hold the same values.
It's impossible to avoid politics in the Olympics. The same message China is scrutinized in world politics is the same in the Olympics. We're not going to accept Chinese achievements until they conform to our way regardless. Ye's swimming achievement is questionable because they didn't oversee it. So how does that happen? The Chinese have to reform so that their institutions, their people are in control of it. That's the only way they'll ever accept it.
Personally I think China should stop pursuing the kind of "respect" from international community events like these. I know some think I'm talking about aggression. Of course to some stopping China from pursuing acceptance placing China in a lower position and others in a higher position is at the same level of alarm as an act of aggression. After Brazil, China should stop attending the Olympics because of their continued disrespect. I'm not saying this out of anger because of what's happening in London. I'm not at all surprised this is happening. Anything China sees internationally of value that especially critics are in control of, they're going to use it to embarrass China. How do you stop it? Don't value it in the first place. How do you slay a god? Stop worshipping it and it will wither away and be never heard from again. China should continue to pursue sporting achievements just not at the Olympics... to the least just to show them their records will be broken. The only big sporting powerhouse is the US. People noted in here how there seems to be a lot of support for Ye in the international community. I've notice that too but I think it's because more people are sick of the US winning than they believe Ye is innocent. And that's coming from their fellow traditional allies that hold the same values.
solarz
Brigadier
But there's also the track and field events.
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