magnumpi

Maybe you are a racist for saying you don't like the Winter Olympics and think its ridiculous, do you say this because there are not enough black people in it and it's mostly whities winning ?

Same thing so stop with the racist shit pal !!!!

SchnookoLoly

Two examples come to mind. One was an eastern european hammerthrower who made a good throw, but then went all crazy hulk about it and started slapping himself about the head and chest... I found it a bit much. The other is in swimming, I've seen some swimmers go totally mental and start crazy splashing and yelling about it. And yes, the one girl's celebration you mentioned as well I did find a bit much. I am not singling anyone out.

Most people tend to do a few fist pumps or cheers or whatever, and others go totally insane and lose their minds. NOt saying they shouldn't be celebrating or anything, but sometimes I find it a bit over the top. Regardless of who is doing it.

The camaraderie I'm referring to I was thinking of, for example, the two Canadians yesterday who won Gold and Bronze, and the American won Silver. The three of them were celebrating together and hugging and wrapping each other in their flags and such. It was more of a group celebration and not as much of a freakout.

I said nothing anywhere about race, nor was I implying it, and as I said before, I do not appreciate the personal insults.

orly

Is it a problem that the best sprinters tend to be black but that the best ice hockey players tend to be white or even pointing out such facts?

I've joined late and it looks like there have been deletions.

Oink

How about those vapid Canadian sisters who won one of those dopey ski cross type things who were crying and hugging and basically hamming it up for the cameras? It was as transparent as it was nauseating. And just wait if the Canadian girls ice hockey team win a medal. That's just going to be sickly.

Siouxie

UR - you are reading into comments things that are not there and responding in a non acceptable manner. There was no targeting by anyone other than you.

I would remind you, yet once again, of site rules.

1. Personal Attacks
BritishExpats.com is an interactive site, and everyone who participates is "in it together", please treat others the way you wish to be treated. Personal attacks will not be tolerated. Challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully ... without insult or personal attack.

Simon Legree

And some people just are one !

SchnookoLoly

I completely agree - I never said the crazy celebrations were limited to the Summers - was just giving an example and that one came to mind first.

The sisters I believe won the freestyle moguls. (Actually, during the medal ceremony the camera was on the one that won gold, and my mom was going SING YOUR ANTHEM, THE COUNTRY IS WATCHING!!!!! Funny, actually!)

orly

Worse than the Japanese schoolboy who came 2nd in snowboarding earlier? He looked bored on the podium lol.

Oink

I don't blame him. Who wants to celebrate losing?

Oakvillian

Since this has all got a bit heated, let me try a different angle.

Somebody (was it Iaink?) upthread commented that for a diminishing number of winter sports is the Olympics the pinnacle of achievement. I would strongly disagree with this. With the exception of men's hockey, and I've already said how much I dislike the gulf between the millionaire hockey players and the everyday athletes.

Especially among some of the full-time professionals, the X-games stars, several competitors have said that the Olympics is a really, really big deal, and the crowning achievement of their competitive lives. I forget now who is was, but one of the snowboarders was quite eloquent on the camaraderie and spirit of mutual support within Team Canada, and that the notion of competing for your country and for the honour of the occasion was more prestigious than any number of X-games titles or world cup victories.

Even for the hockeyists, it was largely a player-led initiative to get Bateman and his odious team owners to agree to release the players for the Olympics. They, the businessmen and their lickspittle lawyers running sports/entertainment franchises in North America, are the people who do not understand competitive endeavour and the honour of the game. The players - especially the European players - want to compete for their country.

For pretty much everyone else - Alpine and Nordic skiers, speed skaters, all flavours of sliders, figure skaters, curlers - the Olympic gold medal is unequivocally and unquestionably the pinnacle of achievement in their sport.

iaink

More a comment with regard to tennis, golf, footy and the like in the summer games.

The being part of a team thing is I guess an interesting aspect, but its not really a team in the way that say the ryder cup throws a bunch of individually driven performers together to have to compete as a team, its more like a nice support group isnt it?

On the importance of the Olympics to the traditional winter sports I agree in large part, although in sports where falling is part of the risk, history tends to judge by annual world championships rather than who manages not to fall on the one race every 4 years that wins olympic gold. However, as none of the old fogies who run the games gave a damn about most of the more modern introductions until the X-games and the like demonstrated the enormous ratings potentials of these young upstarts I find it hard not to view them with a rather jaded and cynical eye as just a means to suck in the corporate sponsors so central to the modern games.

None of which really matters over the central issue that these particular games are built on a foundation of greed and corruption and have a terrible environmental and human rights cost that far overshadows the atheletes achievements for me. The amount spend is mind boggling for what there is to show for it, and an IOC that considers a helmet sticker commemorating a fallen skier as a political statement pretty much sums up how far the ideals of the games have fallen.

Oink

Plus, they're silly.

Cookie

I love the Winter Olympics. I only really got into it during Vancouver 2010 which was brilliant - just wish I could have been there. I did host a hockey final party. Awesome night, even though I nearly chewed my nails down to my elbows

ultrarunner

First...I ain't your "pal"....my comments are made as neutral, considering you don't even know my race or creed. So you are out to lunch on that one

Well ...am not the one that came out and made a blanket comment about "athletes from summer olympics lacking camaraderie, having egos etc"....Yet I posted that the young lady from Quebec that won Gold, how did she celebrate on off the slopes yelling into the camera?

Am a Londoner that grew up with different races and types, and I think that has helped me not look at people and stereotype, or afraid of of the unknown.

You think all the foreign owners of footie clubs back home care who is playing for them, as long as they win the Prem league trophy every year and bring in the Wonga.....

Sports is there to knock down barriers, and the last thing the athletes need is arm chair generals taking them back light years

Am sure PK Subban and Crosby aren't look at the same way by some if they for some reason commit the same act on the ice....Some might use Subban's colour to explain why he might have done the same thing Crosby might have done

Siouxie

I like this article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ral-palsy.html