OLYMPIC UPDATE

Badminton to the bone.

Comments

[WVplantman]

Will the sport ever recover from this outrage? Say it ain't so Yu-Wang!

[Elon]

I don't honestly see what is wrong with strategic losing. They weren't gambling on the matches; they threw them because the rules gave the losing teams better seeds in the finals.That is a legitimate strategy. How is it cheating?

[wiredog]

as fine a display of shuttlecock-whacking as I have seen in some time
I thought whacking your shuttlecock in public was illegal?

In my younger days the crowd I ran with would occasionally engage in bouts of coed naked badminton. Usually just one set. During which the guys would see the girls bouncy bits and drool, and they would see our bouncy bits and laugh.

[random thunking]

I, for one, am glad to learn that Tanyaporn has found a new sport after her figure skating debacle.

[nursecindy]

The Shuttlecock Whackers wbagnfarb. Great article Dave and I totally agree with you about cut and paste.

[ligirl]

well

ya jes never know what a shuttlecocke'll do...

......dle-do

[Clankie]

Now that Penn State's football program is in the bin, perhaps they will direct their energies to becoming a force in the world of badminton.

[KJP]

Elon, it's only deemed cheating because it makes the organizers look bad for choosing a format where such actions could be advantageous. Because in the end, the unwritten first ideal of the Olympic Spirit is, "never make the people who write the rules look bad".

[Omniskeptic]

I'm tellin' you, stick with Calvinball.

[Ms. Flukey]

I think it has something to do with the metric system, and I say to hell with it.

[Not My Usual Alias]

I used cut-and-paste for Badminton.

So can we call this scandal BadmintonGate?

[WVplantman]

Losing on purpose when it is to your advantage is called gamemanship, which some consider totally acceptable. On the other hand it is very poor sportmanship and shows a lack of respect for your opponents, the viewers and the sport. The association never called it "cheating" and I applaud them for their actions. Now please get off my lawn, and take your badminton floss with you.

[Guin]

snork @ random up there - Tanyaporn. hee hee.

[padraig]

I'm still waiting to hear how Hong Kong Phooey does in the judo competition.

[padraig]

BTW, disqualifying someone for losing -- isn't that right up there with suspending students for skipping class, logically speaking?

[JD]

good point, padraig.

And it's kind of like jailing someone for breaking into the jail.

[Elon]

Not at all. Here they were ALLOWED and ENCOURAGED to lose, and then were thrown out on some made-up disciplinary charge. There was no official rule against strategic flopping. There is an official rule about playing hooky.

You have to do things by the book. Otherwise, it is the judges with the incentive to cheat.

[MikeyVA (NOT WEST VA)]

I thought that whacking ones birdie in public was illegal in all places except Washington DC.

Oh and WEST VA, Sorry WVplantman.

[klezmerphan]

Omniskeptic, Calvinball RULES!

I miss that little guy and his terrific tiger more every day - Bill Watterson's way of combining wit and wisdom is rare, indeed.

*Now I'm going to go re-read all my Calvin & Hobbes books.*

[Elon]

C&H are the best. Too bad Watterson said he won't write another comic book.

[Omniskeptic]

But klezmer, you're in an opposite zone, so you have to read them backwards until someone finds the spot of reversing ...