Track & Field: Insert Latest Scandal here

[briochetwist]

2 minutes ago, Scovies said:

I think it might be personal choice for the women? In the women's 4x100 three of the U.S. ladies wore what looked like bike shorts while English Gardner had on bikini-style briefs.

It is, even on the relay teams the outfits varied, some women wore long shorts, mid shorts and the tiny briefs. Some of the tops are cropped, slightly cropped, tank and with sleeves! I love that everyone gets to wear what they're comfortable racing in.

[AimingforYoko]

Just now, Ohwell said:

Just heard that Chilemo got reinstated, so he keeps the medal.  Good for him.

Nice! Despite Jamaica owning the sprints, a pretty nice track meet for the U.S.

[KenyaJ]

12 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Nice to see the Gold medal for the Men's 4 x 400m back where it belongs.

Yes! So excited and happy for them1

And I'm really happy Paul Chelimo was reinstated, though I can't keep up with all these track DQs and reinstatements. (And now I have to be sad for Bernard Lagat missing out on a medal again.)

[selkie]

7 minutes ago, Scovies said:

I think it might be personal choice for the women? In the women's 4x100 three of the U.S. ladies wore what looked like bike shorts while English Gardner had on bikini-style briefs.

Personal choice along with the rules of the athlete's national federation. Lots of women prefer the bikini look on hot days. You also get stuff like the Muslim country of Bahrain offering some very lucrative passports of convenience for East African runners who compete under their flag, and while those female runners are not fully covered or anything, they typically wear longer and baggier shorts and singlets than many of their peers on the track. Example- Maryam Jamal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryam_Yusuf_Jamal

[KenyaJ]

4 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

Nice! Despite Jamaica owning the sprints, a pretty nice track meet for the U.S.

Yeah, I was surprised to read on the Guardian's live blog just now that the U.S. team topped the track & field medals table with 13 golds and Jamaica was next with 6. I wouldn't have guessed that, even though I've been watching all the events.

[sereion]

Yay for the US men for winning the 4x400 gold again!! 

I'm glad Chelimo got reinstated; I honestly don't think Lagat would've want to earn his medal over a DQ. Besides, he's earned two when he ran for Kenya...it still would've been nice if he earned another one.

Chaunte Lowe? Class act. I hate that she lost out on a medal again.

Although Jamacia are dominant in the sprints now, it's great to see the growth of US distance running; they really racked up the medals--most of them for the first time in years--if ever! I hope this continues.

Edited August 21, 2016 by sereion

[KenyaJ]

6 minutes ago, sereion said:

I'm glad Chelimo got reinstated; I honestly don't think Lagat would've wanted earn his medal over a DQ. 

Yep. After the reinstatement he said: "To disqualify people when they didn't gain an advantage is not the right spirit. I like to know I earned my medal"

He's all class. Love him. Speaking of class, I love Chantae Lowe so much right now. It sucked seeing her just miss out on a medal in high jump, but the way she congratulated Ruth Beitia was so warm and genuine. It was such a nice feel-good Olympic moment.

Edited August 21, 2016 by KenyaJ

[sereion]

....and that's why I love Lagat. Class act.

[roamyn]

What abt Ruth Batia winning at her 4th Olympics, and her very first medal is Gold!

[selkie]

42 minutes ago, KenyaJ said:

Yeah, I was surprised to read on the Guardian's live blog just now that the U.S. team topped the track & field medals table with 13 golds and Jamaica was next with 6. I wouldn't have guessed that, even though I've been watching all the events.

If you went to pee at the wrong time, you missed the sum total non-streaming coverage of a number of the field events like women's pole vault or men's triple jump. NBC tends to forget it's track and field. I do love that you could get the international full feed for those kind of events on web site and app, but I like a more balanced main feed coverage of the five ring circus the sport typically is.

[KenyaJ]

No, I watched most of that stuff live on NBC's app. I guess since it was spread out over so many days, I just didn't realize how many golds we'd won. I was happily surprised when I found out.

[andromeda331]

Well, it took a 108 years but an American finally won the 1500m again! Congratulations Centrowitz!

[sereion]

1 hour ago, KenyaJ said:

I love Chantae Lowe so much right now. It sucked seeing her just miss out on a medal in high jump, but the way she congratulated Ruth Beitia was so warm and genuine. It was such a nice feel-good Olympic moment.

She was the one who comforted Vashti Cummings after she was eliminated.  She was so gracious when she hugged Beita.

[briochetwist]

Still recovering from the last Tragically Hip concert (props to CBC for showing it, especially during the Olympics), but I come back and we have 4th place finish in everything!  Damn.

[Superpole2000]

57 minutes ago, briochetwist said:

Still recovering from the last Tragically Hip concert (props to CBC for showing it, especially during the Olympics), but I come back and we have 4th place finish in everything!  Damn.

I liked all of those people who finished fourth. The hunger in their eyes, the things they said, you could tell they were getting ready to work their asses off for 2020.

[evilmindatwork]

Can someone explain to me why the longer distance runners all run in the same lane jostling each other? 

[briochetwist]

7 minutes ago, Superpole2000 said:

I liked all of those people who finished fourth. The hunger in their eyes, the things they said, you could tell they were getting ready to work their asses off for 2020.

Good attitude.  Maybe when I'm slightly less bummed I'll feel the same.  :)

[Zuleikha]

Can someone explain to me why the longer distance runners all run in the same lane jostling each other?

Because everyone wants to hug the inside curve to run the shortest length possible. Assigned lanes don't work for any length longer than the 400. Runners have a staggered start to compensate for the curve in an assigned lane. But once you've completed a lap, you can't stagger. So in distance, runners start in lanes for the first curve, and then everyone cuts into the inside.

[evilmindatwork]

5 minutes ago, Zuleikha said:

Because everyone wants to hug the inside curve to run the shortest length possible. Assigned lanes don't work for any length longer than the 400. Runners have a staggered start to compensate for the curve in an assigned lane. But once you've completed a lap, you can't stagger. So in distance, runners start in lanes for the first curve, and then everyone cuts into the inside.

Thank you for explaining! I don't normally follow track but have loved watching Usain Bolt and Mo Farah this Olympics. 

[greyhorse]

Congrats to the US Women on the 4x400 relay.  Once again, love watching Allyson Felix run like a gazelle and turning on another gear in the final 100.

Happy the men had some redemption with the win in the 4x400.  So strange that Botswana has such a competitive relay team, yet none of their racers were in the finals?  The race was really lost when on the exchange when the Botswana guy in the second lane tried to cut in unnecessarily to the inside, essentially running up on the back of the US runner and having to pause and wait.  Should have ran around him in lane 2 and then cut in.

[NUguy514]

I'm SO excited for our 4x400 women and especially for Allyson Felix!  I'm also happy for our 4x400 men, partially because I think LaShawn Merritt and Gil Roberts are hooooot.

I'm thrilled for Caster Semenya and hated the way Tom Hammond kept insinuating that she is intersex.  STOP.

WE WON GOLD IN THE 1,500M AND SILVER IN THE 5,000M IS THE WORLD ENDING????  Seriously, how incredible for Centrowitz and Chelimo!  I love Mo as well!

My favorite moment, though, was Chaunté Lowe embodying everything the Olympic spirit is.  Consoling Vashti Cunningham and so warmly congratulating Beitia on her win after she had just lost out on a medal herself – she is a true champion.

[kili]

I only watch T&F every 4 years. Is it normal for there to be this many DQ's followed by re-instatements and appeals and so on? It seems like track athletes have to spend half their time training and the other half reading rule books - and their association's ability to work the angles is almost as the athlete's abilities on the track. One doesn't really know who medalled until a couple of days later when the legal process is exhausted. 

[Haleth]

11 hours ago, Ohwell said:

Just heard that Chilemo got reinstated, so he keeps the medal.  Good for him.

Can someone explain this?  At first on the broadcast they said it was for too much jostling, then amended it to say it was for stepping on the white line (which he clearly did on the video).  Why was he reinstated?  (I felt terrible for him when he was given the news of the DQ by the interviewer.)

Edited August 21, 2016 by Haleth

[Occasional Hope]

12 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

Speaking of crazy, just read that two of the heptatletes(is that even a word?) jumped higher than the winner of the gold today.

Heptathlete's the word.

To be fair, conditions were better on the heptathlon day, and one of the two (Thiam, the heptathlon champion), is also a specialist high jumper who was entered here for the HJ, just decided not to do it after winning the hep.

[sereion]

GO RUPP!!!!!! Congrats to him for winning the bronze another US medal in distance running! Maybe not medaling in the 10,000 was a blessing in disguise. I know Salazar is estastic!

 Yay for Kipchoge I'm happy to see the Kenyans finally winning an Olympic marathon. Great performance from Ward, too!

I really hate that Meb struggled, but I liked how he handle it; especially after that fall toward the finish line. Such a gentleman.

Edited August 21, 2016 by sereion

[galaxygirl76]

Great run by Rupp!! The Dutch runner got 11th place, which apparently is the second best finish ever by a Dutch marathon runner and the best ever since 1980(silver), so we are proud of him :)

[CaffeinatedAunt79]

Huge props to Galen Rupp on the bronze medal!!!  He only ran in one other marathon before this..impressive!  Points for referencing "Happy Gilmore" in his interview with NBC.

[selkie]

9 hours ago, Zuleikha said:

Because everyone wants to hug the inside curve to run the shortest length possible. Assigned lanes don't work for any length longer than the 400. Runners have a staggered start to compensate for the curve in an assigned lane. But once you've completed a lap, you can't stagger. So in distance, runners start in lanes for the first curve, and then everyone cuts into the inside.

If you want a visual representation of this, find some video of the 4x200 relay, (2 laps)  which is a American high school event and is run entirely in lanes. The stagger they have to use for the event is quite impressive, and it pretty much requires two officials to see everyone and make sure the start is clean. 

 

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

Can someone explain this?  At first on the broadcast they said it was for too much jostling, then amended it to say it was for stepping on the white line (which he clearly did on the video).  Why was he reinstated?  (I felt terrible for him when he was given the news of the DQ by the interviewer.)

IIRC, the original DQ was for stepping over the white line off the track to the inside- ie. cutting the course short. Appeal was that he was jostled into the foot foul and should not be penalized because someone else pushed him into the infield. 

[Haleth]

Thanks, selkie. 

[anyanka323]

On 8/20/2016 at 11:13 AM, xaxat said:

Hell, I remember it happening back in Seoul 1988. It cost Carl Lewis a medal.

That piece showing the team watching their failures was kind of brutal. 

I think football might have something to do with it. The game is putting a higher emphasis on speed and athleticism in general. Robert Griffin III was an All American hurdler, but stopped competing to concentrate on football. Jeff Demps went to the NFL after competing on the London team. And Devon Allen's fifth place finish in the 110m hurdles probably increased his draft stock as he heads back to play wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks. I'm sure there are others.

Being seen as a "track guy" used to be a negative in NFL scouting. Not so much any more.

Thanks for the RG III example.  It's sad that he had such a wonderful college career, but his pro career has been cut short by injuries. 

[NutMeg]

On 8/21/2016 at 9:20 AM, selkie said:

I'm just thrilled that Blanka Vlasic managed a bronze after about five years of off and on injury problems that caused her to miss all of the 2012 season. She's long been one of those people who makes high jump fun to watch.

Oh, you and me both - glad to see a fellow fan of high jump...

I remember her well together with her former rivalry with Tia Hellebaut from Belgium, that duel in Beijing was gold! (well, gold for Tia, silver for Blanka, double gold for the viewers with such amazing athletes...)

So yeah, as much as I was rooting for Tia in Beijing (Blanka being the clear favourite, haha, I like my underdogs), here I was just rooting for Blanka to go far... and she did! Take that, you young ones who think athletes should shrivel and die after hitting 30! :) 

Also, how nice is it when small countries battle it up to the top? Spain, Bulgaria, Croatia, yeah! (And Tia was from Belgium, double yeah!!)

Also bis: if you type "high jump rio olympics" on google, you have to scroll down almost to the bottom of the first page to find the official rio 2016 women's high jump schedule and results. Of course that may be because there's a huge ass picture of the MALE winner for that dicipline...

[Nidratime]

I don't think this was posted here yet, but this just makes me smile ... *and* he won the bronze medal as well!

http://www.today.com/news/u-s-pole-vaulter-sam-kendricks-stops-mid-stride-stand-t102073

And of course Usain Bolt did the same thing in 2012, even though it isn't even his Anthem! (See the video at the end of this article on Kendrick.)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/08/21/u-s-pole-vaulter-sam-kendricks-stopped-mid-run-to-stand-at-attention-for-national-anthem/

Edited August 22, 2016 by Nidratime

[DollEyes]

Observations:

  Cheers to Caster Semenya for winning the Gold in Women's 800! The way she has been treated regarding her gender is disgusting to say the least, so her her proving her haters wrong and winning a Gold medal in the bargain is the icing on the cake. Props to the US Women's team for winning the 4 x 400. I'm especially happy for Alyson Felix, who's had some tough breaks lately, but in her relays, she bounced back with a vengeance and she has two more Gold medals to prove it, making her the most decorated female Track & Field. Felix's lending English Gardner one of her shoes when she couldn't find hers was classy on her part, but since Felix did Gardner a favor, not saying that said shoes was a half size too big was the least she could have done. Tori Bowie is fire! That she won the whole set of medals in her first Olympics is a testament to her talent. If Bowie stays that great on the track or improves, she could either tie Alyson Felix's Gold medal record or break it altogether. 

I heart Matthew Centrowitz! His 1500 M race/his reaction to winning/his dad are all awesome and Centrowitz's cuteness doesn't hurt. I'm also thrilled for the Men's 4 x 400 relay winners, especially LaShawn Merritt, who's from my neck of the woods-Portsmouth, VA, to be specific-hence the hometown pride. As for the outcome of the 4 x 100 Men's relay, I already know that other members of that team, especially Tyson Gay, have screwed up before, but Gatlin's being in the wrong place at the wrong time in this race couldn't be ignored. On a lighter note, re the Jamaican Men's 4 x 100 team, I was a little disappointed that the other three members all didn't do the "Lightning" Bolt, in honor of their teammate Usain Bolt.  

Some of the most beautiful examples of the Olympic spirit took place during Track & Field events, whether it was the male hurdler who finished his race after tripping over the first hurdle, Mo Farah's getting up after falling in the middle of his race and still winning, Nicki Hamblin & Abbey D'Agostino's showing what true sportsmanship was about or Usain Bolt and pole vaulter Sam Kendricks giving props to the Star-Spangled Banner when it was being played. 

 

Quote

Can't we just leave *He who shall remain nameless because, apparently, he's the devil incarnate to some people and I think it's gotten rather ridiculous and blown waaay out of proportion and he just fucked up like we all do sometimes* out of the track & field thread?

  As far as I'm concerned, this is Usain Bolt's house. ;)

  While I know that nobody's perfect, as far as I'm concerned, when someone shits the bed as much as Ryan Lochte has, it shouldn't be ignored. I don't consider Lochte to be "the devil incarnate" because IMO he's not even remotely that clever nor that charismatic. Everybody makes mistakes; but mistakes are one thing; lying to the cops, the press, embarrassing our own country and causing an international incident in the process, are another. 

Edited August 23, 2016 by DollEyes
To add stuff.

[PaulaO]

I haz a sad that the Olympics are over.  If this newbie wanted to follow track & field throughout the year, what is the best way?  Is there a competition season?  Does this stuff get televised?

[meep.meep]

On 8/21/2016 at 7:13 AM, sereion said:

 

 Yay for Kipchoge I'm happy to see the Kenyans finally winning an Olympic marathon. Great performance from Ward, too!

It was amazing to watch Kipchoge accelerate at the finish.  How can you run 26+ miles and still have the energy to kick it into a higher gear?   Truly remarkable!

[proserpina65]

On ‎08‎/‎20‎/‎2016 at 10:07 AM, blackwing said:

Coverage by NBC of any of the non-marquee events is dismal.  If you really want to see events in their entirety, and see non-US athletes, best to stream on nbcolympics.com.  Women's pole vault just doesn't rate.  Even the women's shot put, won by an American, we only saw her final throw.  The men's shot put, 1-2 by Americans, we only saw three throws.

Their coverage of marquee events is only marginally better.

[selkie]

1 hour ago, PaulaO said:

I haz a sad that the Olympics are over.  If this newbie wanted to follow track & field throughout the year, what is the best way?  Is there a competition season?  Does this stuff get televised?

The IAAF Diamond League is the big global track & field series. We're about midway through the season. Save for the Eugene, Oregon meet on NBC Sports, it's carried in the USA on the BeIn Sports channel (check cable/satellite/or Sling on your streaming device to locate) I think BeIn just buys the rights to the English language Eurosports feed and rebroadcasts it since we get the British announcers with them. Not every 'meeting' features every event (and hammer is, IIRC, excluded entirely) in the name of giving athletes, especially the distance runners, a chance to recover properly after each event. 

http://www.diamondleague.com/home/

Lausanne and Paris meetings are up in the next few days. No wonder Emma Coburn was posting pictures of herself having a coffee and croissant at a Paris cafe on Facebook- she's probably headed back to work there. 

The distance races tend to be rather different- no limitations on the number of entries per countries, and pacemakers to provide a fast pace, unlike the men's 1500M in Rio that was entirely sit and kick. 

[galaxygirl76]

The Diamond League is why a lot of athletes were already gone or not staying around for the whole closing ceremony because for a lot of athletes it's where their money comes from and getting sick from sitting in the rain would jeopardize that.

[proserpina65]

Quote

Cheers to Caster Semenya for winning the Gold in Women's 800! The way she has been treated regarding her gender is disgusting to say the least, so her her proving her haters wrong and winning a Gold medal in the bargain is the icing on the cake.

While personally I do not believe she should be competing in women's events because her testosterone levels do indeed give her an unfair advantage over the other women, I hate the very public way her situation was handled.  No one deserves that sort of humiliation for something over which they have no control.

[selkie]

1 hour ago, galaxygirl76 said:

The Diamond League is why a lot of athletes were already gone or not staying around for the whole closing ceremony because for a lot of athletes it's where their money comes from and getting sick from sitting in the rain would jeopardize that.

 

i remember Lolo Jones saying that her appearance fee for the Monaco leg alone was more than she made in an entire season for USA Bobsledding. 

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

While personally I do not believe she should be competing in women's events because her testosterone levels do indeed give her an unfair advantage over the other women, I hate the very public way her situation was handled.  No one deserves that sort of humiliation for something over which they have no control.

I remember the shitstorm in 2009 between the IAAF and the president of the South African Federation who kept crying 'European Colonialism Stompy Feet' even though the original gender questions were raised by other black African runners. Do we know if Margaret Wambui has ever been subject to a gender test? (Selected because my husband looked up from his computer screen a few days back, saw her, and asked why a person who looked like Miles Davis was running a women's race) No we do not, because the Kenyan Athletic federation has some sense of privacy for their athletes. They have not tried to make her some sort of martyr, just 'she is eligible to compete in the women's 800M'. 

But Caster (and Oscar Pistorius) were the unfortunate shields that the head of Athletics South Africa was trying to hide behind amid questions of why the team never seemed to have enough money to prepare and send the country's best athletes to global competition. (He was embezzling from the organization he was supposed to nurture)

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/other/2011/02/19/end-of-the-run-for-chuene-the-love-cheat

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1358262/Leonard-Chuene-guilty-corruption-lying-Caster-Semenya-gender-case.html

http://mg.co.za/article/2009-09-18-semenya-saga-chuenes-trail-of-lies

Edited August 22, 2016 by selkie

[bluepiano]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 6:49 PM, galaxygirl76 said:

Japan is probably one of those teams that train for these events more than teams like the US and focus on getting the baton around the track. You don't necessarily need to have the fastest runners if your baton skills are flawless.

Even still, it's amazing that they could win a relay when not one of their individual runners was even a blip on the radar as far as winning an individual medal. (did a single one even make an individual semi final?) I consider this one of the giant surprises of the last several Olympics.

Just read a story about Ben Johnson's life post-Olympic disqualification. Pretty sad, and it does seem that the track world singled out for vilification so they could act like the rest of the sport was clean. Which we know it never was, especially that supreme hypocrite Carl Lewis.

And how is a two-time loser like Justin Gatlin allowed to continue to race and win medals.

Hooray for Usain Bolt. He certainly is a much great ambassador for the spirit of sport than the other multiple gold Olympian, Michael Phelps.

[MaKaM]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

While personally I do not believe she should be competing in women's events because her testosterone levels do indeed give her an unfair advantage over the other women, I hate the very public way her situation was handled.  No one deserves that sort of humiliation for something over which they have no control.

I thought NBC was actually very low-key in their mentioning that it is a potential future issue but that she is fine competing in the games. They even mentioned how terrible the previous handling of her situation was and how things that should have been private, weren't. But they had to mention it because anyone who knows her story or just tunes in can see the difference in physiology between her (and, honestly, Wambui) compared to the other women in the final. It is believed (but not confirmed) that while the IAAF had a limit on the testosterone in your blood to be considered for women's competition, she was on suppressors and her results were more in line with the rest of the field. Since those requirements were overturned, her times have significantly improved. While everyone has different advantages and disadvantages due to their physiology and biology, and working to utilize or overcome them is the nature of sport, it is an issue that requires further discussion as our understanding of the fluidity of gender increases.

[galaxygirl76]

2 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

Just read a story about Ben Johnson's life post-Olympic disqualification. Pretty sad, and it does seem that the track world singled out for vilification so they could act like the rest of the sport was clean. Which we know it never was, especially that supreme hypocrite Carl Lewis.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the IAAF and the IOC buried positive tests from saint Carl because it didn't fit the narrative. Like the UCI burying Lance Armstrong's positive tests. I had forgotten the tidbit from 9.79* where Ben Johnson implied that he was slipped something by a member from Carl Lewis' track team in the drug testing room, something that person never fully denied. Don't get me wrong, Johnson was doing doping, but it's unfair to treat him like the pariah he's being treated as while pretty much everyone else was doing the same thing.

I do feel bad for Calvin Smith who should have won the gold in Seoul.

[Daisy]

8 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the IAAF and the IOC buried positive tests from saint Carl because it didn't fit the narrative. Like the UCI burying Lance Armstrong's positive tests. I had forgotten the tidbit from 9.79* where Ben Johnson implied that he was slipped something by a member from Carl Lewis' track team in the drug testing room, something that person never fully denied. Don't get me wrong, Johnson was doing doping, but it's unfair to treat him like the pariah he's being treated as while pretty much everyone else was doing the same thing.

I do feel bad for Calvin Smith who should have won the gold in Seoul.

I just finished this, and I was like... poor Calvin Smith.  and the thing is, Carl Lewis is so wrapped up in himself and so deluded he thinks he's right. his Agent/coach person is so scuzzy, like are you supposed to feel like he protected Carl and he's so brilliant that he hid it? Like that Doctor admitting there were all these positive tests from 84 but no one did anything, and then he tested the ones he kept and they were all positive and he was like "hm. i wonder what I should do," so he did nothing. what a coward. 

I don't have sympathy for Johnson, but yah, the fact he got the Cersei Lannister treatment, and everyone else got forgiven is pathetic. (and I know that some people have been well Canada should have protected Ben better, I really have to wonder what do they mean? like let it go? I had to give a little laugh when I saw Dick Pound in there and I was like I wonder if this what triggered his whole crusade against drugs. "well I'm gonna get them all for BEN!." 

[azshadowwalker]

1 hour ago, Daisy said:

(and I know that some people have been well Canada should have protected Ben better, I really have to wonder what do they mean? like let it go? I had to give a little laugh when I saw Dick Pound in there and I was like I wonder if this what triggered his whole crusade against drugs. "well I'm gonna get them all for BEN!." 

What they probably mean is that countries with money and pull are more likely to have their DQs, appeals, dirty athletes, unfairly judged events, etc decided favorably. The US let Marion Jones run for a very long time after they knew she was dirty and sent a team up to their eyeballs in steroids to Sydney, but it's all said and done. No one demanded the whole team be banned from Athens, for example, although I have my questions about how involved USTF was considering how widespread it was for decades. In gymnastics, the last male American AA winner won under very questionable circumstances, but the appeal of the Korean who got silver was quickly dismissed because his coaches didn't put in the required written appeal in English  (not their native language, of course ) before the day's event was over. Things are just done differently if your country is considered commercially or financially important. 

[bluepiano]

But yet the average American thinks that with the Russian team banned all is fine and dandy, because Americans always play fair and square. Good 'ole boys like Lance Armstrong. Oh, wait.

I freely admit that I know very little about the world of track and field, but aren't Matt Centrowitz and Galen Rupp, our two big Olympic distance running heroes, both trained (at least in part) by Alberto Salazar, who has had a lot of drug allegations swirling around him? Innocent until proven guilty, I know, but in the world of drugs in sport, it always seems like where there's smoke there's fire. And of course I never heard any mention of this during the NBC coverage of the games. It's at least a story in an Olympics in which the entire track and field team of a major country was banned.

[redpencil]

There was definitely mention of Salazar when they were talking about Rupp at one point. Maybe it was during the marathon, I'm not sure. They mentioned the accusations, that all parties had forcefully denied them, and that Rupp had never tested positive.

I get that in some ways there a little bit of hypocrisy when it comes to U.S. athletes who have tested positive. To me, the big difference is that Russia had essentially a state-sanctioned doping program, with actual involvement from government secret police and whatnot in covering it all up (including swapping out dirty samples). That's a far cry from any pockets of doping that you find in the U.S.

[FrenchCheese]

27 minutes ago, redpencil said:

I get that in some ways there a little bit of hypocrisy when it comes to U.S. athletes who have tested positive. To me, the big difference is that Russia had essentially a state-sanctioned doping program, with actual involvement from government secret police and whatnot in covering it all up (including swapping out dirty samples). That's a far cry from any pockets of doping that you find in the U.S.

But that is exactly what the US postal and Lance Armstrong was doing (or is accused of doing) too in his time. The only difference is that he focused on one sport and had the UCI in his pocket when Russian only had the Russian doping agency with them.  And I think during the 90s and the Lance Armstrong era it may not have been a "state-sanctioned" doping system but every rider doing the Tour de France was doing a team approved doping program. And I am pretty sure it was the same for Marion Jones and the BALCO scandal it was also the same. In all those cases we are not talking about one athlete buying drug for himself in the black market.  It is a full system put in place with doctors and labs running tests to enhance performance and avoid drug test failure. The athletes are just tools who do what they are told. And if you don't you are out. And the allegations against Salazar are based on the same kind of program (Nike Oregon Project) if I understand correctly. 

And in the report the swapping is explained but it does not says that all athletes needed it. As I understand it, Russia seems to have put in place a system were you were not able to fail drug test in Russia. And in addition they pressure some to start cheating. If you read the report it is interesting to see what sports led to the most swapping. It was weight lifting, track and fields (but no details if it was for pole vault or 1500m runners) and paralympics sports. So the "state-sanctioned program" seems to focus on certain sports. For other sports they were just like: if you cheat we will cover your ass but we don't care enough to pay for your drugs.

[Daisy]

6 hours ago, azshadowwalker said:

What they probably mean is that countries with money and pull are more likely to have their DQs, appeals, dirty athletes, unfairly judged events, etc decided favorably. The US let Marion Jones run for a very long time after they knew she was dirty and sent a team up to their eyeballs in steroids to Sydney, but it's all said and done. No one demanded the whole team be banned from Athens, for example, although I have my questions about how involved USTF was considering how widespread it was for decades. In gymnastics, the last male American AA winner won under very questionable circumstances, but the appeal of the Korean who got silver was quickly dismissed because his coaches didn't put in the required written appeal in English  (not their native language, of course ) before the day's event was over. Things are just done differently if your country is considered commercially or financially important. 

Ahhhh. 
Yes. for the most part when it comes to that I think Canada is very "small country" when it comes to that. like even the most famous ones in Canadian history (Sale, Pelletier) - in my opinion was only won because we were in America and NBC beat that drum so hard people had to listen. 

[kili]

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Cheers to Caster Semenya for winning the Gold in Women's 800! The way she has been treated regarding her gender is disgusting to say the least, so her her proving her haters wrong and winning a Gold medal in the bargain is the icing on the cake.

While I think she has been treated badly, the pedantic in me has to point out that I don't think Caster's haters were proven wrong with her winning the race. Isn't it the haters contention that her high levels of natural testosterone make her winning the gold a foregone conclusion? In this case, both the fans and detractors can claim victory.  

Congratulations to Caster. There is more to winning a race than having extra testosterone and she is a great athlete.

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and I know that some people have been well Canada should have protected Ben better, I really have to wonder what do they mean?

I agree. I'm glad that Canada did not protect Ben. He cheated. I wish the other organizations had not protected their athletes such that the consumption of dangerous drugs became common in the sport. Either we let everybody cheat or we try to stop it. 

Edited August 23, 2016 by kili