Olympic Games 2008

[wiseheart]

As you probably already know, I'm utterly uninterested in sports. In any kind of sports. But the Olympic Games are a different matter. They're a matter of national pride, after all.

Unfortunately, we still don't have a gold medal to support that pride, so far. Have four silvers, though, which is not bad for such a small nation, in these days when money plays an increasingly strong role in who can get the best training circumstances, so that they can bring out the best of themselves. Our former Olympic champion in shooting is the best example for that. She didn't even have a shooting range of her own during the last year - small wonder she didn't manage to even get into the finale. So much depends on money... too much, actually.

We've got an excellent young swimmer, László Cseh, who had the exceedingly bad luck to have to swim against the nuclear-powered Michael Phelps in practically all of his numbers. He's earned three silver medals, of which we are mightily proud. After their second encounter, one of the American PR people apparently has warned Phelps the Great how rude it is not to shake hands with the silver medal bearer, because at the second time he actually lowered his standards enough to do it. [/sarcasm] Well, Phelps might be the best swimmer ever hitting the water of this planet, but that was very poor behaviour.

We won the fourth silver in wrestling - poor Fodor was in a leading position until the last 15 seconds! It's still great, nobody had expected from him to even get a medal at all, but it's frustrating nonetheless. He stood there with one laughing and one weeping eye, I guess. Oh, well, he's young. Hopefully, he'll get another chance yet.

We have some hopes still in the rowing department, and our hammer thrower champion got into the finale in the first place. We hope...

Comments

[cirdan-havens.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. I noticed him. Well, Phelps keeps getting sent from one event to the next. Even the reporters whine they can't interview him. So in his defense, he's probably already busy thinking about what he still has to do. But that's what PR people are there for. He's still young too, after all. Can't expect these kids to already know the social graces. But I do think it impressive. I was telling my mom that it's probably unfair because we're a big nation and can choose from that many more people. And some of these people come from the absolute middle of nowhere so what else do they have to do all day but swim or do gymnastics. But definitely money comes into play. Was the first thing I mentioned when hearing about the first Indian gold medalist. And true enough, his family is very well off. Otherwise, they'd be working for a living.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, please! When they're standing on those steps, having gotten their medals, even the greatest idiot ought to know that he should shake hands with the second and third best. Nobody can be that dumb. No, he simply thought that just because our champion came from a small country he probably didn't even know to exist, the guy wouldn't count. He'd give an interview and explained what a great adversary this another American swimmer was - admittedly another gold medal winner in backstroke - while our man beat him all three times.

No, it's basically the arrogance of certain representatives of the big and powerful countries, which makes other people dislike them so much on occasion. I remember when Mark Spitz - also an American dream swimmer - won his seven (!) gold medals on the Olympic games, I was jumping up and down and celebrating him, because he not only was a great swimmer, he was also a likeable person. So, it'n no prejudice against American athletes - it's just that I dislike rude behaviour.

But with all that money in the game and with the increasing importance of sponsors, the Olympics arent what they used to be anymore. The last true independent athlete is probably that German guy, Hinrich Romeike, who won the gold medal in riding. He owns his own horse, has worked with Marius (the horse) for eleven years and comes up for his own expenses himself. He's a dentist, by the way, so I don't doubt that he's reasonably well off, but if he retires, one of the last true Olympic athletes will be gone. Which is sad, if you ask me, but such are the times we live in.

[lissas-elves.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the medals! I know how difficult it is to get those medals, 5½ mill. Danes are not even enough to fill New York.

Of course we do have an advantage moneywise, compared to many countries, but we don't really like elitism, so we're not likely to win many medals.

I haven't watched the Olympic Games yet, but I believe the runners will be around soon. I looooove runners! (And jumpers. And decathletes ... )

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

*Danes are not even enough to fill New York.*

Hungarians probably either. But at least there were times when the world lived in fear
of us, eh? Of the Viking ships and the arrows of the raiding Hungarians. ;))

[lissas-elves.livejournal.com]

he-he

So true! But today we're a lot more civilized. *wisenod* Actually, we Danes turned into a peace-loving people the very moment we realized that we couldn't beat our neighbours anymore - lol.

Small countries have to be happy for what they can get: I remember when years ago, a Danish curling team did very well. Suddenly the whole country was watching curling which nobody (!) had ever cared about before. *g*