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Post by pineapple on Aug 9, 2008 4:47:55 GMT -5
I think the biggest mistake they ever made in the Modern Olympics was allowing athletes to be identified with and "compete for" their home country. Allowing athletes to be identified with and compete for their home country is an anomaly. Isn't the olympics (modern day)basically that? Nations pitting against nations? rather than individuals? But the idea that maybe individuals should be highlighted without regards to nationalities is an interesting concept, nevertheless. Who knows it may evlove in that direction. |
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Post by pineapple on Aug 9, 2008 4:58:04 GMT -5
Or did you mean country of birth?
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 9, 2008 8:24:23 GMT -5
I'm sure the athletes are honored to represent their country (whether by birth or adoption). I just think it goes against the "olympic spirit". (I put that in quotes because my cynical side says that the "olympic spirit" as demonstrated in practice is about almost anything except sporting contests.)
Most of what is bad about the olympics is due to the nationalism and artificial constraints on competition resulting from the nation v. nation structure. I will admit that some of what is good about them is also a result of that, but I still think that if the 1896 olympics had banned national teams and anthems and flags that today's olympics would be better off.
As I understand it, there wasn't much in the way of national teams and such back then, but it wasn't explicitly banned. I think it should have been.
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Post by mikegarrison on Aug 9, 2008 8:32:50 GMT -5
(By the way, the second-worst thing about the original olympics was the decision that only amateur athletes would be allowed to compete. This caused problems for almost 100 years.)
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Post by pineapple on Aug 9, 2008 15:18:45 GMT -5
I agree. The definition of amateur was not standard. We saw the incongruity such as in basketball. There were no "professional" basketball players in USSR, but they were of the same caliber as American professionals, competing against amateur American athletes.
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Post by tallicagrl9051 on Aug 15, 2008 14:34:53 GMT -5
u have no idea how many times i've literally cursed at her. dude, when ur chinese, go fight for the chinese. if ur russian, go with russian. if ur german, go be on the german team.
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