Olympic Matchups, Fair?

[Mac]

I'm a bit dumbfounded in seeing how the teams are determined as they move toward the conclusions, in both floor and beach.

The women's floor team now gets to play Italy. See release below. They have drawn lots to determine who the 2nd place team plays, rather than having the 2nd place team play the 3rd place team, the 2nd place teams are playing each other.

And in beach, since it's one and done, you may be the real 2nd place team worthy of the silver or the bronze, and you happen to run into the eventual gold medal team in the quarters, be beaten and you are outathere. Seems there should be a loser's bracket so the true 2nd place team is determined.

That Swiss team that Phil and Todd ran into could have beaten them, and could be the legitimate 2nd best team, but they got a one way ticket home. Could have happened to our team. Never seen anything like this.

Interested to know what anyone else thinks. Single elimination tournaments have never worked for me.



---------------------------------------------------------------FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Aug. 17, 2008

Bill Kauffman
Manager, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]

U.S. Women Draw Italy as Olympic Games Quarterfinal Opponent

BEIJING (Aug. 17, 2008) - The U.S. Olympic Women's Indoor Volleyball Team will face Italy as its Olympic Games quarterfinal opponent on Aug. 19 at 10 p.m. China Time in the Capital Indoor Stadium.

Quarterfinal opponents were determined by the top-ranked team in each pool earning the right to play the fourth-place team in the opposite pool. Meanwhile, a drawing of lots selected the crossover opponents for the second- and third-place teams from the preliminary round. Due to this new selection process to determine quarterfinal opponents, the second-place team in both pools will have to meet in the quarterfinals despite holding a 4-1 record in the preliminary round.

For the complete article, visit volleyball.teamusa.org/news/article/5350.

For the U.S. Olympic Women's Indoor Volleyball Page, visit volleyball.teamusa.org/event/event/514.



Preview our new website at volleyball.teamusa.org today!

[Chris123]

Drawing of lots huh? What a convenient result for China. Hmmm.

[cardfan15]

Yeah, although I think Italy isn't too bad of a match up for the USA, I don't like this format. While on paper it might add a certain level of excitement, when it is actually played out it doesn't make a lot of sense. Is there any other sport, in any tournament, that uses a format like this?

I just hope team USA can get some rest and come out playing their best. They are going to need it to beat Italy.

[Deleted]

What else can they do? Teams are always throwing matches to get the matchup they want.

[baywatcher]

At least if they win USA gets Cuba, not Brazil, in the semis.

[Murina]

I think it is fair. I wouldn't be all that excited to draw Russia right now. Sleeping monster, Russia...

[OverAndUnder]

Aug 17, 2008 13:03:46 GMT -5 Mac said:

For the complete article, visit volleyball.teamusa.org/news/article/5350.

For the U.S. Olympic Women's Indoor Volleyball Page, visit volleyball.teamusa.org/event/event/514.



Preview our new website at volleyball.teamusa.org today!

Those links don't work. You need to edit your post to move the period at the end of the sentences outside of the URL tags.


I think people are defaulting too much to the bad old "sneaky oriental" stereotype in these games. The history of the Olympics and of international athletics give ample evidence that every nation has people who will cheat if they think they can get away with it. Look at the USA track and field team of the last two decades, or consider the total implosion of professional cycling and the Tour de France. And then there is of course the 2002 figure skating fraud.

[BeiBei]

Aug 17, 2008 13:20:54 GMT -5 cardfan15 said:

Is there any other sport, in any tournament, that uses a format like this?

for table tennis team event, there is a draw to determine the matchup for the semi final. China "conveniently" draw the weaker opponent for the women team, I do not follow the men's team so I do not know who they draw

[BeiBei]

Aug 17, 2008 13:37:47 GMT -5 @ruffda said:

What else can they do? Teams are always throwing matches to get the matchup they want.

Always?? I do not remember any team that had done that during the Olympics, though I remember China did that during the 2002 world championships and it came back to bit them hard.

[Edmond]

FIVB decided to use a draw this time because the Brazillian men's team in Athens purposely lost to USA 1-3 in the preliminaries, and as result Russia ended up finishing #4 in pool B and had to play Serbia&Montenegro in the quarters. Also, Cuba women might have thrown the last pool match against team USA in Athens as well.

[tenniscraze]

Great rigging, China.

[Edmond]

I don't think they rigged the draw. If they did, they would have put China in the same bracket as Cuba.

[OverAndUnder]

Exactly. As I said in the other thread, with this draw China is virtually guaranteed NOT to get anything higher than Bronze, and even that would require playing either the USA - who we know can beat them, or Italy - who we really really know can beat them.

If there were any "cheating", I would bet that it wasn't to make an easy matchup but rather to avoid playing the USA again, because the risk of losing twice on their home court with Lang Ping coaching USA could create a huge problem of face-saving and resentment. Getting revenge would be attractice, but losing to the USA a second time would be a PR nightmare. Conversely, there's little shame in losing to Brazil, the Gold Medal favorite.

[Edmond]

I wouldn't count China out yet. Anything can happen in the Olympics. Also, China's the only team that managed to steal a set from Brazil in the Grand Prix final round, and Brazil lost one match this year and it was to China.

[BeiBei]

Aug 17, 2008 22:43:57 GMT -5 Edmond said:

I wouldn't count China out yet. Anything can happen in the Olympics. Also, China's the only team that managed to steal a set from Brazil in the Grand Prix final round, and Brazil lost one match this year and it was to China.

Exactly, they played horrible during the round robin matches in the 2007 GP but turned up several notches during the final round when it is played in China, they claimed second.

Anything is Brazil's record in the olympics semifinals, they let a 2-1 leads slipped away in the last 3 olympics and lost their last four olympics semifinals. I am still rooting for them ro reach the final just becos of Fofao