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Wieber was in the top 24 -- unlike some the athletes from other countries that will be competing for the individual all-around.
They certainly chose who would not be the Bronze medal winner.
not necessarily. The top three qualifiers are a russian (1), raisman (2) and gabby (3). Based solely on their qualifying scores wieber would be left out.
I am not saying what you describe is improbable (far from it), but you are pretending that the IOC would choose the third place winner and that is just not true.
Wieber was in the top 24 -- unlike some the athletes from other countries that will be competing for the individual all-around.
They certainly chose who would not be the Bronze medal winner.
The IOC didn't change the rules mid-compe ion. They were clear from the get go and applied to all the same.
Crying foul post-facto strikes me as something sore losers do. These compe ions determine who the best athletes are. They're in the final round now.
The soccer World Cup, which is arguably the biggest sporting event in the world, doesn't involve the 32 best national teams on the planet competing for one of the world's premier trophies.
You are right, they chose that the 4th best gymnast would not be a bronze medal winner by virtue of the fact that only the 3rd best gets a bronze medal.
I'm not complaining about when the rules went into effect, they've apparently been that way for, at least, the past 2 Olympics.
I just think it's silly political correctness that has the effect of elevating the undeserving and disqualifying those that have the merit to win. That's it.
Weiber made absolutely no complaint about the unfairness of it. And, Bella Karoyli just raised the unfairness in an interview with Costas. I'm not sure he's even directly involved in the sport anymore. He hasn't been shown in the arena...just his wife.
Which, by the way, I also found curious. Any body know why Bella isn't at least a spectator at women's gymnastics? Some kind of restraint order or something?
So? What do you want me to say? I guess that stupid, too.
Maybe she doesn't think there's anything unfair about it. Who are you carrying water for in this thing? The IOC is evil crowd?
In the case of this compe ion, the 3rd best gymnast in the qualifying rounds wasn't even allowed to compete for the medal.
I can't tell if you're being intentional obtuse or if you really don't understand the problem.
Let me see if I can simplify.
In the women's individual finals in gymnastics, ostensibly, the 24 highest qualifying gymnasts compete for the three medals. Except now, it's not the 24 highest qualifying. Miss Wieber was eliminated so the 25th highest qualifying gymnast would have a chance. And, I have no doubt that the Russians, Chinese, and a couple of other teams who typically dominate the sport had gymnasts eliminated so the 26th, 27th, and 28th, etc... highest qualifying gymnast would have a chance at a medal.
Miss Wieber is apparently no longer a top 24 gymnast. It happens.
So, you don't think it's unfair? Okay; why belabor the point. I'll move on.
By rule, not merit.
Everybody competed under the same rules, which were well known before the compe ion, and in front of the same judgeship. I don't see any issues of fairness, no.
I willing to admit that it isn't the top 24 gymnasts in the world competing, from what I read it is a product of the russians in the 80's/early 90's being too good. Apparently there is some similar rule in swimming which blocks the US from having the possibility to run the table on swimming compe ions.
I will agree with you on the above and that it is stupid from a compe ion standpoint. Its just like the Houston rockets fans wishing that the nba would take the top 16 teams into the playoffs instead of the top 8 from each conference.
Not true. A russian received the number 1 score in the all around qualifier, so wieber would have placed 4th (if the qualifying round was the finals)
And I'm "reaching" stating facts that Repug campaign is and will be going more racist?
The valid, compe ion-based point I can see in it is that it encourages more countries to compete and broadens compe ion as a whole. One could make a case that the breadth of the compe ion actually elevates compe ion in the long-term by not demoralizing other countries. I don't know what the right answer is. At first glance it appears stupid, but it could be so stupid it is smart. - lol
That's the same logic behind everyone gets a trophy -- just, in this case, it's entire countries having their self-esteem built...accomplishment follows self-esteem, instead of self-esteem following accomplishment.
Guess what, not all countries participate in all events. Why? Because they are not able to produce athletes that can compete at an Olympic level. Some countries aren't even represented at the Olympics - some for the same reason, others for other reasons.
This type of thinking is what leads to embarrassing, American Idol type moments, where an athlete has been told their whole life they're the best of the best only to find out, when they're actually competing against the best of the best, they suck.
That's why you have a qualifying round to determine the 24 BEST gymnasts to compete for the medal.
all I heard was "eet mor chikun!"
I see your point but, she certainly wasn't the 25th...which is my point.
All I heard was "Who's that trip, trip, tropping across my bridge."
Olympics outrage: Should Jordyn Wieber be in the all-around final?
Jordyn Wieber, welcome to the Olympics
Logic dictates that we ask the question: How could Ms. Wieber, the 2011 all-around world champion – who even on an off day Sunday finished fourth in the qualification round – not make an Olympic all-around final of 24 girls?
Put another way: Twenty-one girls who scored lower than her on Sunday – many of whom have as much chance of medaling as Queen Elizabeth (at least, the non-parachuting version) – will be competing Thursday in the event that defines the careers of the world’s best gymnasts.
...
The Olympic philosophy is "we want to spread the wealth, we want to spread sport to other parts of the world," says David Wallechinsky, author of "The Complete Book of the Olympics." Otherwise, there would be no Saudi Arabian woman runners or American badminton players.
But Wieber's failure to make a final that her scores suggest she clearly deserved points to a philosophy run amok, says Mr. Wallechinsky. "Sure, let them compete in the Olympics, but you don't have to let them compete in the final," he says.
that is fine, as I said, I agree with you for the most part, but I was contesting your assumption that the IOC picks third place.
I am not sure that I see it as scandalous or anything, as you said, it has been the rule for a while. A stupid rule (IMO) with, from what I can gather, a possibly dubious reason, but there is no scandal here.
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