Friday, August 22, 2008

One more thing...

post-script: (noun) any addition or supplement, as one appended by a writer to a book to supply further information.

I just wanted to add a further comment to my previous post, about the Olympics and the idea of "fudging" the truth.

There has been a lot of controversy over the age of He Kexin, the Chinese gymnast who wowed everyone with her skill and won two gold medals, which has been going on pretty much since the start of the Games. Documentation confirming her age has been challenged and China as a country as pretty much been called a cheater in hiding her real age. I wanted to wait until the outcome of this before commenting, but regardless of what the official ruling is, I think this entire saga is a black mark against the IOC.

I am more than amazed at how lazy the IOC has been in firmly and strongly stating their position on this issue. Whether or not He Kexin is underage seems to be a moot point now; the bigger issue is why did the IOC let this carry on for so long?

The motto of the Olympics is Higher, Faster, Stronger. From the beginning, the IOC has tried (weakly) to say He is of age. To me, they should have taken the HIGHER road and addressed this issue when it first arose. Then the committee should have been FASTER in making their conclusions known. Finally, they should have been STRONGER in sticking with their conclusion. One can make as many arguments as one pleases, about cheating and denying the rightful winners the chance to hear their anthem and be all political and what-have-you.

As a huge fan of the Olympics, I want to stand by the decision (whatever it may be) of the IOC and not the allegations of some (computer expert) blogger. But right now I feel a great disappointment in the International Olympics Committee for not addressing this issue thoroughly and properly when it first arose. This is not just about the Americans being bumped from silver to gold. It is about a young athlete being called into question, an entire country being accused of cheating and an international athletics competition being demeaned and devalued.

When was China's Olympic team announced? Why weren't all ages confirmed then? Why has this been allowed to drag on? This makes no sense to me and should not have been allowed to happen.

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