Have you seen the Olympic Figure Skating Pair Final?

[oread]

I was a bit shocked by last night's pair final results. However besides the technical elements, the figure skating judging is largely subjective. Technical flawless != perfect program, particularly in the free skate. The Canadian pair skated a very old program, whereas the Russians presented a brand new one. Now I'm not saying who should win the gold medal, but it happens. Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo have been robbed of their medals numerous times in the past, did anybody voice their concerns? No! Only when it impacts North American skaters (versus the Russian skating domination) was the public enraged. On one hand I feel sorry for the Canadian pair, they reacted with nothing but absolute grace and professionalism; on the other hand, I despise the way the American journalists were trying to lure the Canadian pair into saying negative comments regarding the Russian pair or the entire judging system. Such a hypocrit!

 

[hpever]

I missed the part. But from Chinese news, seems shen/zhao are happy with the results. They made a small mistake when jumping.

 

[guest]

To be honest, shen/zhao didn't deserve the bronze medal they won. They were to rigid in their performance, skated stiff like robots, made many small mistakes and had very poor lifts. I think the American team of Zimmerman and Ina deserved the bronze, and if you are being objective, I am sure you will agree.

 

[oread]

Yes I was a bit surprised when all 9 judges awarded the bronze medal to Shen and Zhao, nonetheless I was thrilled to see China's first ever Olympic medal in pair skating. Yes she didn't land the quad salchow throw, but landed a textbook triple salchow throw, and a terrific triple twist. Their side-by-side spins have always been weak (too far apart and not in perfect sync), and the transitions between the elements have been somewhat clumsy, but overall they presented a solid program with high technical difficulty, and their reputation certainly added a bonus in the final results. Remember the World Championship 2 years ago where they should have brought home the gold, but instead it was given to the Russian pair (Maria Petrova and Alexei Nikhonov I think). I was very happy for Shen and Zhao, they deserved a long-waited Olympic medal!

 

[guest]

I am happy for them as well!

 

[guest]

I feel sorry for the Canadian press on their attitute in reporting this matter. I cannot believe how self-centred they are and how easily people get provoked by press in this part of the world.A bunch of frogs sitting at the bottom of a well, thinking the little piece of the sky above them is the bluest.

 

[oread]

It's understandable that the Canadian press and public are enraged, but why are the Americans involved in this as well? Those loud-mouthed American reporters only made the matter more complicated and worse than it really was. I do however agree that the ISU should conduct a formal investigation into the judging controversy. The Russian pair is another victim, they've been portrayed as the villains in this scandal. There is no winners in such situation. The ISU needs to start the probing asap so that the skaters, the public and the Olympic games can move on.

 

[guest]

Re: Re: Have you seen the Olympic Figure Skating Pair Final?

最初由 guest1000 发布
I feel sorry for the Canadian press on their attitute in reporting this matter. I cannot believe how self-centred they are and how easily people get provoked by press in this part of the world.A bunch...

guest1000, thanks for your little chinese proverb, it is not that people are so easily provoked in "this" part of the world ... it is that those who recognize what is wrong are not afraid to act which is very different from those in "that" part of the world. What a twit!

 

[oread]

Tell me Bronze, if this happens to the Chinese pair and the Canadian pair actually won the gold medal, do you think "this part of the world" would scream injustice? What a double-standard hypocrit!

 

[oread]

FYI, when Sidney bought the Summer Olympics in 2000, "that part of the world" was furious. However little could be done other than re-apply for the subsequent Olympic Games. You just don't get it, do you? The issue is NOT about being afraid to voice one's opinion these days, it is about who has the loudest voice!

 

[行者]

Sage, what you said is what I want to say.

I watched CNN's Larry King Live yestoday. Jamie Sales and David Pelletier were there to against the unfairnesss to them. I didn't think they did anything wrong, and they have the right to do that. However, a thought came to my mind is that how many times our Chinese athelets were treated unfairly. I believe we havn't speak out enough. "Acceptance to Judge" is not enough sometime. We should learn from Jamie and David, and we DO need to speak alound when it is necessary.

 

[oread]

RE: 行者
Unfortunately I don't think speaking aloud would do any good. Sadly but true, a nation must be politically powerful in order to be heard. That's why the Americans would bomb the Balkans and Afghanistan whenever they feel like and would still have the apparent support from the rest of the world.

 

[guest]

It is not saying the right or wrong things that matters these days. It is who says it.

 

[oread]

RE: guest1000
Once again, sad but so true!

 

[guest]

Unbelievable!!! yes, I think that if it was a chinese pair that skated the same program and were screwed by the judges there would be a similar uproar. Am I naive? I really think that Chinese people should get over the inferiority complex that the world is against them!