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Olympic boycott?

Grand Mal

Russian warship, go f*** yourself!
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There's a bit of buzz in the media about boycotting the next winter Olympics in Russia in protest of anti-gay legislation there. Would that be an appropriate response? Would we be expecting athletes who've trained for years for the tournament to make the sacrifice for our sensibilities? Should we pressure corporate sponsors to make a point instead or should we just butt out of the politics and social dynamics of the country and have the competition as-is? Can we send openly-gay athletes in a situation where they could be arrested and convicted and jailed?
 
There's a bit of buzz in the media about boycotting the next winter Olympics in Russia in protest of anti-gay legislation there. Would that be an appropriate response? Would we be expecting athletes who've trained for years for the tournament to make the sacrifice for our sensibilities? Should we pressure corporate sponsors to make a point instead or should we just butt out of the politics and social dynamics of the country and have the competition as-is? Can we send openly-gay athletes in a situation where they could be arrested and convicted and jailed?

as someone who experienced the 1980 ban and saw the guys right in front of me in the trials have their life's work pissed away by a moron in the white house, I oppose any support for a boycott. How many US athletes-even flamers Like the 1988 men's gold Medalist (who parodied his own homosexuality in "Blades of Glory") in skating were ever even hinted of engaging in PDA?
 
I want to boycott the olympics more for dropping wrestling from the 2020 games.
 
I want to boycott the olympics more for dropping wrestling from the 2020 games.

yeah that was silly. squash (one of the most intricate and demanding sports known to man) is not in the olympics but Drill team is (Rhythmic gymnastics) and so is trampoline. and a 6 man rugby was let in and wrestling-a sport that has a pedigree second perhaps only to "athletics" is out

Unfrigging believable
 
More like we should go there, have all our athletes where little pride pins, and dare Russia to do something.

The assholes.
 
As unfair as it might be to the athletes, and it is, staying home and taking a stand is the right thing to do. If they had banned women or blacks or Jews, it wouldn't even be a question.
 
As long as they add MMA it would make sense.

I think sports should have at least 75, if not 100 years of international competition before it is considered for the games. we have too many fad sports. MMA is a fad sport. wrestling has been around longer than Christianity and almost every country has athletes.
 
As unfair as it might be to the athletes, and it is, staying home and taking a stand is the right thing to do. If they had banned women or blacks or Jews, it wouldn't even be a question.

that's easy to say-to sacrifice the life dreams of others so you can feel good.

its what that asshole carter did

he did a lord Farquaad (Many of you may die [getting me a hot princess] but its a price I AM WILLING To pay}
 
I think sports should have at least 75, if not 100 years of international competition before it is considered for the games. we have too many fad sports. MMA is a fad sport. wrestling has been around longer than Christianity and almost every country has athletes.

MMA isn't a fad sport, it takes every forum of martial arts and allows them to be used, it doesn't restrict people in the styles they can use like wrestling, and boxing does. It deserves to be in the Olympics much more than either of those.
 
MMA isn't a fad sport, it takes every forum of martial arts and allows them to be used, it doesn't restrict people in the styles they can use like wrestling, and boxing does. It deserves to be in the Olympics much more than either of those.

It is fad sport

1) how many countries have organized competitions

2) is there one international governing body that would be the IOC GB

3) how long has it existed.
 
that's easy to say-to sacrifice the life dreams of others so you can feel good.

its what that asshole carter did

he did a lord Farquaad (Many of you may die [getting me a hot princess] but its a price I AM WILLING To pay}
I wouldn't feel good about it personally, I have sympathy for the athletes, but all societies have to take moral stands. We have ours, they have theirs, and ours is the more mature one. If they were prosecuting Christians and banning the Bible I suspect you would feel the same?
 
MMA isn't a fad sport, it takes every forum of martial arts and allows them to be used, it doesn't restrict people in the styles they can use like wrestling, and boxing does. It deserves to be in the Olympics much more than either of those.

Oh BTW restricting styles is part of the olympics. There are strict limitations on strokes in certain olympic swimming disciplines-you can be DQd in I believe the breast stroke for a illegal kick

I hate to say it but that comment you made about 'not restricting' styles indicates you really haven't been part of the olympic movement or familiar with it.

The clean and jerk restricts how an athlete lifts a weight. Race walkers are restricted in their gate. Olympic archers are restricted to recurve bows-no mechanical releases, or peep sights. The small bore rifle event bans magnified sighting devices.
 
I wouldn't feel good about it personally, I have sympathy for the athletes, but all societies have to take moral stands. We have ours, they have theirs, and ours is the more mature one. If they were prosecuting Christians and banning the Bible I suspect you would feel the same?

ITs idiotic. if we boycott Russia for prosecuting BEHAVIOR then other countries can boycott us for the death penalty, war on drugs, etc

the purpose of the olympics is to avoid politics

the only people who should have a say are the athletes themselves. Pimps in office or those who want to feel morally superior by demanding others sacrifice have no standing.

when you train as hard as same Brian Shimer did or Scott Hamilton, they perhaps your opinion matters

Russsia did persecute Christians and China still does

I couldn't care less. The olympics should be above clowns making Moral statements that others have to pay the bill for
 
It is fad sport

1) how many countries have organized competitions

2) is there one international governing body that would be the IOC GB

3) how long has it existed.

It isn't a fad sport.

1. I would say most countries.

2. Not sure, but it's not like that could never exist.

3. Doesn't matter, all that matters is that it is worthy of being the Olympics, and that it is better than both boxing, and wrestling.
 
I want to boycott the olympics more for dropping wrestling from the 2020 games.

As much as I love high school and college wrestling, we don't need the Olympics as much as they need us. Television dynamics with London hurt viewer ratings. Freestyle and Greco-Roman are still foreign to most Folkstyle fans.

Folkstyle has never been more popular. D1 is sold out every year as it will be again in 2014 in Oklahoma city. High school tech wrestling is superb, especially in PA, OH, and other midwestern states plus CA and is growing in the Southeast. Too bad only one of the 14 SEC football teams has wrestling, MO coming from the Bigger 12.

I felt many college wrestlers took their Olympic redshirt for 11-12 when they had no chance to make the team, extending and enhancing their careers. I feel that this year will be the Greatest year ever for Redshirt freshmen.
 
Oh BTW restricting styles is part of the olympics. There are strict limitations on strokes in certain olympic swimming disciplines-you can be DQd in I believe the breast stroke for a illegal kick

I hate to say it but that comment you made about 'not restricting' styles indicates you really haven't been part of the olympic movement or familiar with it.

The clean and jerk restricts how an athlete lifts a weight. Race walkers are restricted in their gate. Olympic archers are restricted to recurve bows-no mechanical releases, or peep sights. The small bore rifle event bans magnified sighting devices.

Obviously every sport needs rules, and MMA also has rules, but MMA combines all the elements of combat sports, of the martial arts, and doesn't limit the athletes to any particular style. If you want to be a really good striker, and keep people on their feet you can do that, if you want to grapple people instead, and take the fight to the ground you can do that as well.

There is more strategy, and more freedom in MMA than in boxing, or wrestling, and it's more interesting to watch by far. It should be in the Olympics for the reasons above, and from a monetary perspective it would jump up and be probably the most watched summer Olympic sport.
 
It isn't a fad sport.

1. I would say most countries.

2. Not sure, but it's not like that could never exist.

3. Doesn't matter, all that matters is that it is worthy of being the Olympics, and that it is better than both boxing, and wrestling.

If you can't wrestle, MMA/UFC clubs rarely look at you. But it is Folkstyle, not boring freestyle. Many 20-YO from college wrestling are currently living the MMA dream. I believe their Brains will be mush in 10 years and wish they would wear boxing headgear.
 
It isn't a fad sport.

1. I would say most countries.

2. Not sure, but it's not like that could never exist.

3. Doesn't matter, all that matters is that it is worthy of being the Olympics, and that it is better than both boxing, and wrestling.

All we have is your opinion. Some would say that tug of war is better than say the high jump. Some would say NFL football (which is far more popular than MMA) ought to be in there. we already have boxing, TKD and (at least at one time) two forms of wrestling. There are far more sports far more popular than MMA that are not in the olympics. Squash for example which has 120 NGBs and has been around for more than 100 years and whose greatest champion-Jahingir Khan was (according to many informed sources) arguably the greatest athlete in history when it comes to endurance and stamina (his heart rate recovery was superior to Britain's two greatest distance runners)


Jahangir Khan, The Legend of Squash- Trond Varlid

IPSC shooting is not in the olympics

american style trap shooting that has far more competitors than MMA is not in the olympics and it is over 100 years old

tell me what makes something worthy of being in the olympics

here is my criteria

1) it has to have global participation-at least 2/3 of the National Olympic Organizations must have active athletes (yeah that kills stuff like Ski Jumping but I am talking about mainly summer games which are not limited to certain climates like the winter games)

2) it has to have at least 50 years of a recognized world championship run by a world governing body that again is recognized by at least 2/3s of the national olympic committees.

3) the competition should mainly be individual in nature with objective scoring criteria.

4) it should not be a duplication of skills (this is an olympic rule that was ignored for beach volleyball-the bikinis sell too many tickets)

Using that object criteria stuff like synchronized swimming, rythm gymnastics, and equestrian should all be dropped.

The sports that meet this criteria include

Athletics (track and field)
swimming and diving
boxing,
Table tennis, tennis, squash and badminton
rifle, pistol, skeet and trap shooting. Double trap would not
archery
boxing
wrestling
volleyball
basketball
cycling track and road-not "mountain biking
Crew and sailing are close calls due to international popularity not being strong
golf
real gymnastics-again the world popularity is dubious since south america and africa have almost no gymnastics

fencing-close call-world popularity is dubious

I had a long day, I will return later this week on this

but the bottom line is that athletes should not be pawns of "causes"
 
It is fad sport

1) how many countries have organized competitions

2) is there one international governing body that would be the IOC GB

3) how long has it existed.

Beach volleyball? Synchronized swimming? Boardercross?
 
Nope, he's the host. Let me know when the Devil invites you to coffee in Hell, and you accept.

How is he worse than say the head of china. and some would argue what the US has done in terms of death penalty, the invasion of Iraq, Vietnam, etc is no better.

I guess I just don't think its all that big a deal in the grand scheme of things when we have other countries engaging in genocide or mass oppression of other nations

frankly what Putin proposes pales to say the occupation of Tibet for example

Later
 
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