Winter Olympics begin

[pepesgrill]

i guess she's a chinese citizen now. a bit callous

to dismiss her dad so cavalierly. im sure he did
something to assist her upbringing

and im not online calling her traitor, just this phenomenon of athletes competing for different
countries. dozens of them. i never got it

[parrot]

" just this phenomenon of athletes competing for different
countries. dozens of them. i never got it"

Yeah, that sort of thing never happens in other sports.

[pepesgrill]

thats it in a nutshell. the olympics has become
like professional sports teams? paid
sponsorships , professional ringers, people swapping teams like a draft pick. even 30 yrs
ago it wasn't like that ( or i didnt notice then
endorsements , all that wouldve flagged you

[pepesgrill]

ah there it is. gt93 alluded to this. this skier girl
has 30 million in endorsement deals( within china
leading up to games. its just like pro sports

[stattointhailand]

err that's because it's not limited to amateurs anymore. Somehow I cant imagine Novak Djorkovic giving up his pro career for the chance to win an olympic gold, and I'm pretty sure the attendance would drop a wee bit if only amateur tennis players competed

[pepesgrill]

the worst example i can think of, where this goes
awry would be that u.s. basketball team in '96

handpicked, top rank NBA players. not sporting

[Shado]

Meet the American-made China hockey team.


https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-the-ameri ... 58456.html

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Meet the American-made China hockey team.


https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-the-ameri ... 58456.html

Slight correction...the U.S.-Canadian made China hockey team.

[pepesgrill]

oh, so rules are IOC rules the host country automatically gets to field a team in every event

this hockey team, i mean another IOC rule you
have to be a citizen of that country to compete

had to be serious paper shuffling to get this done

[Shado]

Meet the American-made China hockey team.


https://sports.yahoo.com/meet-the-ameri ... 58456.html

Slight correction...the U.S.-Canadian made China hockey team.

Slight correction...the lead does not say "U.S.-made China hockey team". It says "American-made China hockey team. You guys have always been a part of that large geographical area. I reckon Mexico is too but they probably didn't contribute.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

One of the few times that the headline got it right. Usually when news reports mention America or Americans, they mean the U.S.A. only, forgetting Mexico and Canada are also part of North America. Thanks.

[pepesgrill]

and now this young girl russian skater tested
positive for doping. she could've won handily
without meds. literally a prodigy wearing skates

[tamada]

Wasn't Sharapova busted for testing positive for some heart medication that normally isn't prescribed for fit young people who aren't sick?

[pepesgrill]

true ( didn't know that) u.s. citizen but competes
representing russia

but then lance armstrong passed tests for years
before he got caught in scandal

[tamada]

Team GB having a torrid time in China with some notable "sure bets" either failing to qualify or ending way, way off the podium.

But one for the future is a 17 year old lass from Aberdeen who did some amazing stuff on the first run of the Big Air to get in podium position but couldn't pull it out on the third run where the gold eventually went to Eilieen Gu. Kirsty Muir did get fifth place so maybe next time?

After beating defending champion Sweden yesterday, Eve Muirhead'sTeam GB ladies curling team hold a 4-0 lead over Team USA who are unbeaten so far in the round robin stages.

[tamada]

true ( didn't know that) u.s. citizen but competes
representing russia

but then lance armstrong passed tests for years
before he got caught in scandal

I did a quick Google and it was a drug she'd been taking for ten years that was recently added to the banned substances list. Even though it was an oversight by her and her team to respond to alerts about the drug, she apparently never reported it all the years she was taking it. It's an over the counter medication that's readily available in Baltic states and Russia. Other people's normal I guess?

Lance Armstrong? No excuses for his behavior but it did show what a sham professional cycling had become once the big money and prime time sponsorship got a hold of the game.

[pepesgrill]

that heart drug, even the scientist who invented
it said the military were experimenting with it,
oxygen flow increased, sceptical as to innocence

your point exactly, whats a 25 yr old tennis player, much less a 16 yr old skater taking that for

[GT93]

This is an interesting overview of the Olympics and the Chinese government's propaganda:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNVUqyeJklw