Olympic cheating scandal in rhythmic gymnastics

RhythmicGymnastics.jpg


Olympic cheating scandal in rhythmic gymnastics. How about this? How about if an activity requires judges to determine the winner it’s not a sport? Take rhythmic gymnastics out of the Olympics – it’s just dancing, people!

This post was last modified on July 18, 2013

J.P. Travis: Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1976 graduate of University of Michigan, father, grandfather, husband, founder and CEO of Travelyn Publishing (http://www.travelynpublishing.com/), and passionate anti-government believer in individual liberty.

View Comments (73)

  • The most important competition here would definitely not be considered a sport by anyone. At least I don't think so. It is the competition that is driving everything in the Olympics, and it is the reason why we have figure skating (with the actual "figures" after which it was named, removed from the Olympics), ice dancing (no effort there at all to blow any smoke in our eyes), synchronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, etc.

    That is the competition for tv ratings.

    There is a huge percentage of women watching the Olympics. That is the main driver for including things like this.

    The Olympics were supposed to be a showcase of amateur athletics. Yes the commies made a mockery of that. So the Olympic Committee caved and allowed pros from the non-commie world in. This was not so much to make things fairer as it was to get higher ratings. They discovered that a whole lot more people will watch Michael Jordan than someone no one knows from Univ of Kansas.

    When MLB said no break in the season, we will not send our pros to the Olympics, did the Olympic Committee say "ok, we'll have amateurs play"? No. They threw baseball out. That tells me everything I need to know.

  • They allow foolishness like this, but no Olympic Beer Drinking? Now there's a sport, who can kill the keg without puking goes on to the next round.

    • Now thats a sport Kegger Drinking and Bong Pong. And shoot the funnel. Oh and between Kegs, The Wet Round Girl or Guy (for the Ladies) with the cards of each match.

      • Well, at least I'd enjoy watching the Wet Round Girls. Although I DO enjoy watching the silly antics of drunk guys.

  • Synchronized Swimming has to go as well.

    Yes, it takes skill and endurance. But it's NOT a sport, any more than a hot-dog eating contest.

    Mainly because it's just stupid.

  • After looking at this picture, Are they really trying to Split Hairs or Shaving the competition down to sizes?

    • Sorry , Very Hot today and afew beers , I know Bloging and Beering,( Is Beering a Word?)But common on the last few days IHTM had 330 LB lady, Semi Nude Lady and 3 ladies doing the splits, per Uncle Joe " Just shoot in the sky, it's ok?..Oh wait maybe not! Sorry again!!!

      • Nothing wrong with blogging and beering Toubro, I do it all the time. Since you asked, I think they won the shaving competition. (snicker)

          • Uhm... let's remember that a lot (not all of course) of these "ladies" are actually CHILDREN. Just saying. That was for all of you not just you flash. I am sure you are of course aware, just saying that it kind of comes off a little creepy to talk about that when a lot of these "women" are actually children. When I was that age and I were to read that from much older men I would be grossed and creeped out.

          • I wouldn't know that, never having watched anything remotely related to the event.

          • Well yes a lot of these "women" are really like 12 to 17 years old. Those who are 16 and older are considered "aging out" by the "sports" standards and that is really another reason to seriously not like this.

  • Hey ,Why not Rhythmic Gymnastic, They have Synchronized Swimming and Curling. Why not Professional Suffleboard or Extreme Bocce Ball?

  • So here is a definition of sport "
    1.
    a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

    You guys think you're qualified to determine what is and what is not a sport? A group of pot-bellied men spit and pat each other on the rear while playing a game and you call it a sport. A group of athletes do an exercise routine that the aforementioned men wouldn't last 20 mins into but you don't think that's a sport? One word comes to mind.... Hypocrite!

    • Hey Kathy, who in the Hell are you anyway? Nobody here has ever heard from you before. Are you one of our resident Trolls? Waving flags and jumping up and down in unison is not an Olympic sport...unless you're a libtard. I don't care if you have to train and train for this event; it's not remotely combative, any more than many other so-called Olympic sports events I couldn't give two shits about. The intent of the original Olympics was to showcase a city state's physical and military prowess, what the hell does 'twinkle toed flag waving' showcase? I don't care what you think about it, it's not a sport, organized or otherwise. If anything, it's an organized activity, much like so many other Marxist Progressive non aggressive activities designed to emasculate nations and indoctrinate little kids in pre-school, like wave the parachute. If you're going to be a combative feminist socialist, mean faced, clipped-haired, sharp jawed woman, please find some other venue than this one to vent your bilious spleen!

    • No activity that requires a judge to determine who wins and who loses is a sport. In true sports there are winners and losers, period. Track and field, skiing, swimming, baseball and football, those are sports. One person or team wins, everyone else sucks wind. And, no judges whose votes can be bought, needed either.

      • I think that is very basic and therefore the most appropriate for Olympics. Outside of it though if people want to do that and call it sports whatever, but Olympics where not all countries can perhaps compete in all of those things keep it simple. I would even add futbol or soccer as even though there are referees it is very simple, you put the ball in more than the other team you win and most countries can play and train in it.

          • One summer when the family was gathered at a beach here in Michigan, we invented a game that only a man could love: No Rules Tackle Beach Basketball. Two inner tubes half in the shallow water half on the beach, thirty yards apart. Two teams. Put the ball in the enemy team's inner tube, no rules. It was like rugby in swimsuits with water involved. It was rough, violent, and maybe the most fun I ever had at the beach. The women kept yelling, "Stop it before someone gets hurt," and moving their chairs further and further back as the boundaries kept expanding. Ah, youth, I miss thee.

        • Those are both competitive events which are scored objectively, can be played by individuals, and require physical skill beyond sheer strength. How is throwing a dart essentially different from throwing a javelin?

          I'm just saying, unless you have a dog in the fight, so to speak, why should any of us worry what is or isn't considered an Olympic event?

          • I'm agreeing with you, that Snooker and darts are as legitimate if not more legitimate than rhythmic danc... er, gymnastics.

          • You're right, PD. I don't have a dog in the fight, I don't really care what events they add. But we can still have an opinion about it, and my opinion is that I'm not going to watch it.

            As for the events where your expensive equipment can determine a lot of your performance, the equipment should all be identical, modified only to fit the individual athlete.

            Yes, these girls are tremendously fit, they work very hard at what they do, they are very talented. But they're dancing. I know plenty of belly dancers that are very athletic, they can do LOTS of things I couldn't have done when I was in my prime. I would much prefer watching them dance than seeing a javelin throwing competition. But it's dancing. And the Olympics is for sports.

    • Woman! You are giving women a bad name talking such junk. Going by that definition sex could be declared an Olympic sport. Now why would you want to open up that can of worms? These guys are bad enough already and don't need that kind of encouragement.

      • Since you opend up that can of worms saywhat, (snicker) if sex were an Olympic sport I would be in "training" until I dropped from exaustion.

        And, I wonder if my boss would understand if I called in sick to watch it? It isn't just the Olympics, it's an orgasmic event!

        Would the judges be all men? All women? Or a split panel, 3 men, 3 women and one transvestite as the tie breaker?

        Oh, the posibilities!!!!!!!!!

      • Agreed. I think that this is one of those situations where you know what a sport is by looking at it. Even if some of these things people are talking about can be considered sports like someone said above it doesn't mean that it needs to be in the Olympics. There is NO NEED to make complicated matters of sports in the Olympics. The complication in many ways may create more problems than it solves. Simplicity is really a good thing.

        • I have always loved basketball, ever since some friends invited me to a Greek church gymnasium to play when I was in high school and I discovered my body was designed for it. But I don't think it belongs in the Olympics. I wish the Olympics was pared down to individual feats of athleticism that require no judge... no beauty contests, no team sports, and nothing that requires expensive equipment (like sailboats) or half million dollar horses. Who runs the fastest, who jumps the highest or furthest, who throws a spear the furthest, who lifts the most, stuff like that. And maybe, just maybe, naked wrestling like they added for the second Olympics (to keep the women viewers happy).

          Speaking of the riding events: shouldn't the horse be getting the gold medal instead of the rider? Who jumped all the fences in the shortest time while carrying a human on his back?

          • I agree that the trainer and the horse deserve the medal more than the rider however maybe the horse does get the medal. As for naked wrestling uhm... that is quite intriguing lol

            I agree that it should just be simple feats of athleticism things that can be done with the body and very limited equipment. That is in my opinion the point. However I think that certain water sports are okay.

    • Sorry Kathy, but dancing with ribbons just is NOT a sport.
      It's just...well, dancing....with ribbons.

    • Hell, almost everything is engaged in competitively and the same goes for stuff that is "physical." Doesn't mean they belong in the Olympics. The first Olympics was a foot race. Period. The first guy across the finish line was the winner. Now we have twelve-year-old girls running around and jumping & down with ribbons and a bunch of dishonest judges pretending to notice whether their toes were pointed at the right moment and their leotard wasn't riding up... and if they get paid enough money the judges will give your little girl the gold medal. It's pure unadulterated bullshit. Hence the article. Don't blame me if the facts tell a story you don't like.

      • Hey JP, just a little 'Weekend Update'. Another original bites the dust, Greco-Roman wrestling, guess what they want to add. Go ahead guess, just saw it on the news, comeoncomeon guess...

        [gnicnad elop]

        That's right, coming soon to a flat screen near you via ABC Sports, competitive freestyle gymnastics on a stripper's pole.

      • On the other hand, how do you then distinguish that from balance beam or parallel/uneven bars? I have little interest in any of it, but most of these are pretty well-established and do have objective standards. Hell, most boxing isn't won by KO either, you gonna say that's not a legitimate sport?

        But then, I compete by playing bagpipes, so who am I to talk?

        • Yeah, I already said that boxing doesn't belong in the Olympics. Balance beams and bars are just plain stupid. It's not just that you need a judge to determine who won, but the fact that the girls are ridiculously young. It was getting so absurd they finally had to make a rule about minimum age allowed because otherwise it would be nothing but 10-year-olds. Personally, I can't watch women's gymnastics without feeling like a dirty old pervert and I can't help wondering what kind of men end up involved with and judging women's gymnastics.

          • Are you questioning that boxing is a real or legitimate sport? Whether in the Olympics or not?

          • Boxing is a legitimate sport. Three rounds with the winner determined by judges is a mess.

  • Why is rhythmic gymnastics in the Olympics?

    Here's how the meeting of the Olympic Committee went:

    "We need to get China more medals. There's a shitload of Chinese people who now have tv's and money. It will send ratings through the roof."

    "Hey, I know - lets put that crap, you know, where the girls run around waving ribbons and shit into the games."

    "Sound great. But it's just dancing. We have to call it something that sounds athletic."

    "How about rhythmic gymnastics?"

    "effin'' genius! Man, I can smell that money coming in!"

  • Rhythmic gymnastics is pretty dumb. It's a small percentage that gets excited about it - and a much smaller percentage when you eliminate relatives.

    On that note, I also can't picture me standing there with a flag, chanting USA, USA, while watching badminton - another dumb Olympic sport.

    • I hear what you're saying about badminton, but at last it's a sport. No judge is sitting there saying, "Hey, you won the point but your opponent had better form so he wins." The one that galls me the most is the ski jump in the Winter Olympics. They JUDGE that shit! Who cares what they look like? The guy that goes the furthest before landing should win, plain and simple, even if he lands on his head and poops his pants in the process!

      • What if two guys pooped their pants? Wouldn't they still need a judge to determine which jumper dumped the biggest load?

        • It's not. Diving shouldn't be in the Olympics either. I still wonder how Louganis won a gold medal after hitting the board with his head an bleeding HIV blood all over the pool while telling no one his blood might be dangerous to other people. The judges loved him - the gold medal was his before he even showed up.

          • The only reason I know about this dude is because Mario Lopez played him in a Lifetime movie (I used to like Saved By The Bell so that is why I saw it, I hate Mario Lopez now). Anyway, yeah that was seriously gross. Others could have had cuts and viruses love to attach themselves to people. I have to agree that for SOME reason this dude was so overrated that he just showed up and they gave him the medal after he actually messed up. :-/

      • While I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment, we may have a problem with the criteria; boxing.

        • Yeah, either you fight until one of you can't answer the bell, or you take it out of the Olympics. Remember when the Korean judges gave the gold medal to their own guy? Even HE admitted he didn't win the fight.

          • I don't know about that staying on your skis thing. In most forms of motor sports, you can crash your way across the finish line and you still win.

          • I loved him. He lived every weekend athlete's dream. He and that first Jamaican bobsled team should be in the Olympics Hall of Fame.

      • Pooping his pants, yeah, that should not matter. Landing on the head, I'm not so sure about. Part of the jump should be landing successfully. And by "successfully" i mean there should be two questions - did he land on his skis? and did he stay on his skis for at least a couple of seconds?

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