Sore Losers....
"Life isn't always fair." "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." All of these phrases should have been explained completely and thoroughly to Ara Abrahamian. If they had perhaps he wouldn't have become the #1 sore loser of the games. In an act of "protest" that showed less composure and tact than my 18 month old when he's missed his nap, Ara demonstrated the exact opposite spirit than that of a true Olympian and I applaud the IOC for stripping him of his bronze and kicking him out of the games.
That's not to say that officials don't make mistakes, however there is an appropriate way & manner to protest decisions. This method was demonstrated by the Serbian delegation last night in the much contested 100 m butterfly. It looked to the naked eye that Milorad Cavic had pulled in before Phelps and honestly it's quite a miracle that Phelps won! However, the Serbs followed appropriate procedure and filed their formal complaint but in the meantime Cavic attended the medals ceremony and graciously accepted his silver medal. Then when the final decision was handed down (nope Phelps did win all electronics prove it) the Serbian delegation accepted it and moved on. (I think Cavic realized that failing to use a touch pad properly is just as bad as flubbing up a stroke earlier on. It's a tough way to learn a lesson but he did and moved on).
I mean the US gymnastic team (with the exception of Bella, but come on it's Bella!) isn't stomping around saying "unfair!!! Tiny baby gymnasts stole our gold!!!!" Even though even forensic scientists are balking at the idea that these gymnasts can be any older than 12 tops . And in a sport that takes such HUGE physical toll on your body (the US gymnasts who won gold and silver aren't sure they will be able to make the London Olympics because they don't know if their bodies will hold up that long), and in a sport where being small makes all the difference in the world, having younger gymnasts does give a team an unfair advantage. But instead of crying in their miniature leotards, the gymnasts choked it all up and came back with a vengeance for the all arounds.
Heck even the Canadian figure skaters in 2002 who were CLEARLY cheated out of a medal at first filed their complaint appropriately and graciously accepted their silver medals with grace and aplomb.
"Life is unfair" all of our mothers told us this. It's true. And in any sport that contains judging there is going to be some room for error. Sometimes the errors go your way sometimes they go against you. That is just life. The mark of a true Olympian is one who realizes that and recognizes that means they need to up their games the next time. I bet you Milorad will never again glide into a touch pad. I bet next time (if this wrestler stops pouting) he will make sure to not let a match get down to where it's decided by one point. And rather than acting like a disgruntled 2 year old, it would be more productive for him to follow the Olympic motto " swifter, higher, stronger". In other words, push push push and next time that silver might be gold!
That's not to say that officials don't make mistakes, however there is an appropriate way & manner to protest decisions. This method was demonstrated by the Serbian delegation last night in the much contested 100 m butterfly. It looked to the naked eye that Milorad Cavic had pulled in before Phelps and honestly it's quite a miracle that Phelps won! However, the Serbs followed appropriate procedure and filed their formal complaint but in the meantime Cavic attended the medals ceremony and graciously accepted his silver medal. Then when the final decision was handed down (nope Phelps did win all electronics prove it) the Serbian delegation accepted it and moved on. (I think Cavic realized that failing to use a touch pad properly is just as bad as flubbing up a stroke earlier on. It's a tough way to learn a lesson but he did and moved on).
I mean the US gymnastic team (with the exception of Bella, but come on it's Bella!) isn't stomping around saying "unfair!!! Tiny baby gymnasts stole our gold!!!!" Even though even forensic scientists are balking at the idea that these gymnasts can be any older than 12 tops . And in a sport that takes such HUGE physical toll on your body (the US gymnasts who won gold and silver aren't sure they will be able to make the London Olympics because they don't know if their bodies will hold up that long), and in a sport where being small makes all the difference in the world, having younger gymnasts does give a team an unfair advantage. But instead of crying in their miniature leotards, the gymnasts choked it all up and came back with a vengeance for the all arounds.
Heck even the Canadian figure skaters in 2002 who were CLEARLY cheated out of a medal at first filed their complaint appropriately and graciously accepted their silver medals with grace and aplomb.
"Life is unfair" all of our mothers told us this. It's true. And in any sport that contains judging there is going to be some room for error. Sometimes the errors go your way sometimes they go against you. That is just life. The mark of a true Olympian is one who realizes that and recognizes that means they need to up their games the next time. I bet you Milorad will never again glide into a touch pad. I bet next time (if this wrestler stops pouting) he will make sure to not let a match get down to where it's decided by one point. And rather than acting like a disgruntled 2 year old, it would be more productive for him to follow the Olympic motto " swifter, higher, stronger". In other words, push push push and next time that silver might be gold!