Olympics

[backofthebunch]

Is there any discussion about track elsewhere? If not I'm keen to start one with people who know more than me.

I love the track cycling, everytime I see them racing I want to get involved!


anyway, anyone wanna explain the rule as to why the GB rider who stacked it (I heard his fork snapped?) in the team sprint was allowed to re-start? Had some mates use Shane Kelly's pedal slip incident as an example of when the race was not restarted, but in the team sprint it was.


Thoughts on Team Pursuit? Gunna be tight....

[DavidI]

I will await correction by someone with more up to date knowledge of the regulations, but my understanding is that there's a distance from the start line within which it is considered a "starting malfunction (or similar)" and any mishap within that distance allows for a restart.
I believe Shane Kelly would have been entitled to a restart but he didn't take it.
Going back further, in the days before starting gates, at the '84 Games the USA team pursuit squad had a rider pull his foot at the start in the final and no restart was given as it wasn't deemed to be a mechanical malfunction - nothing broke, the strap just wasn't tight enough.

[reefer]

Are you referring to This?

[backofthebunch]

Are you referring to This?

thanks for posting that. very clever racing, but not really the "olympic spirit"

[brentono]

Personally, as an event, I think the Team Sprint (and recent introduction) is a non-event.
Rules are controversial (cant see why the rule, in the GB's case, was not continue with 2?)
Rules need a rethink, and the restart was a disadvantage to the opposition.
Team Sprint as a spectacle is a bit boring. IMO.
Think it might be canned, with all the future controversy it will create.
Team GB should have been relegated for such an act.
Definitely not in the "olympic spirit" and not sportsmanship. Great example G.B.

[Stuey]

I thought that stack looked weird. He sort of slumped onto the top tube and fell over. As the commentator said, he'd never seen anything like that before...

[find_bruce]

Funny isn't it - at least Badminton had the nerve to DQ people who tried to lose - should do the same to anyone & any team who deliberately crashes.

[RonK]

Are you referring to This?

thanks for posting that. very clever racing, but not really the "olympic spirit"

Actually, it is cheating.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Funny isn't it - at least Badminton had the nerve to DQ people who tried to lose - should do the same to anyone & any team who deliberately crashes.

I agree. Sir Chris should at least have the guts to come out and say "Here's my medal, I don't deserve it". He's the elder statesman of the sport over there and he should be acting a bit more sensibly that some 19 year old hot shot.

The rule is there to take care of situations such as starting gate or holder malfunctions, which is fair enough. This is why false starts are now penalised so harshly in other sports, because people took advantage of a reasonable rule.

[foo on patrol]

The only way Kelly could of gotten a restart is, if he had fallen at the same time, he didn't have any option.

Foo

[backofthebunch]

Are you referring to This?

thanks for posting that. very clever racing, but not really the "olympic spirit"

Actually, it is cheating.

guess that depends on how you define cheating i guess. Did he break a rule? no..

I say cheating is deliberately breaking the rules and not being caught.

this is just a dodgy loop hole that has been exploited. either way It's not right and it's a shame to see it occur.

[Baldy]

Professional foul a fair description? Dunno.

It is a part of other sports. Not sure I like the idea of it in "my" sport. In a game of basketball it might be used to save 2 points. In this case its all or nothing, he did it just to stay in the competition. Same ploy but with a much larger effect on the result. Well an absolute effect on the result?

It was plainly obvious at the time he was trying to crash and fall as softly as possible.

The pressure the kid was under must have been full on, something I have never experienced and never will. So personally I can forgive a brain explosion, I bet he never does it again. He'll learn to take his licks.

[foo on patrol]

Brings into contention the old saying...win at all costs!

Poor form as far as I'm concerned and leaves a sour taste for my part!

Foo

[maryusdemetry]

The gymnastics trampoline event is ridiculous. Those guys get up so high...

[DavidS]

Deliberately crashing to exploit a rule = cheating IMHO.

DS

[sogood]

Deliberately crashing to exploit a rule = cheating IMHO.

Guess the question is, what was the reasoning behind those rules? If it was created for legitimate equipment failures, then a deliberate crash for poor start by the competitor would generate ethical questions. If it was not, then Chris Hoy's team is in the clear.

[London Boy]

Deliberately crashing to exploit a rule = cheating IMHO.

What he did was unsavoury perhaps, but within the rules. Ergo, it was not cheating. You'll have noticed how the commissaires are jumping on the least infringement, but plainly didn't consider that 'crash' an infringement.

[bigfriendlyvegan]

Not related to the cheating, but if you're interested in the track cycling and want to see complete coverage of the events, go to cyclingtorrents.nl to obtain the BBC feeds. Hours and hours and hours of just track with no cutting away to the diving during the bell lap.

[Percrime]

Deliberately crashing to exploit a rule = cheating IMHO.

What he did was unsavoury perhaps, but within the rules. Ergo, it was not cheating. You'll have noticed how the commissaires are jumping on the least infringement, but plainly didn't consider that 'crash' an infringement.

SO the next version of the rules wont give you another chance if you crash and a bit more sportsmanship goes out of the sport. Unsavoury is the least of it. I hope his future is full of much being edged into the fence

[cp123]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/olympic ... 23sw1.html

wow

[maryusdemetry]

Best 800m I've ever seen...absolutely amazing race. Awesome race by all, amazing race from Rudisha