| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
cazzy3
Joined: 07 May 2008
Location: kangwon-do
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 5:47 am Post subject: Korea...Olympic Champions??!! |
 |
|
OK, so they are still a few gold medals from leading the group, but in all honesty they could end up number one. They still have Kim Yeon-ah and 4 short track events that can give them 11 gold medals. Depending on the USA and Germany's results, that could leave them first in the standings.
First, like many, I am sick of all the overplay of events when Koreans do well and will dread the fact that we will be watching this for the next 4 years, but you have to give credit when due. In fact, I can't believe I'm giving props to them since I secretly root against them when my wife and I are watching!
So, you thought Korea was nationalistic and proud before....just imagine if they claim the most gold medals in an Olympic Games. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Sadebugo1
Joined: 11 May 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:54 am Post subject: Re: Korea...Olympic Champions??!! |
|
|
| cazzy3 wrote: |
OK, so they are still a few gold medals from leading the group, but in all honesty they could end up number one. They still have Kim Yeon-ah and 4 short track events that can give them 11 gold medals. Depending on the USA and Germany's results, that could leave them first in the standings.
First, like many, I am sick of all the overplay of events when Koreans do well and will dread the fact that we will be watching this for the next 4 years, but you have to give credit when due. In fact, I can't believe I'm giving props to them since I secretly root against them when my wife and I are watching!
So, you thought Korea was nationalistic and proud before....just imagine if they claim the most gold medals in an Olympic Games. |
I don't think they can ever claim to be the best until they diversify their success to more than a few sports.
Sadebugo
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Good for them. Like with manufacturing etc they pick something they want to be good at and excel at it. They should be proud. In 1950 they had a GDP equal to Ghana and a population of short peasants. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
I secretly root against them when my wife and I are watching!
So, you thought Korea was nationalistic and proud before....just imagine if they claim the most gold medals in an Olympic Games. |
Have you looked in a mirror lately? It looks to me like Koreans' pride in success is rubbing your national pride the wrong way. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am Post subject: |
|
|
How many speed skating medals are there anyway? Not to knock Korea, but it does kind of seem odd to me that they would have so many medals for just one sport that's been divided into a whole bunch of distance events (ie. having 2 or 3 Koreans on the podium for 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m etc. on the oval, then again on the short track, then the same guys win a bunch of relays)... If one country can get like 10 golds or something from just speed skating it seems to cheapen the whole thing. Doesn't make much sense when they've got team sports like hockey playing big round robin tournaments that only count for one gold medal.
Whatever, that's just my two bits (I don't actually care about the Olympics much). |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Wishmaster
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
Well, in overall medals, Korea won't even sniff a spot at the top. Yeah, basically, they've concentrated on several events and it has worked for them. But there are other countries with more medals. Now, if Korea actually participated and medalled in more events, then maybe they would get some props. But without short track, they wouldn't have many and if you are truly an Olympic champion you would have a decent volume of medals in a range of events.
The reason that I cheer against Korea is because they are so nationalistic and arrogant when they win. And when they lose they blame it on a variety of things like(imagined) cheating(uh, the Korean short trackers were jostling just as much as Ohno) or buying a victory(if the Japanese figure skater ends up winning). Korea never wants to admit that it loses at something. It is always someone else that is to blame. This is why I cheer for any opponent of Korea. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 4:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Koreans often go into 'blame whoever else mode' if they lose a close match. But Korea isn't alone in this, many countries, if not all, do the same thing. But Koreans have little clout to outright change the decisions, unlike the Americans and who they throw their weight behind. Usually Canadians are the beneficiaries of this... figure skating pairs... cough cough... snowboarding pot smoker... cough cough...
Americans in the past often claimed opponents are on drugs, or judging was biased and are anti-American. Sure they were right on the drug part, but Americans were just as juiced up as those eastern euros back in the cold war days.
Anyways, feel sorry for the Russian couple that got their medal taken away from them. They did nothing wrong. And for the snowboarder, well he should have known pot was a banned substance at the time and stayed away from his friends. But, noooo... the Americans basically tell the IOC they control the purse strings and the Olympic and various sport federations drop their drawers and bend over. I think that could be why they don't care if some corrupt Korean billionaire is one of the VP's of the IOC, they want to diversify their cash flow, instead of having to cave into American demands all the time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:23 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| cazzy3 wrote: |
| just imagine if they claim the most gold medals in an Olympic Games. |
Oh..life here would become intolerable for months or years afterwards. You'd be talking endless 24/7 TV re-runs of the events. The Korean attitude would jump from victimised small country to arrogant master race.
I don't begrudge them their success. As a nation they are hungry and focussed. They have something to prove. Fair play to them. I wish I could celebrate with them but I often sense their enthusiasm is based on a nationalism that excludes all non-Koreans.
I also wonder how far they would get without all their foreign trainers and coaches. Behind every Korean achiever is a waeguk. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RufusW
Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Location: Busan
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 8:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| nautilus wrote: |
| I often sense their enthusiasm is based on a nationalism that excludes all non-Koreans. |
Hmmm.... nationalism is strange that way.
| nautilus wrote: |
| I also wonder how far they would get without all their foreign trainers and coaches. Behind every Korean achiever is a waeguk. |
The head coach of the American speedskating team is..... Korean. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
riverboy
Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Location: Incheon
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
I secretly root against them when my wife and I are watching!
So, you thought Korea was nationalistic and proud before....just imagine if they claim the most gold medals in an Olympic Games. |
Wow! My wife and I have a friendly rivalry when it comes to Korean and Canadian sports. If the two compete, we want then to win first and second with our own country being first.
If it's another country, then it's Canada all the way for her and Korea for me. I've even become more of a Korean Baseball fan than the Canadian team as of late.
| Quote: |
| Not to knock Korea, but it does kind of seem odd to me that they would have so many medals for just one sport that's been divided into a whole bunch of distance events (ie. having 2 or 3 Koreans on the podium for 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m etc. on the oval, then again on the short track, then the same guys win a bunch of relays)... If one country can get like 10 golds or something from just speed skating it seems to cheapen the whole thing. |
Kinda makes Michael Phelps medals lame eh?
| Quote: |
| The head coach of the American speedskating team is..... Korean. |
As is the Chinese.
I mean the olympics are a source of national pride for all countries. Korea has come a long way with regards to both summer and winter olympics. First is was short track, now speed skating. Next I assume you will see results in Ski jump and if they get the Winter Olympics in their next bid, I can see them competing at bobsled with thier own track to train on.
Say what you will about Korean sports, but they sure now how to produce some damn fine atheletes.
They kick Canadas arse in the summer olympics. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:59 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| riverboy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Not to knock Korea, but it does kind of seem odd to me that they would have so many medals for just one sport that's been divided into a whole bunch of distance events (ie. having 2 or 3 Koreans on the podium for 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m etc. on the oval, then again on the short track, then the same guys win a bunch of relays)... If one country can get like 10 golds or something from just speed skating it seems to cheapen the whole thing. |
Kinda makes Michael Phelps medals lame eh?
|
+1 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
visitorq
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
|
| Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| riverboy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Not to knock Korea, but it does kind of seem odd to me that they would have so many medals for just one sport that's been divided into a whole bunch of distance events (ie. having 2 or 3 Koreans on the podium for 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 5000m etc. on the oval, then again on the short track, then the same guys win a bunch of relays)... If one country can get like 10 golds or something from just speed skating it seems to cheapen the whole thing. |
Kinda makes Michael Phelps medals lame eh? |
Actually, yeah it kinda does (in case you thought I was being hypocritical). Again not knocking the guy, but he was able to get like 14 golds just from swimming. But then somebody else who devotes their life to a sport like boxing, or a team sport like volleyball has to go through many rounds but can only win up to 1 medal.
Anyway, at least in swimming though they've got 4 completely different strokes. Speed skating, no matter how you cut it, is just skating really fast in a circle. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nautilus
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Je jump, Tu jump, oui jump!
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
| visitorq wrote: |
| not knocking the guy, but he was able to get like 14 golds just from swimming. But then somebody else who devotes their life to a sport like boxing, or a team sport like volleyball has to go through many rounds but can only win up to 1 medal. |
A gold in the marathon must be the worthiest prize in the olympics I guess. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:15 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Seems relevant. I'm sure they'll be quite whiny over this. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
Twice this week I've heard how Korea is ahead of Canada in the Winter Olympics, as if Korea is somehow comparable in terms of winter sports
take away speed skating (both short and long track) - by guys who singlemindedly train since elementary school for that and that only - and they have nothing...
except Kim Yu-na (the poster child for Korean glory) |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
