I think the decision to award Hamm is not the right one.Michael deserved that one a lot more, besides I think the following statement is entirely pathetic:"Hamm also withstood a challenge by South Korea claiming that the gold medal should be awarded to Yang Tae-Young after it was discovered he was incorrectly scored during the all-around final."So now he is being awarded for holding on to the medal that someone else should have won due to the outrageous mistake.He acted like a little boy who sneaked someone else's candy and was reluctant to give it away even when caught.I think he should have given the medal to the sout korean.
And then it is Michael PHelps: not only did he haul a miriad of medals and set a world record, but also showed the spirit of sportsmanship by letting his team mate(Ian Crocker) have a chance at the medal on the relay team...
Anyways, here's the link:
swiminfo.com/.../9345.asp
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Former Member
Well I don't know if I agree necessarily that Paul Hamm should have given the medal back (and certainly I don't think he stole it).....It wasn't his error that caused the mistake....it was originally the judge's error for miscaclulating the South Korean's Score....but the key issue to me is that the RULE in the RULE book clearly states that it is the responsibility of the South Korean (and his coach) to make an appeal within some specified time frame in order to have a case....bottom line is that the S. Korean and his coach failed to meet that clearly stated criteria.....So why then should Paul Hamm be villainized for the mishap as a result?.....BUT I do agree that Micheal Phelps deserved the Sullivan Award over Paul Hamm....simply b/c he accomplished a lot more at the 2004 Olympics ....and, as you said ,...he showed great sportsmanship by giving up his relay spot to Ian Crocker so that Ian could have another chance at a gold medal.....(of course Micheal received a gold medal for the relay anyway since he swam the fly leg of the relay in the semi-finals).
Newmastersswimmer
Well I don't know if I agree necessarily that Paul Hamm should have given the medal back (and certainly I don't think he stole it).....It wasn't his error that caused the mistake....it was originally the judge's error for miscaclulating the South Korean's Score....but the key issue to me is that the RULE in the RULE book clearly states that it is the responsibility of the South Korean (and his coach) to make an appeal within some specified time frame in order to have a case....bottom line is that the S. Korean and his coach failed to meet that clearly stated criteria.....So why then should Paul Hamm be villainized for the mishap as a result?.....BUT I do agree that Micheal Phelps deserved the Sullivan Award over Paul Hamm....simply b/c he accomplished a lot more at the 2004 Olympics ....and, as you said ,...he showed great sportsmanship by giving up his relay spot to Ian Crocker so that Ian could have another chance at a gold medal.....(of course Micheal received a gold medal for the relay anyway since he swam the fly leg of the relay in the semi-finals).
Newmastersswimmer
