China Olympic Television coverage

I don't know what enticed the IOC to do this and don't even want to try to guess. Here is a link to opinions from around the world of swimming. www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../12286.asp I think the reason is MONEY!!!

USA Swimming statement regarding change in Olympic swimming schedule (10/26/2006) Statement from USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus regarding the IOC decision to change the swimming schedule in Beijing: “This is a great opportunity for our sport to be showcased to the nearly one billion people in the potential television audience of the Americas during the first nine days of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The live prime time exposure is something that can only benefit the sport of swimming, and enhance the public profile of our sport’s top athletes. The IOC’s decision to announce this nearly two years prior to the Olympic Games ensures a level playing field for all athletes. No matter what the schedule, our athletes will be ready to swim their best when their best is needed.” -------

If *** Pound listened to me he would allow everyone to use whatever drug they wanted to.

That is my reasoning the cheats will be there and will not be caught, so let everyone use them. Then we will know the truth. We will reinstate our drug dealer coaches and Canada will reign supreme. I remember when we had 100m runners that could not be beaten, they were only beaten by a drug test. The guy who got the medal was a druggie also. I still believe Johnston did not take drugs, someone slipped it in his drinking water.

Politics is a rather complicated thing here. :frustrated: Actually the starting place of Moa(finally spell it right) to cross the river was very close to my university where even a kind of monument was built. I've never been there but I heard people saying that. Back to the swimming topic. We do not have enough swimming pools here, even in cities, not to mention rural areas. My hometown, a small town in Youngyze River area, which is full of water resource, never have any kind of pools yet so far. People have to swim in the lake, river and reservoir(not sure if it is the right word). Quite a few children are drowned each summer. I personally saw several family friends were in deep sorrow to know their young kids drowned.I was never allowed to swim when I was a kid. And also there is no swimming club or something like that at lower levels national wide like in the towns wide in which people can learn proper swimming skills, participate competitions, etc. People just self teach and self learn how to swim in these towns, exactly like Moa did in his time. George, I hope you can travel to China to watch the Olympic games in 2008. and then trace a litte bit after your grandfather's footprint. I assure you it is quite an adventure! :applaud:

I believed him when the story first broke and was so dissapointed when the truth came out. I try to block it out of my memmory and can still take pride that he ran faster then any others who used drugs. The cover up of Carl Lewis's drug use was well hidden as most of the US team in those same Olympics. Drugs were rampant and used by most. I still believe that most still use drugs but are not all are being caught.

Well, that's the problem, George. We don't really know who is and who isn't. So, because we prefer our heros to be clean, we are disappointed (you and Ben Johnson) when they are not. I think the swimmer who got screwed over the most, I remember watching it so clearly, was Shirley Babashoff. It was her and the roid monsters. She should have got gold instead of silver in every event. (I do remember she got gold in one relay.) Fortress: Again we are speculating as to who was using and who wasn't using plus there were other swimmers in the competition that were not using. Take 1972 for example, swimmers like Sandy Neilson, Shane Gould, and Keena Rothhammer defeated Shirly Babashoff in the 100, 200, and 400 Free events. These were not roid monsters at all so Shirley didn't and wouldn't have won a gold insead of the silver medals won in the 100 and 200 Free. In 1976, there was a black women swimmer from Holland named Enith Brigitha that defeated Shirley in the 100 Free and was within .18 in the 200 Free. Without the East Germans there you never know what would have happened and all we can do is speculate. Again not all of the swimmers in the competition were roid monsters. But we will never know for sure and at this point all we do is speculate. The 400 and 800 are the events she got second to Petra Thumer by margins of 4 seconds over the 3rd place finisher, so yes I agree with that performance she would have won those two events, and only those two events judging from the margin of 4 seconds. But again its really pure speculation.

Well it looks like the IOC did not agree with the poll here of 84% in favor of delaying the coverage of USA TV viewing. NBC was able to convince the IOC that it would be in the best interests of the World to have morning finals for best TV coverage and more exposure of the sport. I don't know what enticed the IOC to do this and don't even want to try to guess. Here is a link to opinions from around the world of swimming. www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../12286.asp Here are some more opinions from around the world about this decision. www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/.../12296.asp

Frank: I wasn't thinking of the sprint events with Shirley. You are a pure encyclopedia of swimming. I wish everything in your brain was in my head. And of course you're right, it's best not to speculate. It's too bad that uncertainty creates speculation.

Tree: I agree. I didn't mean my comment to encompass every single woman in China. Obviously, there are swimmers who don't cheat. China has a sordid history of cheating. My point was only that I am sure there are some Chinese cheats out there right now. There was a big article (editorial, I think) on this very topic in Swimming World a few months back. George: Drugs are rampant, no doubt, in track and field, cycling, baseball, football, swimming, etc. I don't think there's any great distinction in being the "fastest cheater" though. Floyd Landis doesn't seem to be faring too well in the public relations department despite his previously wholesome image. And everyone hates Barry Bonds. The East German and Chinese women swimmers have been villified. The fact is that although a lot of people cheat, no one like cheaters. We prefer our heros to be clean. Like for example Michael Phelps.