Off Topic Olympics

How many oars can you buy for £32 million?

 

Oh ..... Those kind of oars .....

 

Yes it is, but don't forget that the facilities built also benefits the local community as well, and the investment builds for the future as well. We can't expect professional athletes to be our waiter in a restaurant for example and do sport as a part time basis. It's like asking part time conference players to compete in the premier league.

If we are going to fund anything through the lottery I would rather athletes that bring so much more back to the country, and it's not just the Olympics it's the commonwealth games and the various world championships for various sports. The future is bright.

 

What are people's thoughts on Lynsey Sharp's comments on Caster Semenya, and on Semenya in general? Sharp seemed to imply that the decision to overturn rules on the suppression of testosterone now meant the race was not fair.
I think I read somewhere, whilst the suppression rule were in place, t affected Semenya's 800 metres time by 7 seconds!!! 7 seconds, that's huge! BUt the whole scenari is a difficult one and has polarised opinion globally.

 

Disrespectful whiny bitch.

 

Don't think Valley will be facing accusations of sitting on the fence any time soon!! lol!!

 

Truthfully I had to look up that, it's a complicated one I think, I don't really know what to think to be honest, she's a woman who has a complex medical condition obviously, I can't say what should happen. She has an advantage but looking at the stats others have beaten the time she has set so let's see what they decide.

 

I was bouncing watching her post race interview on the BBC. She was an absolute disgrace, vile cow

 

I don't think it's disrespectful or 'vile' and Sharp was only voicing valid concerns. But it is a sensitive issue. It's a fact that abnormally elevated levels of testosterone have an effect on performance and recovery. It would be easy if we were dealing with a drug cheat wouldn't it? But we are not. Semanyana and others in sport suffer from hyperandrogenism so it's not their fault.

On the one hand I find it distasteful to force anyone to take medication if they want to compete but at the same time I can understand other athletes being frustrated at the very steep playing field that results if nothing is done. There's a reason why testosterone is the most common drug taken by cheats and Semanya's levels are higher than some men so no matter how hard the women athletes train or how hard they work they simply cannot beat competitors with this condition. That isn't fair either, and if I was an athlete on the receiving end I'd be pretty angry about it too.

I'm not sure what the answer is to be honest but with all due respect to Semanya and athletes like her the races in which they are involved are something of a joke and that cannot be good for the sport.

 

Why are they a joke? Because she wins so easily?

 

Don't be daft. They are a joke because her levels of testosterone give her an unfair advantage. I'm surprised I have to spell that out to you. By the IOC's reckoning most women have a comparitive testosterone level of 3 but Semanya's is over 10. She has undescended testes for god's sake. This isn't a case of just happening to have high levels - there's a physiological reason for it.

The court ruling in Dutee Chand v IAAF found that there was insufficient evidence that increased levels of testosterone had an effect on female athletic performance. That flies in the face of science and common sense. Why do you think that female athletes who are drugs cheats take it?

Look, there's not an easy answer here but if I was forced to take a position I would say that athletes suffering from the condition have to take medication to bring their testosterone levels down to the upper end of what is normal in a female athlete.

For the record, look at what Sharp actually said. She has enormous respect for Semanya and has tweeted this since the interview but it must be soul destroying to put that amount of work into your training knowing you're wasting your time and effort because of someone else's medical condition that is treatable.

It's an interesting debate with no easy, painless answer. Semanya has my sympathies for her condition but so do athletes like Sharp.

 

The closing ceremony is on right now

 

She came 6th anyway so wasn't getting a medal.

Phelps has a larger than average lung capacity, wingspan and huge feet which has given him an advantage.

At the end of the day, she's been medically declared a woman, I think, after the initial round of tests, she's been publicly humiliated for years.
At the very least Sharpe, should have kept her mouth shut instead of crying on national tv and showed some respect and professionalism towards Caster.

 

Phelps has a wingspan? No wonder the fooker keeps on winning

 

Got webbed feet too

 

6th anyway - that's not the issue.

Phelps (and others like him) - those advantages are brought about because of physiological differences that are within the bounds of the optimal human being. Other swimmers have similar, if not identical advantages too. Semanya having a vagina and undescended testes pumping out rather helpful amounts of testosterone is highly unusual, has a massive effect and is rather different imo because it's almost as if the women are competing against a man. That can't be right. The point I'm getting at is that Semanya's condition goes to the heart of gender - a crucial issue in competitive sport.

Whether Sharp should have said anything is debateable. I see your point but at the same time it must me remembered that the Olympics is the result of four years of blood, sweat and tears. It's very easy for you to dismiss the reaction when you haven't done it yourself. It may or may not have been the time to say something but I can understand her feeling rather raw just after the race and can totally understand the reaction which wasn't critical of Semanya but the governing body. You seem to have missed that point.

 

Either way, she directly put Caster in the firing line again.
I thought she came across bitter in the way she conducted herself. Hell, she was crying as if she'd just been robbed of the gold.
Haven't heard the woman who came second saying anything. If it's anyone who should be pissec it's her.
Sharpe knew the score, she could have been professional and said no comment instead of crying.

 

Funnily enough

Francine Niyonsaba and Margaret Wambui, have identified as hyperandrogenic

They are the other medalists in the race

 

Seriously?

 

It's in this report

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/aug/21/caster-semenya-wins-gold-but-faces-scrutiny