Winter Olympics

[EEPhil]

What I'm railing about is the judgement required to assign handicaps

I'm not sure what the alternative is. If there is a disadvantage based on the degree of disablement, do you introduce a fudge-factor to even things up or do you split the discipline into different degrees of handicap? Crudely, all legless competitors in one group; all armless in another; etc. Maybe not enough competitors to make it worthwhile. Although there seem to be endless versions in the summer games. Then there's how do you deal with the not-so-obvious disabilities? I'd hope someone has done the research to make the handicap system fair.

 

[Wildebeest]

In the summer games there are (many!) different categories of disablement. Not sure why - I haven't seen any of it this time round - this isn't being applied to the para skiing, or if it is then why it has this fudge factor on top; it does sound a bit off.
Incidentally there were numerous stories a few years back of athletes faking or otherwise exaggerating their degree of disablement in order to gain an advantage, and in some cases - IIRC - even deliberately causing themselves damage to get in a more advantageous category.

 

[Black Hole]

This has been the case with some of the snow events (LL1, LL2...).

On the curling commentary today, the were saying more people could get involved if they implement current proposals to award handicap points based on levels of disability!

An able-bodied skier who injured his leg chose to have an artificial knee, because he then qualified for the Paralympics. Go figure!

Somebody of my immediate acquaintance vehemently disagrees, but to me this is not sport, it is gaming the system (or the system is potentially open to being gamed).

Take Prestorius with his running blades. They can be engineered to be more efficient than a normal foot and Achilles tendon.

 

[Owen Smith]

Take Prestorius with his running blades. They can be engineered to be more efficient than a normal foot and Achilles tendon.

Given Pistorius is convicted murderer I don't think he's a good example for anything.

 

[Black Hole]

I never said anythign about a "good" example, I consider him a very bad example because he wanted to race against able-bodied runners – where I say he would have had an unfair advantage.

Statement of the bleedin' obvious of the week (in the curling post-match punditry): "we need to start winning now".

 

[EEPhil]

Statement of the bleedin' obvious of the week (in the curling post-match punditry): "we need to start winning now".

I felt like saying that during the early matches of the women's curling a few weeks ago.

 

[Black Hole]

This bloody woman commentating on the USA v Korea semi-final sounds like she's talking to children.