[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

and what do young people who have been working for many years to perfect an athletic ability have to do with your cynicism or politics? nothing. We celebrate the acheivement of youth** and amatuer* sport, nothing more. Why should anyone's politics spoil that for these amazing young people who have worked so hard?

The modern OG is ALL about politics and money .....

*AFAIK, The IOC voted to allow professionals to compete in the Olympics in 1986. The 1988 Games were the first to have professionals compete.

** I don't know about this year, but 4 years ago :

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olymp...athletes_N.htm

Libby Callahan is a retiree and a great-aunt 15 times over, with No. 16 on the way. She spends her time walking her dogs, gardening and baking.

And training for the Olympics.

Callahan will compete in pistol shooting at the Beijing Games, which begin Aug. 8. At 56, she's the oldest female U.S. Olympian ever. "I consider it a non-factor in what I have to do," Callahan, a four-time Olympian, says of her age.

Yet even she was impressed by 41-year-old Dara Torres' wins in the U.S. Olympic swimming trials to earn a spot on the 2008 team. Those efforts, along with Callahan's, helped put age-defying Olympic feats on the national radar.

When Torres squinted to read the scoreboard after her trials races, she heralded a trend that's taken hold on U.S. Olympic teams in the last decade: America's Olympians are significantly older than they were a generation ago, thanks to changes in the Games' rules that allow athletes to be paid for their successes plus advances in training and recovery programs.

The average age of the U.S. Summer Olympic team rose to 27 in 1996 from 24 in 1976 and has remained steady. This year's team has an average age of 26.8.

The roster includes three five-time Olympians (Torres is one) and 12 four-time Olympians. Twenty are mothers. At least one — 58-year-old sailor John Dane III, who after 40 years of trying will be at his first Games as the oldest Team USA member and the oldest U.S. Olympian in more than 50 years — is a grandfather.

Sheila Taormina, 39 will be the first woman to compete at the Olympics in three different sports. Achieving that drove her to stay in Olympic sports after swimming in the 1996 Olympics, where she won a gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay, and competing in the 2000 and 2004 Games in the triathlon.

"I've always tried to break paradigms out there," Taormina says, "to just get people to think a little differently."

Like Torres, 21 of the U.S. Olympians headed to Beijing are 40 or older. Torres — who will race in the 50 freestyle and possibly one or two relays — and Taormina might stand out for their success in sports that are particularly demanding on the body, but in Olympic sports such as shooting, sailing and others, experienced competitors often are well-suited for the precision and skills necessary for success.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

The modern OG is ALL about politics and money .....

*AFAIK, The IOC voted to allow professionals to compete in the Olympics in 1986. The 1988 Games were the first to have professionals compete.

only in soccer(football), tennis, and basketball do you really see REAL professionals though. The vast majority of competitors are young people still in university. and they should not be punished for the sins of the fathers. is the IOC corrupt? of course. Just like FIFA. BUt despite the corrupution at the highest levels, the purity at the lowest levels makes up for it.

So does that mean that the event itself is corrupt? no. because the spirit is still pure.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

The vast majority of competitors are young people still in university. and they should not be punished for the sins of the fathers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ts-by-age.html

In the past three Summer Olympics, 64 of the U.S. team’s 1,707 athletes have been age 40 and older — and they won 23 medals.

http://www.dailyiowan.com/2012/04/18/Sports/27989.html

The average age of the U.S. Olympic athletes in the 2008 Beijing Games was 26.8.

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ts-by-age.html



http://www.dailyiowan.com/2012/04/18/Sports/27989.html

how many of them have been in basketball or soccer? we already mentioned that.

there have been some older athletes who are not professional, i remember an older lady competeting in swimming, she was amazing, she was certainly not professional though. vollyball players, weight lifters. these are not people that are professional. they are people who just love sport and competition.

Age has nothing to do with being professional or not.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

is the IOC corrupt? of course. Just like FIFA. BUt despite the corrupution at the highest levels, the purity at the lowest levels makes up for it.

So does that mean that the event itself is corrupt? no. because the spirit is still pure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Olympic_medals

Includes :

Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. She won five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but forfeited all medals and prizes dating back to September 2000 after her October 2007 admission that she took performance-enhancing drugs as far back as the 2000 Summer Olympics, and that she had lied about it to a grand jury investigating performance-enhancer creations by Victor Conte and the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (a.k.a. BALCO).

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...Olympic_medals

Includes :

Marion Lois Jones (born October 12, 1975), also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA. She won five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but forfeited all medals and prizes dating back to September 2000 after her October 2007 admission that she took performance-enhancing drugs as far back as the 2000 Summer Olympics, and that she had lied about it to a grand jury investigating performance-enhancer creations by Victor Conte and the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (a.k.a. BALCO).

and how was she caught? she was caught by the US congress long after she won. She could have easily avoided getting caught had it not been for the strict rules of sport in the US. She was caught by the US government, not by the IOC. SO at least the US is doing it's part to keep it clean. Same can't be said for other countries though...

Other countries might have cheaters, but as an American at least i know we do everything we can to keep our athletes honest.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

and how was she caught? she was caught by the US congress long after she won. She could have easily avoided getting caught had it not been for the strict rules of sport in the US. She was caught by the US government, not by the IOC. SO at least the US is doing it's part to keep it clean. Same can't be said for other countries though...

Other countries might have cheaters, but as an American at least i know we do everything we can to keep our athletes honest.

by paying 'em megabucks .....

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

only in soccer(football), tennis, and basketball do you really see REAL professionals though.

Although the IOC allowed for athlete compensation in 1971, all U.S. athletes still had to be of amateur status to compete on the United States Olympic team until 1978. Athletes from the United States found it difficult to compete at the Olympic Games against athletes from eastern nations who were sponsored by their governments and able to train full-time. In 1978, the United States adopted the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, allowing athletes on the U.S. Olympic team to receive financial awards, sponsorship, and payments for the first time. A revision of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act in 1998 expanded athletic eligibility and representation further to include the Paralympics Games and increased athlete representation.

Corporate Sponsors

Since the elimination of amateurism in the Olympic Games, athletes are often funded to train through corporate sponsors and endorsement deals.

Read more: Olympic Athletes — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olymp...#ixzz1vVDV5qZA

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

Read more: Olympic Athletes — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olymp...#ixzz1vVDV5qZA

all of the "financial awards" you are referncing in those articles are by private companies. the US government is not sponsoring anyone, infact it would be interesting to see a comparison of how much the US government spends on olympic athletes, compared to China, Russia, Australia, and the UK. I think you'll find that actually the US government gives almost NOTHING to it's athletes, unlike most countries which basically fund their entire careers.

American athletes actually have to make their own way, they don't have state sponsorship like most other olympic powers. They have to earn their way into their own training programs, usually through a college, and find their own scholarships. An American athlete has fought their way to the top by themselves, not by the government choosing them and sponsoring them like China and Russia where they choose small children to train and sponsor their whole lives.

If the US government actually spent as much on olympic athletes as most countries we'd probably win every gold medal.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

all of the "financial awards" you are referncing in those articles are by private companies. the US government is not sponsoring anyone

I never mentioned the US government .....

If you'd followed my link, you would have read :

An aspiring Olympic athlete spends an average of eight hours a day, seven days a week training their body and mind—more time than a full-time job, which raises the question: how do Olympians earn money to pay for coaches, housing, food, and other living expenses?

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is a form of survival for most athletes, especially those who compete in non-paying events such as the Olympic Games. Sponsorship can cover the cost of living and training for amateur athletes in several different forms including private, corporate, and team ownership.

Amateurism in the modern Olympic Games

Until the 1970s, Olympic athletes could not accept endorsements or prizes, and professionals were not allowed to compete in the Games. Athletes who practiced professionally were considered to have an unfair advantage over those who played sports as a hobby. Amateur athletes relied on private sponsorship, such as family members and wealthy fans, to fund their training and pay living expenses.

Professionals in the Games

The International Olympic Committee eliminated the necessity of amateurism in 1971, allowing athletes to receive compensation for time away from work during training and competition. In addition, athletes were permitted to receive sponsorship from national organizations, sports organizations, and private businesses for the first time. In 1986, professional athletes were given permission by the International Federation to compete in each sport of the Olympic Games. For instance, in the 1992 Olympic Games, the United States was allowed to field a basketball team comprised of well-paid NBA stars, called "The Dream Team."

Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act

Although the IOC allowed for athlete compensation in 1971, all U.S. athletes still had to be of amateur status to compete on the United States Olympic team until 1978.

Read more: Olympic Athletes — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olymp...#ixzz1vVHf6PUy

[lostalex]

Originally Posted by Omah

I never mentioned the US government .....

If you'd followed my link, you would have read :




Read more: Olympic Athletes — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/olymp...#ixzz1vVHf6PUy

okay, i'm not sure what point you are making then.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by lostalex

okay, i'm not sure what point you are making then.

The "amateur" Olympic Games is a thing of the past and youth is not a prerequisite of entry.