August 15, 2008

USA wins the all-around; China still big fat cheaters

By: Sonny Bunch

Alright, the US took gold and silver at the women’s gymnastics all-around! Controversy sells though, so I’ll cut the celebration short. Let me see if I understand this correctly: If you cheat individually via doping, the IOC strips you of your medals. But if you systematically cheat–as a country–and lie about an athlete’s age–a huge advantage in gymnastics–the IOC doesn’t care?

Because that’s basically where we’re at now. Marion Jones was stripped of her medals after admitting to doping. But the Chinese seem to have pretty blatantly cheated, issuing false government documents to bolster their claims, and the IOC merely turns its head. What’s the word I’m looking for here? Oh, right: ridiculous.

Of course, should we really expect anything else from the ChiComs or their lapdogs at the IOC? Probably not. Wouldn’t want to hurt “the spirit of the games.” Because, y’know, the “spirit of the games” is embodied in whisking three year olds away from their families, sticking them in gymnastics factories, and then lying about their age when competition time rolls around.