A right way and a wrong way

Earlier, I wrote about Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian, who upon receiving his bronze medal prompty walked off the podium and left his medal on the mat before the gold and silver medalists were given their awards. While athletes should always place a premium on sportsmanship, I thought this action went a long way in conveying Abrahamian's point.

Well, it turns out that Abarahmian's actions were justified, according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Standing in direct contrast to Abrahamian's more restrained yet very powerful post-match actions were those of Cuban Taekwando comptetitor Angel Valodia Matos, who, after a contested call during his Olympic tournament, kicked a referee in the face.



I know you're a tough Taekwando-dude, but fighting your ref won't accomplish anything. In fact, both Matos and his coach, Leudis Gonzalez, earned lifetime bans for their actions.

Now, it appears that Taekwando has caused consternation for a number of athletes at these Olympic Games, as American gold medal favorite Steven Lopez was defeated on a controversial call by Italy's Mauro Sarmiento in the -80kg quarterfinals Friday. Lopez planned to protest.

Regardless of the outcome, he won't get the gold, or hear the anthem as he stands atop the podium, and that's a shame. That said, if he truly cares about the sport, his example could help shape the future of Taekwando. Hopefully, Lopez learns from the examples of Abrahamian and Matos, and takes the higher road.

He didn't kick the ref in the face, so that's a start.

In Praise of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh

In an era where it's so easy to be negative, and so easy to be negative towards America, it's refreshing to have the Olympic Games to rally every last bit of patriotism, and remind us all once again why it's great to be an American. Michael Phelps grabbed all the headlines, but I'm partial to a pair of all-American girls who used their talents to display some of the best of what the U.S. has to offer.

Today, America can be proud of the world-beating women's beach volleyball team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who completed a flawless run through the Olympics, nabbing their second consecutive gold medal after a hard-fought, rain-drenched, two-set victory over China's cyborg-like Wang Jie and Tian Jia.

It's easy to observe the golden girls and not get past their impossibly fit--dare I say, 'Olympian'-- physiques or their skimpy uniforms, but the real joy in observing May-Walsh in action comes from their near telepathic teamwork. Like a well-oiled machine, the duo vanquished all challengers through a systematic dismantling that's like watching poetry in motion (did I cram enough descriptive words in there). Blessed with impeccable court awareness and terriffic athleticism, May and Walsh made it obvious to even the most casual of observers that they were something special, the undisputed leaders of their sport.

While Want and Tian were clearly the toughest opponents faced by May and Walsh, the duo beat them in straight sets as they beat all their opponents throughout the tournament.  

May is the daughter of Butch May, a 1976 Olympic (indoor) volleyball player who--as NBC reminded us numerous times throughout the tournament--was part of the first team to beat the Soviets. This was always followed by a shot of Butch in the stands, looking every bit the Butch, hawking his daughter with nary a smile.  Misty's mom, Barbara, provided a subplot as well.  More on that in a second.  

One of the highlights of the duo's run to gold were the interviews with NBC's Heather Cox. After each win, Walsh's sunny disposition was always on full display, exuding confidence while being all smiles as she never lost sight of the fact that she was playing a game. 

After winning the gold, it was especially refreshing to hear Walsh thank the president for his inspiration. While the media often gives us so much to be negative about--and much was made about Bush's day at the beach, where he visited the two and took photos--its nice to remember that at the end of the day, we're all Americans.  For the two weeks prior, the media had a blast mocking the president's photo op with the pair (I'll spare the PG ones):


Adding additional cheer to the post-match interview, after thanking the president, both May and Walsh gleefully spoke of starting families (in their giddiness, they sounded like they were going to start after the match), talking about creating the next generation of beach volleyball champs.  The duo then grabbed NBC's Cox and hugged her, catching the reporter off-guard with their powerful display of affection.

At the end of the post-match spectacle, May followed a tradition she began after winning gold in 2004, and poured some of her mom's ashes onto the court (albeit a little too close to some Asian gentlemen minding the playing area, some of those ashes blew a little too close).  This was a fitting act of sentimentality that again highlights the character of the team:

They care. They care about their families, about their sport and about the United States.  And their contagious enthusiasm is what this is all about.  

Iran = Land of Oppressed, Home of Cowards

I always enjoy the storyline of the Iranian athlete that quits the Olympics before (God Forbid) having to compete against an Israeli athlete:

An Iranian swimmer pulled out of the Olympic Games men's 100m breaststroke heats on Saturday, just minutes before he was due to compete against an Israeli rival.

Mohammad Alirezaei's lane one was empty when the field left the starting blocks while Israel's Tom Beeri, starting in lane seven, finished fourth.

Seems to me, if you're so superior you jump in the pool and kick the Israeli's butt. If you're a coward that's paralyzed by the fear of losing, you don't even get in the pool. But this isn't the first time that Iran's showed cowardice in the shadow of the Olympic torch.

In 2004, Arash Miresmaeili, an Iranian judo world champ, refused to compete against Israel's Ehud Vaks claiming solidarity with the Palestinian movement.

Dude, it's judo. You're a world champ. If you want to represent your cause, then beat the crap out of the Israeli. I think that sends a clear message.

Instead, Miresmaeili's actions played more cowardly than anything else. At least in this kneck of the woods, he didn't really acheive his intended messaging.

I'm a huge proponent of the fields of play serving as a measuring stick of character (For instance, I've got a story about a Belorussian Greco Roman wrestler that kicked my butt up and down the mat in Vestal, NY two weeks ago). And this pattern of ducking out during international competition shows all you need to know about Iran's flawed logic, weak commitment and lack of self confidence.