Fun Stuff > CHATTER
The 2012 Olympics
JayJay:
bless you
Lupercal:
Having practised Taekwondo for a number of years, and having seen the opening Olympic round in person, I wouldn't say that the athletes are in danger of getting injured, really. They wear body armour and headgear, along with shoe-type things on their feet to stop either hurtful contact with your opponent or personal injury. A swift kick to the torso scores two points, utterly minimal damage put forward. In fact, the ones ending up on their asses were the athletes trying to do spectacular kicks without timing it right. A kick to the head honestly isn't that painful (especially as they're not trying to knock each other out with said kick - and I haven't sparred with Olympian quality students either).
Boxing however...totally different. But having said what I've said about TKD, I'm not sure that I can out-rightly suggest it is a barbaric sport, only that there is a difference from trying to win by a knock-out and trying to have "contact" with your opponent.
pwhodges:
I should also acknowledge that there are sports which have a lot of dangerous contact, but where the contact is not of the essence - i.e. does not contribute to the win, but may even lead rather to a penalty if not controlled appropriately - games like Rugby football or American football, for instance. These I dislike for that element but do not condemn.
jwhouk:
Only two more years until the REAL Olympics, at least for me.
Ahhh, Ice hockey, speed skating and curling. (sigh)
Lupercal:
Yeah, you're talking about this right?
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