Olympic sportswomen

Arnold · **Posted:** Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:47 am

Mixed martial arts?

Arnold · **Posted:** Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:55 am

ezinra · **Posted:** Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:07 am

It's not limited to the Mail, but I've been picking up on the gender angle in this row over Ye Shiwen and her remarkable performance in the individual medley. Shock and suspicion are centring around the fact that the final leg

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saw her outpace the winner of the men’s event.

The US coach who went public with his scepticism used the same line of argument, questioning whether a mere lady:

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could outpace one of the fastest male swimmers in the world

The coach (and, of course, the media, led by the Daily Mail) has referred to Ye as 'Supergirl' and added:

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‘Any time someone has looked like Superwoman in the history of our sport they have later been found guilty of doping.’

I don't have an opinion about whether Ye's performance was drug-enhanced, nor about whether the coach should have gone public with his doubts. However, I do object to the notion that what's most implausible about Ye's swim is that she swam a length slightly faster than the men. It's tiresome when female athletes' achievements are reflexively matched against men's; by extension whenever a woman matches the men's achievement, it must mean she's not really a woman (Caster Semenya) or she's been on the sauce. It's yet another way not to respect women's sport.

ezinra · **Posted:** Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:12 am

Mixed martial arts (warning: I find this quite sickening):

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7339

Fozzy wrote:

And the Mailites are having a lovely time huffing about the use of French in the announcements

The mailites need to increase their training for the team "fucking right off" event.

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7339

ezinra wrote:

Re: "some bitch from Holland".

Moir probably thinks that's friendly banter. Her defence will be: readers will take it in the spirit it was intended — an intent that we're supposed to magically infer.

But would the Mail have cared about context or seen the funny side if a Dutch journalist had called Armistead a bitch?

I hear the Dutch speak pretty good English, they'll find out.

Besides (Factal pedantry warning) Mariane Vos is from Noord-Brabant, not Holland.

Bones McCoy · **Joined:** Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:08 am **Posts:** 7339

Kreuzberger wrote:

No Andy, you're not alone. But that does make us both pedants.

Count me in too - see recent comment.

Kreuzberger · **Posted:** Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:29 pm

Bones McCoy wrote:

ezinra wrote:

Re: "some bitch from Holland".

Moir probably thinks that's friendly banter. Her defence will be: readers will take it in the spirit it was intended — an intent that we're supposed to magically infer.

But would the Mail have cared about context or seen the funny side if a Dutch journalist had called Armistead a bitch?

I hear the Dutch speak pretty good English, they'll find out.

Besides (Factal pedantry warning) Mariane Vos is from Noord-Brabant, not Holland.

De Telegraaf had the story within the hour. I don't speakadalingo but with a smattering of English and German to my name, it was easy to see that they weren't best pleased.

Fozzy · **Posted:** Wed Aug 01, 2012 3:23 am

Ezinra wrote:

I don't have an opinion about whether Ye's performance was drug-enhanced, nor about whether the coach should have gone public with his doubts. However, I do object to the notion that what's most implausible about Ye's swim is that she swam a length slightly faster than the men. It's tiresome when female athletes' achievements are reflexively matched against men's; by extension whenever a woman matches the men's achievement, it must mean she's not really a woman (Caster Semenya) or she's been on the sauce. It's yet another way not to respect women's sport.

I've heard it pointed out that it's really not that surprising. She went faster than Lochte on the final length: at that point he was around 5 seconds ahead of his nearest rival and could relax a bit, whereas she was going all out to overtake another swimmer who was therefore also pacing her.

Picklechu2 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:01 pm **Posts:** 639

A pundit on PM last night said that if you looked back at Rebecca Adlington's gold in Beijing that her final length was quicker than the men's equivalent too. (I forget which event/distance it was)

TOONARMY · **Joined:** Mon Feb 14, 2011 11:18 am **Posts:** 396

I find it funny that the Chinse girl's performance was supposedly "down to drug taking" whereas not a pip from people about the Lithuanian girl (Not saying she has done anything immoral by the way). Sadly I think this is due tho the fact the Lithuanian is a blonde hair - blue eyed Western girl, where as the Chinese girl isnt.

oboogie · **Posted:** Wed Aug 01, 2012 4:58 pm

TOONARMY wrote:

I find it funny that the Chinse girl's performance was supposedly "down to drug taking" whereas not a pip from people about the Lithuanian girl (Not saying she has done anything immoral by the way). Sadly I think this is due tho the fact the Lithuanian is a blonde hair - blue eyed Western girl, where as the Chinese girl isnt.

I think you mean "white", I'm pretty sure for Mailites "Western" Europe finishes at the Rhine.

Andy McDandy · **Posted:** Wed Aug 01, 2012 5:37 pm

oboogie wrote:

I think you mean "white", I'm pretty sure for Mailites "Western" Europe finishes at the Channel.

FTFY

Fflaps · **Posted:** Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:02 am

Shocked NBC viewers watch as Olympic water polo player's breast is exposed underwater after fight with U.S. opponent

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... water.html

So shocking, we've got (blurry) pictures and a video so you can be shocked right along with the NBC viewers!

Olympic sportswomen

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