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posted by mattie_p on Tuesday February 18 2014, @07:30PM   Printer-friendly
from the and-now-for-sports dept.

CoolHand writes:

"Sci-Tech Today talks about the role of technology in the Olympics from a unique perspective:

Every advance in the ever-accelerating juggernaut of sports technology threatens to widen the divide between Olympic haves and have-nots. Well-sponsored teams and rich governments pay top-end scientists and engineers to shape their skis, perfect their skates, tighten their suits, measure their gravitational pull.

I'm no luddite, but this seems to make these sports more about who can afford the best tech, and less about the true spirit of the games: bringing the best athletes from all countries together to compete. How can it be about the athletes, when some of the best athletes may never win due to lack of funding/tech?"

 
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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by GeminiDomino on Tuesday February 18 2014, @07:35PM

    by GeminiDomino (661) on Tuesday February 18 2014, @07:35PM (#1830)

    Maybe I'm just a crotchety old prick, but AFAIC, the "true spirit of the games" ceased to exist years ago, when the IOC and its nation-based demon-spawn started throwing lawyers around. Just like every other major sporting spectacle (and just about everything else, apparently), it's about ego and cash.

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  • (Score: 1) by janrinok on Tuesday February 18 2014, @07:40PM

    by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday February 18 2014, @07:40PM (#1835) Journal

    Where are my mod points when I need them +1! Insightful

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by caffeine on Tuesday February 18 2014, @09:11PM

    by caffeine (249) on Tuesday February 18 2014, @09:11PM (#1919)

    Agree 100%.

    I found I watched far more of the Paralympics in London than the actual games. They seemed to uphold the Olympic values far more than the able bodied athletes.

  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by O3K on Tuesday February 18 2014, @09:23PM

    by O3K (963) on Tuesday February 18 2014, @09:23PM (#1928)

    Let me wax Godwinistic: the 1936 Summer Olympics (the first televised Olympics, in addition) weren't about ego and cash?

  • (Score: 1) by bugamn on Wednesday February 19 2014, @02:31PM

    by bugamn (1017) on Wednesday February 19 2014, @02:31PM (#2477)

    As someone said, if the important part is to compete, why keep score?