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Technology Ruining Olympics

posted by mattie_p on Tuesday February 18 2014, @07:30PM   
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?"

• It's all about the money (Score: 1) by No Respect on Tuesday February 18 2014, @09:20PM

  by No Respect (991) on Tuesday February 18 2014, @09:20PM (#1925)

  When you consider the Olympics are all about money then perhaps it will make more sense to you. The sporting events themselves and, to a lesser degree, the athletes, are just visual eyecandy in something that is a huge and corrupt business. Of course those with more resources are going to look for every edge that gives them 0.00001 seconds advantage over the next guy. You don't want to be a loser, do you? The companies that assist in these endeavours proudly trumpet their achievments in shameless self-aggrandizement.
  
  Seek out the corporate spin doctoring being done by the people who designed the super-secret US speedskaters' high tech uniforms. It's very instructive.
  
  The Olympics don't need technology to "ruin" the games. That has already been accomplished by other means over the last 3 decades or so.