Gymnasts Booed at Pan Am Games

[Cascade]

Hadn't yet seen a thread on this topic. Just wondering what everyone thought of Brazil's contention that the fans were just excited and didn't mean any harm to the athletes from other countries. Do you think there is a possibility we could see this kind of behaviour in China??

 

[gracefulone]

I didn't hear about that...

 

[Cascade]

The other disturbing thing is that they cheered when athletes from other countries made mistakes... ie falling off the beam.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Sounds like an absolutely revolting display of poor sportsmanship.

 

[xstitchcarina]

That sure is not on. I always thought, fans of gymnasts would be supportive of anyones.

I mean, when my dd's club had their club competition last week, I was willing for everyone to stay on. When there was a wobble or something, I was like stay on stay on. That is what I feel a fan of gymnastics is. Of course you can have favorites, but not wanting others to fall off and that.

 

[Knitted_Fiend]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97fQ1nvkKY4

This is my frend Peng, and this drives me INSANE. I CANNOT believe this was allowed. Who would do that to a child??!

 

[xstitchcarina]

Don't get a video. Don't know what it means exactly, but it says:

The url contained a malformed video id.

 

[Knitted_Fiend]

I fixed the video link.

 

[hammy]

What happened to sportsmanship? I hope this doesn't happen at the olympics, but you never know with people these days. The olympics and those that compete are things of great respect.

 

[infinitegymcoach]

I have never seen anything like that that in my life. I watched that video clip, and that was very disturbing. That young girl works hours and hours a day in the gym. She had a bad routine. It happens. For a crowd to "boo" a child like that, is an outrage.

Everyone has gymnasts they like or dislike, but as a fan of gymnastics, you should never "boo" someone who has worked just as hard as everyone else that was at that competition. If that happened at a meet at our gym, the "booers" would be asked to leave, and not ever return to my gym.

Teachrugratswga is absolutely outraged at the poor sportsmanship of that Pan Am crowd!!!!!

 

[Vintage Gymnast]

The behavior of that crowd is disgusting. I would love to see half of them try to WALK on the beam much less do what Peng can do. What a sad day when people laugh at a very talented little girl. :-(

 

[krazykidzmom]

If you look at the other competitors it wasn't just Peng. If I had any say so with USAG I would protest having a meet there again. Obviously the gymnastics community has to be educated there. And it is too bad for those that have a passion for and respect the sport to be a part of that. If that were my daughter after all of the hard work she has put in I would be in jail right now, if I encountered any of those people. Also, PARENTS OUT THERE IN THIS SPORT!!! Be empathetic...don't wish ill will. Always wish the best competitor on the top of their game...my dd competes against herself and doesn't wish ill will. If she gets beat, she needs to work harder. If there is an attitude to always beat whomever, it will never work, because any given meet there is always someone better. Wishing ill will on another child in anything is a total insecurity that parents have passed down to their kids. In all of the sports my kids are involved with this is the lesson that I have learned. When kids are cruel, guess what? The parents are the ones saying "you need to beat her" or "take her out". I know what goes around comes around! And the "apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree."

 

[mac.n.cheese.flipz]

That's absolutely sickening. All of the gymnasts at that meet worked extremely hard to get to the level they are at and people are laughing at them because they had a bad routine? That is definitely NOT funny.

 

[whipback]

It was ridiculous. And Rio De Jounaro or however you spell it is a contender for the 2016 Olympics. I hope if they get it they wont act in such a way.

 

[Rec Coach]

Wow, I'm glad someone bumped this thread - I don't know how I never heard about that! That's absolutely unbelievable.

Question: Do you think it would be unsportsmanlike to take your entire team and walk out of that competition?

(P.S. I LOVE peng peng, I really hope she improves her consistancy so we can see her rock the 2012 games!)

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

I don't even know what to say I am so sickened by that video.

 

[gymjourneymom]

I'm so glad she stood tall & completed her routine under such rude & unacceptable conditions. She's VERY talented & undeserving of such abuse....NO gymnast should be booed or laughed at EVER! I'll bet those people that laughed & booed are the type that go to bullfights & laugh & cheer at a poor bull being murdered! There's something wrong with that whole mentality!!!!! It's the "crowd" mentality. Don't their "crowds" get out of hand at soccer matches too? Don't let them get to you Peng!!! You are an amazing talented gymnast

 

[iluvgym]

It was ridiculous. And Rio De Jounaro or however you spell it is a contender for the 2016 Olympics. I hope if they get it they wont act in such a way.

I heard that Rio may have a tough time getting awarded the olympics because of how their fans act..............

 

[LiveLaughTumble047]

i sure hope that the fans are taken into consideratino when they pick the spot for 2016

 

[all-aroundgirl]

Riduclous

It was riduclous! Luckyily the never did that at the Olympics, but they did in sports like beach volleyball. Although in gymnastics they did boo when they saw Johnthon Horton's score. Everyone thought he should have got higher.