NationStates Jolt Archive

Paul Hamm wins silver as tension boils over
By EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports Writer

August 23, 2004

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- For 10 minutes, the crowd booed and whistled, creating a deafening roar. Paul Hamm sat around and waited to start his routine.

A week's worth of controversy in gymnastics boiled over into the stands Monday during a bizarre, extraordinary evening. Hamm was able to block out the noise and win a silver medal on high bar, and four-time Olympic gold medalist Alexei Nemov finished fifth, much to the chagrin of the crowd.
...
`I've never heard it that loud in my life,'' Hamm said. ``I felt like I was in a movie.''

Flying like a circus acrobat, Nemov put together the riskiest, most daring performance of the 10 men on the high bar. He did six release moves -- four in a row and two more in which he did full somersaults while flying over the bar.

To the untrained eye, they all looked perfect; the only hiccup in the routine appeared to be a slight step forward on the dismount.

Or at least that's what the fans thought.

When his score came up, a 9.725 that made him last of the three competitors to that point, the booing began. At first, it seemed funny and Nemov laughed along, even bowing to the crowd, many of whom waved Greek and Russian flags and chanted in their native tongues.

Hamm was up next. His name was announced and he stepped up to the podium, but the booing didn't stop. He stepped off the podium, paced, then finally took a seat, realizing the whistling and jeering wasn't going to end soon.

Then something strange happened, a new score popped up -- a 9.762 thanks to a slight change by the Malaysian judge.

``I've never seen the crowd call for a judges' meeting and get it. But that's what happened,'' said John Roethlisberger, a three-time American Olympian who was in the arena.

But the slight change didn't alter Nemov's ranking.

More booing. More delay. The public-address announcer came on and implored the crowd for silence. Twice. It didn't work either time. Nemov just sat there smiling, but minute by minute, the outburst became embarrassing.

Finally, Hamm and his coach, Miles Avery, motioned Nemov to the podium and the Russian asked for silence. The crowd finally relented.

``It was a class act by Alexei,'' said USA Gymnastics president Bob Colarossi, who had seen this much booing only one other time -- at a rhythmic gymnastics meet. ``What he did was in the true Olympic spirit.''

I saw it, the public indeed "boohd" for ten minutes until Nemov callmed them. in fact why did they give a better score for a much less good performance for the US athlete? They boohd again. Just because of Nemovs ending in the exercice? What about the "just regular at the Games" exercice of the American? Why did they give it a (slightly) better score, it was just an exercice like we allready saw 8 years ago. Nemov had tripple 's were the US athlete only striked doubles. This jury sucks, thank's god that the Italian Athlete scored the gold madal and not the US one.

BTW, I think that the jurry waited to long when they let the Japanese jurrymember give a 1000th point higher after 10 minutes of Booh of athletes and supporters that are Gymnastic specialists. This is undone, the US athlete had to wait several minutes before he could strart and could have been out of concentration, he to deserved a good place, but Nemov deserved a higher place.


Great post, Revolutionz, just wanted to post the same :fluffle:

Wrong jurry, good public.
BTW it is allready the 2nd time that the same jurry made a mess about it.
Poor athletes, specially Nemov and the American guy that waited when the crowd did not agree with the jurry (he could have thought that it was against his country but his trainer, the verry sportive Nemov and the public showed quite well that it was against the jurry).

Finally, Hamm and his coach, Miles Avery, motioned Nemov to the podium and the Russian asked for silence. The crowd finally relented.




But that is little bit propaganda for the US, since it was Nemov that calmed the public at his own initiative!

many of whom waved Greek and Russian flags and chanted in their native tongues.



Yes, but you forget the UK, French, IT, other and even US (at last after everybody did, they joined, a little late but ,still, a good signal) supporters haven been seen on TV protesting.

But that is little bit propaganda for the US, since it was Nemov that calmed the public at his own initiative!Of course..After all...it is from AP news.

Of course..After all...it is from AP news.

I don't know that station, a Fox one? But like said, agree on everything you said, just a small correction like I saw it live.

What a bad Jurry :rolleyes: and that they continue in this bad jurrying (?)
(?) non Eng. speaker= en dat ze voort doen in die slechte jurry toestanden (my Flemish/Dutch).

That is the problem with sportresults that depend of a jurry. :(

AP = All American News Agency AKA Associated Press.

http://www.ap.org/

Yes, but you forget the UK, French, IT, other and even US (at last after everybody did, they joined, a little late but ,still, a good signal) supporters haven been seen on TV protesting.
2 things I noticed...from that AP "news"

1# they Make it appear as the Crowd was Mostly Russian and Greek...When there was more Americans than Russians...
2# they portray the American(Paul Hamm) as a secondary victim...failing to mention that the public very edgy because that other call...involving Paul Hamm.

Silly me me :rolleyes: , I kow "Associated Press". Have that source in our papers on the continent to, specially when it is about the States.

... "Associated Press". Have that source in our papers on the continent to, specially when it is about the States.
here is a British point of View:
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Olympics: 'People Power' Stops Games Event.
By Jeremy Laurence

ATHENS (Reuters) - "People's power" stopped a gymnastics contest when judges' scoring destroyed Russian Alexei Nemov's medal chances on Monday...

The men's horizontal bar contest resumed only when Nemov, "Sexy Alexei" to his legion of admirers, waved to his fans and gestured to them to allow the sporting action to continue.

Millions of television viewers round the world witnessed the dramatic hold-up as the crowd vented their disgust at the score the judges gave Nemov -- a 12-times Olympic medallist -- in the men's horizontal bar contest.

Italy's Igor Cassina went on to win the gold medal with a score of 9.812, while Paul Hamm (news - web sites) of the United States claimed the silver and Japan's Isao Yoneda the bronze.

The 28-year-old Nemov had wowed the crowd with his routine but was awarded only 9.725. The judges modified the score to 9.762, but it still kept him off the podium.

"I don't think it was fair," said Nemov, who ended up in fifth place in possibly the most daring and dangerous event of all in men's gymnastics.

"I thought I deserved a bronze. I think everything was decided in advance," he said. "I had maybe just a small mistake at the end but that was an opportunity for them to put me down."

here is a British point of View:
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Olympics: 'People Power' Stops Games Event.
By Jeremy Laurence

ATHENS (Reuters) - "People's power" stopped a gymnastics contest when judges' scoring destroyed Russian Alexei Nemov's medal chances on Monday...

The men's horizontal bar contest resumed only when Nemov, "Sexy Alexei" to his legion of admirers, waved to his fans and gestured to them to allow the sporting action to continue.

Millions of television viewers round the world witnessed the dramatic hold-up as the crowd vented their disgust at the score the judges gave Nemov -- a 12-times Olympic medallist -- in the men's horizontal bar contest.

Italy's Igor Cassina went on to win the gold medal with a score of 9.812, while Paul Hamm (news - web sites) of the United States claimed the silver and Japan's Isao Yoneda the bronze.

The 28-year-old Nemov had wowed the crowd with his routine but was awarded only 9.725. The judges modified the score to 9.762, but it still kept him off the podium.

"I don't think it was fair," said Nemov, who ended up in fifth place in possibly the most daring and dangerous event of all in men's gymnastics.

"I thought I deserved a bronze. I think everything was decided in advance," he said. "I had maybe just a small mistake at the end but that was an opportunity for them to put me down."

Thank's!!!

Have you seen the age of the jurry members? I think they have to use more sporters that stopped there carreer more recently then those guys that (some of them) performed in 1968 and Munich 1972.

But still, we've got that problem of a jurry that allways will last. It is not swimming or the 100m's in running.

from AFP
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/afp/20040823/capt.sge.dbt55.230804222652.photo00.default-252x380.jpg
Fans react after Russia's Alexei Nemov's score during the men's horizontal bar final at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens during the Olympics Games.(AFP/Adrian Dennis)

Explain how it was Nemov's initiative when Hamm motioned for him to come up? Nemov was a class act for coming up to calm down the crowd but he did not do it on his own initiative. I watched the whole affair. Nemov had a great performance but the technical aspect wasn't as good as the Italian, who performed a nearly flawless routine.

Nowhere does the AP list that it was a pro-Russian crowd, merely did they point out that this was an unprecedented display.

And how the hell does Hamm become a bad guy because of this? Already embroiled in one controversy not of his doing, he then has to be the guy that goes after Nemov and suffer through a crowd reaction such as that? He didn't do anything wrong and will end up being a bad guy. That's shameful.

And since no one mentioned it, it was the Canadian and Malaysian judges, not just one of them.

...And since no one mentioned it, it was the Canadian and Malaysian judges, not just one of them.AFP says Malasyan and Canadian, AP says Malasyan...

Since I dont know...because I did not see the whole thing(NBC shows only partial clips)

I only mentioned the Malasyan...but I trust AFP more...so I side with you and include the Canadian fron now on

Nowhere does the AP list that it was a pro-Russian crowd, merely did they point out that this was an unprecedented display. Like i said

1# they Make it appear as the Crowd was Mostly Russian and Greek...

Be gone with Juries!

Everytime there'll be problems because juries are not objective enough (in some peoples views).
Solution: ban all juried sports from the Olympics. Let those athletes find a real measurable sport with direct competition like running or something

This jury sucks.

They sound like our Supreme Court Justices, don't they?

If only this was the only error by judges in these games.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/olympics/fencing/wires/08/22/2090.ap.oly.fencing.referee.suspended.fen.2nd.ld.writethru.0343/

And I was silly enough to think fencing was pretty straightforward kinda sport. Apparently not.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/skill/2004-08-18-team-equestrian_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA

Don't know enough about equestrian to comment... but it must be fun to be first said:"you won it"... after a while: "sorry, you didn't"... then:"ok, here's your gold". Good for the nerves.

Then there was that Aaron Peirsol incident in swimming. I wonder how hard it is to watch if the swimmer actually touches the wall when he turns or not... good job judge! What was even better was that he wasn't DQd cos they couldn't type the DQ-letter right. Oh joy!

What about Dimosthenis Tampakos winning on the rings? another complaint in the horizon there. The Bulgarians think the judges gave him too high starting points in regard to his program.

I bet there will be more... OH! springboard diving just started... gotta go.



Reading this stuff is actually loads of fun. I demand ballroom dancing and making funny faces to be added as olympic events.

Something seriously weird was going on with the judging in that whole event that night. Before the whole Nemov controversy, I watched four completely different competitors give four completely different routines, and get EXACTLY THE SAME SCORES. Something just seems very wrong there.

i thought that italian guy won didnt he. justice was done then

Something seriously weird was going on with the judging in that whole event that night. Before the whole Nemov controversy, I watched four completely different competitors give four completely different routines, and get EXACTLY THE SAME SCORES. Something just seems very wrong there.

I don't get your problem, maybe they where different routines with the same difficulty level or some gymnasts performed routines with a higher difficulty level but didnt do them as well so they got the same scores as the others.

I don't get your problem, maybe they where different routines with the same difficulty level or some gymnasts performed routines with a higher difficulty level but didnt do them as well so they got the same scores as the others.

I can see that happening two times in a row, but FOUR times? In a row? Exactly the same scores, four times in a row? Assuming it was coincidental strains credulity just a bit.

i thought that italian guy won didnt he. justice was done thenThe people who was actually there...thougth InJustice was done.

Dont forget TV is not LIVE and sometimes its only Video Cuts we get to see...And sometimes the TV comentators (all sports) make comments that are totally untrue...
Sometimes it makes me laugh...its hust so unreal...

TV commentators are more fucked up than those retarded Judges...