The official Beijing Olympics Thread

Any of u fellas gonna watch Iceland-France?
As i'm from iceland i will wake up 7 o'clock tomorrow morning and go downtown to watch the game on a big screen. :D

It will be awesome! Any of u gonna support Iceland? ;)
 
Kallinn said:
Any of u fellas gonna watch Iceland-France?
As i'm from iceland i will wake up 7 o'clock tomorrow morning and go downtown to watch the game on a big screen. :D

It will be awesome! Any of u gonna support Iceland? ;)
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My Mum supports Iceland...............Oh no.......Oh no wait, My Mum goes to Iceland - thats it - My Mum goes to Iceland.

Sometimes when people ask where my Mum is, I say - 'Mums gone to Iceland'
 
Sorry Kallinn, but the best team won :).

It's amazing. Great tournament. All teams were great to watch but France was really better.
 
Ben (lo zio) did you actually watched Italy-Belgium in the Olympic football tournament ??? I was on holiday in France and haven't seen anything of the olympics. I would like to know your opinion on the Belgian team (and the referee's role in that game).
About the boo-boo sounds (this sounds a litle childish, but i don't know how i should describe these sounds otherwise). Here in belgium once something very funny happende with them (weel i think it was extremly funny). A couple of years ago football team Beveren sometimes played with 11 Ivorian players (Eboué, Yaya Touré, Romaric,...). There was one match they played Antwerp. Beveren played with 10 Ivorians and one Belgian player. Every time the Belgian player had the ball, he got the monkey sounds from the Antwerp fans...here in Belgium everybody considere this very funny (not in the least the Ivorians)...what do you people think about it ??? Funny or racist ???
 
gerd said:
Ben (lo zio) did you actually watched Italy-Belgium in the Olympic football tournament ??? ......
......About the boo-boo sounds.....
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I ‘can’t say a lot about that italy – belgium, as i wasn’t really focused on the match (i came back home when the match was already begun and then i had to cook), but from what i saw, belgium totally deserved the result.
Italy was way too naive, they looked like they were in the middle of a training session. They underestimated a lot belgium and they got what they deserved.
Belgium took advantage of italy’s attitude; nothing fancy, simple and effective football. Dembele gave the team some structure, a sense of geometry and i was quite impressed by him (i remember Stefano was aswell).
Italy has an amazing team… we always had, but this last generation is really something special. Marchisio, de ceglie, abate, acquafresca, cigarini, montolivo, coda, dessena, giovinco, rossi, de silvestri, motta, noverino, bocchetti, viviano… We probably would have lost against brazil or argentina, coz their little stars already have soo much experience (diego, aguero, sobis, messi, jo, lavezzi, they’re still young but they already experienced european top football, while our little stars are just doing their first step on the stage setting) and coz they also brought in china some big stars, like riquelme or ronaldinho (while italy brought just one over 23 player, rocchi, who played for about 30 minutes).
However it doesn’t really matter how good u are. If u don’t stay focused, respect your opponent and do the best u can, u usually loose, and i guess belgium teached to the little azzurrini an important lesson.
As for the ref, i can’t really judge his performance (as i said i wasn’t really focused on the match), but still i got the feeling the final result was pretty fair and the belgians deserved to win.


As for the racism topic, i don’t wanna look like a “morality paradigm”. Everyone has his own sensibility and i respect it.
I just think we shouldn’t push too far this threshold, worried about being politically correct (as Bobbybox remarked).
Extreems always meet, racism and bigotry are extreems….. and they both grow from the same roots: ignorance and fear.
According to my personal moral paradigm, comparing that picture to those monkey-style boo is bigot.
When i compare someone to a monkey, i’m definitely insulting him. While if i try to emulate someone else’s body features (it may be afro-hair, or asian eyes, or anything else), then this may or not be considered offensive, according to the context and to our personal sensibility.
People usually “paints” italian people with curl hair and moustaches…. Well, i don’t know many italians with moustaches, but anyway i can’t find this as an insult, a racist offence.

As well as i can’t find anything insulting about that picture. I actually like asian style-eyes. It was a funny (maybe) and silly (maybe) way to say “we’re heading to china”. If the olimpic games would have been hosted by italy, some team would have probably take a picture with moustaches, a curl wig and a pizza in the hands…. It may be silly but, for crying out, that’s not racist.

However that’s just my personal opinion, and i don’t expect everyone else to share it (actually it seems that almost nobody shares my opinion here :-pp). But it’s ok and i respect it. i respect almost everything people wrote in this thread, concering this topic, but i also have to say i’m scared by some posts i read…..coz i’m scared by people who pretend to link any sort of race-tied comments to racism…. I’m scared by theese people as well as i’m scared by racists…… coz as i said earlier, extreems always meet.

But i have no respect at all for some other comments i read in here. Pretending to establish racism as a tipycal spanish issue, it’s a stupid generalization, it’s a prejudice and it’s a clear symptom of racism.

Pretending 45 millions people being racists, just coz we heard about aragones racists comments, or about the spanish fans monkey chants it’s unacceptable, and trying to argue our points with a lame “theese incidents are not isolated” just shows off how bigotry and racism are close each others.
 
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lo zio said:
I ‘can’t say a lot about that italy – belgium, as i wasn’t really focused on the match (i came back home when the match was already begun and then i had to cook), but from what i saw, belgium totally deserved the result.
Italy was way too naive, they looked like they were in the middle of a training session. They underestimated a lot belgium and they got what they deserved.
Belgium took advantage of italy’s attitude; nothing fancy, simple and effective football. Dembele gave the team some structure, a sense of geometry and i was quite impressed by him (i remember Stefano was aswell).
Italy has an amazing team… we always had, but this last generation is really something special. Marchisio, de ceglie, abate, acquafresca, cigarini, montolivo, coda, dessena, giovinco, rossi, de silvestri, motta, noverino, bocchetti, viviano… We probably would have lost against brazil or argentina, coz their little stars already have soo much experience (diego, aguero, sobis, messi, jo, lavezzi, they’re still young but they already experienced european top football, while our little stars are just doing their first step on the stage setting) and coz they also brought in china some big stars, like riquelme or ronaldinho (while italy brought just one over 23 player, rocchi, who played for about 30 minutes).
However it doesn’t really matter how good u are. If u don’t stay focused, respect your opponent and do the best u can, u usually loose, and i guess belgium teached to the little azzurrini an important lesson.
As for the ref, i can’t really judge his performance (as i said i wasn’t really focused on the match), but still i got the feeling the final result was pretty fair and the belgians deserved to win.


As for the racism topic, i don’t wanna look like a “morality paradigm”. Everyone has his own sensibility and i respect it.
I just think we shouldn’t push too far this threshold, worried about being politically correct (as Bobbybox remarked).
Extreems always meet, racism and bigotry are extreems….. and they both grow from the same roots: ignorance and fear.
According to my personal moral paradigm, comparing that picture to those monkey-style boo is bigot.
When i compare someone to a monkey, i’m definitely insulting him. While if i try to emulate someone else’s body features (it may be afro-hair, or asian eyes, or anything else), then this may or not be considered offensive, according to the context and to our personal sensibility.
People usually “paints” italian people with curl hair and moustaches…. Well, i don’t know many italians with moustaches, but anyway i can’t find this as an insult, a racist offence.

As well as i can’t find anything insulting about that picture. I actually like asian style-eyes. It was a funny (maybe) and silly (maybe) way to say “we’re heading to china”. If the olimpic games would have been hosted by italy, some team would have probably take a picture with moustaches, a curl wig and a pizza in the hands…. It may be silly but, for crying out, that’s not racist.

However that’s just my personal opinion, and i don’t expect everyone else to share it (actually it seems that almost nobody shares my opinion here :-pp). But it’s ok and i respect it. i respect almost everything people wrote in this thread, concering this topic, but i also have to say i’m scared by some posts i read…..coz i’m scared by people who pretend to link any sort of race-tied comments to racism…. I’m scared by theese people as well as i’m scared by racists…… coz as i said earlier, extreems always meet.

But i have no respect at all for some other comments i read in here. Pretending to establish racism as a tipycal spanish issue, it’s a stupid generalization, it’s a prejudice and it’s a clear symptom of racism.

Pretending 45 millions people being racists, just coz we heard about aragones racists comments, or about the spanish fans monkey chants it’s unacceptable, and trying to argue our points with a lame “theese incidents are not isolated” just shows off how bigotry and racism are close each others.
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Good Post :DD

I agree with saying that all Spanish people are Racist is very wrong. Obviously Spain is made up of Diverse people that have many differing beliefs. One of My Wife's best friends is Spanish and she is in a long term relationship with a Black man - so that should dispel that myth :DD

But you saying that other people saying that what the Spanish Basketball team did was Racist, being Bigots? that is not right IMO.

As I said before when people have been calling Asian people 'Slitty Eyes' etc in a derogatory way for decades - then the action of making 'Slitty Eyes' becomes very offensive. The same with the word 'Nigger' being used in a Derogatory way - now this word is unacceptable.

If people suppressed and ridiculed Italian people by calling them 'Curly Haired, Moustachy, Pizza eating bastards' to a extreme level. Then yes people wearing this outfit would be wrong.

The point is the way Spanish Footballing Authorities and Government deal with the Racist people. They don't do very much and the Punishments aren't Harsh - which seem to people outside Spain that they condone this.

England Still have a very high percentage of Racist people - Coming from a working class background, alot of the older members of my family are still Racist. Which my other members of my family can't stand. But it is a mentality that is getting eradicated slowly - with every new generation.

But our Government and Footballing body come down very very hard on people seen to be racist. So our population know that they will not get away with it and it is Wholly unacceptable. You will never hear Monkey noises at English games anymore - If you did they would be banned from that ground for life.

This is how it should be in all countries - then there would be no doubt of when or where somebody can be racist - or where they can get away with it. It would just be shown to be Very wrong and you will get punished severely.

This is why people have a bad association with Racism and Spain - because of the way the authorities seem to deal with offending people. We have come across a few examples which seem to not have been dealt with properly. So to people here it seems that Racism is accepted by a larger set of the population than in Britain (Wether thats right or wrong)

Bottom line - Of course not all Spanish people are Racist. There are many many many Racist British etc

But it is the way the Authorities react to the people seen to be racist in public.

I don't think the spanish Basketball team meant to be racist at all - I do think they thought it was funny. But it isn't and the reaction of the Chinese people should be fundamental proof that it is indeed racist to do this act.

also what Gerd mentioned is beyond my comprehension - that sounds very bad. I find it crazy that it is acceptable - even if the Ivorians were laughing aswell - doesn't make it any better.

Anyway I respect what you are saying - but I guess we are all different and we all have different views on the matter - thats what makes the world a great place.......but also sometimes a horrible place.
 
BobbyBox said:
But you saying that other people saying that what the Spanish Basketball team did was Racist, being Bigots? that is not right IMO.

As I said before when people have been calling Asian people 'Slitty Eyes' etc in a derogatory way for decades - then the action of making 'Slitty Eyes' becomes very offensive. The same with the word 'Nigger' being used in a Derogatory way - now this word is unacceptable.
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I see. I never heard this expression (slitty eyes) before reading this thread, and by reading this, i can now understand why many people in this thread had such a strong reaction. Here in italy we have another expression: “occhi a mandorla” (wich means “almond-shaped eyes”) but here, this expression has no offensive meaning at all.
However it’s just a matter of semantics, and imo racism doesn’t lie in semantics. It doesn’t lie in the words we use but in what we mean to say. Clearely those guys (as u pointed out) didn’t mean to insult chinese people (they apologised, they were sorry for being misunderstood... and racists never apologise). Probably in spain, aswell as in italy, there’s not an offensive expression as “slitty eyes”, so they had no idea someone could have considered that pic as derogatory.


Bobbybox said:
The point is the way Spanish Footballing Authorities and Government deal with the Racist people. They don't do very much and the Punishments aren't Harsh - which seem to people outside Spain that they condone this.

But our Government and Footballing body come down very very hard on people seen to be racist. So our population know that they will not get away with it and it is Wholly unacceptable. You will never hear Monkey noises at English games anymore - If you did they would be banned from that ground for life.

This is how it should be in all countries - then there would be no doubt of when or where somebody can be racist - or where they can get away with it. It would just be shown to be Very wrong and you will get punished severely.

This is why people have a bad association with Racism and Spain - because of the way the authorities seem to deal with offending people. We have come across a few examples which seem to not have been dealt with properly. So to people here it seems that Racism is accepted by a larger set of the population than in Britain (Wether thats right or wrong)

But it is the way the Authorities react to the people seen to be racist in public.
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The thing is mate, the authorities cannot fight racism... i mean, they can’t fight racism with sanctions. Racism is mainly a matter of ignorance, so education is the only way to fight it... and it’s not an easy way either.
It’s pretty easy for the authorities to encourage racism (and that’s what the spanish monarchy did for decades... But that was about 500 hundreds years ago), but fighting it it’s a completely different matter. And it’s a matter of first-person experience... we have to personally get in touch with what we don’t know, in order to erase our stereotypes and fears... there’s no other way.

U say that it would be impossibile to listen to monkey chants in a british stadium, and that’s true. But this is not just due to the football authorities sanctions.

First of all england, aswell as france and (in a smaller extent)italy, is today a great melting pot.. and this definitely helps a lot.

Then there’s the stadia factor. The security standards in british and german stadia are hugely higher than the spanish and the italians ones.
In a briitish stadium it’s pretty easy to identify people who doesn’t act properly and punish them individually. In spain it’s much more difficult (and in italy it was almost impossibile until last year).
That means that the footballing body has no alternatives rather than punishing the whole stadium (with closed doors matches). As u will understand, such a heavy measure can’t be taken easily, coz it will also penalize people who have no faults at all.

and finally there’s another factor. The tickets in england are way more expensive than in spain and italy. Theese high prices do some sort of a preliminary "natural selection". The lowests levels of the working class almost have no access to a stadium, coz of the prices. In spain instead, u can buy a ticket for some stadia with just 15 euros. So, as a matter of fact, the average education level of spanish stadia's population is quite lower than the english one.

so in the end, the autorithies reactions are just one of many factors, and not the most important.

bobby again said:
Anyway I respect what you are saying - but I guess we are all different and we all have different views on the matter - thats what makes the world a great place.......but also sometimes a horrible place.
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Differences are always something great. People who don’t appreciate them, they are the problem.
nice chat mate :))
 
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Bobbybox,i agree with you when you say that (football) authorities should take a very firm stanceagainst racism.

I'm a litle bit surprised about your reaction concerning the monkey sounds in the match of Beveren. Here in belgium evrybody perceived it as being irony, mimicking (and ridiculising) the monkey chats that are generaly directed towards blach football players. For once it was the onmly white player who was targeted. I remember saying one of the Ivorians that he quite liked the irony of the reversal even if it maybe wasn't theinitial intention.
Of course here in Flanders there is a very large(33% of the votes) racist party who is doing very (too) well. But i got the impression that the people who liked the joke were the anti-racists and not the racists (and racism is a very big issue in Belgium, although football is less afected, but Belgium is far from being a multi-cultural coutnry like Netherlands and France).

In my profession i'm working against racism. I use football for it. I've had a project where professional football players are (or were) coaching teams in neighbourhoods that are "problematic" (there is a more convenient term in Dutch). I've had the pleasure to work with a couple of very social minded football players: Kompany, Fellaini, Haroun, Ma-Kalamby...football can be a weapon against racism (and discrimination). Professional football players are role models and i'm very glad that some "stars" are well aware of that.
 
Anyone watch Oscar Pistorius in the paralympics? Fast as fook!

Oscar_Pistorius-2.jpg
 
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