OT - Taekwondo - got to vent..

[Andy BB]

Thats only because 95% of us are fine, upstanding, law-abiding citizens More seriously, gun-crime has increased substantially since the pistol-ban came into force. Was it today or yesterday that two people were reported shot and killed in the Midlands.


Back on the taekwondo issue, the "impartial" member (Dr Peters) of the selection committee commented on the selection process - and I'm not making this up -
Cook would have been selected if the criteria was on performance, one of the GB Taekwondo selectors, Dr Steve Peters, said. Peters sat in all three meetings but did not vote because he said his role was as an ‘athlete advocate’.

“We all agreed that if world ranking and success in tournaments were the only selection criteria, then Aaron would be selected as he’s an outstanding athlete who could get gold at the Olympics,” said Peters.

So world ranking (in Cook's case No 1) and success in international competitions (beating 10 of the top 15 world-ranked opponents in the last year - he didn't fight the other 5) weren't the selection criteria. It all makes sense now.....................

 

[789987]

so is this guy seeing one of your daughters or something? you seem quite emotionally involved.

bottom line its the same in any profession - you cause waves with the establishment and its not going to be plain sailing. however if he's got the talent and determination, he'll make it despite the hardship. and if he has youth on his side theres always next time.

 

[Andy BB]

Worked up - certainly! Spent many years traipsing round the UK and Europe cornering my daughters in various taekwondo competitions, so I know the effort and training that goes into becoming a competitor in taekwondo. So, yes, I do kinda take it personally when I see this sort of miscarriage going on in a sport I have had a lot of time for. I don't know Aaron personally, but have seen him fight on a number of occasions. Guess I just relate to him and his parents, and imagine how I would feel if it had happened to one of my own kids. I also played Judo at a decent level, and can relate on that level as well. I'd have been homicidal if that had happened to me!

The trouble with your last point is that he'll never get another chance to fight at a London Olympics. And if GBT can ignore him when he's World-ranked No 1, how can he actually hope to represent GB again at the next Olympics with this selection panel? He'll probably go abroad - my guess is to France - and fight for them in 2016. (A team-mate of mine - Angelo Parisi - did just that. Won bronze in 1972 for GB, married a french girl, and won Golds and silvers for France at the next three Olympics!)

 

[Tengu]

Im my very limited experience, atheletes have such a...shall we say? Attitude problem.

The worst are those who take place in the paraolympics.

 

[Corso]

“We all agreed that if world ranking and success in tournaments were the only selection criteria, then Aaron would be selected as he’s an outstanding athlete who could get gold at the Olympics,” said Peters.

you couldn't make it up, maybe this is the same approach the FA takes.....

bottom line its the same in any profession - you cause waves with the establishment and its not going to be plain sailing. however if he's got the talent and determination, he'll make it despite the hardship. and if he has youth on his side theres always next time.

what carp

he is the best we have infact the best the world has at the moment there shouldn't be any 'picking him' he should be automatically selected based on results

 

[Andy BB]

Im my very limited experience, atheletes have such a...shall we say? Attitude problem.

The worst are those who take place in the paraolympics.

???

I can understand how some (particularly those who have no such experience) might find the single-mindedness of top athletes somewhat perplexing, but as with anything else, you don't get to the top without it. Lets face it, most of the scientific, medical and technological discoveries we enjoy today have been as a result of such singe-minded individuals.

But to find fault with para-olympic athletes who overcome tremendous difficulties just to get to compete at all I find bizarre.

 

[789987]

you couldn't make it up, maybe this is the same approach the FA takes.....



what carp

he is the best we have infact the best the world has at the moment there shouldn't be any 'picking him' he should be automatically selected based on results

so what i said was right then... he shouldnt have upset the people that make the selection..

be as good as you want - if you dont get a chance to play it doesnt really matter.

 

[Corso]

what your saying are the facts - doesn't make them right...

and of course it matters the egos (because they have been dented) would rather prevent GB winning a Gold than admit their training isn't up to scratch

that should not be allowed

I for one will not be supporting the envent and who ever wins has as good as got a silver medal in my eyes...

 

[Andy BB]

Interesting post which highlights the background behind all of this.

first-hand testimonial copy and pasted from Women On A Ledge blogspot:
"It has saddened me that Gary Hall has spoken so lowly of Cook’s camp. They are doing what they can for their athlete which is exactly what GB and the BTCB has done for Lutalo. He called them “nasty” and “desperate”. Mr Hall, let me tell you a story of nastiness. It’s the 2012 Dutch Open and Aaron Cook is in the final after beating the GB fighters. All of team GB and its support staff are sitting in the stands. Aaron fights and wins. I turn to watch the GB camp [minus Bianca Walkden] to watch their reaction. Not one of them claps. Not one in the whole lot. A British fighter wins a major competition at an Olympic weight and GB Taekwondo cannot put their hands together for him."

Basically, Aaron Cook had no chance of selection once he left the "elite" training camp.

 

[calibanzwei]

Looks to have made the news this morning...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18412283

 

[Corso]

Lutalo Muhammad isn't a bad player he did win the 2012 European Championships but the only real way to settle it would be a fightoff....

 

[Andy BB]

Lutalo Muhammad isn't a bad player he did win the 2012 European Championships but the only real way to settle it would be a fightoff....

He's a great young prospect. However, his win at the 2012 Euros wasn't at the weight category he'll be fighting at in London. That is -80kg (and guess who won the -80kg category at the Europeans? Yup - Aaron Cook...) Lutalo won the -86kg category, which was a veryweak one. None of his competitors at that Championships are going to the Olympics. Aaron, on the other hand, beat the-then world champion in the -80 competition....

 

[Tony]

I think the bottom line of my sig says it all.....

 

[ged]

Hasn't this gone far enough?

It's very common for personalities to clash in sport, on and off the field, or the mat in this case. Competitive people compete in all sorts of ways, and not just in their chosen sports. Whether the guy at the centre of this furore is right about some relatively unimportant technical issue or not -- and even whether he's actually the best man for the job or not -- doesn't really matter at this stage. He's obviously a bit too headstrong for his colleagues (and probably badly advised too), but this is the way things go when you upset people and now he's paying the inevitable price. He's clearly good enough at the sport to have represented his country at the Olympics but equally clearly not capable of getting along with the people he needed to get along with in order to win a place at the games.

He made his choices. Now he has to ive with them. Tough, but it's part of growing up.

To be perfectly honest the whole Olympic thing leaves me completely cold nowadays. It's not really about sport any more, it's been totally absorbed by the entertainment and advertising industries, which have turned it from some talented and skilled people playing games into part of their business strategy. I'd rather play darts down the pub.

 

[Corso]

Hasn't this gone far enough?

No when as a Drug cheat you can make a bit of noise and get themselves back in the running why can't you protest you've been overlooked becasue your in the wrong 'union'

 

[Swallow]

The Avaaz site now allows you to start your own petitions?

 

[Andy BB]

Hasn't this gone far enough?

It's very common for personalities to clash in sport, on and off the field, or the mat in this case. Competitive people compete in all sorts of ways, and not just in their chosen sports. Whether the guy at the centre of this furore is right about some relatively unimportant technical issue or not -- and even whether he's actually the best man for the job or not -- doesn't really matter at this stage. He's obviously a bit too headstrong for his colleagues (and probably badly advised too), but this is the way things go when you upset people and now he's paying the inevitable price. He's clearly good enough at the sport to have represented his country at the Olympics but equally clearly not capable of getting along with the people he needed to get along with in order to win a place at the games.

He made his choices. Now he has to ive with them. Tough, but it's part of growing up.

To be perfectly honest the whole Olympic thing leaves me completely cold nowadays. It's not really about sport any more, it's been totally absorbed by the entertainment and advertising industries, which have turned it from some talented and skilled people playing games into part of their business strategy. I'd rather play darts down the pub.

I suppose it depends if you have a sense of justice or not......

 

[MartinK9]

oops - Lutalo Muhammad out of finals

Edit: just won Bronze

 

[GollIfanAteb]

opps: commitee gone then!!!

Cant carry on with a better man available but not selected!

 

[Corso]

spoiler alert I havn't seen it yet!

Didn't think he'd get very far he was pretty lucky to get out of his first fight....