Memo to the IOC: Gymnastics Needs Sudden Death

After an exhausting day of moderating Alan Bass's latest article and assuring L.J. that Bleacher Report wasn't going to give the boot to the network's lesser-known writers, I finally managed to climb into bed last night and turn on some Olympics. 

Any stressful loose ends walking around my brain vacated the premises instantaneously, as I admired the beauty of this once-in-every-four years global sporting event.  I smiled as Tosta Sheena won her heat for the U.S. in the Women's 400m Hurdles Semifinals, then laughed full heartedly as Angelo Taylor thanked God for the opportunity to make a welcome mat out of his contemporaries for his second career gold medal. 

NBC then rolled out a replay of the Women's Gymnastics Uneven Bars Final that I had missed from the previous evening.  After some eye opening acrobatics and breathtaking balancing—courtesy of various talented ladies ranging between the ages of seven-and-a-half to 18—a controversy arose that made the heart of every fan watching sink like a stone.

Through their amazing performances, U.S. Gymnast Nastia Liukin and He Kexin had both put up scores of 16.725.  What now? 

A tie-breaking procedure soon gave Kexin the victory, along with a gold medal surely valuable enough to barter for a lifetime supply of pacifiers and Cabbage Patch dolls.  Minutes later, the broadcast was over and we were back at the station with Bob Costas and world famous gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi.

Karolyi then broke down the tiebreaker decision to the Olympic viewers of the world.  He was less than pleased:

This is just adding to the already brewing controversy and frustration in the heart of the athletes and including the viewers.  This new scoring system generated a murky situation which nobody understands, clearly…obviously, first of all, taking away what was the trademark of this gymnastics—the perfect 10—is gone. 

But even worse than that one, the direct participation of the viewers knowing and understanding the scoring system is gone.  So everybody's just guessing: what is that?  Why that score?  What is happening on the floor?

And I believe the latest, is this: which is introducing and accepting a tiebreaking procedure which is totally unfair.  And is absolutely ridiculous.  At a time when this very Olympic games can't give out medals for winning athletes at the same position—two gold, two silver, two bronze—in gymnastics cannot be done?  In gymnastics is refusing this general idea of the Olympic spirit?

Wow…

Bob Costas then asked Karolyi to clarify that if he himself had been judge, jury, and executioner of the event, he would have given gold medals to both Liukin and Kexin.

Here's what Bela said in response:

That was obvious...these two young ladies were the very best uneven bar performance in the world.  Congratulations for them, they've done nothing wrong.

But, they've certainly deserved, at the time when finally the judging opinion is presiding in the same place, sure you got to give them what they deserve to have.

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