airiefairie: (Default)
airiefairie ([personal profile] airiefairie) wrote in [community profile] talkpolitics2018-02-24 12:21 am
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Friday LOL. Gaming the system =)

Participating in the half-pipe discipline at the Winter Olympics requires exceptional skills in skiing, and being able to do all sorts of acrobatic tricks. Right? Or maybe not? If you ask US skier Elizabeth Swaney, she would say you rather need to have some basic skiing skills (maybe those of your regular amateur), lots of cunning, and tons of desire to be at the Olympics!

Her intriguing story caused a lot of reactions, from admiration to condemnation, and she was dubbed both the "best" and "worst" Olympic athlete. Because she was smart enough to use a loophole in the rules that allowed her to earn a quota for the Olympic games, even though she was clearly not at the level of the other competitors. How? Well, she decided to compete for Hungary, which has no competition in this discipline. Here are details:

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/21/olympic-skier-elizabeth-swaney-i-did-not-scam-my-way-into-the-games.html

She attempted no tricks in the half-pipe. All she had to do to qualify was to finish down the slope - which she of course did. And she violated no rule. Here is her run: VIDEO
johnny9fingers: (Default)

[personal profile] johnny9fingers 2018-02-24 08:13 am (UTC)(link)
I'm all for her managing that. OK, she's rubbish like Eddie "the Eagle" Edwards, but she is also one of the faces of the games, thanks to her chutzpah. As long as it harms none other. If she were in a mix on the short-track speed skating I might want her kept from the ice, but each case on its merits.
asthfghl: (You may kiss me now!)

[personal profile] asthfghl 2018-02-24 04:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm these are not bad at all.