Gaffer Tape said:
The problem isn't that someone screwed up the timing.
no, that is exactly what the problem is. If the timing hadn't been screwed up, this situation wouldn't have happened.
Gaffer Tape said:
So, no, I'm not saying that a 15 year old is necessarily the ideal candidate. But that's not the problem. The IOC deemed him fit to officiate, so the IOC has to take responsibility for that decision and any mistakes that might come with it.
I agree they have to take responsibility for that decision and any mistakes that might come with it. But that doesn't mean that the fact that they were using a 15 year old, wasn't the problem.
Gaffer Tape said:
Making a mistake isn't a crime. Not rectifying it is.
I have seen a lot of mistakes in sports history that were not rectified. I am all for rectifying the mistake, if rules and protocols of the sport in question allow it. If they don't allow it, I am all for considering changing the rules to allow rectifying of such mistakes in the future. What I am not for is ignoring and forgetting about the rules. Sports aren't run by whatever the people officiating it think is common sense, or whatever the spectators think is right and/or fair and/or justice, they are run by rules. Sports are much better off if the officials are bound by rules instead of being allowed to do whatever they think is common sense.
Gaffer Tape said:
As for your link, I can't watch video at the moment, but if that's something stating there is a precedent for bad decision-making, that doesn't change that it shouldn't be happening, and that it's not in line with the rules of the sport. Otherwise you might as well not have a clock and just let someone make an arbitrary decision as to when something is over.
the link talks about the 1972 Olympic gold medal basket ball game. It is one of the most controversial endings of a basketball game ever and yes it involves timing issues. You were talking about timing issues and basketball, so I thought I'd link to it.