Dirty pool

I'm sorry, I don't care how the judging works, and how the point deduction system has been arranged, but if you FALL, you don't deserve to win a medal.

Last night, the women's vault finals ended without American Alicia Sacramone on the Olympic medals stand. Not because Alicia failed to do well, oh no, she did very well, and except for a tiny hop on her landings, she, according to the commentators and people who "know" gymnastics, nailed her vaults.

This apparently was not good enough however.

Cheng of China did get on the medal stand however, with a Bronze medal. Her first vault was impressive. Her second? Not so hot, and then on the landing, she fell.

Now I'm no gymnast, and I've never been a sports commentator. But from my limited understanding of the vault, I believe the objective is to run, propel oneself into the air with a flourish and then LAND.

Cheng's second vault was very jilted, and well, there's also the part where SHE FELL. Somehow however this was of no consequence to those judging, and she somehow still deserved to place ahead of Sacramone.

This comes only after the Chinese won the all around gold medal last week, using gymnasts who were by all accounts, underage, until the Olympics started when suddenly passports were miraculously provided, aging them enough to allow them to qualify.

I smell something a little rotten, and am reminded of the winter Olympics at Salt Lake City, you know, when the Russian and the French judges had a little score swap-a-roodle?

Luckily in Salt Lake, the IOC investigated the situation and put things to right, giving Canadian skaters Pelletier and Sale the gold they had earned, the gold they earned by staying on their feet, unlike the Russians who had been awarded a gold, even after falling.

Sound familiar?