The Fix is (Possibly) In. Is China Cheating in the Olympics?

There is no question that the 2008 Olympics are one of the most historically significant events in the history of modern China. We also know how badly the Chinese want this to be the best Olympics ever, especially for them. This is their chance to assert their place as a world power in the sports world, as well as the political world. But just how badly does China want to win the medal count in Beijing? To examine the issue, we've found:

 The Top 5 Olympic Events China Might Be Cheating In 

5. Boxing

The Event: The bantamweight and lightweight boxing tournaments

The Fix: In the bantamweight division; after British world Bronze medalist, Joe Murray, lost his highly favored bout against China's Gu Yu, Murray was adamant that he was on the poor end of some favorable calls. But the British boxer shrugged it off as if it was expected. The Ukrainian lightweight Oleksandr Klyuchko, however, didn't take his questionable loss to China's Hu Quing so lightly. The Ukrainians filed a complaint with the International Amateur Boxing Federation. (AIBA)

The Odds: Low. The Ukranian complaint was dismissed by AIBA after a  formal hearing. But still, two instances of cheating in the sport, lodged by two different countries, makes you start to think.


4. Shooting

The Event: Men's double trap

The Fix: Veteran Australian shooter, Russell Mark, has alleged that Chinese shooter, Hu Binyuan, had the judge's help when winning the bronze medal in the event. Mark claims that one of the targets was clearly missed by Binyaun, but points were awarded. He goes on to say that the only reason there is no uproar, is because it was merely for a bronze, not gold. He wondered if the boisterous crowd was influencing the judge's opinions.

The Odds: Moderate. It's hard to imagine why clearly missed targets would be scored, so eyebrows have to be raised. But a raucous crowd could distract a judge long enough to cause an error in the fast paced world of trap shooting.

3. Fireworks

The Event: The opening ceremonies

The Fix: The opening ceremonies in Beijing were some of the most spectacular events ever shown worldwide. The dazzling pyrotechnic display was truly a sight to behold. But what you saw at home might have been a little different than at the games. Due to the poor weather conditions, China might have fabricated some of the more elaborate fireworks digitally.

The Odds: Definitive. The Chinese admitted to prefabricating some of the fireworks because of visibility issues with overhanging clouds. While this isn't really cheating in the athletic sense, it did set a precedent for the rest of the games.

2. Gymnastics

The Event: The women's team final, and the Chinese women's team in general

The Fix: During the women's team final, U.S. coach, Marta Karolyi, accused the Chinese stadium officials of instituting unnecessary delays to throw off their gymnasts, most notably Alicia Sacramone. She claims the officials would call her up, but then make her wait for no reason, not giving her the signal to begin. A more serious accusation though, is being filed against the Chinese women's team for their bending of the age limit. Nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13. But later both Kexin and the government denied this to be true, and that she was actually 16, the required minimum age.

The Odds: High. Karolyi's accusation does not hold much water, since technical delays have been a problem for all the teams, including China. But the age of the Chinese gymnast is extremely questionable. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell the difference between a 13 year old and a 16 year old. That coupled with a government issued report stating that she was 13, makes this a legitimate cause for concern.

1. Cuteness

The Event: The opening ceremonies

The Fix: Everyone in the world instantly fell in love with the little girl to my left, the moment she opened those angelic pipes of hers, and flashed that super cute smile. She became an instant star in her home country, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were reportedly in a bidding war with her parents to adopt her. But is she the Asian version of Aguilera and Spears, or Milli and Vanilli?

The Odds: Definitive. China fessed up to replacing the actual little girl who sang the song with a super cute girl with a talent only for lip syncing. The sad thing is, other than a few snaggly baby teeth, the original girl was still pretty darn cute. So you know what China? You can have all the gold medals in trap shooting and gymnastics you want, but when you're replacing cute girls with uber-cute girls for the sake of ratings, you've gone too far mister. When you do that you're cheating on the U S of A. Because we invented that, dammit.
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Chad Johnson Could Beat Michael Phelps

...or so he claims. In an interview with the guys from PTI, Tony Kornheiser asked Ocho Cinco if he could beat Michael Phelps in a swimming race. To which he said,

"...if he came to where I'm from, which is the inner city...I was a three time Charles Harding pool champ. I know a couple who could beat Michael Phelps right now. Seriously, I'm telling you, and I'm one of them."

It is officially on. After Phelps finishes his run at Olympic history and the swim meet draws to a close, why not fly in Chad Johnson and put him to the test? After all, Phelps has had to swim seventeen races, and has to be stressed out and tired. Not only would this give Phelps a much needed moment to laugh, it would help even the field a little for the three time C-Hard champ. And by that I mean Phelps might not lap him...by much.

But who knows, Johnson has tried this before, and won. Johnson outran a horse on the track by a few lengths, of the horse, not Johnson. But running of course is a fundamental of his sport, football. The only swimming he has to do, is in all the money he's earning this year. Last time I checked, the Speedo LZR wasn't aerodynamically designed for Scrooge McDuck.

Regardless of the outcome, the race would be both entertaining and beneficial. I can see Ocho swimming under the rope into Phelps' lane as he tires to lap him, pulling down his Speedo, and sending the golden boy reeling. Better yet, just like the horse race, they should let Chad start on the block, but make Phelps stand 30 yards back, having to run and leap into the pool. You know what, let's make that the standard for swimming period. All swimmers should have to run and jump into the pool, all while avoiding falling on the wet floor. That's a sport I could get into.

But the entertainment value aside, if Chad Johnson really is even an average swimmer, a race like this would do wonders to promote inner city swimming. Johnson himself claims that the only reason kids like him aren't competing with Phelps, is because they don't have the opportunity. Well what Cullen Jones did for African-American swimming a few nights ago, will be nothing compared to when Chad Johnson and his bleached mohawk hit the pool.

So, whether he was joking or not, I honestly think Johnson is on to something here. It would be good for swimming, good for him and his cause, and good TV for all of us.
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