audreydzhang: The Saddest Image of London 2012 (So Far). Today’s Women’s Individual Epee match included an awfully-sad incident in the semifinals between Germany’s Britta Heidemann and South Korea’s Shin A Lam. Buzzfeed summarizes it fairly succinctly: Germany’s Britta Heidemann and South Korea’s Shin A Lam had already fought to a draw in regulation. Whichever fencer got a touch next would move on to the gold medal round of the Women’s Individual Epeé. There was one second left on the clock in the extra frame. The clock never started! So Heidemann had more than one second to land the winning touch. At the very least, whether she landed it in time was highly in doubt. The match should have continued into another round, but instead Shin was declared the loser. So South Korea’s coach went to the judges. Despite the clock issue, they ruled that the touch was good and that Heidemann was the victor. South Korea’s coach went off to file a formal appeal.  And Shin A Lam, now in tears, refused to live the piste (the platform that they fence on). In fencing, leaving the piste means that you have officially accepted the judges’ ruling. And seeing as the clock didn’t start, and she should still have a shot at gold, she sat down. It’s the filibuster of fencing. She waited. And waited. It’s a situation that was ultimately unfair to both Heidemann and Lam, I think; the clock issue was obviously the Olympic officials’ fault. The officials, too, were in a tight spot: to judge either way would favor one athlete or the other. If the judges’ ruling stood, they would be voicing their opinion that Heidemann had gotten in the touch on time; if they allowed another round, they would be voicing their opinion that Lam had in fact held off Heidemann long enough. (Edit: It’s come to my attention that Lam had been awarded priority, which adds another layer to this mess.) (Note: I wonder why the video footage of the final touch couldn’t be used to determine whether the touch had been made in time; if it were slowed down, wouldn’t we be able to look at the video clock to check?) Anyway, the pictures at Buzzfeed really tell a story - I’d recommend taking a look. oh my… my emotions…  =(

audreydzhang:

The Saddest Image of London 2012 (So Far).

Today’s Women’s Individual Epee match included an awfully-sad incident in the semifinals between Germany’s Britta Heidemann and South Korea’s Shin A Lam. Buzzfeed summarizes it fairly succinctly:

Germany’s Britta Heidemann and South Korea’s Shin A Lam had already fought to a draw in regulation. Whichever fencer got a touch next would move on to the gold medal round of the Women’s Individual Epeé. There was one second left on the clock in the extra frame.

The clock never started! So Heidemann had more than one second to land the winning touch. At the very least, whether she landed it in time was highly in doubt. The match should have continued into another round, but instead Shin was declared the loser. So South Korea’s coach went to the judges.

Despite the clock issue, they ruled that the touch was good and that Heidemann was the victor. South Korea’s coach went off to file a formal appeal. 

And Shin A Lam, now in tears, refused to live the piste (the platform that they fence on). In fencing, leaving the piste means that you have officially accepted the judges’ ruling. And seeing as the clock didn’t start, and she should still have a shot at gold, she sat down. It’s the filibuster of fencing.

She waited.

And waited.

It’s a situation that was ultimately unfair to both Heidemann and Lam, I think; the clock issue was obviously the Olympic officials’ fault. The officials, too, were in a tight spot: to judge either way would favor one athlete or the other. If the judges’ ruling stood, they would be voicing their opinion that Heidemann had gotten in the touch on time; if they allowed another round, they would be voicing their opinion that Lam had in fact held off Heidemann long enough. (Edit: It’s come to my attention that Lam had been awarded priority, which adds another layer to this mess.)

(Note: I wonder why the video footage of the final touch couldn’t be used to determine whether the touch had been made in time; if it were slowed down, wouldn’t we be able to look at the video clock to check?)

Anyway, the pictures at Buzzfeed really tell a story - I’d recommend taking a look.

oh my… my emotions…  =(

(via makeste)