In my previous post, a reader (Destination Infinity) wrote the following comments.
“I wonder how a competitor was not shown the finish line beforehand. These are standard procedures at that level. In spite of that if someone is confused, it's a UX issue which is rare at big events. It's possible that the entire episode was rigged to generate a newsworthy incident. I hope not.”
I was going to reply there. Then I thought it may be a long reply. So I decided to make this reply a blog post by itself.
Thanks for your comments Rajesh. I certainly do not think it was rigged to generate a newsworthy incident. What could be their benefit in rigging this? It was an international competition and already a newsworthy incident.
Make a mistake or a gaffe is entirely possible however meticulous you are. Here are a few example.
S. M. Krishna, India’s then Foreign Minister was about to speak at the United Nations Security Council. Behind him seated and helping him with the speech were 4 Indian Foreign Service Officers and his deputies and secretaries. What S. M. Krishna did? He read a prepared text from the speech given by the Portuguese Ambassador. Five minutes into the speech Indian team realized the mistake. Then Mr. Krishna took the correct Indian prepared text and started to read.
President Bill Clinton was about to give an important State of the Union Address to the joint session of the Congress in 1994. All the House of Representatives, all the Senators, the entire cabinet members (except one*), all the 9 U.S. Supreme Court Judges, and chiefs of different U.S. military branches, and ambassadors from almost every country in the world were present. And, millions of Americans were watching.
When he started to give his speech he realized his teleprompter was loaded with the wrong speech. He had to stop and ask his assistants to load the correct speech in the teleprompter.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford was speaking in a conference. His prepared draft speech was reviewed by several people. President Ford said “There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, and there never will be under Ford Administration".
Everyone in the world knew, in 1976 Russia was completely dominating the entire Eastern Europe.
Therefore Rajesh, mistakes can happen anywhere however prepared you are.
* Before the President gives the State of the Union Address, he always designates a Cabinet Member to stay away from Washington, DC, during his address. Reason: In case the whole U.S. Capitol Building came under attack and everyone dies, at least one Cabinet Member will be alive to take over as President.
Great reply to a comment on your blogpost
ReplyDeleteThanks Dee. I know you like me a lot.
DeleteI don't know about the US, but in India every major 'event' seems to be fixed - not just sporting events.
ReplyDeleteWhen the match fixing scandal was exposed in ICC international cricket during the 90s, which included Indian 'iconic' players, it was a coming-of-age moment for me.
I fervently hope I am proven wrong, and like this incident, those exposes were also a mistake. I hope someone will be able to show me that I am needlessly exaggerating. And that the world cherishes and values honesty.
But alas, it's many years since that ICC expose. And I am no teenager!
Destination Infinity
Thanks for your comments Rajesh. World cherishes and values honesty! Finest example is from your own city.
DeleteWimbledon. The year 1960. Semi Final Match. India’s Ramanathan Krishnan vs. Australia’s Neale Fraser. A shot from Fraser was called “out” in favor of Krishnan. Krishnan interceded and told the umpire that it was “in”. Krishnan, instead of gaining a point lost a point. Eventually that call was instrumental in Krishnan losing the match to Fraser. First ever Indian going to the Wimbledon finals was denied.
If this were to happen today, Krishnan would have been charged with match fixing.
It was all legit. Nothing was fixed or rigged.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Shoeless Joe Jackson and Sonny Liston
Thanks for your comments Joe and Sonny. Joe I know about your throwing up (along with 7 of your team members) the 1919 World Series Baseball game for money. Sonny, you are a class act. In 1964, in a boxing match with Mohammed Ali, you retired after 6 rounds with a fake shoulder injury. And, how much the mafia paid you for that?
DeleteIndia is so vastly different with respect to sportsman spirit. Many reach the finish line at any cost. I pray for improvement in this aspect in India 🇮🇳.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Kirtivasan. There are some honest people like Ramanathan Krishnan. Please read my reply to Destination Infinity above.
Delete'To err is human' and hence even if, the finish line was shown in advance, at the crucial time, his mind might have gone wrong. It can happen anywhere with anybody. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed, such gaffes do happen! Actually adds colour to otherwise monotonous events.
ReplyDeleteOne doubt though... Does the US Supreme Court Chief Justice attend the president's annual State of the Union Address? Asking because after the President and Vice-President, it's the Chief Justice who is in line to the Oval House in case of an emergency, is it not?