Laos is in the Olympics!

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margaretthao4

sarNie Adult
As I can recall..Iraq is in the Summer 2008 Beijing Olympics. I remember seeing them in the Parade Of Nations. LMFAO my brother and I were like "oh look there are the terrorist" **yes yes I know thats mean!
But yeah they are competing...
Also in the parade I think I saw only 5 Laos competitor's...Unless some of them didnt partake in the parade?
 
V

vilasaeng

sarNie Juvenile
There is Bob Malaythong.. He is competing in the Olympic but not for Laos... He is in the USA Badminton Olympic team... But he is Laos....
 
M

Maya_Fantasy

sarNie Oldmaid
Liberty said:
Although I agree with what you're saying. It's not the country's responsibility to fund their athletes, at least that's not the case in the US.
I mean seriously, if my tax money was being spent on paying for shoes and uniforms of athletes, I don't care who they are, I'd be pissed. There are more important things that the money can go to. Getting to compete in the Olympics and winning a medal is a great for the athletes and all, but how does that help the rest of the nation? It would actually be taking away money from those who really need it.
In the US as well as many other countries, the athletes are being paid and funded through sponsers and product endorsments.
Why do you think American athletes get paid so much? They're being paid for doing a "job" but a big chunk of that money is coming for product endorsments.

What Laos needs to do is work on establishing a better economy.
Click to expand...
True if you're talking about athletes in the US, but I believe in Laos is funded by the government.

Just recently the Thai, I believe Puma company is sponsoring some Lao's team with uniforms for the Sea Game.
 
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Liberty

sarNie Adult
Maya_Fantasy said:
True if you're talking about athletes in the US, but I believe in Laos is funded by the government.

Just recently the Thai, I believe Puma company is sponsoring some Lao's team with uniforms for the Sea Game.
Click to expand...
If they're counting on the government for funding, there's no wonder that they're not fully equipped.
You can't really blame the government completely on that, I'm pretty sure they're greedy, but at the same time I'm pretty sure that money could be going to something much more important.
But then again, if what you said is true that in Laos the athletes are funded by the government, why would they send them to the Olympics unprepared? So that they can be laughed at? If they don't even have the appropriate gears, there's no way they'll allow them to compete. They'd be going all the way to China for nothing. Flying there has to have cost a good chunk of money, if the government is willing to pay their way there, why not just pay for the rest of the stuff? That also includes hotel and living expenses for the duration of their stay in China.
 
A

Athena

sarNie Juvenile
Olympic Tradition:
Laos will be making its seventh Olympic appearance. Competed in 1980 and was one of 14 countries to participate in the Soviet-led boycott of the 1984 Olympics. Has never won an Olympic medal.

Beijing Outlook:
Laos is not expected to contend for a medal at the Beijing Games.

Info I got off nbcolympics.com.
 
noungning

noungning

Heartless
yeah laos was in it again this year. same amount as last olympics, they had 4 also the last time. they've been in it for a while. i'm an olympic junkie so i can't miss the openings haha so i always see em.

well i'm just happy that they are at least making some efforts to be in the olympics as there are some countries/nations that are still not a part of the olympics.
 
Toon

Toon

Official Robert Pattinson Ambassador
Liberty said:
Although I agree with what you're saying. It's not the country's responsibility to fund their athletes, at least that's not the case in the US.
I mean seriously, if my tax money was being spent on paying for shoes and uniforms of athletes, I don't care who they are, I'd be pissed. There are more important things that the money can go to. Getting to compete in the Olympics and winning a medal is a great for the athletes and all, but how does that help the rest of the nation? It would actually be taking away money from those who really need it.
In the US as well as many other countries, the athletes are being paid and funded through sponsers and product endorsments.
Why do you think American athletes get paid so much? They're being paid for doing a "job" but a big chunk of that money is coming for product endorsments.

What Laos needs to do is work on establishing a better economy.
Click to expand...

What you said is sooooo true. And the fact that Laos is a very mountainous country with the majority of the people being subsistence farmers, meaning that they grow foods for their own use is a key factor. A lot of people probably don't have the time and/or the resources that most of the Olympic athletes in U.S. and other more industrially advanced country have. And the fact that Laos is located if not exactly near the equator but close has a lot of bearing on the kinds of sports that Laotion athletes can and can not do. For example I would hazard a bet on my life that no one is going or has been to the Winter Olympics just because there is no where and no means for them to practice these winter sports. Unlike places like Switzerland and Denmark, Laos isn't exactly a place where you can ski in the traditional sense of skiing. But Laos is gaining momentum with Eco-Tourism rather than becoming an industrial country. So there is progress but it will take many years before Laos can produce athletes like U.S. And you are right so right about the product endorsements and the paid players in the U.S. But it wouldn't hurt if the government had an interest in developing the country's economy thereby improving the well-being and in turn the opportunities of, I'm pretty sure, equally talented athletes.

I was sooooo shocked out of my mind when I saw Laos parading down... Seriously I must've had my head buried somewhere in Siberia if I didn't noticed before that Laos was in the past summer Olympics.
 
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