Hypocrite? Nick Symmonds is whining about Olympic budget cuts, says he needs 'hospitality and comfort'

800 fan wrote:

Does anyone find this laughable and a bit hypocritical?

No.

maybe a country with massive economic problems shouldn't have bid to host the olympic games

Even worse, some greedy athletes are demanding CLEANER water to swim in. What, poop water isn't good enough for these entitled, progressive brats? Do they want Rio to just buy a gigantic pool of Evian Spring water? Pathetic.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/02/rio-olympics-2016-water-pollution

Dora the Agoraphobiac wrote:

Even worse, some greedy athletes are demanding CLEANER water to swim in. What, poop water isn't good enough for these entitled, progressive brats? Do they want Rio to just buy a gigantic pool of Evian Spring water? Pathetic.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/02/rio-olympics-2016-water-pollution

Come on, all competitive swimmers pee in the pool all the time

I have nothing against Symmonds but his best running was in the past. He's trying to keep his name out there for commercial reasons. I hope US has a strong Olympic Team, 2016. A strong team means Symmonds is not on said team

Don't worry little Nicky... You won't be there.

ironside wrote:

I have nothing against Symmonds but his best running was in the past. He's trying to keep his name out there for commercial reasons. I hope US has a strong Olympic Team, 2016. A strong team means Symmonds is not on said team

He was the best US hope for a medal at World's in the 800 this year and given the way the rounds and final played out he would have had a good chance to finish on the podium.

I don't see the hypocrisy.

Nick Symmonds has been an advocate for the athletes before and that is what he is doing here.

Do you understand? The countries often lose money on the Olympics but the individuals that run the show make tons of money off of the efforts of the athletes.

Networks and companies are making money with advertising and promotion.

And the product is the performance of the athletes.

So it's in the promoter's best interest that they have conditions to perform optimally.

Why have a great facility and sub-par athletes?

average low/high in rio in august is 66/78. he'll be fine.

cio2o2 wrote:

average low/high in rio in august is 66/78. he'll be fine.

The average in Eugene during USAs is probably even cooler than that, but we had a heat wave last year. I stayed in a house with no AC and it was brutal. I can't imagine being an Olympic athlete and having to deal with something like that.

ironside wrote:

He's trying to keep his name out there for commercial reasons.

Why do people around here love saying stupid things like this? How would you know that "he's trying to keep his name out there..."? What makes you so confident these aren't things he always cared about as he spent the majority of his career focusing on training and racing? Is it so inconceivable, Vizzini, that now, as his time wanes, he is less concerned with using some of his energy to complain or fight back? I don't know Nick personally, but why do we have to assume that an athlete who is no longer at their lifetime peak is obsessed with remaining relevant?!

Furthermore, a healthy Nick Symmonds IS still one of the best American 800 meter runners. Strong team or not, he has very good odds of being on it.

I think he wants the USOC to put up the athletes in good hotels.

Stupid? We're communication about Symmonds now! Was Symmonds being persecuted last year? I understand 10,000m & Marathon runners skipping WC. [Big 6 Marathons.] I stand by the truth of my statement. A strong US Olympic Team means a then 32yr. old Symmonds doesn't make team. If Symmonds thought he had an chance to medal at WC he would have been there

I think that he realized if he does enough stuff like this (ask out paris hilton in the weirdest way possible, turn his shoulder into a billboard, etc.) that he can become pseudo-famous. And that if he stops doing stuff like that we all might start focusing on runners that don't like to spot the field 40 yards in the first lap.

What a hypocrite! Before he wanted T&F to spend more to take care of the athletes and now he wants T&F to spend more to take of the athletes.

Symmonds is interesting.While I do think he cares about the issues he fights for, he's also comes off as narcissistic and money driven. The main issue is that people can see he's trying to benefit more than the causes he's taking on.On the other hand, it's good that there's someone to point those issues. I think if he had a better agent/adviser/strategist, he could come off a little better. More athletes should take on the powers that be.The best thing he could've done, after getting USATF to give a little, was to race and race well. Which I think leads to your point---that he wasn't ready.

ironside wrote:

Stupid? We're communication about Symmonds now! Was Symmonds being persecuted last year? I understand 10,000m & Marathon runners skipping WC. [Big 6 Marathons.] I stand by the truth of my statement. A strong US Olympic Team means a then 32yr. old Symmonds doesn't make team. If Symmonds thought he had an chance to medal at WC he would have been there

You're right Nick is a giant hypocrite. It is unreasonable to complain that administers who don't compete or really contribute to the event are traveling extravagantly and blowing the associations money and then request that athletes get access to an environment that allows them to prepare them to compete at a high level. Olympic athletes should be forced to stay in tents at the olympic village in fact we should put heaters in the tents to toughen those whiners up.

On a serious note if Brazil's economic issues are not an excuse to provide clean water, suitable athlete accommodations and a riot free environment. If they are not capable of this they never should have submitted a bid and the IOC should not have chose them. These political Olympic selections in recent years have led to bad side effects.

I never used the word hypocrite. After the stunt he pulled regarding WC several months ago, Symmonds statements have no value to me. He's acting like he's a 21yr. old world record holder who knows he's on the USA Team

Maybe Nick can get with Nike. They take care of their people.