Taking A Gold In... Protest?

If you have been following the Olympic coverage from Athens, you will be hearing the word "protest" coming up more and more often. This increasingly frequent reality is present in events where judges are required to make decisions based on observation (such as style, difficulty, artistic expression, etc.). While there are rules (and people) that guide and govern the judging process, it is, in the end, still interpretive.

Unfortunately, as long as we have such events, we will likely have this problem. We could get rid of the events, but where would that leave us? When questionable judgments are suspected to be due to unethical bias or sabotage, something can be done. However, when the disagreement is base entirely on perspective, very little can be done.

Given the level of technology to capture every aspect of sporting events, perhaps the Olympics needs to adopt a policy that would allow for legitimate protests. For example, having a secondary set of judges review and rule on performances could help add balance. What do I know?

On a lighter note, I think NASCAR racing should be an Olympic event. No, I am not a fan (though the sport boasts the largest following than any other sport in North America), but simply think it would be a more fitting sport for the Games than, say, trampoline. In the earliest of ancient Olympic events, chariot races were a popular event. Talk about horse power!