As the U.S. women’s gymnastic team competed in the Olympics on Sunday, the encroaching egalitarianism of the international games was readily apparent. The rules committee has decided only two members of each team can advance to the all-around, meaning that even if one team is predominant above all others it can only have equal representation in the all-around at best.
What this also means is that Jordyn Wieber, “the reigning world champion in the all-around and a favorite to win Olympic-gold,” will not be allowed take part in that round because she finished 3rd among the U.S. women’s team on Sunday.
But what if Wieber’s 3rd place score was higher than the first place score received by a team member from another country? Technically it could happen, but the rules committee guards against it by erasing the scores of each individual gymnast once the two advancing team members have been decided.
To put it as one of the Olympic correspondents did on Sunday night, “it’s like it never even happened.”
This is not just an issue for Americans. Rather, it’s an issue for any team that might have three or perhaps even four members excel instead of just two. As such, it is a perfect microcosm of the problems posed by political correctness, and particularly by egalitarianism. For in a bid to be sure every country gets to advance, some of the best gymnasts will be forced to sit this one out.
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