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Originally Posted by transplant99
it proves the false theory that there was "close" competition back then which goes to the heart of the whole damn discussion...if you dont like it, drop out.
Ugh...OK. Different set of standards I guess for you. They werent as good...just werent. Much like womens hockey and Canada vs the rest of em, there was the Soviet pairs and then everyone else.
2006 Torino silver medalists, Sweden. Bronze, USA.
I agree canada rules the roost...in fact it may be getting further apart, but that doesnt mean you dismantle the sport from the Olys because of it.
There have been 12 Womens world championships, all won by either the USA or canada. At one time however, Canada won the first 8 of them. But with time the USA got better and has won 3 of the last 4. Funny how that works.
Sweden, Finland, Russia, China,and Switzerland have all medalled or finished 4th. They will get better, but time is essential.
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You're really missing the point that Vlad was making. With figure skating and luge etc. there have still been other nations that had the ability to compete. Their odds of winning weren't good, but they didn't look out of place out there. That's simply not the case with women's hockey right now. Although I will admit that the fact hockey involves direct competition, instead of scores or times, can make the gap more glaring.
That said, I agree that time will be needed to allow the womens game to develop, and that time becomes exponentially longer if the exposure the Olympics grants isn't there.