Paul Hamm will be allowed to keep his gold medal, says the Court of Arbitration of Sport (what the hell is that?). Paul says, “It keeps the integrity of the sport by ending the competition that night,” he said. “You need that. People will lose interest if the decision isn’t made until a week later.”
Meanwhile, we prepare for an election many believe won’t be decided until weeks later. I think the fact that we didn’t know who won until weeks after the last presidential election hurts the American election system. The longer we have to wait after acting, the less we feel that our action has mattered. While voter turnout this year will probably break records, if we have to wait weeks after the election before feeling the results of our actions, I think it will serve to make Americans feel less empowered.