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Aussie skier “robbed” at the Winter Olympics after rival falls over

<p>It wouldn’t be the Winter Olympics if there wasn’t some sort of judging controversy, but the latest scandal to hit the games, involving Australian aerial skier David Morris, is leaving many viewers Down Under with a bad taste in their mouths. </p> <p>Fans across Australia were shocked with Morris was denied a spot at the business end of the competition, with many feeling he was let down by the judge’s scorecard. </p> <p>Morris, who is competing in his last Olympics, needed to place in the top nine to make the cut, and while his initial score of 111.95 had him in fourth, once the rest of the field started making clean jumps it was clear he was in trouble. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-video"> <p dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/Aerialskier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Aerialskier</a>'s final Olympic jump!<br /><br />Congratulations on an amazing career, David! A legendary Aussie Olympian 🇦🇺🙌⛷️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Olympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Olympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/g0SdplLrxI">pic.twitter.com/g0SdplLrxI</a></p> — 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/965330083941462016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>One of the competitors to follow Morris was Chinese athlete Jia Zongyang who was given a score of 118.55, despite clearly tumbling the landing as you can see below. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">118.55 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/7aCaGNbiFg">pic.twitter.com/7aCaGNbiFg</a></p> — 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/965188485853331457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>This left Morris to place in 10th, and pulled the curtain on his Olympic career. </p> <p>“David didn’t have the perfect jump,” Seven commentator and Morris’s fellow freestyle skier Lydia Lassila said after the Australian was knocked out.</p> <p>“This is a tough competition. Jia fell over after an uncontrolled landing.</p> <p>“He was not in control on that landing. He fell over. So 118 for that I’m in disbelief. It’s really unfortunate.</p> <p>“They (the judges) have got to seriously review what they have decided upon tonight.”</p> <p>However, in true Australian spirit Morris was gracious in defeat.</p> <p>“10th in Olympics is fantastic. It’s my third games. This is a fantastic competition. Everyone has been putting down huge jumps. Nothing to be disappointed about,” Morris said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Gracious in defeat. <a href="https://twitter.com/Aerialskier?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Aerialskier</a> is all class. What a champion. 🇦🇺🙌⛷️ <a href="https://t.co/nME0yAlgxv">pic.twitter.com/nME0yAlgxv</a></p> — 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/965322798796177408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>“I think a couple of us are confused about that,” Morris said.</p> <p>“My coach went and asked the judges, they gave him four metres of controlled skiing which is what counts for a landing.</p> <p>“You can watch replays and slow mo and argue as much as you want. They gave him a four-metre stance where he had control.</p> <p>“I can’t argue it. Tough luck for me. That’s how these sports go.”</p> <p>What do you think? Do you think Morris was robbed?</p>

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Channel 7 Olympic commentator slammed over “racist” comment

<p>Channel Seven’s coverage of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has been no stranger to criticism, but viewers are particularly outraged with a “racist” comment made by one of its commentators, former Australian Olympic freestyle skier Jacqui Cooper.</p> <p>While covering the first stages of the women’s aeriels, Cooper made some questionable comments about the Chinese skiers.</p> <p>“Very Chinese,” she said of Yan Ting’s first jump. “They all look the same, they’re very hard to tell who’s who.”</p> <p>Many viewers took to social media to slam Cooper’s comments as “racist”.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">I’ve always wanted to be there to witness a live, tv moment you know is going to be on the news tomorrow. Thanks Jacqui Cooper <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Channel7</a> for the casual racism toward Chinese athletes - “it’s hard to tell them apart, they all look the same” <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PyongChang2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PyongChang2018</a></p> — Alan White (@AlanOWhite) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanOWhite/status/964102207070134274?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Did Jacqui Cooper really just say that?</p> — Anthony Sharwood (@antsharwood) <a href="https://twitter.com/antsharwood/status/964101085622190080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Jacqui Cooper with the casual racism whilst commentating on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a> 'they all look the same' in regards to Chinese <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aerials?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aerials</a> athletes <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PyeongChang2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PyeongChang2018</a></p> — Chris Henderson (@chrishendersonv) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrishendersonv/status/964101180564561920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Jacqui cooper, I love you. But saying that the Chinese aerial skiers "look the same" is kinda racist. <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@7Olympics</a> isn't doing well at all. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a></p> — Len Webster (@lennwebster) <a href="https://twitter.com/lennwebster/status/964102419956117504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Following the backlash, Channel Seven issued a statement explaining that Cooper’s comments had been taken out of context.</p> <p>“During tonight’s cover of the women’s aerials, commentator Jacqui Cooper – a former Olympian and World Champion – noted that an aerial manoeuvre was in a technical and style sense, very Chinese,” the statement read.</p> <p>“Meaning that the whole of the Chinese aerial team are trained in the same way – and the manoeuvre referenced was a classic technically perfect, trademark of that team’s style.</p> <p>“At no time was the commentary racist, intended to be racist or offensive.”</p> <p>Late last night, Cooper herself addressed the criticism on Twitter.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Just finished the Aerials, I’ve noticed a whole bunch of comments about my remarks re the Chinese. I need to make it clear I was talking about the jump. The Chinese are trained by one coach with one technique, their aim is all to jump the same. <br />Bring on the final tomorrow night.</p> — Jacqui Cooper (@JacquiCooperSKI) <a href="https://twitter.com/JacquiCooperSKI/status/964121795271057409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>Others have jumped to her defence, with one Twitter user writing, “She obviously meant jumping style.”</p> <p>Another said people were only accusing Cooper “because rather than check what she actually said in the right context, it’s easier to jump to conclusions.”</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, what did you make of Cooper’s gaffe?</p> <p><em>Image credit: Jacqui Cooper/Instagram.</em></p>

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