>I think the only medal that means anything is the gold one. Silver & bronze just mean you lost. I consider them to be consolation medals only. It's not like there are playoffs like in many professional sports where you can finish 2nd, maybe 3rd, and still win the ultimate goal in the playoffs.
>That was the problem with badminton in the Olympics. Teams that had made it to the next round were trying to throw games in order to get a weaker opponent in the finals. So they got expelled. You get this in pro sports too when a team that has guaranteed a 1st place finish plays its 2nd string players from then on, or a team that is close to last has no incentive to win because finishing last means you get the top draft pick next year.
>There are no playoffs in the Olympics. So you must finish first or you lose, and the gold medal is the only one that really counts.