It Makes a Difference to the Sheep

After watching Paul Hamm's dramatic comeback to win gold in the men's all around last night (and seeing the two Korean athletes see their gold and silver transformed to silver and bronze in an unanticipated bit of dramatic alchemy), I have to confess that one of my first thoughts was whether we would be seeing the 2004 analog of this (or this) appearing in cyberspace. Granted, Hamm's win was not as controversial as Ohno's 2002 victory but given the present political and cultural climate, I suspect conspiracy theories will bubble up. If anyone spots any good sites, let me know.

UPDATE: This will certainly start the conspiracy wheels turning. Sheesh.

UPDATE II: Here's more:

Pressian.com, an Internet-based newspaper in South Korea, urged "a strong nationwide reaction to reclaim the gold medal that we have been robbed of."

Internet surfers posted complaints and called for an online campaign to "win back the lost gold."

Naver.com, a major South Korean Internet portal, carried a series of protest messages.

"Let's flood the IOC web site with our protests, urging it to reverse the decision on the medals. We should ask IOC, 'What makes it so afraid of the United States?'" one person wrote.

Another said: "I can't understand why FIG cannot reverse its medal decision while acknowledging its mistake. The American athlete who won the gold should give up the medal voluntarily."

Domestic media quoted Shin Bak-je, head of the South Korean delegation in Athens, as saying the country will take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.