Crash at Olympic Men's Cycling Team Pursuit Polarises Online Crowd
© AP Photo / Christophe Ena
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While some social media users criticised the Danish cyclists’ conduct during the race, others cheered for Team Denmark advancing to the finals.
Recent developments in the men’s cycling team pursuit at the Tokyo Olympics have led a number of fans to call for disqualification of Team Denmark following the Tuesday race that resulted in Danes advancing to the finals and the British team being kicked out of the competition, the Daily Mail reports.
During the race in question, Danish rider Frederik Madsen smashed into the back of British rider Charlie Tanfield.
As the two riders were left sprawled on the ground, Madsen got up and "angrily stood over Tanfield before screaming abuse at Team GB", as the newspaper put it.
A number of social media users did not seem pleased with this turn of events, some calling for the disqualification either of the Danish team or the particular rider.
Thats ridiculous, should be an immediate disqualification, irrelevant that they caught them up! #Olympics #trackcycling
— Ross Paul (@rosspb) August 3, 2021
DQ should be in place in for the Danish team bad riding and sportsmanship
— Revd David Messer (@MesserStanton) August 3, 2021
The Danes clearly won but the rider who caused the crash should be DQ’d for dangerous riding and for his reaction.
— bobbro (@bobbro65) August 3, 2021
However, there was also no shortage of people cheering for Team Denmark advancing to the finals.
— Hans Christian Nordahl Thomsen (HC) (@hcnordahl) August 3, 2021
YES! The only fair result. Tanfield was caught by a train of power. Nothing else matters. #britishcrybabies
— Michael Munksgaard (@michaelmunksga1) August 3, 2021
Britain’s going home - They’re going home!🇩🇰🇩🇰
— Jacob Dideriksen (@JacobDiNielsen) August 3, 2021
Earlier, British cycling performance director Stephen Park also insisted that Denmark should be disqualified for the tape and the undervests they wore during Monday heats.
"Do I think they should be disqualified? I don't think there is any alternative," he said. "The rules are clear. It says you cannot apply something to the skin. They have applied something to the skin. It says in the specific rule that if you break that rule, your option is for being eliminated or disqualified, so they have no option. There is no doubt in anyone else's mind that it is deliberate."
