Sven Kramer To Reporter: 'Are You Stupid?' (VIDEO)

Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer won a gold medal on the first full day of the Vancouver Olympics. Afterwards, he wasn't too happy about a request from a reporter.

In the below clip, a reporter asks Kramer, "If you can say your name and your country and what you just won here." Kramer quickly interjects: "Are you stupid? Hell no I'm not going to do that."

Speaking later in a Dutch interview, Kramer explains: "Come on, this is ridiculous. You've just become Olympic gold medal winner. She was there when it happened and then you have to sum up your whole biography, etc. She's crazy." (Note: this translation is taken from the text in the video below.)

Scroll down to watch the exchange.

WATCH:

Comments

[Republitarian]

07:36 PM on 02/25/2010

Karma.

[OregonCHG]

03:18 PM on 02/25/2010

The kids coach made a huge mental error, but like Sven said, at the end of the day he still had a gold medal, things could be a lot worse. Furthermore, I am getting so sick of the "Are you Stupid" drama and headlines on HP. Bottom line, Andrea Kramer is a terrible, terrible sports reporter. Let's not forget she practically laid down and begged Tom Brady to take her after a Monday Night Football game a couple of seasons ago. Then, she asks the gold medalist what his name is for christs sake! She was at the oval all day, NBC probably plastered his name, with pronunciation, on a sheet of paper for her as he was the favorite, and she still couldn't get it. In my book that classifies as stupid. NBC is all over the airwaves touting their ratings as some sort of justification for their crappy coverage of the games, what does it really mean though, because where else are people going to watch them?

[tweedledeedumb]

10:11 AM on 02/25/2010

This is a crappy way to lose something he worked for his whole life! I feel really bad for the guy!

[TheDutch]

05:57 AM on 02/25/2010

Related: Read the report from ESPN on the 1500m. Dutch guy wins Gold medal, all the report says about the winner is just that. The rest of the report is all about the Americans......

http://sports.espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2010/speedskating/columns/story?columnist=ford_bonnie_d&id=4932637

So If a reporter asks you your name and the country you're from, thats basically all he/she wants to know from you, isn't it?

[Vernon Brown]

03:48 PM on 02/24/2010

Pwn3d!!!!11

[robjh1]

01:41 PM on 02/24/2010

Brashness doesn't pay. I bet he wish he never acted out a few days ago. Karma is a witch!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/24/sven-kramers-lane-change-_n_474601.html

[davemartin7777]

01:09 PM on 02/24/2010

"Are you stupid?"

Sven Kramer needs to file for a trademark on that.

[cinranete]

03:06 PM on 02/24/2010

good plan!!! i'm applying right now!!
t-shirts €10 / $15, order yours now! lol

[cjlands]

12:54 PM on 02/24/2010

The video can still be seen here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4cG1j0qHww

[pipetoe]

12:22 PM on 02/24/2010

I don't know who he is; but now I know he's an a-hole.

[spiffarino]

10:10 AM on 02/24/2010

...and then Kramer makes an elementary error, crossing over into the wrong lane and getting disqualified from the 10K.

Who's stupid now, Sven?

[TheDutch]

03:38 AM on 02/25/2010

Stupid remark, his coach sent him the wrong way........

[kalerik]

09:52 AM on 02/24/2010

I lived in The Netherlands for a few years. They are very rude people. This doesn't surprise me one bit.

[BlueFloyd]

10:08 AM on 02/24/2010

i wish i knew a little of your bio, so i could prejudge and generalize all about you erroneously too.

[devildog21]

10:35 AM on 02/24/2010

I'm curious. Did you learn their language while you were there, or did you expect them to speak English? I only say that because many Americans who go to Europe expect that everyone will be able to speak English and I can understand why that might be aggrivating to Europeans. What you consider rude, may have been their reaction to an "ugly American".

You said you were there for a few years, what were you doing there?

[Patsy Laibinis Jaeger]

03:10 PM on 02/25/2010

Yes, many Americans "visit" Europe without knowing a foriegn language, but there are many that do. I was NEVER unkind to SB for not speaking English while visiting the US.
All of the foreigners that I have met that have visited the US, always comment on how "nice, kind & friendly" they were treated during their visit. Not once have I heard the contrary.
While visiting Amsterdam, I went shopping at a market. My first encounter with a Dutch man there was awful, he scolded me for not speaking Dutch and refused to help. I answered him in German, apologizing that I only knew how to speak English and German and that I was only visiting for the week (like many Dutch, he understood German). Then he changed his tone, he told me that he couldn't stand Americans that visit and never learn the language. I have always been disturbed by that experience. Even though the rest of my visit in Holland was pleasant, this left a very bad impression. And so has Sven's remark "Are you stupid?". It was uncalled for. He is a guest in Vancouver, he should treat the North Americans the same way they treat him WITH KINDNESS. The woman wasn't purposely being rude when asking him her question. HE WAS!
Its a pity that such ignorance can ruin a person's impression of a people or country. I'm sure that the majority of Dutch are very kind people.

[TheDutch]

03:27 AM on 02/24/2010

Well look at all the hateful and disrespectful comments here; this is as expected of course :). Of course it is nice to be on the stage, but the Korean guy will do that knowing that he was not the fastest on the track. And will have to live with that.

You focus on the response of Sven (which leaves room for improvement) without taking note of the other line of questioning that should have come from the NBC Reporter. But yeah she is American so she is not to blame (at least for some of the people responding here). Sorry to see people are so blind to see the other side of the medal ;).

Luckily I know a few Americans so I know this attitude does not apply for you entire nation.

[IndyStacey]

10:27 AM on 02/24/2010

The reporter was wrong (perhaps inexperienced), but that does not excuse Kramer's rudeness. I don't think this was karma, but it's hard to have sympathy for someone so arrogant.

[TheDutch]

04:01 AM on 02/25/2010

Dear Stacy,

Combine Dutch Directness, a goal oriented person, without the finesses to express your overwhelming feelings in a foreign language. He speaks english allright, but it is not his native language.

Please this guy in front of a person that is used to political correct answers all the time asking stupid questions (I agree on that) and you will have this result.

Now lets see how accurate an american person can express him/herself in a foreign language..... I cannot understand you keep calling this arrogant. There is more than one factor involved than just the characte of Sven.

How very Judgemental to define this guy by his one comment on the reporter. Did you see how he went on to continue answers her questions?

[TheDutch]

04:03 AM on 02/25/2010

error, right text is:
Place this guy in front of a person that is used to political correct answers all the time asking stupid questions (I agree on that) and you will have this result.

[devildog21]

10:39 AM on 02/24/2010

True. What most Americans don't understand is that speed skating is pretty much the national sport in the Netherlands and one who is good as this young man is a national hero, so I can understand his rebuke, though he could have been a bit kinder. It is possible he meant to say "are you crazy"? or something less insulting too. English is not his first language obviously.

[weatherwaxx]

11:46 AM on 02/24/2010

If an American had said this on Dutch TV, we'd hear all about the arrogant Americans.

Fact: A lot of young men are pretty egotesticle, particularly when it comes to athletes, where they aren't mature enough to know the difference between 'confidence' and 'arrogance.'

[Patrick Slavenburg]

01:51 PM on 02/24/2010

Actually it was extensively highlighted on Dutch tv and yes..the reporter definitely was not put in a good light. After all she was rather insulting. And.. if she "just did her job" then apologies but we are not Americans, we do not have to undergo her ignorance. It should not be very hard to give EVERY athlete credit and when you speak with him/her at least know who they are and what they just won. Have you guys become so culturally insensitive that if it's not American it's not worth spending time on?

Hmmm.. and then you wonder where all the anti-Americanism comes from?

[cinranete]

02:02 AM on 02/24/2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE

[wassilij]

02:21 PM on 02/24/2010

THAT IS VERY SCARY.........................REALLY

[Tim James]

05:07 PM on 02/24/2010

Haha, I like how they're interviewing people in Texas (evidenced by the Dallas Cowboys star behind some of the interviewees) and a few crazy homeless people. This is clearly not the best microcosm of Americans to interview. Also, this bit was an exact copy of an American skit on an American show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, called "Jaywalking", where he finds dumb people and asks them simple questions. You can find stupid people all over the world. And obviously they're going to edit out the people that gave the correct answers, since it wouldn't have the intended effect if they did.

[aphid]

12:54 AM on 02/24/2010

Karma's a sizzling bizzle, Sven.

One shouldn't start dogging on the press until AFTER s/he is finished competing!

[JofO]

11:16 PM on 02/23/2010

It was such poetic justice seeing Sven Kramer lose that race. Although his coach may have made a mistake about telling Sven to change lanes, he made a much bigger mistake in failing to teach Sven any manners or the basics of good sportsmanlike conduct--respect, civility, refrain from physical or verbal abuse of others, etc. Sven acted like a unruly toddler after he learned that he did not win the gold medal because of the lane mistake. Think of all the other Olympians in the past couple of weeks who were supposed to win gold but didn't--very few of them had childlike temper tantrums. Part of being a winner is knowing how to be a gracious loser.