Sportsmanship/legitimacy

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 151985

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "dumbledore11214" <dumbledore11214 at ...> 
wrote:

Alla:
> > > Well, they DID care about getting points in the game, didn't
> they?

Geoff:
Actually, the silly thing about this is that the points are basically 
irrelevant.

The only place where they seem to have a bearing on the Tournament 
is the order in which competitors go into the maze.

The requirements for getting through are that they get their egg in 
the first task so that they acquire the clue for the second task and 
the second task just creates an order of batting for the third task. 
Fleur doesn't complete the underwater task but isn't disqualified.....

I can see that the question of fairness is at the back of everyone's 
thinking but, in reality,  the points are a bit of a non-event.

a_svirn:
> For one thing Dumbledore could have an inkling that something of
> that nature might happen, since he was so adept in "reading the
> signs". For another what is the reason d'être of the binding
> contracts? Except for providing an excellent opportunity for
> cheating I can think of any.

Geoff:
Is the raison d'être of the contract really to 'legalise' cheating?

I would assume that this is part of the original structure of the Tournament 
dating from the 13th century and probably one of the few fixed rules.
as I imagine the tasks would vary from competition to competition.