# Are these legitimate Olympic sports?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-legitimate-olympic-sports/460263>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [August 16, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-legitimate-olympic-sports/460263 "2008-08-16T21:17:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-legitimate-olympic-sports/460263/61 "2008-08-24T04:23:46Z")

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[QUOTE=Knorf]  
Another thread full of specious definitions of what “sport,” “athleticism,” and “athletic ability” are.  
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I’m fond of a cartoon showing four old, bald guys with paunches out on the golf course - one guy says “It is a sport, therefore we are athletes.”

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**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-legitimate-olympic-sports/460263/62 "2008-08-24T05:29:52Z")

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[QUOTE=RickJay]  
If you follow that line of reasoning, gymnastics isn’t a sport, since I’d take Olympic hockey players (the kind played on ice, not the silly “Field” kind) over gymnasts in almost any other team sport. And, again, it still wouldn’t be a guaranteed thing.

At what point do you determine something’s got enough of the particular “Athleticism” you prefer to make it a sport?  
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I don’t think there’s any solid line in the sand. Certainly, “I’m a better athlete than these guys” puts it definitely in the “not sport” category for me.

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**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-legitimate-olympic-sports/460263/63 "2008-08-24T14:42:28Z")

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[QUOTE=Knorf]  
Not everyone is going to agree what the sports in the Olympics should be, which is why there is a committee. You know: the International Olympic Committee, who undoubtedly has spent far more time contemplating these issues than any of you could possibly imagine.  
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They are contemplating other issues as well. An important one is how well a proposed sport appeals on television to women (who constitute the majority of viewers, for which advertisers are eager to pay).

This is definitely a significant threat to the “non-TV” sports such as sailing, shooting & fencing. It’s also why such things as rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming have been added.

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**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-legitimate-olympic-sports/460263/64 "2008-08-25T16:22:13Z")

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I think sometimes they add sports that may be pleasing to watch on TV.

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