I’ve been hearing a lot of talk here and there about Olympic events that are “pointless” or “silly”, or that “nobody cares about”. Well, now’s your chance to make your case. Which Olympics events should the IOC kindly discard, and why?
I think that the following should go:
Any event that has already has a well-established world championship event (e.g. soccer, tennis, basketball). All the Olympics do is distract from them, and since everyone is a pro anyway, there’s no point. How Pete Sampras could ever be blasted for sitting out the Olympics with the number of tournaments he’s won is beyond me.
Any strictly regional sport (curling, badminton). The Olympics are the world showcase; introducing hometown events just to up the medal count strikes me as crass. Exception: originally regional sports that have later gained worldwide acceptance are okay (taekwondo).
Anything with scorecards. I’m sorry, but there will NEVER be any degree of fairness and impartiality in this kind of scoring. Am I the only one who finds it ridiculous that these people have the power, with one bad decision, to destroy the lifelong aspirations of a medal hopeful? As if there isn’t enough tension at the Games in the legitimately scored events.
Boxing. My god, travesty after debacle after outrage. There’s enough of that in the professional ranks. And nuts to their “fair” scoring system (which has just created a new breed of boxers who know how to beat the system). We already have the Golden Gloves; we don’t need this.
As for fringe sports like Greco-Roman wrestling, I wouldn’t throw them out, even if they’re not popular, because one of the main purpose of the Olympics is to highlight events that are uncommon or rarely seen. I’m not about to plan my viewing schedule for the next month around these events, but there’s no reason they can’t be on once every four years. Obviously someone cares; I think we should cut them a little slack.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this sport and actively partake in it myself. But, this is a sport where winning comes down to having the right parts. When you’ve got someone using magnesium cranks over chromoly, or using disc brakes over caliper, there’s just a slight advantage there.
I’m sure there is some sort of protocol dictating what you can put on your bike, and what you can’t put on, but then that just makes it harder for the athelete who has to “dumb down” his bike just to compete in this event.
And what about countries whose atheletes aren’t exactly well off? Their bikes are just gonna pale in comparison to other atheletes who can afford all the bells and whistles.
I agree about removing events that rely on judges giving marks for artistic merit. What happened to ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’?
I don’t care for events when you’re getting too old at 21 to compete. In poorer countries, there must be tremendous pressure to sacrifice your childhood to win your country a medal.
Olympic sport is about hard, but fair competition to the limit. It should not include anything where you have to smile while you’re doing it, dress a certain way for extra marks, or handicap yourself.
Ok, there goes:
gymnastics (on all 3 counts)
ice skating (it’s great entertainment, not sport)
synchronised swimming
women’s beach volleyball (because of the costume regulation)
walking
all swimming strokes (apart from freestyle)
the dressage part of horse riding
etc.
And I haven’t included drug-infested sport, because I’m not sure what’s left!
Bah! The more the merrier! Everyone has their specialty; I enjoy the diversity of events. I’m very happy to see folks that we wouldn’t automatically think “athlete” doing their thing. I imagine that if any of you were into any of the above mentioned sports you’d be frothing at the mouth for their inclusion…
To each his/her own. And again, I like the richness of diversity so I’m looking forward to what is added in the future! The games are coming here to SLC in 2002 and I’m sure there will be at least one new sport; I can’t wait!
As a typical male with most of my brain below the waist, of course I like women’s beach volleyball. But I don’t think any Olympic sport should have dress regulations that pander to slobbering males (or females).
Byzantine,
I fully appreciate diversity. Indeed my (mind) sport, chess, is negotiating to join the Olympics. (You can have a separate thread on whether chess is a sport).
But take walking. I’ve never had a car (can you tell I’m not from America?!), so I walk a lot. It’s good exercise, it’s cheap. I know the problems of rain, cracked sidewalks and lorries hitting roadside puddles as they sweep by.
But it’s not a sport! Most people can jog faster than an Olympic walker. You need judges watching every competitor the whole way to prevent cheating. (He ran!).
By all means let’s enjoy the skill of ballroom dancing. But it’s a skilful art, not a sport.
Table Tennis Come on! Gold medal in fuckin’ ping-pong? What’s next, air hockey? Let’s throw that out and get a real sport involved.
Equestrian Events Yes, I know it involves some skill to ride a horse, but if you can compete while wearing a top hat and an ascott, it’s not a sport.
Some Gymnastics The floor exercises and the uneven bars, etc, that’s ok. What needs to go is this stupid running around with a streamer (what the hell is that called anyway?) and the trampoline. I agree that “artistic interpretation” does not belong in sports.
I’ll be back as soon as I finish my coffee and think of some more.
I think that’s what it’s called. And you forgot “That Stupid Running Around with a Shiny Ball, Tossing it into the Air and Catching it again like it’s a Big Deal”
That’s ridiculous. That’s like saying there shouldn’t be anything other than running in track and field.
As for everything else, I agree. Any event where the winner is determined by a large amount of subjectivity should go. And the sports where there are bigger prizes need to go too. Basketball shouldn’t go, but I think the U.S. has proved that we have better ballers than anyone else.
Crunchy Frog - -I can see that you’re out to give dressage the axe – but just because it is relatively safe is a pretty silly reason. Dressage may be one of the only sports where both the equipment (horse, rider) and philosophy have changed little from the Greek era. (Sure, the invention of stirrups change things a little bit…)
And while I’m splitting hairs let me just point out that there are 3 different equestrian sports:
Show jumping – jump the horse over big, big big scary, flimsy obstacles, going very fast. (The jumps are usually around 7 ft and if you’ve ever jumped over an 18 inch obstacle you’ll appreciate the skill involved). Even though you have to wear a dress coat, it is still quite dangerous.
3-day Event – the test of the overall equestrian athlete. Incorporates Showjumping, Cross-country jumping, Road & Tracks (endurance), Steeplechase and Dressage phases (that’s why it takes three days!). I believe six people were killed (internationally) last year, so, again, fairly dangerous.
Dressage – involves a test of prescision and harmony between horse & rider. I know you wont believe me when I say that it is impossibly difficult at the Olympic level. I liken it to the “school figures” of figure skating. True, its not dangerous in the least. However, dressage will never be dropped from the 3-day, which is considered an “exciting” sport so there’s no way for you to get rid off it completely. Hey, and that coat is called a “Shadbelly.”
I generally oppose removing any of the games that go back to the foundations of the olympics. Hence, I cheer for discus throwers, even tho you could also call it “weighty frisbee.”
I believe that is called Rhythmic gymnastics. Isn’t there also some nonsense with a hoop?
Synchronized swimming has got to go, what a joke.
Badminton, however is a pretty serious sport, and quite strenuous physically. In the US, we just play it at picnics, but indoor badminton is very big much of Europe and Asia. Great game.
The most underrated sport is Team Handball. What a fun game to watch and play. Why we don’t play here in the US is a mystery to me.
Perhaps the single greatest thing about my high school was the fact the we played team handball in gym class. I am not inclined towards team sports, so my school career is not exactly dominated by varsity letters. But team handball in gym class gave my life meaning freshman year.
No joke…this country ought to get with it, and fast. I would love to watch TV handball coverage.
I said we should drop all strokes apart from freestyle, not that we should drop swimming. My point is that e.g. breaststroke is slower than freestyle. Let’s have swimming races where the fastest swimmer wins!
It’s like having a hopping race - why have the best in the world competing under a handicap?
rmariamp,
I’m sure dressage is very skilful, and a tribute to the rider’s bond with their horse. But, as with ‘figures’ in skating, or even painting it’s an art, with subjective judges. It’s not sport!
I don’t think sport has to be dangerous, but it should be measurable who wins, not be based on some artistic interpretation.
I know that’s what you meant. Different strokes are like different events in other sports. Just like in track and field there are hurdles and the steeplechase, both slower than if they just ran the distance.
Dressage scoring isn’t totally subjective, although points are assigned for some variations.
In the most basic type every competitor rides the same test, the same routine, and points are removed for not meeting certain standards. For example (the easiest I could think of at the moment), take the horse’s head position. The neck should always be curved (NOT yanked down by the reins, but coming out of full collection, ie, the horse is relaxed and moving with its hindquarters fully engaged…oh it’ll take too long to explain), and the head almost perpedicular to the ground. If the horse tosses its head, or raises it to look around, the rider loses a certain number of points.
For more information: http://www.usdf.org/what_is/spotlight.html
Another point:
Show jumping ain’t all that easy either, because the horse can’t see the jump once you’re close to it. They have a very limited field of vision which doesn’t include anything within about six (IIRC) feet directly in front of it. Very scary.
To all who dissed equestrian, especially Dressage…I have a bone to pick with y’all.
I am a teenager who is studying/competing lower level dressage, and want the cynics to know that it is a whole lot harder than it looks. The horse’s need a certain degree of athleticism, and not every horse can make it to olympic level trainingwise. Also, the riders need alot of strength, flexibility, and very good timing to pull off all the “fancy tricks” since the both are trained to work on a subtle communication to achieve the requirements.
Even at lower levels, one works hard perfecting her form, her horse’s form, and the movements of each test. The fancy clothing are not relevant. Like I usually say, until you are on the horse and you are told to do one of the hardest movements, such as the piaffe or the pirouettes, you don;t have a clue.
And nuts to their “fair” scoring system (which has just created a new breed of boxers who know how to beat the system). We already have the Golden Gloves; we don’t need this.