# Which sports have the most and least complicated official rules? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 8, 2023, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751 "2023-05-08T14:27:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2023, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/81 "2023-06-21T21:57:03Z")
I’ve thrown a Ton-80 (three triple 20’s) while holding a baby, and countless other times holding a beer. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/82 "2023-06-22T00:30:55Z")
On the other hand, Race Walking has some of the most complicated Rules. It’s just a race. Set up a start and finish point. Go. But you have to _ **walk** _. There are only two rules regarding the actual walking (retain contact with the ground, and Lead leg must be straight when it hits the ground, and remain straight until it passes under the body during the stride). Here is the [Race Walking Officiating handbook.](https://www.pausatf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/2016-Race-Walking-OFFICIATING-HANDBOOK.pdf). (it’s not an exciting read). It is 29 pages long. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/83 "2023-06-22T06:48:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If you take someone ignorant of sports, from anywhere in the world, and tell them “Set up a running race over a distance of 100 m”, they will all, 100 times out of 100, come up with functionally the same event. You might think so. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/17NKos-7GCo/hqdefault.jpg "The Games Excerpt") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17NKos-7GCo&t=88) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/84 "2023-06-22T17:39:32Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You might think so. I was in a meeting like that. It was about disk storage, but just as absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/85 "2023-06-22T17:42:49Z")
OK, what is that clip from, and what’s the context? ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/86 "2023-06-22T19:01:19Z")
It’s from an Australian TV series called “The Games”; a mockumentary about the organizing of the Sydney Olympics in 2000. One of the funniest shows ever. Rewind the clip and watch from the beginning. They’re discussing changes to the Opening Ceremonies, like replacing the release of doves with emus, on “a long-necked waddle for peace”. If you recognize two of the guys, they’re John Clarke and Bryan Dawe. They did a lot of political/bureaucratic satire, and their routine about an oil tanker “The Front Fell Off” went viral some years ago. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2023, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/87 "2023-06-22T21:08:33Z")
Full bit: > **[100 Metres Track (full bit) - John Clarke & Bryan Dawe - The Games (1998)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgrciZYEGzk%2F)** The track is 94m Brian ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/88 "2023-06-23T14:39:01Z")
OK, 91.44 meters, I could understand. But 94? ---
**Author:** ![TwoCarrotSnowman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twocarrotsnowman/32/15879_2.png) [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2023, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/89 "2023-06-23T14:56:46Z")
I imagine the writers thought it was the funniest “not 100m” number. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2023, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751/90 "2023-06-26T06:49:02Z")
I suspect some folk sport that nonetheless has a governing body and competitions is likely to be the answer. I’d wager anything that has _professional_ leagues is going to have more complicated rules because there’s money on the line. Even some otherwise amateur sports will be in that vein, like say Gaelic football. So you want to look at things like conkers and _fierljeppen_. They’ll have rules (I know conkers has many), but probably not _as_ many as even the 100m sprint does nowadays. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sports-have-the-most-and-least-complicated-official-rules/983751.md?page=4)