# Worst Olympic Events **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 30, 2008, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447 "2008-04-30T07:25:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/41 "2008-05-01T07:51:17Z")
[QUOTE=Darth Sensitive] What if we actually added a bear to the contest? A hungry one. [/QUOTE] I could get behind that. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/42 "2008-05-01T08:22:47Z")
[QUOTE=Sitnam] Curling, if you can smoke while doing it it ain’t a fucking sport. [/QUOTE] A 'net friend of mine used to be on his local curling team. His take on its inclusion in the Olympics? “If you can drink beer while doing it, it isn’t really a sport. Curling was invented as an excuse to get out of the house and drink beer. That leaves us with only one conclusion.” It _is_ however very interesting to watch when you’ve got the flu and are running a high fever. Gotta give it that. If we need to pare down the Olympics, I’d start with any sport that depend on arbitrary judging. In particular I’d start with any sport with the word “synchronized” in the name. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/43 "2008-05-01T12:34:12Z")
[QUOTE=Sitnam] Curling, if you can smoke while doing it it ain’t a fucking sport. [/QUOTE] Name an Olympic sport, besides swimming and diving, you can’t smoke while you’re doing it. You could smoke while pole vaulting. You could smoke while playing soccer. You could smoke while shooting. You could smoke while running. You could smoke while speed skating. You could smoke while snowboarding. Of course, you probably won’t be doing your best. Neither would curlers, which is why you don’t see the world’s best curlers smoking when they’re playing. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/44 "2008-05-01T13:02:51Z")
Olympic snowboarders have been known to smoke before the event. Guess they thought they were competing in the hashpipe, not the half pipe. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/45 "2008-05-01T13:19:26Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] If there is a bear chasing would you walk like some doofus making sure both your feet are always touching or would you be sprinting like a motherfuck as though your life depended on it? [/QUOTE] Both feet are always touching what? Each other? The ground? Wouldn’t that be more of a shuffle? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/46 "2008-05-01T13:42:02Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] You could smoke while pole vaulting. [/QUOTE] Only in a menage a trois. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/47 "2008-05-01T14:03:16Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Both feet are always touching what? Each other? The ground? Wouldn’t that be more of a shuffle? [/QUOTE] In the “sport” of walking, at least **one** foot must always be touching the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/48 "2008-05-01T14:07:55Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] In the “sport” of walking, at least **one** foot must always be touching the ground. [/QUOTE] Right. Not two. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/49 "2008-05-01T14:23:59Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Name an Olympic sport, besides swimming and diving, you can’t smoke while you’re doing it. [/QUOTE] You could smoke while doing the backstroke. You’d have to do an open turn and it would get pretty wet, but you could still do it. Hell if you didn’t put your head underwater for the breaststroke you could smoke too. It might be interesting to see someone smoking right as they dove off the board too. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/50 "2008-05-01T14:38:13Z")
Curling badly is relatively easy (on par with bowling, I’d say). Curling well is very, very hard. It’s not an event predicated on pure physical stamina or speed, but rather, a precise combination of accuracy, strategy and strength. There are a lot of other sports I’d kick out of the Olympics before curling. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/51 "2008-05-01T15:33:14Z")
[QUOTE=jacquilynne] Curling badly is relatively easy (on par with bowling, I’d say). Curling well is very, very hard. [/QUOTE] As is bowling well. Still rooting for Olympic Bowling in 2016! But considering even baseball is being dropped from the Olympics, I don’t hold out much hope. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/52 "2008-05-01T15:42:05Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] The high jump record is 8 feet. 8 feet. Measure that on the wall next to you and then stare at it for a while. Still think that isn’t a worthy athletic feat? [/QUOTE] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4yhE5KEPq0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4yhE5KEPq0) Jumping over a bar. Sure. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/53 "2008-05-01T15:46:24Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Name an Olympic sport, besides swimming and diving, you can’t smoke while you’re doing it. [/QUOTE] I bet boxing would be hard. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/54 "2008-05-01T15:56:24Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] As is bowling well. Still rooting for Olympic Bowling in 2016! But considering even baseball is being dropped from the Olympics, I don’t hold out much hope. [/QUOTE] Does anyone stand a chance of placing outside the United States? I know there’s a finn, but he’s the only PBA player I know of born outside the US. That’ll hurt bowling’s chances. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/55 "2008-05-01T15:57:49Z")
[QUOTE=jacquilynne] Curling badly is relatively easy (on par with bowling, I’d say). Curling well is very, very hard. It’s not an event predicated on pure physical stamina or speed, but rather, a precise combination of accuracy, strategy and strength. There are a lot of other sports I’d kick out of the Olympics before curling. [/QUOTE] I find curling absolutely fascinating. Watch a Canadian Brier final to get a good idea of what great curling is. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/56 "2008-05-01T16:09:32Z")
It also makes for surprisingly good television – it’s so strategic that there’s tons for commentators to comment on, and miking the players makes the whole package very engaging. I saw the '07 Brier final live, and it was amazing and fun to be there, but it’s arguably better on television. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/57 "2008-05-01T16:18:18Z")
[QUOTE=drm] Does anyone stand a chance of placing outside the United States? I know there’s a finn, but he’s the only PBA player I know of born outside the US. That’ll hurt bowling’s chances. [/QUOTE] The international women’s field is a lot more diverse than the men’s. There are quite a few talented women from South America, Australia and Japan who would definitely be able to compete with the U.S. in the Olympics. There are a few good men from Europe, but since they’d each have to represent their individual countries instead of Europe as a whole, I think the U.S. would probably have no trouble dominating. There is some competition from Japan, but not quite at the same level, I don’t think. Still, there are lots of other Olympic sports where one country or region typically tends to dominate. I think that if bowling became an Olympic sport and there were more international competitions out there, everyone’s level would rise and it would become much more competitive over time. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/58 "2008-05-01T17:53:48Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] They ought to take out the sports where the Olympics isn’t the be all and end all. Olympic basketball? Does anybody really give a rat’s ass who wins the Olympic basketball tournament? There are other basketball competitions that are a lot, LOT more important than the Olympics in basketball, so Olympic basketball is a low-stakes “all stars” kind of game. Stupid. Whereas those track and field people have worked their whole lives for this specific opportunity. Axe tennis, basketball, baseball, definitely soccer, etc. Modern pentathlon is AWESOME and should indeed be done in period costume. [/QUOTE] I mostly agree, but would qualify it by assessing whether the Olympics is the pinnacle for national team competition. Sure, the Olympics cannot compete with the World Series or NBA finals, but those are events for franchise teams, not countries. I would argue that the Olympics is the pinnacle for national basketball and baseball teams. Soccer should be out - nothing beats the World Cup. Tennis has the Davis/Fed Cups but I think the Olympics are becoming bigger. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/59 "2008-05-01T19:26:18Z")
You can have my U.S. Women’s Curling Team when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447/60 "2008-05-02T00:33:27Z")
I’m really bothered by any sport in which one medal event is a qualifier for another. For example, what’s it called? Short track speed skating? The one where you get a bunch of competitors all out on the ice together and they skate? Fine, awesome event, pure speed and tactics to avoid other skaters. I like it. But is it really necessary to award a medal for 200m AND use it as a qualifier for 400m? (I may have my distances messed up there, but I remember this happening in the last Winter Olympics.) If an event is sufficiently distinct to merit its own medal, it shouldn’t be a qualifier, and if it’s sufficiently similar to be used as a qualifier, it shouldn’t merit a medal. But that’s just my $.02. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-events/447447.md?page=4)