# Worst Olympic Sports **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 31, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001 "2012-07-31T23:06:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/1 "2012-07-31T23:06:47Z")
For me its synchronized _anything_ diving or swimming. I’m not sating its easy, I’m just saying its dumb. The Kayaks going down the fake water rapids is pretty pathetic, too. I feel sorry for the competitors. I’m sure that they are very skilled kayakers in a real river. It just looks like they are competing in a “river” at a Disneyland ride. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/2 "2012-07-31T23:29:38Z")
Anything subjectively judged is below anything not subjectively judged. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/3 "2012-07-31T23:37:27Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Anything subjectively judged is below anything not subjectively judged. This why I watch swimming and Track and Field, but not diving and gymnastics. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/4 "2012-07-31T23:39:55Z")
Ping pong. Yeah, I know it’s popular in Asia, but still … They got rid of baseball but kept handball? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/5 "2012-08-01T00:50:02Z")
Trampoline was the point I realized they really were making shit up cause they could. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/6 "2012-08-01T01:02:59Z")
I think the equestrian events don’t belong in the human olympics. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/7 "2012-08-01T01:04:52Z")
Swimming, can’t stand the jingoistic cheering from the Aussie commentators and really swimming is just so unremarkable. Yes I do like the relays but the individual stuff?. Boring and boorish. “hides from most other aussies” ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/8 "2012-08-01T01:09:51Z")
Isn’t the Olympics just a swimming carnival? I didn’t know there were other events. [http://www.bandt.com.au/news/media/nine-comes-in-for-olympic-bashing](http://www.bandt.com.au/news/media/nine-comes-in-for-olympic-bashing) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/9 "2012-08-01T01:19:29Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Anything subjectively judged is below anything not subjectively judged. Yeah, I really don’t care for the judging. I recognize and appreciate that gymnastics and other such events (figure skating, diving, etc.) are extremely, even _transcendantly_ difficult, but the judging brings it down a peg from other events. For my “worst” Olympic event, I’m going to go with Equestrian. It has the judging element, plus, the horse is doing all the work. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/10 "2012-08-01T01:19:58Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Trampoline was the point I realized they really were making shit up cause they could. Tug-of-war was an event in every Summer Olympic games [from 1900 to 1920](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tug_of_war_at_the_Summer_Olympics). ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/11 "2012-08-01T01:21:19Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Tug-of-war was an event in every Summer Olympic games [from 1900 to 1920](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tug_of_war_at_the_Summer_Olympics). Croquet was an event in 1900. _Croquet_! 😕 ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/12 "2012-08-01T01:23:49Z")
Pommel horse. As compared to the other gymnastic sports, all the pommel horse routines look pretty much alike, and a sport where you’re always on a stationary apparatus just can’t be as exciting or creative as one where you are doing flips and spins in the air. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/13 "2012-08-01T01:26:53Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Trampoline was the point I realized they really were making shit up cause they could. Beat me to it. And volleyball. Table tennis. Air rifle. Synchronized swimming. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/14 "2012-08-01T01:57:01Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Croquet was an event in 1900. _Croquet_! 😕 At least it is objectively a sport. Personally, I think they should have more sports in the Olympics. It should be far more inclusive. Bring back baseball. Have golf, croquet, billiards, and squash and rqcquetball and cricket. Why not? They’re all sports played internationally. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/15 "2012-08-01T02:04:16Z")
I’d love to see chess, bridge, and go added. I was distressed to see that they have pimped the gymnastics apparati. The balance beam now has padding and is springy and the floor exercise area has actual springs underneath. ETA: I think synchronized diving is cool. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/16 "2012-08-01T02:22:14Z")
Golf is part of the Rio Games. Other sports I’d add: Lacrosse, karate (only MA not currently in), agree about the other court/diamond games Echo the silliness of equestrian ---
**Author:** ![magnusblitz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@magnusblitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magnusblitz)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/17 "2012-08-01T02:23:26Z")
I think the first two posts hit the nail on the head. Anything subjective is below anything objective. And synchro and kayaking both look pretty dumb. The synchronized diving is a good example of why the judging drives me nuts. There were plenty of times that even to my untrained eye, I could tell the two weren’t really synchronized (e.g., one guy started his spin too early) but wouldn’t get deducted for it. There was even one dive where one diver turned far inwards towards his partner instead of staying straight, but because all the judges sit on the side, didn’t seem to be a deduction for it. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/18 "2012-08-01T02:42:08Z")
Rhythmic gymnasitcs a.k.a. the curling of the summer games. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2012, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/19 "2012-08-01T02:43:20Z")
I like the whitewater kayak and canoe. Yeah, it’s in an artificial river, but that’s probably the only way to assure that the course stays absolutely consistent from one competitor to the next. And there may not be any suitable natural rapids near London, and you’d need areas for press and spectators, etc. > [@magnusblitz](#): > > The synchronized diving is a good example of why the judging drives me nuts. There were plenty of times that even to my untrained eye, I could tell the two weren’t really synchronized (e.g., one guy started his spin too early) but wouldn’t get deducted for it. There was even one dive where one diver turned far inwards towards his partner instead of staying straight, but because all the judges sit on the side, didn’t seem to be a deduction for it. I saw one in the men’s platform where the two British divers were about a quarter turn out of sync. I could see it in the full-speed shot and in the slow-mo. Neither of the commentators said a thing and their synchronization scores were 9.5s. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001/20 "2012-08-01T03:01:20Z")
> [@Eliahna](#): > > Isn’t the Olympics just a swimming carnival? I didn’t know there were other events. > > [http://www.bandt.com.au/news/media/nine-comes-in-for-olympic-bashing](http://www.bandt.com.au/news/media/nine-comes-in-for-olympic-bashing) [off-topic] Wow. It’s not just us then. [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=157561501](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=157561501) NBC coverage has come a long way since the Oprah-riffic treatment they gave the Atlanta games, but they’ve still got a ways to go. > [@minlokwat](#): > > Rhythmic gymnasitcs a.k.a. the curling of the summer games. I’ll pretend that I didn’t hear you compare the noble, physically and mentally challenging sport of curling to banner-twirling. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-olympic-sports/630001.md?page=2)