Promoted party by the Darts is not a Sport thread, and also but a discussion I had over a beer last week, what "sports" should and shouldn't be in the Olympics.
As reference point, the Olympic Movements moto is Citius - Altius - Fortius, or Faster - Higher - Stronger.
So, as a start point, anything that's scored subjectively and/or judged is out. Dressage, boxing, gymnastics figure skating, skateboarding, surfing and most martial arts all gone.
In the pub we also argued that The Olympics should be the peak of the sport, if it's not then it's out. So that removes things like football, golf, baseball, basketball and possibly road cycling.
Swimming can expect changes. You can't have 4 different strokes at least 2 of them are just deliberately making life hard for yourself. So they keep freestyle and I'm prepared to discuss backstroke as at least it has a real world use (life saving). Butterfly and Breaststroke are out. And they only get 2 relays too. To keep things fair, we'd offer athletics the option to include a second track discipline, ideally running backwards.
I'd welcome others thoughts on this...
Horse dancing should certainly not be in their.
Synchronised ebike flatland should be in there fo sho.
Tug of war has been before and should be again
In Arm Wrestling
Out Shooting
and possibly road cycling
What! and lose the curse of the gold lid!
IN: Cross country running, It used to be many years ago. Too many great middle and long distance runners chasing too few track medals.
OUT: Stupid modern pentathlon thing should be out, mainly because they are cruel to the horses.
Brass band contests should be in.
Subjective judging, no go.
Tug of war has been before and should be again
This fits the criteria. In.
Cross country running
Yep, I'd go with that, and add cyclocross in at the same time. But, I'd put them in the winter Olympics not summer. I refuse to have XC or CX in warm conditions, it needs mud and cold air.
Architecture and planning used to be in the Olympic in the Arts categories along with engraving and graphics
Don't know if it would make for riveting telly if I'm honest.
2 of them are just deliberately making life hard for yourself
Disagree. Was always pretty strong at breast stroke, not so much freestyle. Backstroke as a life saving option? Nope.
CX in the winter Olympics and DH in the summer one
Disagree. Was always pretty strong at breast stroke, not so much freestyle. Backstroke as a life saving option? Nope.
That's fair. So we just keep freestyle then. Go as fast as you can, you can pick which stroke you use.
Sounds good.
I think they should combine it with the upcoming reboot of Gladiators and have scrapping with massive cotton buds on top of big poles
Also my proposed reboot of Gladiators which involves actual lions
So, as a start point, anything that’s scored subjectively and/or judged is out. Dressage, boxing, gymnastics figure skating, skateboarding, surfing and most martial arts all gone.
Gymnastics and figure skating have scoring methodologies that make sense and have evolved as sports around this so I'd let them stay. Skateboarding, BMX, freestyle ski/snowboard are sports where scoring has been added on to a previously non-competitive sport at the cost of style and expression, so as a purist I would say remove from the Olympics.
Too many track cycling and swimming medals. Remove all the stupid formats and strokes and replicate athletics; sprint, middle distance, long distance and a relay.
I refuse to have XC or CX in warm conditions, it needs mud and cold air.
Done in the sunshine in other countries. My suggestion would have XC running at the same games as the track events, otherwise the same Gold winners in the summer would win gold in the winter.
Add a target/scoring element to Javelin - target areas on the ground at different distances so it becomes more about judgement and skill rather than just how far you can wang the stick.
Ditch discuss and hammer.
Quoits should be in.
Pole vaulting should be judged on distance not height… the Long Vault into a sand pit.
Sumo and Kabaddi definitely in.
Boxing doesn't have to out - just change it from 3 rounds of mincing to "to the death"
I refuse to have XC or CX in warm conditions, it needs mud and cold air.
Oh dear, you are not going to like 2032.
So, as a start point, anything that’s scored subjectively and/or judged is out. Dressage, boxing, gymnastics figure skating, skateboarding, surfing and most martial arts all gone.
So boxing and martial arts just replaced by 'fighting', no judging, winner is last person conscious.
People do realise that every competitive sport has some form of subjective judging, right?
I'm not sure why judges directly assigning a score makes something 'not a sport' but it's a cliche that gets rolled out all the time.
Drop the Olympic distance triathlon in favour of the Ironman distances of 3.8,180,42. And 3000m of climbing minimum.
Winter triathlon in the Winter Olympics. We nearly got in in the late 90s but it didn't happen for some reason. 10km run on snow, 15km MTB on snow. 15km X-C ski
Dressage.
I would have thought that the only people interested in it were those that were taking part.
I would have thought that the only people interested in it were those that were taking part.#
kissing up to queenie via her daughter
Let's just get rid of the Olympics altogether.
Just a multi-billion dollar money-making scheme for those at the top and a complete waste of resources every four years.
If a sport can't stand on it's own with it's own world championships then it's just a pastime. 😉
I sort of get this, whilst at the same not getting it. Surely would be better if they varied the position of the holds?<br /><br /><br />
Jousting - Non subjective equestion discipline to replace dressage?
Let’s just get rid of the Olympics altogether.
This is pretty much the view I'm coming round to.
I suspect the Commonwealth Games are on the verge of folding and I wouldn't be surprised if the Olympics went the same way in a few years.
Let’s just get rid of the Olympics altogether.<br />Just a multi-billion dollar money-making scheme for those at the top and a complete waste of resources every four years.<br />If a sport can’t stand on it’s own with it’s own world championships then it’s just a pastime
Yep. Saved me some typing there. It feels these days it's more about the prestige for the venues, the marketing companies, broadcasters and the organisers than about the sport. Would be happy to see it go
Can we bring in drugs as well? Formally rather than just unofficially as it is today. I mean I don't want to watch someone long jump 9m but 20m might be interesting. So take all the drugs you like and lets see a 5sec 100m race?
Sack off anything involving horses for starters. It's not supposed to be a competition for lazy posh ****ers who can't be arsed to do the hard work themselves.
Then EVERYTHING that requires music (synchronised swimming, ribbon waving in a leotard, etc.)
Everything that is 'judged' rather than measured or timed.
And everything that isn't the pinacle of the sport (so off with golf, tennis, wendyball, etc).
Everything that is really only played in America ( big bat rounders, etc) as that's just all bollox.
Swimming- anything that's not freestyle (all other strokes are just swimming in an increasingly shit way - even track running don't have a sideways or backwards version).
Walking races. That behaviour should be the preserve of a ministry in Monty Python.
Introduce 'top bombing' - as a replacement for the various diving competitions. That can be measured - just decide the criteria - highest splash, biggest displaced water volume (3D scanners can do that easily) or loudest belly flop from 10m.
It’s continued existence baffles me
Possibly the most corrupt organisation on the planet (other than FIFA) offers you the ‘opportunity’ to spend billions and billions to host a load of sports/pastimes that nobody would ever bother to watch at any other time, and you’re supposed to thank them for it?
The Commonwealth Games is essentially now dead as it’s the same offer, only slightly shitter, surely the Olympics is next
Would anyone actually miss it?
Can we bring in drugs as well? Formally rather than just unofficially as it is today. I mean I don’t want to watch someone long jump 9m but 20m might be interesting. So take all the drugs you like and lets see a 5sec 100m race?
@db, so at what age are you prepared to let your daughter start taking those drugs?
I'm up for the triathlon to go iron distance. But also up the swim leg to 10k whilst at it to make it proper. 3.8k swim is a joke really in ironman, massively disproportionately short and only a legacy of what happened to be an existing swim event in the 1970s in Hawaii, rather than the 10k which is commonly viewed as the equivalent marathon distance for swimming.
@db, so at what age are you prepared to let your daughter start taking those drugs?
6 maybe?
I don't know. I guess we could just experiment and find out what age kids respond best to PEDs.
It would certainly be better if the children of all nations shared these risks rather than just the ones who come from countries with state sponsored doping programs.
Monkey bars. Set up a circular course and set off 2 hangers from opposite sides. Winner is either first to catch the other one or last man still swinging
Best overall competitor based on the old superstars format. Open to any athelete 😉
eg.
100m: sprint as fast as you can over 100m.
800m: timed race over the 800m distance
50m swim: timed swimming race over the 50m distance
Gym test - squats: Your feet must be dragged from one line to another as many times as possible in a minute. Sliding in socks is allowed, but those who value their feet are advised to wear shoes.
Gym test - Dips: The aim is to lift yourself up using two parallel bars until your elbows lock out, then to dip down before locking out again. You have one minute to do as many repetitions as you can.
Kayak: a paddling race in pairs along a 120m course. The two fastest paddlers go head to head in a final to determine the winner.
Mountain bikes: A one-off race up a very steep 600m slope.
And finish it all off with a timed military assault course with mud and barbed wire
I really dislike the discrimination against sports that are not included.
A couple of things have baffled me since Mexico/Munich. Why so much swimming, some bordering on the aquatic version of silly walks?
And where is the running? OK loads around in circles on a plastic track, but on actual terrain. At least triathlon has got in, but cross country, hill running and orienteering please - the latter is particularly attractive given technology and moving into short races in urban terrain. The traditional sport is less attractive for the obvious reason of trees!
Why have to Olympics at all, most sports have world championships so the Olympics are obsolete.
Have as many events in each category as you want/agree. So 20 running events but only 1 medal up for grabs you pick up points for position in the race. Gold to most points.
Athletics would break down to running, throwing, jumping medals.
Agree with swimming and track cycling. Any sport where people can win numerous medals in one games illustrates that there are far too many similar events . It’s no surprise that all our most successful Olympians are track cyclists
id also remove any sport that doesn’t pass a certain threshold for countries that participate. Using the example of track cycling, you are competing against a tiny pool of countries who take it seriously. That combined with the fact competitors have 3 or 4 chances to win a medal against very limited opposition makes it utterly pointless
