I feel the Olympics should just be sports that are not mainstream.

Golf, Basketball, Tennis, Soccer --- sports like this should not be in the Olympics. These sports have events outside of the Olympics that I consider to be better. Baseball and Softball are coming back in 2020, and I am not excited about that.

Leave all the other sports that don't get as much attention on a regular basis in.

I'd vote for anything with another major (as in, world renowned like super bowl, World Series, Fifa cup, etc) championship already. Baseball (back in 2020), basketball, soccer, even road cycling. I get board seeing the same people racing just with another name on their chest.

However I know Olympic gold has a certain pull and weight for a lot of athletes. Plus, those sports draw huge crowds. I just enjoy the more obscure sports more because I don't see them as often.

I think the Olympics should include only the sports where winning an Olympic Gold is the highest achievement one can have.

Nobody grows up with dreams to win a gold medal playing basketball or golf or tennis. They want to win the NBA title, and major championships.

A wrestler that has Olympic Gold aspirations truly can't win anything higher than an Olympic Gold. I think that is how it should be.

I say remove anything that is judged. To me that is not a sport, it is an exhibition. I'm not saying those who partake in them (gymnastics, diving) aren't incredible athletes but who wins is based on opinion... for the most part. It's horse shit.

Anything involving a horse.

Oh and "extreme" sports... anything in the X-games shouldn't be in the Olympics.

The only reason to have the pro athletes from real pro sports like basketball, tennis, road cycling etc is they bring eyeballs to the Olympics. That's not going to go away. I don't see a problem with the Olympics being "too big". Who cares, if someone else wants to organize them and go into debt with the cost of the big party so that you and I can watch free sport, then more power to them. A bunch of companies make money off our eyeballs, we get entertained and a local host city goes into debt, but no one is asking them to go into debt and they (collectively) keep doing it.

It's a great spectacle that someone else pays for. How is this not good for everyone else? Its a great cultural, sporting, business, political and social event for all of humanity on someone else's coin...and some guys at Lausanne get really rich.

I hear you there. I hate to even say it because the divers, gymnasts, etc are truly incredible athletes. However when winning or losing comes down to a collective subjective opinion rather than pure objectivity, is it really a sport? I realize all of those things have objective elements in their scoring, but in the end there are going to be a handful of athletes who don't make "mistakes" that lead to deductions, and a winner somehow has to be chosen among them.

I generally dislike the olympics due to many of these points. It really does put a lot of host cities in a bind financially and that's just downright sad.

But in a hypocrite because I will have my eyes glued to a few events. Just wish they were out in in a smarter way without the hole host city thing.

Golf is not a sport, it is a game and while some of its best players are athletic, they are not athletes. Olympic gold in golf is probably the sixth or seventh greatest achievement in the game after the four majors, players championship and ryder cup. And as we have seen, most of the best players have elected not to participate in the olympics. And I'm saying this as an avid golfer. It is not a sport.

---

A false humanity is used to impose its opposite, by people whose cruelty is equalled only by their arrogance

I say remove anything that is judged.

I thought this same thing for the longest time, but I've given it some thought, and the line is too gray for me. That eliminates boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, and many others. Then one could argue that every sport has some level of being judged with all the officials.

Golf is not a sport, it is a game


Well good thing it's called the Olympic Games then.

:)

Trampoline. It's gotta go. We have gymnastics already.

---

--------------------------
The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

All swimming other than freestyle. No problem with all the distances although there are far too many.

It's the equivalent of getting a gold medal for running backwards, or sideways, or in some peculiar type which is slower than actually running properly.

Can you imagine an event on the track where you run one lap backwards, another sideways, then another jumping?

Swimming is a joke sport. Who invented butterfly? Madness. It's just a sport for dodgy men to train little girls to swim in stupid ways up and down a pool.

Abolish all the rubbish strokes just swim as fast as you can for an agreed distance and who cares if most of it is under water.

Something like this;

Archery
Badminton
Basketball
Beach volleyball
Boxing
Canoe slalom
Canoe sprint
Cycling - BMX
Cycling - Mountain bike
Cycling - Road
Cycling - Track
Diving
Equestrian
Fencing
Field hockey
Golf
Gymnastics
Handball
Judo
Marathon swimming
Modern pentathlon
Rhythmic gymnastics
Rowing
Rugby sevens
Sailing
Shooting
Soccer
Swimming
Synchronized swimming
Table tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Track & field
Trampoline
Triathlon
Volleyball
Water polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling

Obviously you young folks weren't around for one of the most memorable sporting events in history! When USA won the hockey gold medal in a contest known as the "Miracle on Ice!". That hockey team had the attention of the world that year. I don't like hockey myself, but I watched that game back in 1980!

The viewing public would go bonkers if you removed gymnastics. I wouldn't mind seeing trampoline go away though.

I'm also not a fan of fencing in its current state. Watch some of that... it's usually just who can lunge the quickest.

Hockey is the only mainstream sport that I would be in favor of keeping in. There are so many good countries in that sport, it's always a good competition.

When USA basketball wins by 50 points a game, who wants to watch that?

Couldn't agree more!

One exception, modern pentathlon. Probably the highest achievement is the Olympics because it was basically created when the modern olympics started but it's just a sport that makes you think... why???

I think we should make them real swords and see who is so quick to lunge in then....

All fighting sports should be in the Olympics. Poofters who can't fight do poofter sports.

That said, all the weight divisions in fighting sports like boxing or wrestling should be abolished. Open weight only. Small men who weigh something daft like under 90 kilos can do some sort of endurance sport, or ballroom dancing.

equestrian...this is about human ability.

You ever rode a horse?

I like most of dogmile's list. I would leave the martial arts in there though, and I like equestrian and sailing but that's just me.

Rio will take care of marathon swimming heh.

Having some background in diving and being around my younger brother's national/international dive meets, I can say that the scoring tends to be very close and consistent across divers and meets. It would be neat to do a statistical study on that, but from experience the scores tend to be fair. Obviously there can be errors made by the judges, but I don't think that makes diving not a sport. I would make the comparison to how it was before the advent of touchpads in swimming- the fact that the result of the meet depended on the judgment of a person with a stopwatch didn't make the sport "horse shit".
I can't speak to other judged sports but I'd imagine those also have competent, consistent, and fair judges.

We should just let all the judges watch each dive in slow mo.

Ski Jumping where they get marks for style, what a joke, who jumps furthest wins, but no judges give marks for style, poofters.

Surfing was just added for 2020, and I'd already like to see it removed.

What a stupid idea it is to add a sport that requires a distinct, and relatively rare, natural phenomenon to an event that regularly occurs in places where that phenomenon does not exist.

I always thought the medal round game against the ussr was the miracle on ice. The gold medal game was against Finland

I agree with golf, but mostly because the golfers don't seem to care. I really like Olympic soccer, and I am not a soccer fan. I feel like it is next to the world cup. You did not mention Hockey, but olympic hockey is great! The NHL players love going home to play for their home countries and unlike basketball, hockey is competitive on the national level.

To me it is a shame they axed wrestling in favor of any of those sports however. I do not like wrestling, but to me the sport screams olympics and I feel like it may be the nail in the coffin for the sport.

Oh, I guess wrestling got reinstated... woops.

I like that the men's Olympic soccer is U23, mostly. You get to see upcoming players and teams that are not the same as the World Cup.

Yeah I like Olympic hockey as well, much more competitive globally.

Doh! There's goes Canada's only hope of a gold medal

Trolling are we?

---

#swimmingmatters
Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.
The Doctor (#12)

Correct. Miracle on Ice against the Russians was the opening game of the medal round, and they beat Finland two days later for the gold. They were losing to the Finns after the second period and Herb Brooks spoke only one sentence to the team in the locker room: "You lose this game, you'll take it to your fucking graves!" and the rest is history.

As to the OP, I'd get rid of rhythmic gymnastics, golf, tennis and the extreme sports.

---

"You can never win or lose if you don't run the race." - Richard Butler

I agree with you here. I think most of his list is pretty close to what I would get rid of and keep, but like you I would leave the martial arts and also the gymnastics. I think that is a big part of the Olympics and it really is the pinnacle of the sport. Watching what those guys and girls can do is unbelievable.

---

_____________________________________________________
Instagram | Team Kiwami North America

I grew up in a host city, Montreal, where we paid dearly for years for the enjoyment of the rest of the world by our misguided tax money being spent on useless infrastructure that we as athletes never even got to use. Soooooooooo, since my family cross subsidized the rest of the world's eyeballs with some of our tax money, I am more than glad if other cities are equally stupid and want to pay for my enjoyment....I suppose in a small way I have a bit of moral high ground having lived through the aftermath of being a family from a host city. But yeah, it is a bit hypocritical to enjoy the Olympics on someone else's dime especially when poor people are being de prioritized in terms of basic services in their city/country to pay for a global party, but I guess its how the world turns.

But hey Peter Uberroth figured out a way to host the LA Olympics and make money....why can't anyone else pull that off?

^^^^This.

.....plus any sport that gives points for "artistic impression".

---

ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

This will show my US bias but I've always thought if your sport has a bigger event then your out.


Basketball out
Cycling (road race) out
Soccer out
golf out
Tennis out



(Yes I know it's an American homer pov)

Olympics should be for the weird sports to get their 4 mins of fame every 4th year- table tennis, biathlon, diving, rowing etc.

What's even dumber to me is what each sports allows for the teams to compete. I think soccer has u23 for men's but women gets its stars.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

What team did the USA beat in the final?

You said it perfectly!

Any activity that includes the use of music as an integral part of the sport.
As pointed out before, anything that is judged.
Anything where men wear a costume, sparkly things or chiffon (figure skating).
Shooting (but not biathlon in the Winter Olympics, that sport is awesome!), archery, badminton.
I agree with the swimming event post that said to exclude all swimming events except freestyle.
Race walking.
Opening ceremonies.
Closing ceremonies.

http://lmgtfy.com

Sweden.

---

_____________________________________________________
Instagram | Team Kiwami North America

What is interesting with the 1980 hockey tournament is that it had no final.
Many think the USA beat the Soviet in a final. Mostly because the story has grown since 1980.

Basketball, Men's Cycling Road Race and ITT, Golf, and Tennis have to go.

Women's cycling in the Olympics still makes sense.

Women's soccer in the Olympics is OK. They could drop the men's tournament (U-23 but you can have 3 older players and a player's club can refuse to allow their players to participate in the Olympics). But other than the World Cup, the Olympics is about the only time people pay attention to women's soccer.

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

You can do better than that, and although Finland was taken over by Swedes some time ago, in 1980 when the Finland team got the silver medal it was well past the time of ancient Swedish rule.

As a minimum, you should know that the finish line of the first continental US Ironman in Lake Placid is around 200 feet from the ice where the USA won that 1980 Hockey Gold Medal (not to mention the finish chute is the same won where Eric Heiden got his 5 Gold medals in speed skating.

Dev

Yes the USA beat Finland in the last game. But Soviet got the silver medal.

The tournament did not have a final. People have a tendency to forget that

Get rid of swimming, running, wrestling, gymnastics,... He'll get rid of Everything except half pipe snowboarding, team handball, and bmx.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Get rid of everything that is not racing.

So eliminate all of the "field" events from track and field, weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, other martial arts, all of the team sports...

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I guess maybe keep the decathlon around. Just because.

Team sports should have their own major events. Like maybe some huge worldwide soccer event.

grew up in a host city, Montreal, where we paid dearly for years for the enjoyment of the rest of the world by our misguided tax money being spent on useless infrastructure that we as athletes never even got to use. Soooooooooo, since my family cross subsidized the rest of the world's eyeballs with some of our tax money, I am more than glad if other cities are equally stupid and want to pay for my enjoyment....I suppose in a small way I have a bit of moral high ground having lived through the aftermath of being a family from a host city. But yeah, it is a bit hypocritical to enjoy the Olympics on someone else's dime especially when poor people are being de prioritized in terms of basic services in their city/country to pay for a global party, but I guess its how the world turns.

But hey Peter Uberroth figured out a way to host the LA Olympics and make money....why can't anyone else pull that off?
----------------------------------
LA is bidding for 2024. LA has everything in place already. No need to build stadiums, pools etc, this goes for training and events. Also summer weather is generally good.

---

Train safe & smart
Bob

I would counter that if target sports such as shooting were mainstream there might just be less of a problem in that area. Brushing stuff under the rug or painting things as evil has never worked well.

---

I reject your reality and substitute my own!
Adam Savage

Frankly, all of them. Until the IOC can be disassembled and rebuilt and cost containment measures can be put in place. I head yesterday that 5 new sports are being added to Tokyo including baseball/softball again, surfing, skateboarding, karate, and "sports climbing".

I'm not sure why everything has to be an Olympic sport.

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

and hey, if america wins, it belongs in the olympics!

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

So...I guess you'd knock out Triathlon.

I know I probably would. Unless they come up with a lot better format. Not all sports need to be int he olympics.

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

Posts like this just piss me off. Diminishing another accomplishment in any sport is crap. Calling out golfers and saying that they might not be athletes? Are you serious?

Greatness at ANYTHING should be celebrated. Yes, there are some sports/games that should move on from the Olympics because of current popularity and participation rates, but there is no reason to call something out like this.

---

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com

X2 - you beat me to it.

Should there be a chess tournament in the Olympics for the greatest chess players? Should golf be in the Olympics?

Lots of people play chess. Some of them are great chess players. But I wouldn't include a chess tournament in the Olympics.

Lots of people play golf. Some of them are great golf players. But there are plenty of better tournaments where great golfers are recognized and celebrated. Many of the best golfers are taking a pass on the Olympics. Golf doesn't belong in the Olympics.

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

I say remove anything that is judged. To me that is not a sport, it is an exhibition. I'm not saying those who partake in them (gymnastics, diving) aren't incredible athletes but who wins is based on opinion... for the most part. It's horse shit.
--------------------------
I agree and the first to go is Ice Skating, it's rigged. But that's not gonna happen since its the most watched event of the Winter Olympics. I can't see how Ice Dancing is in the Olymipics at all.

Surfing should be out too and I'm a surfer.

---

Train safe & smart
Bob

I actually spent a long time thinking about triathlon when i was coming up with my criteria. While triathlon does have a distinct league and the ITU overall title is a pretty large accomplishment, I still think an Olympic Gold in triathlon is a pretty large accomplishment. I would keep it.

I will add the disclaimer that there is some clear bias in this reasoning.

WALKING, I think any sport that is time based, where the technique is intended to slow people down is not a sport. I'm sure someone can think of other sports that work the same. How about one armed swimming? Or freestyle without kicking? Or one leg cycling? What about barefoot running to emulate the original marathon hundreds or years ago?

Air Rifle - really, a gold medal for shooting a popgun?

Synchronized Swimming - make Weeki Wachi recruit their mermaids from somewhere else.

Equestrian - does anyone deny that this is a sport for EXTREMELY rich people. I remember watching on TV one year when one of the medalists was smoking a cigarette during his interview. It may take talent to win, but the horses are the real athletes.

Rhythmic Gymnastics - this must be some sort of consolation contest for girls who couldn't make the regular Gymnastics team.

Curling - comic relief for the winter olympics.

Badminton - I'm at a loss for words.

Golf, Tennis, Soccer, Baseball, Softball - the Olympics were a lot more focused until these large team sports came on increasing the number of venues that need to be built, increasing the size of the Olympic Village, and greatly increasing the costs of hosting the games. Time to trim it back.

Shooting etc are Classic events. 16 days every four years is fine. Chill

Golf! It's bad enough that golf is everywhere and on TV constantly. Are these people even athletes.


It's funny how triathletes always say golfers aren't athletes. I'd take the fitness over a top golfer over a 17 hour Ironman finisher any day. There is a lot more to athletics than endurance. Not everyone doing a triathlon is a great athlete either.


That said, I don't think any sport with a strong professional program should be in the Olympics. That means golf, tennis, the road race in cycling, etc. All those sports have their own pinnacle (majors, grand slams or the big cycling races) which they peak for and the Olympics is simply a side show.

You mean, the "fitness" of top golfers like this guy?

---

float , hammer , and jog

Strange how much people care about sports they don't care about.

There are some sports I don't care about, so I don't follow them. I wouldn't gain anything by having them eliminated from the games.

You mean, the "fitness" of top golfers like this guy?


You think John Daly is a top golfer?

OK, put up any picture of Phil Mickleson. The only thing that golf has in common athletics is that Tiger Woods used the same steroids that the real athletes do!!

---

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

First medal for USA, in shooting of course. Never mind, shooting can stay.

---

---------------------------
''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

If the winner is not obvious. It can come out.

Others - badmitten. Basketball ( they are not even staying in the Olympic village) Curling I'm sure there are many others.

Shooting has to stay. It's one of the best. Especially the skeet events. So hard to go and they make it look easy.

#1 for sure is golf. Also basketball, tennis, beach volleyball. And although I loved to play, ping pong. You can dress it up any way you want, table tennis, but it's still ping pong.

Need to go back to roots: Faster, higher, stronger.

Tostig, are you the half brother who helped Harald Hardrada, the Norwegan King, invade England and get defeated and killed by King Harold's army in 1066, who then marched all the way from Stamford Bridge to Hastings, hundreds of miles on foot, without sports drinks or protein shakes, and lost the battle to my ancestors the Normans, led by William the Duke of Normandy, who gave, as a reward, land in England to knights who helped him win the battle?

You know some of us in England still own land from those days, or rather at least from Domesday Book.

Woman's 7s rugby. Frightening. I've seen prettier dwarves in Game of Thrones.

Why are you comparing a top golfer to a BOP triathlete? That's as silly as comparing an IM or ITU champion to a 28 handicapper who has to use a golf cart to get round the course.

Yes, it takes some fitness to be able to play a round of golf as well as a whole heap of skill, and top golfers these days are much more likely to hit the gym than they used to be, but it's also true that you can be in your 50s with a fat belly and still compete at the highest level.

all you people that shit on badminton. have you ever played at a high level? the hand eye coordination required is insane. i hadn't played in over 15 years. played against my mother (former state champion) and was pretty friggan sore the day after. and i can pop off a sub 5 half on the whim....

Can't even get through the first post without blatant sexism!

yes! golf, shooting, mens gymnastics..

Swimming.

I always feel like if you as an sport/athlete can "decline" going to the olympics, you as a sport need to go.

IE, it's amazing how many golfers declined to go to Rio, and yet some unknown guy in swimming/fencing/rowing, would give everything to have that spot. As I originally said, if your sport has bigger events than the Olympics, have to go.

ETA: Someone was talking about air pistols and badminton, but those type of sports are the reason why we love the olympics. Those athletes live and die by their sport, and the 4s of fame they get maybe only 1 time in their life. You'll never ever hear from any of those athletes again, no news clippings, nothing on ESPN, etc.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Shuttlecock is the fastest moving object in sport. Very difficult to win a medal. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Just because it is difficult to win a medal (e.g., the 10m popgun) doesn't mean it should be in the olympics. Badminton belongs on the beach or at the family picnic. Let me know when a Badminton athlete makes it onto a box of Wheaties.

So you think women's beach volleyball is popular because of female athleticism alone? If the IOC could get away with it, they would have them play naked to increase the revenue stream. That's just reality.

I rarely watch beach volleyball and completely forgot about the hand signals during the serve while watching the men's match today. That wouldn't be possible watching the ladies as there is usually a tight zoom on the ladies hands that just happen to be placed on her rear.

No where in my post did I say that.

there is so much ignorance in your response that i don't know where to start.

badminton belongs at the beach or family picnic? you wouldn't be able to return a serve against the worst olympic player, who was drunk, on the beach, with an eyepatch over the dominant eye.

if your standard of a worthy olympic sport is a wheeties box, then you've drinking too much kool aide. first off, who the fuck eats wheeties? perhaps you? is there a correlation between wheeties and ignorance? hmmmmm

But what you're talking about is professionalism, right? Best best golfers are pro. They don't want to travel to Brazil to play golf for free. Swimmers, fencers, and rowers are all true amateurs.

I'm not sure it's a good idea to have a disincentive for developing a professional league for your sport. Just the opposite - maybe it's time to give up on the concept of amateurism altogether.

No I dont give a shit if you are a pro or a amateur. What I care about is that your sport takes it serious in the Olympics, and golfing certainly doesn't (for lots of various reasons). I dont care if it's because they are pro's or amateurs, if your sport can justify not sending the best when allowed, then wtf is it doing in the Olympics.

ETA: Which is to my general point, golf has far too many other majors for Olympics to actually matter. So you can see why all these pro's are saying thanks but no thanks. How many Olympic sports do athletes in their particular sport act that way? So I'm not saying get rid of the professional franchises, I'm saying get rid of that sport from the Olympics because the Olympic value to said sport just isnt there like it should/can be.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Basically all refereed team sports out me i.e. soccer, hockey, basketball, rugby sevens, handball. Then add to that golf even though my country has the woman's world No 1. I'm not keen on equestrian being in either.

I'm surprised a number of people here who almost certainly ride a bike want to see the cycling road race taken out. This mornings mens road race was great.

It is rather funny to read these threads and how arrogant the members of any sporting community are. I was an archer, and competitive shooter (non-olympic) prior to getting in to running and triathlon. I still surf the on-line communities for those sports. You get a different answer when asking the same question there. Although pretty much everyone agrees on golf.

One could argue a thousand ways for getting rid of any sport from the Olympics. Those that play table tennis are as serious about it as anyone here who is serious about cycling, running, or triathlon. And if you told them they were a ping pong player it is akin to telling a runner he/she is a jogger. "Ping pong" garners the rolling eyes response of someone who doesn't know squat about the sport. Just like when you say you do a triathlon and an uninvolved person says "Oh . . is that that thing in Hawaii"?

Everyone's sport is important to them. Every sporting community is as dedicated and hard working as everyone on Slowtwitch. Food for thought.

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

You asshat. Casual sexism like this is not acceptable.
What's more the Women's 7s rugby quality has been exceptional.

I think half the responses here are more tongue in cheek, "what if" scenario.

538 which is owned by ESPN did a poll of Olympic sports were the best and the 5 worse voted on within social media reaction from fans:

Shooting
Rhymthic gymnastics
Golf
Synchronized swimming
Equestrian (worst votes)

Obviously isn't to say they aren't worthy just from fans prospective the worst of the worst.

5 best sports voted on:
Volleyball (received most votes)
Soccer
Swimming
Triathlon
Track and Field

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Specifically Beach Volleyball . . and we all know it has NOTHING to do with the sport.

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

Synchronized anything.

---

Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

Best voted event within whole Olympics:

100m dash received 20% more votes than beach volleyball (~84% for 100m dash, ~65% for beach volleyball event). Worse voted event was equastrian with with around 18% from fans.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/...ports-survey-ranked/

Eta:beach volleyball was not the only sport voted high, as their is also team volleyball that kept it ranked so high. Thay survey took into consideration how each event within the sport was voted on and took avg.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Maybe if the US wins a badminton medal they'll put 30 seconds of coverage on TV. Enjoy.

Yes, many of the sports are maybe not that interesting, but many of the small sports live almost only for OL, so if you remove them the sports, they will loose a lot of their momentum... So I actually think we should have more sports in the OL.

---

Jakob Boman
http://bookanaut.com/...lser-styrk-din-core/

I think you're ignoring the reason. The reason is money. You don't get any at the Olympics (at least directly.). There is a direct correlation between the athletes who casually wave off the Olympics and their annual income. High-earning pros don't need or want the Olympics.

And at this point it's probably a good idea for sports to develop healthy, independent pro leagues (or pro governing bodies). Because the Olympics don't look that healthy.

It's probably a good idea for a sport to develop a revenue model such that they too can casually wave off the Olympics and not suffer because of it. Maybe amateurism should die. It was born of elitism anyway.

a friend used to compete in pentathlon and he would bitch and moan about the show jumping because they don't meet the horses until minutes before they're in the ring. It's not always a match made in heaven. this rider got around in an unorthodox way -- see end of vid.

So isn't that a good reason why a sport shouldn't be included in the Olymopics?

Eta: that's my whole point. Golf doesn't need the Olympics but you bet badminton or curling, triathlon does.

If the best in your sport goes with "meh" to the Olympics, what again is the point of it being included again? Especially if it's about drawing eye balls for the games.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I was at the OTC a few weeks ago and the pentathlon HP coach was there. He specially said it's designed like that to showcase your skills of simply adapting to new horse as it's very much military focused background event.

Was interesting to hear about those 20 mins you get to familiarize yourself w the horse. He did say if the horse is just gimpy you can ask for different horse.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

If you actually competed in those sports and really watched them, and analyze the technical elements, you'll realize that the scoring in general, is more objective that you think. In many cases, there are specific deductions for missed elements. While occasionally, someone gets hosed, overall, the best athlete very often wins. they aren;t being judged very much for prettiness, it's the specific technical elements and how they are executed that result in a high score, or low score as you will.

---

TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Any the miracle was that amateurs (US team) were playing against what were basically professionals.

---

TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

Why are you comparing a top golfer to a BOP triathlete? That's as silly as comparing an IM or ITU champion to a 28 handicapper who has to use a golf cart to get round the course.


Because the post I responded to compared athletes with John Daly who isn't even remotely a top golfer. If you use John Daly as an example for all golfers, it's just as ridiculous. This comes up all the time but not all great athletes swim, bike or run. There are other criteria to be considered an athlete.

So, the guy who won the PGA Championship as a rookie, and also won PGA Rookie of the Year that same year, and also won The Open Championship and came in 3rd at the Masters, and was the FIRST PRO GOLFER IN HISTORY TO
AVERAGE 300+ yards/drive for an entire season =
A - not a top golfer, and
B - no better than a 17 hour IM finisher?

Um, yeah.

You keep on doubling down on your stupidity.

---

float , hammer , and jog

Yes! To all of it.

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

Daly won two majors. Angel Cabrera won two majors. They might not be the top golfers of all time, but they were pretty good. However, if you can do an activity well enough to win that activity while smoking a cigarette (golf, darts, poker, etc.), your activity is not going to be considered an athletic competition. (Doesn't mean they won't put your activity into the Olympics.)

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Replying to thread.

This video actually was from NBC Athens telecast that had to be pulled.


Badminton explained from your mom's point of view (Mary Carillo commentary)

https://m.youtube.com/...amp;feature=youtu.be

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

OMG. I hadn't seen that! I was in tears laughing. Thanks!

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

Then, as another poster suggested, we should remove all non freestyle events in swimming...same argument.

I'm fine with the Olympics as they are... 16 days every four years isn't really that much time. As a fan and participant of a fringe sport.. aka triathlon, I'll not be throwing any stones at golf, badminton, shooting, etc.

You want to get rid of the second most popular sport in the world? You might be out-voted on that one.

I agree. No one is making anyone watch the Olympics or the events you don't really care about.

There's a lot of opinions in this thread related to what qualifies as a "sport", which doesn't make much sense since they are called the "Olympic Games". All the events are a test of a particular skill. Whether anyone thinks the skill is quantifiable or not is moot.

I'd say get rid of the following:

Basketball - Only a few nations have competitive teams, and as others have said an Olympic gold is not the highest accomplishment in the sport
BMX Cycling - Really? How did this make it out of the Olympic committee?
Synchronized swimming - was genuinely surprise to see this was still around
Baseball/softball - (coming to the Olympics in 2020) just another way to pad the US medal count by playing a game only a handful of other nations in the world are competitive at
Skateboarding - (coming to the Olympics in 2020) see BMX cycling

The Olympics should display a country's physical might and military prowess. So going fast at stuff swimming, running and skiing but not biking(not much use for bikes in a war), throwing and jumping, shooting, beating each other up, picking up heavy crap. I think modern pentathlon is pretty cool.

Anything that is a judged score alone seems odd to me.

---

Pactimo brand ambassador, ask me about promo codes

I agree, synchronized swimming and trampoline also fit this list. Wasn't the motto "Higher, Faster Stronger"? If measurement of performance is subjective then its not a sport. Breakdancing and ballet take incredible athleticism but they aren't sports.

yup yup, totally agree

---

-

http://www.thetrinerd.com

Oh my god I should not have come in and read all these posts. I was amazingly close to deleting my ST account after reading all the crap spewed by some very closed minded people. The sexism is off the wall in so many of these posts. Trev stating "Swimming is a joke sport. Who invented butterfly? Madness. It's just a sport for dodgy men to train little girls to swim in stupid ways up and down a pool. " sounds a bit like he is that dodgy guy looking at little girls the wrong way.

And if the motto is really is "Higher, Faster Stronger" how can you remotely remove gymnastics. Those are some of the strongest people in the world. They are typically 8' - 10' in the air flipping and twisting. Plus vault - they are running at full sprint at a 500 pound non moveable object and they are supposed to launch themselves over it. Yes there used to be some discrepancies with judging in many sports, however look at gymnastics now. Those judges have immense amounts of required trtaining every year and the judging panels are not small anymore. There is a panel that strictly looks at what you do, and a separate panel that looks at how well you do it and they are large enough to counter most discrepancies that may arise. You are way more likely to get a bad call from soccer, baseball, football or hockey than in gymnastics now. They have loaded the panels it would be similar to baseball having three umpires - assuming they all could have the same look

Yes I am biased, as a former gymnastics coach. But I also agree demeaning anyone else's sport is just horse shit. If you don't like it, or it doesn't interest you don't watch it and don't follow it.

the bmx is the dirt track races not the skatepark stuff so it doesn't have much to do with skateboarding. I think organized bmx races predates mtb races.

The USA doesn't dominate the world baseball classic.

+1, x2, ^3

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

if you're talking international (or sometimes, depending on what country you live in local) competition, I agree. i have 2 competitive equestrian daughters (for 5-7 years). one is 14 (competed internationally) and one is 16. The 16yo works a job to pay for her training and does not compete. the 14 yo i work a weekend job ($10/hr) to pay for hers. when she is 16 she will be able to hold a job and work.
we recently moved from Mexico where training and competition were dirt cheap compared to the USA. Of course, I earned US dollars in Mexico and we lived comfortably. a typical local person would have a hard time hitting the earning to do the same. now that we are in the USA i don't see how we can afford competition for her but since she rode internationally for Mexico (and lived 12 of her 14 years there) she will have a pass to ride there at any competition she wants so it will actually be cheaper to fly her back home (MX) and have her compete nationally and internationally there than in the USA.

---

http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

Crossfitters would be immediately envious if they ever find out how jacked gymnasts are.

I've seen a lot of pretty good gymnast make outstanding cross fitters. Plus a gym I used to work out was contracted to help a local cross fit gym with some of the gymnastics specific exercises.

This. Also, the irony of STers, who do nothing but obsess about our fringe sport, blasting other fringe sports is pretty rich. Don't believe tri is fringe? Walk outside and ask the first 10 people you see to name a pro triathlete. And for those calling out the "big" sports with other major championships like soccer and basketball, for the women's teams the Olympics are essential for exposure. Finally, cycling may have the major tours, but it's cool to watch the cyclists compete as part of their national teams rather than their regular teams. Changes the game and makes it more interesting.

I've seen the backgrounds of many Olympic equestrians and big money is the common theme at the elite international level. Princess Anne (76 Olympics) is just one example.

For one, I was demeaning the way the sport is scored. It's subjective no matter how you freaking slice it... that's what is horseshit. All you have to do is look back and see there are controversies, bribes, etc.

Gymnasts are freaking amazing athletes. I'd kill to be able to do what they and have the body that goes with it.

The comparison of referees to judges isn't quite the same thing. Referees are there, for the most part, to enforce the rules but in those contests somebody touches the wall first, breaks the tape first, or scores more points.

In judged sports/contests, or exhibitions as I call them, someone, a group, a panel, a whatever... decides who did it better. And you cannot tell me that personal and/or national biases don't creep in or people cannot be bribed.

And I realize referees in the above sports can also be bribed and even if they were they would have less of an influence on the outcome of the game that a panel of judges would/does.

Hey... that's my opinion, if you don't like it. I don't care.

You probably don't care about my opinion which again reinforces the closed mindedness I was referring too. However your very uneducated opinion is also meaningless. Yes you can look back and see scandal but hell you can do that in any sport. You are blind to what the governing body has done to do away with this. Panels are all mixed nations and the number of judges that are now present, almost 100% rules out the possibility of bribes.

Why do you think NBC puts the women's games on prime time.

As for the OP. How about we just get rid of any sport added in the past 3 decades?

And to those who want to get rid of all swimming but freestyle? Really? Should we get rid of all track and field except the sprints? An absolutely dumb suggestion made by those who likely are unable to perform any stroke other than the freestyle... with a wetsuit on.

There's a couple goofy things with the road race:

1) It's definitely a team sport where only one person gets a medal.

2) More than half the field didn't even finish the race. The numbers aren't exact, but there were ~60 finishers and ~80 DNFs. I know several have to start the road race to be eligible for the time trial, but what other event has more than half the field quit during the event? Or better yet, plan to quit the event?

Sorry but sports which require judges and marks have no place in the Olympics. That doesn't mean they are amazing sports in their own right, just shouldn't be in the Olympics.

Things like ice dancing, well why not have ballet in the Olympics.

No one would watch the long jump or the high jump if there were marks for style as in ski jumping.

Gymnastics, amazing sport, but judges - not a real sport - sorry. It's all,very clever and amazing athleticism but a grown man in shorts doing tumbling and getting marks for it?

And Imstand by what I said about swimming. Have as many races as you like over different distances but you can't take races where people deliberately swim in a manner which is slower like butterfly or breast stroke, and backstroke, that's daft. You wouldn't watch men running backwards in the Olympics or running sideways would you.

Then you have the people with not much money complaining about equestrian sport. Well riding horses is one of the oldest sports on the planet, it's one of the ultimate sports, it's a partnership between man and horse, the bloody Normans won at Hastings because they could fight on here back. And to get this attitude from Americans, what about cowboys are they all rich, no they are hard blokes who ride horses for their job.

Anyone who knows anything about horses just laughs at ignorant people who get all annoyed by equestrian sport. You get kids who work from dawn to dusk for hardly any money because they want to ride. You get parents who work nights or weekends on top of a day job to pay for their child's horse, they are not all rich. Some are, but a lot are ordinary people who work hard to earn enough money just to take part.

BMX should be thrown out of the Olympics, grown men on children's bikes, a bloody embarrassment. What next skate boarding or trick skiing in baggy clothes and marks for the style?

The bigger problem with judging is when sports don't enforce their own rules. Boxing is notorious for this. And the biggest debacle of all was '88 in Soul. Anyone remember that? The judges ruled against a South Korean boxer on day 1 and they got mobbed and physically assaulted. After that, if the South Korean was still standing at the end of the fight he won. Roy Jones beat the hell out of his opponent and lost. The US boxers got the directive from the coaches to go for the knockout after that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJYBV9BXQNY

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

Good thing for you there's no walking race in the Olympics, becasue that's just a way of slowing them down...

Oh, wait....

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

And what's all this from Americans saying shooting shouldn't be in the Olympics. Who do you think the Olympics was invented for?
It was invented for gentlemen and gentlemen enjoy decimating wildlife with rifles and shot guns.

I thought you Americans were pro shooting. Enough of you get shot every year so shooting must be popular.

Shooting is a skill. It isn't easy to kill hundreds of birds in a few hours on a freezing cold day in England what with the beaters getting in the way and you have to control your gun dogs and make sure your loader is trained properly. It takes skill to handle a shot gun. If I had my way it wouldn't be trap shooting in the Olympics it would be for real - shooting game.

Then I would have sniper shooting in the Olympics, that tales real skill.

I agree that air pistol shooting shouldn't be in the Olympics, that's for girls.

Proper long bow shooting should be in the Olympics, shooting at deer, but these daft bows with all sorts of bits sticking out should be thrown out.

How about a charging knights in armour like at Crecy and Agincourt for the archers to shoot at? That would be real sport.

Then why not have jousting in the Olympics?

Anyway, I'm watching the the beach volleyball which shouldn't be in the Olympics but is bloody entertaining.

Gymnastics is incredible, but I don't agree with the artsy side of it. The flour exercise is a good example. Why are they forced to prance around between tumbling passes? Why do they have music? Why are their uniforms bedazzled? That stuff has no places in sport. There shouldn't be any dancing, and if there's music, it should be the same for all athletes. I can't recall if they are judged on artistic expression or not, but if it's similar to ice skating, then that's totally ridiculous.

Trev wrote:

What next skate boarding or trick skiing in baggy clothes and marks for the style?

https://www.olympic.org/...pic-games-tokyo-2020

You know that the originator of the Crossfit marketing model was a gymnast right?

You know they have adult size bmx bikes just like they have kids size road, mtb and cross bikes.

If you argument is free style should be the only swimming because it is the fastest way to get through the course I think you need to use the same logic with bmx dirt tracks. I don't think a mtb would be faster in a race that short. I have seen races between pro mtb and bmx on pump tracks and the bmx often wins. A bmx and pump track are pretty similar.

Exactly, I have no problem with gymnastics just get rid of the artistic aspect for the women. It just seems very sexist for the women to have to be pretty during their floor exercises, but the men's floor exercise does not have the artistic aspect. Also the women's vault and uneven bars do not have the silly hand movements, why doe they need them on the floor. Just seems to be demeaning to them as athletes to not judge them as athletes. We are just re-inforcing terrible gender norms with women's gymnastics when we do not need to.

Gymnastics is disqualified as an Olympic sport based on Gabby Douglas not qualifying for the all-around despite being the 3rd place finisher last night.

So swimming should be disqualified, many great US swimmers have not made the team, since they only send 2 swimmers for each event.

Gymnastics is disqualified as an Olympic sport based on Gabby Douglas not qualifying for the all-around despite being the 3rd place finisher last night.
-------------------
Some feel she shouldn't have been on the team in the first place.

---

Train safe & smart
Bob

They should remove pentathlon.

A few unrelated sports thrown together, and the athletes aren't up with the best in any of them.

---

'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

Then triathlon should be removed. In war there is validity in handling a horse, running and shooting. It is like the green jersey of war.

---

Pactimo brand ambassador, ask me about promo codes

She shouldn't have been there, she looked terrible at National Championships and Olympic trials. But with your reasoning above shouldn't we also drop swimming and track? Why do I only ever see 2 people from a country entered in any type of race? Gymnastics is similar in that way that only 2 from a country may compete in the individual events just like any other sport, however they can field a team of 5 to choose from. Just a side point had Laurie Hernandez been allowed to compete in the All Around the Gabby Douglas most likely been 4th. But the preliminaries is also a try out of sorts for the individual events, and team finals. The preliminary team competition is a 4 people compete and 3 score count, so they couldn't let Madison Kocian. With Kocian being the reigning World Champion on bars they couldn't have sit out her event and miss her chance of being an Olympic gold medalist

Remove:
Curling
Team / relay bobsled
Reintroduce:
tug-of-war
Add:
Bicycle fitting

I agree with this as well, good way of looking at it.

Sports that need to go:
Basketball
2 man luge (really?)

Sports that need to be added:
Jousting (that would be a great medal ceremony)
MMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Y9z_8fBF5U

That was the joke, yes.

---

'It never gets easier, you just get crazier.'

"In war there is validity in handling a horse, running and shooting"

you are naive, i take it, to the bicycle infantry? and running is a big part of war, either into or away from it. swimming? you bet. PT109.

but i have another question you guys can answer. when i look on those minor NBC cable channels i see bodybuilding. as part of the olympic coverage. what's that about?

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I think it should be updated, riding a horse is much less useful to escaping a POW camp then it was in the past, it should be replaced with hot wiring cars.

They often get rid of sports that the US always wins....Softball is one I can think of and now it is coming back.

If this were true, they'd have gotten rid of basketball by now.

The Olympics has some criteria that the event needs a certain amount of world wide support/participation in order to be included in the Olympics. Softball was simply viewed as not being a very popular activity outside the US and a couple of other countries.

---

"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

Take out ALL the judged sports, and out them in a separate Games - Working title "Judged Games". You could do this with the Winter Games as well.

Leave in the Main Games - actual head-to-head competition, and timed races/events where there is no judging involved at all in the out come.

---

---

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

That was pretty fun. thanks for sharing.

The Olympics has some criteria that the event needs a certain amount of world wide support/participation in order to be included in the Olympics


The Olympic Charter indicates that to be accepted, a sport must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents, and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents. The sport must also increase the ‘‘value and appeal'' of the Olympic Games and retain and reflect its modern traditions. There are numerous other rules, including bans on purely ‘‘mind sports'' and sports dependent on mechanical propulsion. These rules have kept chess, automobile racing, and other recognized sports out of the Olympic Games.

Start with any and all sports that are judged.

I don't eat Wheaties but it has been one measure of Olympic fame that badminton players have not enjoyed...but they generally aren't American so what the heck. I couldn't resist rubbing salt in the wound with this article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/...m%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

Here are some key excerpts for you. At least badminton is mentioned --

"There’s nowhere to graduate to after you earn a medal in shot put or badminton.


Athletes often basked in extended renown on a Wheaties box and on magazine covers. (The Final Five will appear on boxes of Special K; Kellogg’s is an Olympic sponsor this year, not General Mills, maker of Wheaties.) They were showered with endorsement deals and guest spots on television talk shows that lasted far longer than a few weeks, before the public moved on to something else, such as football. But for even the athletes with the most medals, the fame and celebrity hardly lasted a lifetime.

...Mary Lou Retton. The gymnast, who scored two perfect 10s, was labeled America’s sweetheart, one of many over the years . She became the first woman on the Wheaties box, earned a clothing line and endorsement deals with Energizer, hair products company Vidal Sassoon, McDonald’s and even the National Bowling Council."

I believe the judging is a lot less arbitrary than you think it is. It's a whole system and they look for very specific things.

gunphobia....you should watch less news