Sports that shouldn't be in the Olympics?

I'd not lose any sleep if all the equestrian events got lost. One of the things the Olympics is supposed to do is inspire kids to engage in sports at grass roots level because maybe if you practice enough one day you might be up there competing for your country.

The expense of the equestrian events makes them completely inaccessible to the vast majority of kids. It's not really in keeping with the meritocratic spirit of the games that you can get a gold medal for being the best at something barely anyone can afford to do. It's like having an event for deadlifting gold bars where you can only participate if you bring your own gold bars.
 
jeff_goldblum said:
I'd not lose any sleep if all the equestrian events got lost. One of the things the Olympics is supposed to do is inspire kids to engage in sports at grass roots level because maybe if you practice enough one day you might be up there competing for your country.

The expense of the equestrian events makes them completely inaccessible to the vast majority of kids. It's not really in keeping with the meritocratic spirit of the games that you can get a gold medal for being the best at something barely anyone can afford to do. It's like having an event for deadlifting gold bars where you can only participate if you bring your own gold bars.
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I see your point, but even so, quite ordinary people do own, ride and show horses. A lad who worked in my department at my last job had two horses which his wife rode and showed - they lived on a small housing estate and were certainly not well-off. The horses were of course stabled elsewhere. He also kept a few fancy breed sheep which his little boys showed at the agricultural fairs, again the sheep lived in a farmer's field.

Admittedly, rich people can easily buy horses and all the tack and clothes, whereas those who have less money have to make sacrifices to do it- but that's life, really. I know the lad mentioned above did extra work as a builder's labourer for his dad to help finance the horses, because riding was so important to his wife. So sometimes people who aren't rich at all can actually afford it, if they make it a priority.
 
cinc said:
I hate swimming. It's a sport of doping and you can't actually see anything. On the upside, people love seeing fit (though mostly ugly, the bronze medalist british woman is awfully ugly) people in bathing suits. And they can fixate on meaningless records. Athletics are not much better.

Both have a place in the olympics though.
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As an adopted Aussie I'd like to believe that our poor medal haul at the last Olympics was partly due to dirty foreign cheats but where is the evidence? perhaps we need baseline blood passports like they are talking about for cycling.
 
One of the problems especially with the summer games is the size of the thing and all the atheletes and trainers, etc.

Synchronized swimming, think I head that ballroom dancing had been added at one point, is it still in? If so it can go. Dressage can go. Baseball. Football, already have the World Cup, no need for it in the Olympics. Even Hockey and Basketball which used to be two of my favorite sports in the Olympics but with all the guys from the NHL and NBA on the teams, not so much any more.

Keep women's beach volleyball please.
 
Wibble said:
As an adopted Aussie I'd like to believe that our poor medal haul at the last Olympics was partly due to dirty foreign cheats but where is the evidence? perhaps we need baseline blood passports like they are talking about for cycling.
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To be fair, Wibbs, that comment's boomeranged you right in yer face.
 
If anything women's beach volleyball should be expanded, there should be 2's 3's and 6's!
 
I think any sport in which the biggest achievement is not winning the Olympics shouldn't be there.

That obviously applies to football, basketball and many other team sports. Perhaps for water polo and the likes it's different, but most team sports feel a bit weird there.
 
Penna said:
Just seen an interview with a more mature Scottish judo player who just got knocked out in all of 2 minutes of his bout. It's hard to watch, he was trying to hold back the tears all through the interview. He won't make the next games, he says, presumably he'll be too old.

You have to feel sorry for those who know they've just missed their last chance, they all put so much into the preparation. Sport can be cruel.
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Judo is one of the cruelest sports around. You can train for years aiming for the Olympics, get your chance and it can all be over within the first couple of minutes.
 
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